Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following Microsoft's decision to suspend services to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, whether they plan to regulate technology providers in the UK to ensure that the provision of services takes place under a framework of UK law.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
All regulated entities in the UK, including technology providers, are required to operate within the UK legal framework.
Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether Natural England will provide financial compensation to cover the sunk costs of groups whose proposals for National Landscape status or extension of this status were under consideration, but where Natural England has announced it will now cease work on their bids.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Given the pressures on public finances, Defra has had to make difficult decisions about funding. It was not affordable to continue Defra funding to Natural England (NE) for the new National Landscapes designations programme in 25/26 and consequently the funding for this work is very limited. NE recognises the value of the work which has been completed to date for the projects which have been stopped and is keen to ensure this value is shared with local stakeholders and groups. NE intends to publish the relevant information on NE’s ‘Access to Evidence’ page in due course, so the evidence base which has been gathered can be shared and used.
Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how the productivity of London’s economy compares with the UK’s economy as a whole.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
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.
Emma Rourke | Acting National Statistician
The Lord Birt
House of Lords
London
SW1A 0PW
16 July 2025
Dear Lord Birt,
As Acting National Statistician, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking how the productivity of London’s economy compares with the UK’s economy as a whole (HL9313).
According to our latest regional labour productivity publication for 2023, titled Regional and subregional labour productivity, UK: 2023[1], London remains by far the most productive region in the UK. The headline measure, output per hour worked, shows that London’s productivity was 28.5% higher than the UK average in 2023.
Yours sincerely,
Emma Rourke
Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of economic data for 2023 issued by the International Monetary Fund and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development showing that GDP per person in Germany was 15 per cent greater than in the United Kingdom, and that GDP per hour worked was 20 per cent greater; and whether they have identified any reasons for these disparities.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
As was the case in many advanced economies, the UK experienced a slowdown in productivity growth following the Global Financial Crisis, but this was sharper than for our peers.
HM Treasury published analysis at the Budget in October 2024 [1] , showing that under the previous government UK productivity growth fell to the second slowest in the G7 – lower than France, Germany and the US. This is also reflected in national data collated by the IMF and the OECD.
The UK’s productivity gap with Germany is largely explained by lower levels of capital per worker and weaker total factor productivity.
Increasing productivity is vital in driving economic growth and improving the living standards of working people. That is why growth is the priority mission of this government and why we continue to take steps to boost productivity.
This includes increasing the capital envelope by over £100 billion at Autumn Budget 2024 and a further £13 billion at Spring Statement. Additional capacity announced at Spending Review 2025 and the 10 Year Infrastructure Strategy has allowed the government to increase the capacity of Public Financial Institutions by around 60% this Parliament, to £153 billion. We are also removing barriers to investment through ambitious planning reforms, and championing growth-enhancing sectors through our modern Industrial Strategy.
[1] Box 1.A UK growth performance since the GFC - Autumn Budget 2024 – HC 295
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 set out a timetable and a strategy for expanding the number of National Landscapes.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Natural England has the statutory responsibility for identifying areas for new or extended National Landscape designations.
Given the pressures on public finances, Defra has had to make difficult decisions about funding. It was not affordable to continue Defra funding to Natural England to continue the new National Landscapes designations programme in 25/26. As such, Natural England have made the decision to stop work on some of the planned programme. Other elements of the programme, including the Surrey Hills boundary review and potential new National Landscape in the Yorkshire Wolds, are being maintained and progressed as the work was further advanced.
Defra is prioritising supporting our existing Protected Landscapes to ensure they remain a source of national pride. We are committed to empower them to become greener, wilder and more accessible.
Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - Life peer)
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.
Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - Life peer)
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.
Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - Life peer)
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.
Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - Life peer)
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.
Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - Life peer)
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.