Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in light of the introduction of the Church Appointments (Repeal of Discriminatory Provision) Bill, what plans they have to legislate further to (1) allow a monarch of any faith, and (2) end the automatic right of Bishops of the Church of England to sit in the House of Lords.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Church Appointments (Repeal of Discriminatory Provision) Bill will remove historic legal barriers that prevent an individual professing either the Roman Catholic or Jewish faiths from advising the Sovereign on Church appointments.
The Government has no plans to legislate on these wider matters.
Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government why the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology was closed; and on what basis they determined which departments should be assigned its responsibilities.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Prime Minister has made a number of changes to the Machinery of Government to rewire the state and drive economic growth across the country, including transforming how the Government is structured to approach science, innovation and technology, including AI.
The UK stands at a critical juncture where unprecedented global changes demand that we secure our position as a world leader in AI, science and technology. In this context, we cannot see science and technology as an isolated issue, limited to one department, but instead as a major priority that cuts across the whole of government and is vital to the UK’s future economic prosperity.
Recognising this, the functions of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) have been redistributed to align with the Government’s core economic and social agenda.
Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 29 June (HL1380), whether they will answer the question put, namely whether they will legislate to ensure that a Prime Minister of any faith can discharge all of his or her duties.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Government recognises that there are historical restrictions on duties in statute, particularly in relation to the making of and advising on Church appointments. We will keep this under review.
Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to legislate to ensure a Prime Minister of any religious faith can discharge all of his or her responsibilities.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Captain of the King's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard (HM Household) (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Lords)
While religious faith does not prevent anyone from becoming Prime Minister, the Government recognises that there are some historical restrictions on duties in statute. In such cases the Government would make alternative arrangements, so that it can discharge its responsibilities in full.
Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to commission an impartial and independent review of the impact of the United Kingdom's departure from the European Union, including the benefits and disbenefits.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Captain of the King's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard (HM Household) (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Government has no plans to commission an independent review of the impact of the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union. Our focus is firmly on strengthening the UK’s Strategic Partnership with the EU to make the people across the UK safer, more secure and more prosperous.
Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government which public positions and roles cannot be filled by Roman Catholics, Jews and those not in communion with the Church of England; and what constraints are placed on the authority of a Prime Minister or Lord Chancellor who is a practicing Roman Catholic or Jew.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Captain of the King's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard (HM Household) (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Government recognises that there are historical restrictions in statute on Roman Catholic and Jewish people making and advising the Crown on Church appointments. In practice, this affects those holding the offices of Prime Minister and Lord Chancellor. This does not prevent those professing the Roman Catholic or Jewish faith from holding these roles and in such cases the Government would make alternative arrangements for advising the Crown about Church appointments. The Government keeps this matter under review, but, given other pressing issues, this is not a current priority.
As the Supreme Governor of the Church of England, the Sovereign must be in communion with the Anglican Communion. Individuals practising other faiths therefore cannot become Sovereign, Regent or a Counsellor of State.
Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government which public offices in the United Kingdom are barred to individuals practising the Roman Catholic faith.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Captain of the King's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard (HM Household) (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Government recognises that there are historical restrictions in statute on Roman Catholic and Jewish people making and advising the Crown on Church appointments. The Government keeps this matter under review, but, given other pressing issues, this is not a current priority.
As the Supreme Governor of the Church of England, the Sovereign must be in communion with the Anglican Communion. Individuals practising the Roman Catholic faith therefore cannot become Sovereign, Regent or a Counsellor of State.
Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 23 July (HL9313), whether they can identify the reasons as to why London’s economy is 28.5 per cent more productive on average than the rest of the United Kingdom.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Captain of the King's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard (HM Household) (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
Please see the letter below from the National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority.
The Lord Birt
House of Lords
London
SW1A 0PW
4 September 2025
Dear Lord Birt,
As Acting National Statistician, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 23 July (HL9313), whether the reasons as to why London’s economy is 28.5 per cent more productive on average than the rest of the United Kingdom can be identified (HL9939).
London is home to a high proportion of knowledge-intensive sectors such as financial services, insurance, and professional, scientific, and technical industries, all of which drive higher levels of productivity. There is evidence that London, like other major cities, benefits from an agglomeration effect, whereby the close proximity of a diverse mix of businesses, highly skilled labour, and major institutions fuels knowledge spillovers, collaboration, and innovation which enhance overall economic output. 1
London-based firms also consistently outperform their regional peers, even within the same industries, with firms benefitting from access to a large highly skilled labour market and a well-developed infrastructure and also from high competition between firms driving business dynamism.
This same pattern is found globally, with the largest cities typically having higher productivity levels compared with other areas due to these agglomeration impacts.
Yours sincerely,
Emma Rourke
1 https://whatworksgrowth.org/insights/understanding-agglomeration/
Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of vehicles used to transport ministers on official business are wholly electric.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Captain of the King's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard (HM Household) (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Government Car Service fleet is currently 39% wholly electric and a further 56% hybrid.
Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of suppliers to Government and to publicly-funded services have their invoices settled on the due date.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Captain of the King's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard (HM Household) (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Lords)
Government departments routinely publish the percentage of invoices paid within 5 and 30 days, and there is a requirement under the Procurement Act 2023 for invoices relating to public contracts to be paid within 30 days.
The most recent published data indicates that all departments pay at least 95% of invoices within 30 days and half of departments pay at least 99% within 30 days.
For publicly-funded services, we do not hold this data centrally at present. However, from 1 October, a new Payments Compliance Notice (under the Procurement Act 2023) will commence. This will require all contracting authorities to publish information every six months on the average number of days taken to pay invoices and the percentage of invoices paid within 30 days, 31-60 days, 61+ days.