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 - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
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 Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of trains on Network Rail were cancelled or arrived at their final destination more than 10 minutes late in the last year for which information is available; and what the principal reasons for those cancellations and delays were.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
For the period 2 February 2025 – 31 January 2026, 8.8 per cent of trains planned in Great Britain were either cancelled, part cancelled or arrived at their destination at least ten minutes late.
The two main causes for cancellations using established industry categories for delays and cancellations were fleet (21 per cent) and traincrew (20 per cent).
Non-Track Assets (e.g. signal failures, points failures, overhead line problems) and Network Management and other (e.g. unexplained delays, Network Rail operations, vegetation management) each caused 17 per cent of the delays, with fleet accounting for another 16 per cent.
Below is a table showing the percentages of the causes of delay and cancellations:
Industry Category | % of Cancellations |
Fleet | 20.9% |
Traincrew | 19.8% |
Non-Track Assets | 18.1% |
External (including fatalities, trespass, vandalism, lineside fires, etc) | 14.8% |
Network Management/Other | 8.7% |
Track | 5.1% |
TOC Other | 5.0% |
Severe Weather, Autumn & Structures | 3.7% |
Operations | 2.6% |
Stations | 1.4% |
Industry Category | % Delay Minutes |
Non-Track Assets | 17.4% |
Network Management/Other | 17.4% |
Fleet | 16.0% |
External (including fatalities, trespass, vandalism, lineside fires, etc) | 14.4% |
Traincrew | 8.4% |
TOC Other | 7.8% |
Track | 7.3% |
Severe Weather, Autumn & Structures | 4.7% |
Stations | 3.7% |
Operations | 2.9% |
Note: all figures rounded to 1 decimal place and may not add up to exactly 100% as a result.
Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to limit commercial fishing for mackerel any further.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Negotiations among coastal States on a Total Allowable Catch of mackerel are ongoing for 2026. The UK has set an interim quota of 47,523 tonnes to allow fishing on the stock. Defra expects to review the quota later in the year to take into account the conclusion of the negotiations.
Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that local authorities pay compensation to motorists whose vehicles are damaged by potholes.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 places a statutory duty on highway authorities to maintain public highways.
Dealing with compensation claims due to defects such as potholes on the highway network is entirely the responsibility of the relevant highway authority.
The Department cannot comment on individual claims for vehicle damages arising from alleged defects on the highway. Such matters are for resolution between the claimant and the relevant highway authority.
Where parties cannot agree, it is for the court to determine whether the local highway authority has met its duty under Section 41 and exercised reasonable care in maintaining the highway.
Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - 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 20 January 2026 (HL13504), why a farmer or landowner is required to bear the cost of the unlawful dumping of waste by an unidentified third party on their land.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We recognise the financial burden that clearing fly-tipped waste places on landowners. However, central Government generally does not compensate victims of non-violent crime. It is important not to create a perverse incentive for some people to dump, or facilitate the dumping of, waste.
However, where there is sufficient evidence, fly-tippers can be prosecuted and, on conviction, a cost order can be made by the court so that a landowner’s costs can be recovered from the perpetrator.
We are working with a wide range of interested parties through the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group, such as the National Farmers Union (NFU), to promote and disseminate good practice, including how to prevent fly-tipping on private land.
Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - 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 24 December 2025 (HL12960), in what proportion of the instances of the illegal dumping of waste on private land the perpetrator is identified and required to remove the waste; and in instances where the perpetrator dumping waste on private land is not identified, whose responsibility it is to remove the waste.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Data on the proportion of illegal dumping incidents on private land where the perpetrator is identified and required to remove the waste is not held centrally.
In instances where the perpetrator dumping waste on private land is not identified responsibility to remove the waste falls to the landowner.
Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect to publish their response to the findings of the Competition and Markets Authority's report into the subsidy regime for Drax.
Answered by Lord Whitehead - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We welcome the report from the Subsidy Advice Unit (SAU) regarding government support for large-scale biomass generation. This report makes clear that DESNZ has given detailed consideration of how the Low Carbon Dispatchable CfD is in line with the principles within the Subsidy Control Act and relevant environmental regulations.
We have carefully considered the recommendations in the report and the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero has determined that the subsidy is compliant with the requirements under the Subsidy Control Act. The publication of a response to the SAU report is not required.
Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will announce plans to (1) counter the illegal dumping of waste, and (2) remove such waste.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government has announced its plans to reform both the waste carriers, brokers and dealers regime and the waste permit exemptions regime. This will make it harder for rogue operators to find work in the sector and easier for regulators to take action against criminals. In addition, our planned digital waste tracking reforms will make it harder than ever to mis-identify waste or dispose of it inappropriately. We have also increased the Environment Agency’s total budget for 2025 to 2026. This includes £15.6 million for waste crime enforcement – a more than 50% increase from 2024/25.
Neither the Government nor local authorities should be held responsible for the associated costs of clearing up after waste criminals as to do so may risk creating a perverse incentive for some people to dump, or facilitate the dumping of, waste. Those who pollute - rather than taxpayers - should cover the costs of clean up. The Environment Agency is not funded to clear illegal waste sites; however, action may be taken if there is an immediate, significant risk to health or the environment.
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 - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
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 Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to reduce persistent absences in schools.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Thanks to the work of the sector, persistent absence has fallen to 18.7% in the latest published data. Our world leading data collection and tools enable schools to identify earlier those pupils who are at risk of becoming persistently absent to intervene early.
The department has also expanded its attendance mentor programme, committing £15 million to provide one-to-one support for 10,800 pupils in local authorities with some of the poorest attendance rates in the country.
Breakfast Clubs have been rolled out to all primary schools since September 2025 to ensure that good habits and routines are established early in a child’s school life.
We have also started to establish RISE Attendance and Behaviour Hubs with £1.5 million of funding being made available this year, where up to 90 hubs led by schools with excellent attendance and behaviour practice will support more than 4,500 schools to improve.