Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the convenience and efficacy of the systems used by NHS GP practices for patients to make an appointment to see a doctor.

Answered by Lord Markham

We published our Delivery plan for recovering access to primary care in May 2023, which sets out how we are moving toward a ‘Modern General Practice’ model. This plan is backed by £240 million of retargeted funding going to provide digital services with the goal of increasing access. A copy of the plan is attached.

The sole method for general practices (GPs) to procure these digital services is via NHS England procurement frameworks, which list pre-approved suppliers for digital and IT services. This is to ensure consistency in service provisions, as each supplier must meet a set of requirements to be entered into a framework.

Each practice will run a procurement for these services and will select a supplier based on their differing specifications for how the IT systems will best meet their patients’ needs. Each supplier will offer varied services with varied benefits, including capabilities which allow patients and service users to request and receive support relating to healthcare concerns, at a time and place convenient for them.

As of March 2024, 93% of general practices now have digital telephony systems, this has enabled GP teams to manage multiple calls and helping to end the ‘8am rush’ for appointments. Trials show that this has increased patients’ ability to get through to their practice by almost a third.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have assessed the consequences for the UK economy of Goldman Sachs moving its head of financial institutions for Europe, the Middle East and Africa from London to Paris.

Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Johnson of Lainston on 16 April (HL3357), how they reconcile the data mentioned in the Answer with the independent analysis from Goldman Sachs which concluded that the UK's economy is 5 per cent smaller than it would have been if the UK had remained in the EU.

Answered by Lord Johnson of Lainston

Since the referendum, the UK has grown faster than Germany, Italy, and Japan (Q2 2016 – Q4 2023). The International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicts that between 2024-2029 the UK will see the third fastest growth in the G7. The UK’s relative productivity performance versus the G7 has remained around the average for the rest of the G7, from 2010 to 2022; ahead of Canada, Italy and Japan.

The Department for Business and Trade is focussed on delivering the opportunities through: new trade deals, removing market access barriers, and maximising regulatory freedoms to strengthen the UK economy.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many signal failures there were on the rail system in the last year for which data are available; and how the rate of failure in the UK compares with rail systems in other leading countries.

Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Shadow Secretary of State for Wales

The Network Rail metric for signalling failures indicates there were 2,936 signal failures on the rail system in Great Britain for the period 2023 to 2024. Network Rail does not hold data on how the rate of signal failures compares with other countries.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of annual vehicle theft in the UK is accomplished by offenders cloning the signal from the vehicle owner’s remote locking device.

Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

Please see the letter attached from the National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority.

The Lord Birt

House of Lords

London

SW1A 0PW

9 May 2024

Dear Lord Birt,

As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking what percentage of annual vehicle theft in the UK is accomplished by offenders cloning the signal from the vehicle owner’s remote locking device (HL4379).

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publish figures on the levels and trends of crime in England and Wales primarily based on two sets of crime statistics: the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) and police recorded crime data. The CSEW provides estimates of the prevalence of crime and different crime types as experienced by victims, which may not always be reported to the police.

Table 1 shows an estimate of the percentage of households who have experienced theft of a vehicle, where the method of entry into the vehicle was through manipulation of the signal from the remote locking device. This is taken from our Nature of crime: vehicle-related theft tables for the year ending March 2023 published on 3 April 2024. Due to the suspension of the CSEW during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, data are not available for the year ending March 2021 and the year ending March 2022.

Unfortunately, we do not hold any information from police-recorded crime which shows what percentage of annual vehicle theft in England and Wales is accomplished by offenders cloning the signal from the vehicle owner’s remote locking device.

Crime and justice statistics for Scotland can be found on the Scottish Government website and for more information please contact Justice_Analysts@gov.scot. The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) are responsible for producing crime and justice statistics for Northern Ireland and can be contacted at statistics.research@justice-ni.x.gsi.gov.uk.

Yours sincerely,

Professor Sir Ian Diamond

Table 1: Estimated percentage of theft of vehicles where method of entry was through manipulation of the signal from remote locking device, year ending March 2019 to year ending March 2023 CSEW

Source: Office for National Statistics – Crime Survey for England and Wales

[1]CSEW estimates for the year ending March 2023 have been temporarily suspended of their National Statistics status. Caution should be taken when interpreting these estimates because of the impact of lower response rates, and reduced interviewer numbers on the quality of the estimates.

