Asked by: Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Chapman of Darlington on 9 April (HL5959), what progress has been made in identifying and possibly contacting civil servants dismissed from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office as a result of the then-ban on homosexuals serving in the Diplomatic Service.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The Cabinet Office is continuing to review this matter, given the wider implications beyond former Foreign & Commonwealth Office staff, and they will update Parliament on the outcome in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of potential mandatory training for those local authorities which, according to local road maintenance transparency reports, are not carrying out any preventative road maintenance.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
To qualify for their full share of this year’s £500m uplift in highways maintenance funding, local authorities had to publish transparency reports and set out how they comply with best practice, including in relation to preventative maintenance which is more cost effective than the reactive patching of potholes. The findings from the transparency reports enable the department to identify where extra support may be needed to ensure compliance with best practice. The department will set out more detail on the further support and training it will make available to local authorities in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage local authorities to prioritise preventative road maintenance treatments over short-term pothole repairs.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
There are occasions where potholes need to be repaired quickly for safety reasons, but the Department encourages local authorities to focus on long-term preventative maintenance, which is more cost-effective than the reactive patching of potholes. To qualify for their full share of this year's £500m uplift in highways maintenance funding, local authorities had to publish transparency reports and set out how they comply with best practice including in relation to the extent to which they prioritise preventative maintenance.
Asked by: Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to include special advisors within the scope of the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act 2014 using the powers in section 2(5) of that Act.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government is committed to transparency and has already taken a number of steps to restore trust in politics. The Government currently has no plans to bring Special Advisers within the scope of the Lobbying Act, although it continues to keep transparency and lobbying under review.
Asked by: Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made in implementing the Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (Amendment) Regulations 2023, and in updating the Financial Conduct Authority guidance with regard to politically exposed people.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (Amendment) Regulations 2023 came into force on 10 January 2024. All businesses within scope of the Money Laundering Regulations are now required to ensure that their starting point for assessing the risk posed by domestic politically exposed persons (PEPs), and the extent of the enhanced customer due diligence measures to be applied in relation to that customer, is that they present a lower level of risk than a non-domestic PEP.
The Government has been working closely with the FCA to follow up on the findings of its review into the treatment of Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs) by financial institutions and to ensure firms improve their practices where necessary. Following a consultation, the FCA published updated guidance on PEPs on 7 July 2025. It is available here: https://www.fca.org.uk/publications/finalised-guidance/fg25-3-treatment-politically-exposed-persons
Asked by: Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to respond to the calls for greater control over lobbying made by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations in its report, No Rules Britannia? The UK’s lobbying laws exposed on the global stage, published in April.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
In addition to steps this Government has already taken to improve transparency, in particular through the introduction of the monthly register of ministers' gifts and hospitality, the Government continues to develop its broader work on ethics and standards and will provide an update in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to adopt the recommendations in the report Climate and Energy Lobbying in the UK, published by InfluenceMap on 26 June.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
In addition to steps this Government has already taken to improve transparency, in particular through the introduction of the monthly register of ministers' gifts and hospitality, the Government continues to develop its broader work on ethics and standards and will provide an update in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Twycross on 16 September 2024 (HL617) stating that the Government would consider whether changes were required to improve transparency around lobbying, whether they plan to consult on any such changes.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
In addition to steps this Government has already taken to improve transparency, in particular through the introduction of the monthly register of ministers' gifts and hospitality, the Government continues to develop its broader work on ethics and standards and will provide an update in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Twycross on 16 September 2024 (HL617) stating that the Government were committed to establishing a new independent Ethics and Integrity Commission, when an announcement on this Commission will be made.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
I refer the noble Baroness to the answer given to PQ HL8292 on 23 June 2025.
Written question from Lord Booth, tabled on 10 June 2025: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 10 April (HL6032), what estimate they have made of the annual cost of the Ethics and Integrity Commission.
Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent, on 23 June: We are restoring confidence in government and the highest standards in public life and have already taken steps to improve probity and transparency, including through issuing a new Ministerial Code which highlights the importance of the principles of public life, by strengthening the terms of reference for the Independent Adviser, and by introducing a new monthly Register of Gifts and Hospitality.
Asked by: Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to determine the number and identity of people who were dismissed from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office as a result of the ban on homosexuality for serving officers in the Diplomatic Service; and whether they will apologise to those who were dismissed on these grounds.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) officials have continued looking into this and I am eager to bring this to a resolution further to the apology for the ban from Sir Philip Barton (then Permanent Under-Secretary) in 2021. We continue to learn the lessons of the MOD's Etherton Review but it has become apparent how different the circumstances of the ban were, therefore requiring a different response. The FCDO are currently looking at the best way to address this, engaging with Cabinet Office and other relevant Government departments to find the best solution. Specifically, the new Permanent Under-Secretary is engaged on this issue and we are talking to officials and Ministers across Government to find the most appropriate solution.