Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the availability of cash individual savings accounts offered by banks and building societies on mortgage rates.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

HM Treasury does not prepare forecasts for the UK economy. These forecasts, including assessments of the impact of policy decisions on the macroeconomy, are the responsibility of the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR).

The OBR does not typically publish estimates of the impact of individual policies. Instead, the net effect of the government’s policy package is assessed by the OBR. The pricing and availability of mortgages is ultimately a commercial decision for lenders.

The Government is looking at options for reforms to Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) that get the balance right between cash and equities to earn better return for savers, boost the culture of retail investment, and support the growth mission. The Government recognises that cash savings play an important role in helping households build a financial buffer for a rainy day.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the of the ability of the Criminal Cases Review Commission to operate in a timely and effective manner.

Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Lord Chancellor has appointed Dame Vera Baird DBE KC to carry out a thorough review of the operation of the Criminal Cases Review Commission, to increase public confidence in the organisation and the important work it undertakes investigating potential miscarriages of justice.

The terms of the reference for the review can be viewed at: https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/48553/documents/254582/default/.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have plans for courts to sit at weekends and other times outside of normal sitting hours and sitting days to clear the backlog of cases awaiting trial.

Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Courts are already sitting at, or close to, maximum judicial capacity in almost every jurisdiction, with record investment this year, and a record allocation of sitting days in the Crown Court. It is worth remembering that judicial maximum does not equal the maximum the system can run. The Government must be mindful of managing the wider system capacity - the availability not just of judges to sit in the Crown court but of the lawyers, prosecutors, legal aid and defence barristers that underpin the rest of the system.

Existing allocations can and will be accommodated within existing court operating hours. Magistrates’ courts already routinely sit on Saturdays and bank holidays.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of investigations into the tax status of workers engaged by contractors or subcontractors on the delivery of HS2.

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

The Transport Secretary has been clear allegations of fraud need to be investigated urgently and rigorously. Wherever fraud is found, there will be consequences for those involved. All whistleblower allegations received by HS2 Ltd are treated seriously and thoroughly investigated.

Danny Sullivan Group (DSG), a labour supply subcontractor to Balfour Beatty VINCI (BBV), has been under investigation for allegedly inflating invoices by including PAYE and NIC charges for self-employed workers who are not subject to these deductions.  The matter was reported to HMRC on 29 May 2025, but further details cannot be disclosed in line with HMRC guidance. On Friday 4 July 2025, BBV terminated its labour supply agreement with Danny Sullivan Group following an independent investigation into the status of workers.

While HS2 Ltd does not hold direct contracts with labour suppliers, it requires its supply chain to comply fully with contractual and tax obligations and HS2 Ltd is continuing to conduct further investigations into labour supply contracts across the supply chain.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, following comments by the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, what assessment they have made of the case for fewer and larger police forces.

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

A White Paper will be published later this year including a new national centre of policing which will help drive greater consistency across policing.

We will listen to proposals from local forces on changes that could enhance policing and public safety.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many claims relating to infected blood have been settled in each month since May 2024.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The delivery of compensation is a matter for the Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA). IBCA publishes regular updates on its website of the progress made in delivering compensation, including how many individuals have received compensation payments.

The first payments were made in December 2024. You can find the statistics published by IBCA on their website here: https://ibca.org.uk/statistics

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the cost of implementing the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill in each of its first three years of operation should it become law.

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

I refer the noble Lord to the impact assessment.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that water companies are proactively protecting water supplies.

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

The Government is committed to a twin track approach to improving water resilience. This involves action to improve water efficiency and reduce water company leaks, alongside investing in new supply infrastructure, including new reservoirs and water transfers.

We have secured £104 billion in private sector investment over the next five years, to boost out water supply and manage demand. This will help drive forward the major water infrastructure projects to protect water supplies.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect all claims relating to infected blood to be settled in full.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The IBCA Framework Document, published in March, sets out the timelines agreed between IBCA and Cabinet Office; namely for the bulk of infected people to be paid no later than the end of 2027 and the bulk of affected people to be paid no later than the end of 2029.

Due to the nature of the Infected Blood scandal there is uncertainty over the number of people who might be eligible for compensation. The final number of eligible people will ultimately depend on the number of victims who come forward and there is no limit or target on the amount announced for the scheme. Therefore these timescales have been agreed with IBCA to ensure that the door is kept open for those who have not yet identified themselves as being infected or affected.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many claims relating to infected blood they expect to be settled within the next 12 months.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

IBCA has opened the service to those who are living with infection, registered with a support scheme, and are prioritising those who are nearing the end of their lives within this cohort. IBCA is contacting an average of 100 people every week to start their claim. Nearly two-thirds of those who are living with infection and registered with a support scheme have now been asked to start their claim, and IBCA expect to start claims for everyone in this group within the next few months.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to redefining the role of physician associate.

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

On 16 July, Professor Gillian Leng published her review into physician associates and anaesthesia associates, now to be renamed physician assistants and physician assistants in anaesthesia.

