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

To ask His Majesty's Government, following the prediction in the Precision Agriculture Global Market Report 2024 of an 11.7 per cent compound annual growth rate for the precision agriculture industry, what plans they have to promote the sustainable development of agri-robotics, and to encourage its integration into farming practices.

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

Precision agriculture and agri-robotics will play a vital role in supporting our farmers to boost Britain’s food security, drive productivity growth and improve environmental outcomes.

The UK has world-class science and innovation capabilities, and we want to further promote the UK as a great place for technology innovators to start and grow businesses, fuelling private investment, growth and the creation of high-skilled jobs.

We are committed to supporting the farming sector and we are looking carefully at how to position further investment and support to enable the benefits of agri-robotics to be further realised and integrated into farming practices.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the countries that supply arms to the government of Myanmar; and what representations they have made to those countries.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK continues to work closely with international partners to take robust action to reduce the Myanmar military's access to arms, military equipment, fuel and funds, and to call for states to prevent or halt the flow of arms to the Myanmar military, including most recently in June with other G7 Leaders. This Government will continue to use our leadership role at the G7 and at the UN to advocate for further action. We will be clear in public and in private that it is unacceptable to sell arms to the Myanmar military.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the looting and burning of the UN World Food Programme warehouse in the state of Rakhine, Myanmar; and whether they will take any steps in response.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK condemns all attacks on humanitarian infrastructure. In July, through a UN Press statement, the UK along with international partners, called on all actors in the conflict and the Myanmar Armed Forces in particular, to respect international law and to prioritise the protection of humanitarian infrastructure. We monitor the situation in Rakhine State closely.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take in response to recent warnings by UN special rapporteur Thomas Andrews on 4 July that Rohingya in Rakhine state are at risk of facing “genocidal violence”.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK has called for the protection of civilians both in public and in private, including through a UN press statement in July and a joint statement with international partners in May. We have regular conversations with a wide range of stakeholders, including Rohingya and Rakhine civil society actors, on the need for de-escalation and inclusive support to all conflict-affected communities. We are concerned about the rise of hate speech and disinformation online and are engaging with social media companies on the need to curb the spread of this to prevent further communal violence.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of countries that are shipping aviation fuel to Myanmar; and what representations they have made to those countries.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK continues to work closely with international partners to take robust action to reduce the Myanmar military's access to arms, military equipment, fuel and funds, and to call for states to prevent or halt the flow of arms to the Myanmar military, including most recently in June with other G7 Leaders. This Government will continue to use our leadership role at the G7 and at the UN to advocate for further action. The UK has so far announced 6 sanctions specifically targeting the import of aviation fuel to the Myanmar military.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have for the upcoming replenishments of major global health multilaterals, including Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.

Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The UK is working with the international community to coordinate efforts and ensure sustainable resources for all upcoming global health replenishments. This includes GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Effective coordination across Global Health Initiatives will be needed to deliver for the global health challenges ahead.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how much they donated in Official Development Assistance to Myanmar in (1) 2017, (2) 2018, (3) 2019, (4) 2020, (5) 2021, (6) 2022, and (7) 2023.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK provided more than £42 million in Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) in Myanmar in the financial year 2023/24.

Breakdown of ODA figures as reported in FCDO Annual Accounts and Reports (available on gov.uk):

• In financial year 2022/23: we provided £61.9 million
• In financial year 2021/22: we provided £49.5 million
• In financial year 2020/21: we provided £91.9 million

• In financial year 2019/20: we provided £102 million

• In financial year 2018/19: we provided £87 million

• In financial year 2017/18: we provided £110 million

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many clinical diagnoses of alcoholism there have been for young people aged 20–24 in (1) 2019, (2) 2020, (3) 2021, (4) 2022, and (5) 2023.

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

We do not hold this data centrally, in the format requested. The Department publishes Estimates of alcohol dependent adults in England: Summary, which can be viewed on the GOV.UK website, in an online only format. This is an estimate of the number of adults who are dependent on alcohol, many of whom will have never received a clinical diagnosis of alcohol dependence by National Health Services, or by accessing alcohol treatment.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many individuals aged 10–19 received treatment for alcohol abuse in (1) 2019, (2) 2020, (3) 2021, (4) 2022, and (5) 2023

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

The information is not available in the format requested. The number of people who have received alcohol treatment is collected and published by the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS), with treatment numbers being published from April to March each year. The following table shows the number of people aged 10 to 19 years old who received treatment for their alcohol use, from 2018/19 to 2022/23:

Source of Data: National Drug Treatment Monitoring System.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many clinical diagnoses of alcoholism there were for persons aged 10–19 in (1) 2019, (2) 2020, (3) 2021, (4) 2022, and (5) 2023.