[2]This category was added into the survey from the year ending March 2019.

[3]Estimates that are based on fewer than 50 respondents should be interpreted with caution.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to commission an inquiry into the state of public service broadcasting in the UK.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Government understands the important role our public service broadcasters (PSBs) play not only within the TV sector, but also in terms of their wider economic and democratic contribution in the United Kingdom.

We are committed to working constructively with our PSBs so that they can continue to inform, educate and entertain across the UK. More broadly, this Government will work towards opening up more opportunities for people in all parts of the UK to work in broadcast programming and we recognise the important role PSBs have in supporting this aim.

The Media Act – which received Royal Assent on 24 May 2024 – will give our PSBs greater flexibility in how they contribute to the remit, making it easier for them to make their content available on a wider range of free-to-air platforms, as well as ensuring PSB content remains easy to find as viewers increasingly shift online.

Ofcom, as the independent broadcasting regulator, is responsible for monitoring the performance of PSBs against their remit and obligations. It also has a statutory duty to undertake a review of the PSB system at least every five years under the Communications Act 2003 with a view to maintaining and strengthening the quality of public service television in the United Kingdom. We expect Ofcom to launch their PSB review in the coming months and look forward to receiving its report next year.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to enable people with work and family responsibilities to communicate flexibly with their NHS GP practice, and to make and attend appointments at mutually convenient times.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

We recognise that it can be challenging to balance accessing care with other responsibilities. That’s why we have committed to modernising the general practice (GP) booking system, making it easier for patients to communicate with their practice, and why we will ensure that anyone who wants a face-to-face appointment can receive one.

Integrated care boards must ensure that out-of-hours appointments are available to patients to help them access care at convenient times, for example on weekends, evenings or bank holidays.

We will make sure the future of GPs is sustainable by training thousands more GPs across the country to take the pressure off those currently working within the system, ensure increased capacity across the National Health Service, and secure a future pipeline of GPs.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of the target for building new homes over the next five years will be for social housing.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Government has committed to delivering 1.5 million homes in this Parliament, delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housing in a generation. We will work with councils and housing associations to build capacity and ensure we build the homes people need.

We will also introduce ‘golden rules’ in relation to grey and Green Belt release, to ensure development benefits communities and nature, including targeting the delivery of 50 per cent affordable housing on these sites.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will consult with motor vehicle manufacturers about introducing measures to eliminate the cloning of owners’ remote locking devices by car thieves.

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

The Government works closely with the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for vehicle crime and the police-led National Vehicle Crime Working Group, which focuses on tackling vehicle crime. The working group which brings together representatives of the Government, policing, and vehicle manufacturers to address vulnerabilities in vehicles.

The Government keeps all legislation under review. We will be introducing a Crime and Policing Bill and will consider what measures are needed to support efforts to tackle and prevent vehicle crime.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they propose to issue a code of behaviour requiring Ministers and their advisers to be respectful in their dealings with civil servants, including banning the use of foul language in the workplace.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Prime Minister is committed to restoring confidence in government and ensuring ministers are held to the highest standards. Under his leadership, this Government will ensure the highest standards of integrity and honesty. When meeting with his new Cabinet for the first time, the Prime Minister was clear about the standards he expects of them and their ministerial teams.

He will issue a Ministerial Code in due course which will set out the standards of behaviour expected of ministers. As public office holders, ministers are also bound by the Nolan Principles. One such principle that applies is leadership, under which ministers are required to “treat others with respect”.

Ministers' special advisers are contractually required to abide by the standards set out in the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers, which includes the requirement to “establish mutual relationships of confidence and trust” with civil servants.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to encourage the use by domestic consumers of electricity over gas to power home heating.

Answered by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Heat pumps will play a pivotal role in the decarbonisation of heat in homes, and the Government is committed to supporting their adoption.

Support is available to help households to upgrade to a heat pump, through schemes like the Boiler Upgrade Scheme which provides grants of £7,500 towards the cost of installation. Current schemes, like the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund and the Home Upgrade Grant, also remain in place to provide financial support for installations in low-income households and social housing.

Our Warm Homes Plan will set out further Government support for investment in insulation and low-carbon heating, with the goal of upgrading five million homes over this Parliament. We will announce more details in due course.