Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in light of advice from the British Veterinary Association that high temperatures can pose serious risks to animal welfare, whether compliance with licence conditions relating to temperature control and ventilation at licensed establishments breeding dogs for scientific procedures is assessed during periods of hot weather rather than solely during routine inspections.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA), licensed establishments are responsible for ensuring the welfare of animals in their care at all times, including during extremes of temperature. All such establishments must comply with ASPA, the Code of Practice for the Housing and Care of Animals Bred, Supplied or Used for Scientific Purposes, and relevant licence conditions. This includes requirements for daily checks of animal welfare and environmental conditions, and for breaches or potential breaches of licence conditions to be reported to the Secretary of State.
In addition to a programme of announced and unannounced inspections, the Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU) assesses compliance through reviews of establishment arrangements, and regular engagement with establishments. These arrangements are not limited to routine inspections.
ASRU’s regulatory oversight is informed by a risk assessment of the licensed establishment, including factors such as the species held and the type of work conducted. Where appropriate, ASRU may request updates on operational matters and environmental conditions, including temperature monitoring, to ensure that appropriate standards of animal welfare are maintained.
The Home Office does not hold records as to whether inspections coincided with periods when Government heat-health alerts were in force. Inspection frequency is determined in line with the requirements of ASPA and ASRU’s risk-informed approach.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many unannounced inspections have been carried out at licensed establishments breeding dogs for scientific procedures during periods when heat-health alerts have been in force in each of the last five years.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA), licensed establishments are responsible for ensuring the welfare of animals in their care at all times, including during extremes of temperature. All such establishments must comply with ASPA, the Code of Practice for the Housing and Care of Animals Bred, Supplied or Used for Scientific Purposes, and relevant licence conditions. This includes requirements for daily checks of animal welfare and environmental conditions, and for breaches or potential breaches of licence conditions to be reported to the Secretary of State.
In addition to a programme of announced and unannounced inspections, the Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU) assesses compliance through reviews of establishment arrangements, and regular engagement with establishments. These arrangements are not limited to routine inspections.
ASRU’s regulatory oversight is informed by a risk assessment of the licensed establishment, including factors such as the species held and the type of work conducted. Where appropriate, ASRU may request updates on operational matters and environmental conditions, including temperature monitoring, to ensure that appropriate standards of animal welfare are maintained.
The Home Office does not hold records as to whether inspections coincided with periods when Government heat-health alerts were in force. Inspection frequency is determined in line with the requirements of ASPA and ASRU’s risk-informed approach.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the situation of those under guardian licences for residential dwellings.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Landlords have tools to assess applicants looking to rent or occupy a property, such as through referencing checks. The Government encourages landlords to make sure that these checks are proportionate. However, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to determining whether any given tenancy or a licence to occupy a property will be suitable or sustainable.
Through the Renters’ Rights Act 2025, we have taken direct action to make clear that private landlords must stop discriminatory practices against households with children or receiving benefits in the private rented sector. While these measures do not apply to licenses to occupy, the Department continues to monitor trends across the private rented sector and is conducting a robust evaluation of the impact of the Renters' Rights Act 2025.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to stopping property guardian companies refusing applicants on the basis of being (1) on Universal Credit, or (2) in receipt of local council housing allowance support.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Landlords have tools to assess applicants looking to rent or occupy a property, such as through referencing checks. The Government encourages landlords to make sure that these checks are proportionate. However, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to determining whether any given tenancy or a licence to occupy a property will be suitable or sustainable.
Through the Renters’ Rights Act 2025, we have taken direct action to make clear that private landlords must stop discriminatory practices against households with children or receiving benefits in the private rented sector. While these measures do not apply to licenses to occupy, the Department continues to monitor trends across the private rented sector and is conducting a robust evaluation of the impact of the Renters' Rights Act 2025.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to limiting the amount of data that (1) guardian companies, and (2) tenancy reference checking agencies, can request from applicants.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Landlords have tools to assess applicants looking to rent or occupy a property, such as through referencing checks. The Government encourages landlords to make sure that these checks are proportionate. However, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to determining whether any given tenancy or a licence to occupy a property will be suitable or sustainable.
Through the Renters’ Rights Act 2025, we have taken direct action to make clear that private landlords must stop discriminatory practices against households with children or receiving benefits in the private rented sector. While these measures do not apply to licenses to occupy, the Department continues to monitor trends across the private rented sector and is conducting a robust evaluation of the impact of the Renters' Rights Act 2025.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what data they hold on the rates of repeat drink-driving offending among drivers who have completed the Drink Drive Rehabilitation scheme.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) publish data on the number of drink-drive offenders completing rehabilitation courses. DVSA does not have data on the rates of repeat drink-driving offending among drivers who have completed the Drink Drive Rehabilitation scheme.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Hayman of Ullock on 14 April (HL16149), what documents, meetings or processes are referred to by the phrase “performance reviews with CCW”; how many such reviews have taken place since 1 January 2023; on what dates they took place; what aspects of the Consumer Council for Water’s performance were assessed, including delivery of objectives, value for money and complaints handling; and whether the written outputs of those reviews will be published.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra's oversight of CCW includes engagement on governance and performance against objectives, from official to ministerial level, in line with the Arm’s Length Body Sponsorship Code of Good Practice.
The Consumer Council for Water’s Annual Report and Accounts (ARA) for 2023-24 and 2024-25 were published on 2 June 2026 and provide a detailed overview of CCW's business performance and activities over these years. This Government requires non-department public bodies to produce ARA reports to provide transparency, accountability, and financial performance reporting to Parliament, sponsoring departments, and the public.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to commission a faux fur to be developed for the King's Guards' caps or whether their suppliers have sourced an alternative to bearskin.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence remains committed to using human made materials to replace natural fur where they provide a suitable, affordable and sustainable alternative and continues to welcome submissions of test results from a testing house accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service on synthetic alternatives that meet our criteria.
The Department has not yet identified a synthetic alternative that meets the standards required to provide an effective replacement for bearskin ceremonial caps.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the demand for faux fur bearskin within the armed forces; and what steps they intend to take as a result.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence remains committed to using human made materials to replace natural fur where they provide a suitable, affordable and sustainable alternative and continues to welcome submissions of test results from a testing house accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service on synthetic alternatives that meet our criteria.
The Department has not yet identified a synthetic alternative that meets the standards required to provide an effective replacement for bearskin ceremonial caps.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government for what reason they instructed the Consumer Council for Water to cease providing alternative dispute resolution services with immediate effect on 24 April.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
On 20 April 2026, Defra instructed the Consumer Council for Water (CCW) to cease provision of the adjudication element of the Alternative Dispute Resolution service, which had been operated through a third party. This was because CCW does not have the statutory power to undertake adjudication activities or charge for them.
As a result, continuing the adjudication function was not consistent with CCW’s legal powers or regularity requirements. This service was therefore ceased promptly to ensure compliance. with legal and financial governance requirements.