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

We do not hold this data centrally, in the format requested. The Department publishes Estimates of alcohol dependent adults in England: Summary, which can be viewed on the GOV.UK website, in an online only format. This is an estimate of the number of adults who are dependent on alcohol, many of whom will have never received a clinical diagnosis of alcohol dependence by National Health Services, or by accessing alcohol treatment.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many clinical diagnoses of alcoholism there were for men in (1) 2019, (2) 2020, (3) 2021, (4) 2022, and (5) 2023.

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

We do not hold this data centrally, in the format requested. The Department publishes Estimates of alcohol dependent adults in England: Summary, which can be viewed on the GOV.UK website, in an online only format. This is an estimate of the number of adults who are dependent on alcohol, many of whom will have never received a clinical diagnosis of alcohol dependence by National Health Services, or by accessing alcohol treatment.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many clinical diagnoses of alcoholism there were for women in (1) 2019, (2) 2020, (3) 2021, (4) 2022, and (5) 2023.

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

Alcoholism is not a clinical diagnosis, instead individuals who use alcohol in a dependent way are diagnosed with alcohol dependence. Whilst we don’t collect this data centrally in the format requested, the Department publishes Estimates of alcohol dependent adults in England: Summary, which can be viewed on the GOV.UK website in an online only format. This is an estimate of the number of adults who are dependent on alcohol, many of whom will never have received a clinical diagnosis of alcohol dependence in the National Health Service or by accessing alcohol treatment. This publication provides estimates covering the years 2015 to 2020 and are shown in the table below:

Source: Estimates of alcohol dependent adults in England: Summary

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to recommit to the provision of in situ British Sign Language interpretation of major press conferences and briefings as set out in the Disability Action Plan in February.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Commitments made in the Disability Action Plan will be reviewed and considered as part of the Government's approach to improving the lives of Deaf and disabled people.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, following the publication of the Kapersky State of Stalkerware Report 2023 on 20 March, which stated that 42 per cent of British citizens believe that cyberstalking of a romantic partner is acceptable, what steps they plan to take to increase awareness of online violence against women.

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

The scale of violence against women and girls in our country, including that which takes place online, is intolerable and this government will treat it as the national emergency that it is.

Stalking is an insidious crime, and the law is clear that what is illegal offline is also illegal online. Placing spyware on phones, hacking into accounts and accessing online accounts that perpetrators used to have authorised access to, are all crimes and should be reported to the police.

We will overhaul every aspect of society’s response to these devastating crimes, including tackling violent and misogynistic content online. This includes tackling the root causes of these crimes, by supporting our education system to teach children about healthy relationships and consent.

As part of our mission, we will be building on the Online Safety Act to tackle violent and misogynistic cultures online which can drive this kind of appalling crime. We will also strengthen the use of Stalking Protection Orders and will give women the right to know the identity of online stalkers.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the latest statistics released by the Gambling Commission, suggesting that gambling harms may be eight times higher than previously thought.

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

The Gambling Commission’s formal guidance is clear about the inaccuracies of comparing the findings of the recent statistics released in the Gambling Survey for Great Britain with previous surveys. However, we recognise the impact harmful gambling can have on individuals and their families and, as stated in the Government’s manifesto, we are committed to strengthening the protections for those at risk. The Gambling Commission’s new survey helps to show the wider picture of gambling experiences across Great Britain. The Government will consider these findings alongside the evidence from a wide range of sources to inform decisions on how best to fulfil its manifesto commitment.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Markham on 5 April (HL3640), when they intend to publish feedback to the licensing of non-surgical cosmetic procedures consultation, which ran from 2 September to 28 October 2023.

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

The Government is currently considering the work done to date on introducing regulatory oversight of the non-surgical cosmetics sector in England, and will set out its views at the earliest opportunity.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government how much revenue the Treasury received from fines and other compliance and enforcement costs from gambling operators in (1) 2019, (2) 2020, (3) 2021, (4) 2022, and (5) 2023.

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

HM Treasury receives no revenue from gambling operator application fees, operator annual licence fees, and personal licence fees. Licence fees are set by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, and are collected and utilised by the Gambling Commission to cover the costs of regulation.

The Gambling Commission may impose financial penalties on gambling operators if a licence condition has been breached. The Treasury receives income from financial penalties imposed by the Gambling Commission on operators. The total amount received in each of the last five financial years is detailed below:

(Note: Due to reporting cycles, financial year is preferred to calendar year, with each period covering 1st April - 31st March).