Professor Leng set out 18 recommendations that will give much-needed clarity, certainty, and confidence to staff and patients. The Government is accepting these recommendations in full.

Implementing the recommendations will require organisations to work together and take action. Some actions will be implemented immediately, whilst others will require wider input, with benefits being fully realised over time. We have asked NHS England to move with immediate effect to implement those recommendations which most directly affect patient safety, including moving to the use of physician assistants and physician assistants in anaesthesia titles and ensuring that physician assistants do not see undifferentiated patients, except within clearly defined national clinical protocols.

We will work with key partners, including NHS England, in advance of publishing a fuller response, setting out a clear implementation plan to make the required changes in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to trace former British troops and their descendants affected by human radiation experiments; and what compensation, if any, has been paid to them.

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

This Government has reset the relationship with nuclear test veterans and the organisations that support them, and we remain committed to listening to their concerns and working collaboratively to address them.

As of 30 June 2025, officials have reviewed over 43,000 files, including files from the Merlin Database, as part of the exercise that is looking at concerns raised with me about some Nuclear Test Veterans’ medical records. I will update the House when we are in a position to share the findings of the exercise.

This Government continues to celebrate the stories of our nuclear veterans. Most recently the Universities of South Wales and Liverpool led a government-funded oral history project which was published in early July.

Nuclear test veterans who believe they have suffered ill health due to service have the existing and long standing right to apply for no-fault compensation under the War Pensions Scheme.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many prosecutions there have been relating to the fire at Grenfell Tower on 14 June 2017, and how many of those prosecutions led to convictions.

Answered by Lord Hermer - Attorney General

The Metropolitan Police Service are still conducting their investigations into the fire at Grenfell Tower. As a result, as of August 2025, there have been no prosecutions for offences directly related to the circumstances surrounding the event.

The Crown Prosecution Service continue to work closely with the Metropolitan Police Service on the investigations and to provide advice on applicable charges.

Any charges are not expected to be announced until late 2026, with prosecutions currently due to start in mid-2027.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many prosecutions for corporate manslaughter there have been in each of the past three years, and how many of those prosecutions led to convictions.

Answered by Lord Hermer - Attorney General

There have been 13 prosecutions for corporate manslaughter in the years 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25. 10 of those prosecutions were successful and led to a conviction.

A breakdown of each year is listed below:

2022-23: 6 prosecutions, 6 convictions (1 guilty plea and 5 convictions after trial).

2023-24: 4 prosecutions, 2 convictions (1 guilty plea and 1 conviction after trial), 2 unsuccessful (1 no evidence offered after trial began and 1 left to lie on file).

2024-25: 3 prosecutions, 2 convictions (both convictions after trial), 1 unsuccessful (no evidence offered after trial began).

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the current number of rough sleepers.

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

Local authorities in England submit monthly management information on the number of people sleeping rough in their area. The Government publishes this information quarterly on Homelessness statistics - GOV.UK.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Coaker on 9 May (HL6830) on radiation exposure of veterans, what progress they have made in obtaining the information requested, writing in response, and placing a copy of that letter in the Library of the House.

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

This Government has reset the relationship with nuclear test veterans and the organisations that support them, and we remain committed to listening to their concerns and working collaboratively to address them.

As of 30 June 2025, officials have reviewed over 43,000 files, including files from the Merlin Database, as part of the exercise that is looking at concerns raised with me about some Nuclear Test Veterans’ medical records. I will update the House when we are in a position to share the findings of the exercise.

This Government continues to celebrate the stories of our nuclear veterans. Most recently the Universities of South Wales and Liverpool led a government-funded oral history project which was published in early July.

Nuclear test veterans who believe they have suffered ill health due to service have the existing and long standing right to apply for no-fault compensation under the War Pensions Scheme.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce the number of rough sleepers within each of the next three years, and by how much.

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

The Government has increased funding for homelessness services in England by £233 million this year to a total of £1 billion, which will help prevent homelessness and rough sleeping. The Spending Review protects this record level of investment in tackling homelessness and rough sleeping for the next three years and provides an additional £100 million, including from the Transformation Fund, to fund increased homelessness prevention activity by local authorities.

The Government is currently seeking feedback on the Local Government Outcomes Framework, a new approach to accountability that is outcome-based. We have proposed including a priority outcome to prevent and reduce homelessness and rough sleeping.

Our forthcoming homelessness strategy will also set out the actions needed across central, local government and the homelessness sector to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of research published by the British Heart Foundation on 21 July that some communities do not have a defibrillator within close proximity; and what steps are they taking to support the installation of defibrillators in these communities.

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

We recognise the important work the British Heart Foundation (BHF) has undertaken in identifying communities with limited access to a defibrillator. The BHF undertook this work as part of their 2025 community defibrillator fund programme.

The BHF is urgently encouraging areas eligible to apply to their 2025 scheme to do so.

The Department similarly operated a community defibrillator fund which launched in September 2023. Following the depletion of that fund, the Government approved a further £500,000 in August 2024 to fulfil existing applications to the fund.

