Asked by: Baroness Alexander of Cleveden (Labour - Life peer)
Question
To ask His Majesty's Government how many commissioners are legally required to serve on the Equality and Human Rights Commission at any one time; and how many are currently in post.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Under the Equality Act 2006, the number of Commissioners is determined to be not less than ten or more than fifteen individuals. The Board requires four appointed members (plus the CEO) to be quorate to determine decisions.
As of 16 September, the EHRC Board has seven Commissioners (including the Chair and Deputy but not the CEO). Following the appointment of Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson as the next Chair, the Government intends to launch recruitment campaigns for new Commissioners at the earliest opportunity.
Asked by: Baroness Alexander of Cleveden (Labour - Life peer)
Question
To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to launch the next round of recruitment for commissioners to the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Following the announcement of the appointment of Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson as the next Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, we intend to launch recruitment campaigns for new Commissioners soon. This will include campaigns for Scotland Commissioner and Wales Commissioner
Asked by: Baroness Alexander of Cleveden (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to relocate Civil Service roles outside London.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
On 14 May, the Government announced it will be:
Strengthening its presence in 13 cross Government locations across the UK.
Ensuring that 50% of UK-based SCS are located outside of London by 2030.
Strengthening the talent pipeline by launching a new apprenticeship programme, setting an ambition for 50% of Fast Stream roles to be based outside London by 2030, and committing to develop and launch a local government interchange programme in partnership with the Local Government Association (LGA).
Reducing the number of Civil Service buildings in London, closing 11 buildings by 2030 to deliver £94m in savings per year.
Launching two new thematic campuses, an Energy Campus in Aberdeen and a Digital & AI Innovation Campus in Manchester.
In June, the Government announced that Places for Growth existing thematic campuses in Darlington, Sheffield and Leeds will be leading a new approach to bring together policy makers with those on the frontline to support mission delivery.
Asked by: Baroness Alexander of Cleveden (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect to publish updated estimates of the wealthy tax gap which is the difference between the amount of tax that should be paid by wealthy individuals and what is actually paid.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) estimates the size of the tax gap, which is the difference between the amount of tax that should, in theory, be paid to HMRC, and what is actually paid. The tax gap statistics are published annually, most recently on 19 June 2025, with the next release planned for June 2026. [1]
The latest estimate of the wealthy customer group tax gap was £2.1 billion for the tax year 2023 to 2024. [2]
[1] The latest estimates include tax years from 2005 to 2006 through to 2023 to 2024 and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/measuring-tax-gaps.
[2] Historical estimates for the tax gap for wealthy customers can be found in table 1.4 here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/measuring-tax-gaps-tables
Asked by: Baroness Alexander of Cleveden (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of extending the Warm Home Discount Scheme to all households in receipt of means-tested benefits.
Answered by Lord Wilson of Sedgefield - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government recognises that we need to support households struggling with bills whilst we transition to clean power by 2030. The Department’s Warm Home Discount provides a £150 rebate off winter energy bills for eligible low-income households. On 25 February, we published a consultation on the expansion of the Warm Home Discount, giving more eligible households £150 off their energy bills. These proposals would bring around 2.7 million households into the scheme – pushing the total number of households that would receive the discount next winter up to around 6 million. The Warm Home Discount regulations expire in 2026, and we will want to consider all options for future bill support beyond this point.
Asked by: Baroness Alexander of Cleveden (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce inefficiencies in the tax system.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government is committed to ensuring that the tax system provides the economic stability needed for growth.
At the Budget in October the Government honoured the manifesto commitment to cap Corporation Tax and outlined a clear plan in the Corporate Tax roadmap. The Government also took steps to repair the public finances through reforms that removed inefficient and distortive reliefs from the tax system. This included removing loopholes to ensure the tax system was more sustainable alongside delivering on the Government’s manifesto commitments to raise revenue in a fair way.
At Spring Statement 2025 we went further and faster to close the tax gap, making sure that everyone pays the tax they owe, and in April the Government announced measures to simplify the tax system to help deliver the Plan for Change. These measures will reduce burdens on employers and small businesses, and reform the tax system to ensure it continues to be fit for the modern world.
Asked by: Baroness Alexander of Cleveden (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to help increase the return on investment from pension savings.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The first part of the landmark Pensions Review has concluded with the publication of the Final Report of the Pensions Investment Review on 29 May 2025.
The ambitious reforms outlined in the Final Report will drive scale and consolidation in both the multi-employer defined contribution pensions market and the Local Government Pension Scheme in England and Wales. They will unlock billions of pounds in investment for productive assets, improve efficiency, and deliver better returns for savers. Estimates suggest the measures could increase a Defined Contribution pot at retirement by £5,900 for an average earner who saves over their career.
To deliver these reforms, the Government has introduced the Pension Schemes Bill, providing the necessary legislative framework to implement these reforms, alongside wider pension reforms. The Bill received its first reading on 5 June 2025.
These measures will support the new more ambitious industry-led voluntary Mansion House Accord, announced on 13 May 2025. The Accord is a commitment from 17 of the UK’s largest defined contribution pension schemes to invest 10% of their default funds in private assets, with half of that earmarked for the UK, by 2030. This will unlock more productive investment and help support the diversification of savers’ pensions assets.
Asked by: Baroness Alexander of Cleveden (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce government bureaucracy.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The government is committed to creating a productive and agile state. This means reducing bureaucracy through adoption of digital technology and AI tools; stripping back duplication and inefficiency in arms-length bodies; streamlining approval processes; and improving accountability for Civil Service performance. The Cabinet Office will drive and track delivery of this important programme of work.
Asked by: Baroness Alexander of Cleveden (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to the technical annex of the white paper published on 12 May, Restoring control over the immigration system, how many of the 22 higher education institutions that it is assumed will not meet at least one of the criteria set out in the paper are in (1) Scotland, (2) Wales, and (3) Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The estimates in the technical annex are illustrative and based on data from 2023-24, or 2022-23 where the former is not available. The actual institutions which will be impacted will depend on their compliance with the criteria at the time.
Asked by: Baroness Alexander of Cleveden (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to the technical annex of the white paper published on 12 May, Restoring control over the immigration system, how many of the five higher education institutions that it is assumed will not pass the revised basic compliance assessment are in (1) Scotland, (2) Wales, and (3) Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The estimates in the technical annex are illustrative and based on data from 2023-24, or 2022-23 where the former is not available. The actual institutions which will be impacted will depend on their compliance with the criteria at the time.