In some circumstances, the Gambling Commission may agree a regulatory settlement in lieu of a financial penalty, which may include a financial element. Regulatory settlements are paid by an operator for socially responsible purposes and are not paid to the Exchequer. The Gambling Commission approves the destination of the financial element against set criteria. The destinations for regulatory settlements are published on the Gambling Commission’s website.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government how much revenue the Treasury received from gambling operator application fees, operator annual licence fees, and personal licence fees in (1) 2019, (2) 2020, (3) 2021, (4) 2022, and (5) 2023.

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

HM Treasury receives no revenue from gambling operator application fees, operator annual licence fees, and personal licence fees. Licence fees are set by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, and are collected and utilised by the Gambling Commission to cover the costs of regulation.

The Gambling Commission may impose financial penalties on gambling operators if a licence condition has been breached. The Treasury receives income from financial penalties imposed by the Gambling Commission on operators. The total amount received in each of the last five financial years is detailed below:

(Note: Due to reporting cycles, financial year is preferred to calendar year, with each period covering 1st April - 31st March).

In some circumstances, the Gambling Commission may agree a regulatory settlement in lieu of a financial penalty, which may include a financial element. Regulatory settlements are paid by an operator for socially responsible purposes and are not paid to the Exchequer. The Gambling Commission approves the destination of the financial element against set criteria. The destinations for regulatory settlements are published on the Gambling Commission’s website.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reported discovery of Emirati passports, allegedly linked to soldiers of the Rapid Support Forces, in battlefields in Sudan.

Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

There has been no assessment of the reported discovery of Emirati passports in battlefields in Sudan. In our engagement with international partners, the UK continues to emphasise the importance of refraining from actions that prolong the conflict. Those who have influence with the parties must use it to bring them to the negotiating table and to seek a political resolution to the conflict in Sudan.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take in response to statistics from the OECD Affordable Housing Database regarding the level of homelessness in the United Kingdom compared with other countries in the developed world.

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

Homelessness levels are far too high. We must address this and deliver long term solutions. The Government will look at these issues carefully and will develop a new cross-government strategy, working with mayors and councils across the country to get us on back on track to ending homelessness once and for all. Critical to tackling homelessness is building more affordable homes. We will deliver the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation and deliver 1.5 million new homes over the next five years.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Douglas-Miller on 24 May (HL4084), whether they will consider reinstating funding for the Air Quality Grant Scheme and, if not, what plans they have to better deliver positive outcomes for local air quality and public health.

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

No decisions have been made yet on the future of the Air Quality Grant.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bellamy on 21 March (HL3214) what assessment has been made of the drop in prosecutions for poaching in England, from 107 in 2019 to 34 in 2023.

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

The Government recognises the problems and distress which poaching can cause for local communities. Tackling it is one of the UK's national wildlife crime priorities.

The number of prosecutions for poaching in England can vary year from year due to a number of factors. For example, the levels of hare coursing, an abhorrent form of poaching, can be affected by the suitability of local ground conditions during a hare coursing ‘season’. If it is too wet, there is an increased risk that the vehicles used to facilitate coursing might get stuck in fields where hares are found so the activity is less likely to be carried out. If it is too dry, the dogs used by coursers are at an increased risk of injury. The numbers of prosecutions in a local area will also depend on effective enforcement. The level of resourcing assigned to tackle poaching may vary year from year depending on decisions taken by local police forces.

The difference in prosecutions between 2019 and 2023 might also have been affected by a key change in legislation. The 2019 figure provided by the Ministry of Justice in its answer of 21 March (HL3214) is from a time prior to the enactment of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022. This legislation increased police powers and sentences for a number of hare coursing offences. It is reasonable to suspect it had a deterrent effect on potential offenders and offences that may have led to prosecution. In combination with this new legislation, improved police tactics, intelligence and information sharing as well as the use of community protection notices and criminal behaviour orders may also have had an impact on recent poaching prosecution numbers. Finally, it must be noted that the 2023 figure of 34 used in the Lord Bishop’s question is not consistent with the other years as it only includes prosecutions for the months from January to June rather than, as with the years being compared with it, the full calendar year.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sharpe of Epsom on 23 May (HL4639), when the findings of the feasibility study on the possibility of developing prevalence estimates for female genital mutilation and forced marriage will be published.

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

The Government has committed to halving violence against women and girls over the next decade. Combatting so-called ‘honour’-based abuse (HBA) is very much a part of this work. The Home Office commissioned the University of Birmingham in 2023 to conduct a feasibility study on the possibility of developing prevalence estimates for female genital mutilation and forced marriage.

We are currently considering the findings of the feasibility study and we will confirm our next steps shortly.