Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill on 24 March (HL6028), whether they will now answer the question put, namely whether they will conduct a strategic review of road construction, renewal and repair.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

The Government has no plans to conduct a strategic review of this sort, but various initiatives are underway to update the guidance on the design, operation and maintenance of both the Strategic Road Network and local highways.

National Highways, for example, which is responsible for the Strategic Road Network (trunk motorways and major A roads) in England, is currently updating its Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB). The DMRB contains information about current design standards relating to the design, assessment, and operation of motorway and all-purpose trunk roads in the United Kingdom.

The Department for Transport is also starting the process of updating the UK Roads Leadership Group’s guidance document Well-Managed Highway Infrastructure: A Code of Practice. This will provide new guidance to local highway authorities on how best to look after their local highway networks, and the Department will engage with the local highway sector as appropriate as the review progresses.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to require foreign currency cash exchange services for consumers to display (1) the live interbank exchange rate, and (2) the commission charged.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Payment Services Regulations 2017 make requirements on UK payment service providers regarding disclosure of fees and charges to the payer where currency conversion is provided as part of a payment transaction. Provisions under the Cross Border Payments Regulation, also contribute to price transparency, with further requirements regarding how foreign exchange costs are communicated before a payment is made.

The Government recognises the importance of transparency of fees and charges in ensuring effective competition between payment service providers. These regulations, amongst other things, are intended to enable consumers to make informed decisions when making use of payment services including where currency conversion is offered as part of a payment transaction.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Birt on 7 April (HL6027), what assessment they have made of how (1) the incidence of train cancellations, and (2) the reasons for train cancellations, compare with the operation of rail services in other G7 countries.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

No assessment has been made on how the incidence of train cancellations and the reasons for train cancellations compare with the operation of rail services in other G7 countries.

The Independent Regulators’ Group Rail (IRG-Rail), publishes an annual Market Monitoring Report which includes European comparisons on various aspects such as infrastructure characteristics, punctuality, and traffic data for both freight and passenger services. This helps to benchmark performance, identify trends, and highlight differences and similarities among the participating countries. However, this report does not cover international comparisons of cancellations.

The Government is committed to reforming the railways, including establishing Great British Railways. This will end years of fragmentation by bringing together track and train to deliver for passengers with more reliable, better-quality services and simpler ticketing and fares.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what was the total annual production of crude steel in tonnes by (1) the UK, (2) other G7 countries, (3) China, and (4) India, in 2024.

Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

In 2024, the United Kingdom produced 4,011,973 tonnes of crude steel. The G7 countries collectively produced 247,817,568 tonnes of crude steel. Table 1 below provides detailed steel production figures for the rest of G7 countries. Meanwhile, China produced 1,005,090,000 tonnes of crude steel, and India produced 149,421,000 tonnes.

Table 1: Crude Steel Production by G7 Countries (excl. UK), 2024

Source: World Steel Association

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of Ofwat in ensuring that England and Wales have appropriate infrastructure for water and sewerage services.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Ofwat independently scrutinises water company plans as part of the price review process to ensure companies meet their statutory obligations and ensure value for money for consumers.

Ofwat published its final determinations for Price Review 2024 (PR24) on 19 December, which sets company expenditure and customer bills for 2025-2030. This will deliver substantial and enduring improvements for customers and the environment through a £104 billion upgrade for the water sector. This investment will contribute to delivery of key elements of the Government’s Plan for Change and Mission Objectives for this Parliament.

We have also overseen the launch of an Independent Commission into the water sector and its regulation, in what is expected to form the largest review of the industry since privatisation. The Independent Commission will review infrastructure resilience including enforcement of existing infrastructure requirements, infrastructure resilience standards and the setting of base expenditure allowances within the price review process.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the percentage of UK steel production as a proportion of the demand for steel in the UK.

Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

According to the World Steel Association, UK demand for finished steel products totalled 9.1 million tonnes (Mt) in 2023 (the latest year for which consumption data is available). World Steel Association data also shows that in 2024, the UK produced 4Mt of crude steel. As a proportion of domestic demand in 2023, this represented around 44%.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of world steel production is supplied by (1) China, and (2) the United Kingdom.

Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

According to the World Steel Association, world crude steel production totalled 1,884 million tonnes (Mt) in 2024. Of this, China produced 1,005Mt, representing around 53% of world crude steel production. The UK produced 4Mt of crude steel, representing around 0.2% of world crude steel production.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to commission an independent review of both the economic and non-economic benefits and disbenefits resulting from Brexit.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government is focused on looking forward, building the UK’s relationship with the EU and finding practical solutions that deliver for the British people. As such, the Prime Minister hosted EU leaders at the first ever UK-EU summit on 19 May, during which we agreed a new Strategic Partnership and reaffirmed our shared values and commitment to deeper cooperation against the backdrop of an evolving global geopolitical landscape.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, following their newly announced policies on immigration, whether they plan to conduct a review of current skill shortages in every part of the UK economy, provide an analysis of any additional skill shortages that new immigration policies will bring, and propose measures to ensure the effective provision of skills in the future for the UK economy.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

The new approach the Government is setting out will mean much stronger links between the Points-Based System and training here in the UK. We will introduce requirements for workforce strategies and bring together a new Labour Market Evidence Group to work together to gather and share evidence about the state of each workforce in key sectors, training levels and participation by the domestic labour market.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of additional measures that can be taken by companies and public organisations to avert ransomware attacks.

Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The cyber security of the UK is a priority for the government. Organisations of any size, in any sector, can use the government's Cyber Essentials scheme to protect themselves against the majority of cyber threats. 92% fewer insurance claims are made by businesses and organisations with these controls in place. Further, the new Cyber Governance Code published in April sets out how boards and directors can effectively manage digital risks. Beyond these, companies and public organisations can help protect themselves against ransomware and other cyber threats by using the wide range of free advice, training and tools available on the National Cyber Security Centre website.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether Natural England plan to resume work on the consideration of the Cheshire Sandstone Ridge for designation as a National Landscape and the boundary extension review of the Chilterns National Landscape.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra is aware that Natural England, in light of pressure on its budgets, has taken the hard decision to stop work on the Chilterns boundary review and consideration of the Cheshire Sandstone Ridge for designation as a National Landscape. It had yet to reach the stage of sharing proposed ‘candidate areas’ publicly and as a result of having to stop the project there is no longer a planned timeline for the public consultation. Natural England is in contact with the affected partners to work through the implications of this decision over the coming weeks. We continue to recognise the value landscape designations bring to people and nature and remain committed to maximising that value over the long term.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with Microsoft about its suspension of the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in the Hague’s email account.

Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Support for international criminal justice and accountability is a fundamental element of the UK's foreign policy. The UK is a strong supporter of an effective International Criminal Court (ICC). His Majesty's Government have not had discussion with Microsoft regarding the suspension of the ICC Prosecutor's email account.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the total annual expenditure on defence by (1) the UK and EU countries combined, and (2) Russia.

Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The UK Ministry of Defence has no way of verifying other countries' defence expenditure figures, nor does it endorse any specific publication.

However, based on the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute figures, the UK and EU's total defence expenditure in 2024 was $434 billion compared to an estimated $151 billion for Russia.

Found: Last year, Lord Birt spoke after whistleblower complaints within Drax trebled from 14 to 49 in just

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