Applications to the fund were allocated to where there is the greatest need, for instance remote communities with extended ambulance response times, places with high footfall and high population densities, hotspots for cardiac arrest including sporting venues and venues with vulnerable people, and deprived areas.

According to the BHF there are now over 110,000 defibrillators in the United Kingdom registered on The Circuit, the independently operated national AED database. This is an increase of 30,000 since September 2023. 58.6% of these over 110,000 defibrillators are accessible on a 24 hour a day, seven day a week basis.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to promote savings, particularly in pensions.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Automatic Enrolment has succeeded in transforming pension saving with over 22 million employees participating in saving in 2023, an increase of over 10 million since its roll out in 2012. However, there is more to be done to build on this success as many people are still not saving enough for a financially secure retirement. This is why the government have relaunched the Pensions Commission which will explore how to improve retirement outcomes, especially for those at the greatest risk of under saving.

In addition to supporting pension saving, the government is committed to supporting people of all income levels and at all stages of life to save for their future goals and build greater financial resilience. This includes saving via Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs), which allow individuals to save up to £20,000 each year, and any savings income and gains within an ISA is tax free. Separately, the Help to Save scheme also aims to promote financial resilience among working households on low incomes. The existing Help to Save scheme has been extended until April 2027 and in April 2025 eligibility was extended to all Universal Credit claimants who are in work.

Through its MoneyHelper service, the Money and Pensions Service also offers practical tools such as savings calculators and budget planners to support people in developing regular saving habits, alongside specialist pensions guidance on how to grow their retirement pot. In addition, the government is working with the Financial Conduct Authority to roll out targeted support for consumers by early next year. This represents the biggest reform of the financial advice and guidance landscape in more than a decade and will represent a step change in the support that consumers receive to invest.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how much of the Official Development Assistance budget in the next three years is intended to be spent on (1) development aid, and (2) other items, providing a full breakdown.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) published 2025/26 Official Development Assistance (ODA) programme allocations in the Annual Report & Accounts on 22 July 2025. Over the coming months, we will work through detailed decisions on how the ODA budget will be used from 2026/27 to 2028/29, informed by internal and external consultation and impact assessments, ahead of publishing indicative multi-year allocations in the autumn.

We report all ODA spend in the Statistics on International Development publication. Provisional 2025 ODA spend will be published in spring 2026 and a full breakdown of 2025 ODA spend will be published in autumn 2026.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how much of the Official Development Assistance budget is spent on (1) development aid, and (2) other items, providing a full breakdown.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) published 2025/26 Official Development Assistance (ODA) programme allocations in the Annual Report & Accounts on 22 July 2025. Over the coming months, we will work through detailed decisions on how the ODA budget will be used from 2026/27 to 2028/29, informed by internal and external consultation and impact assessments, ahead of publishing indicative multi-year allocations in the autumn.

We report all ODA spend in the Statistics on International Development publication. Provisional 2025 ODA spend will be published in spring 2026 and a full breakdown of 2025 ODA spend will be published in autumn 2026.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to protect communities against measles outbreaks.

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

The UK Health Security Agency’s (UKHSA) Health Protection Teams continue to work with local partners to respond to measles outbreaks. In England, the UKHSA works closely with NHS England, the Department, and wider health system partners at the national, regional, and local level to respond to and prevent further outbreaks and to improve vaccination uptake for the routine childhood immunisation programme, including the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine. Initiatives include improving access to the immunisation programme, using data to better identify under-served individuals and populations, training for healthcare professionals, and communication with the public, stakeholders, and media. Measles guidance is also available, and a range of leaflets and other promotional materials, in several languages, are available in print form and for download from our Health Publications website.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the incidence of theft of plants and shrubs from gardens; and what action they intend to take in response.

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

This Government recognises the distress and disruption that theft and vandalism can cause to local communities.

That’s why we’re putting 13,000 additional police personnel into neighbourhood policing roles by the end of the Parliament, with the first 3,000 in place this year. This will ensure that everyone has named, contactable officers they can turn to on local issues.

The 2025-26 final Police Funding Settlement provides funding of up to £19.6 billion for the policing system in England and Wales. This is an overall increase of up to £1.2 billion when compared with the 2024-25 settlement and includes an additional £200 million to kickstart the first phase of recruitment for the additional neighbourhood policing roles.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) value for money, and (2) environmental impact, of providing grants to householders to install types of air conditioning which are environmentally friendly.

Answered by Lord Wilson of Sedgefield - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Warm Homes Plan will reduce energy bills and transform homes to be comfortable and low carbon by accelerating the installation of new technologies like heat pumps. The department is also conducting research to ensure homes are resilient to the future climate by identifying the buildings most vulnerable to extreme heat. This research is informing the adaptation solutions in the Warm Homes Plan which will publish in October.

The department recently consulted on expanding the scope of the Boiler Upgrade Scheme to allow air-to-air heat pumps to receive grant funding. The Government Response will be published in due course. Advantages of air-to-air heat pumps include the ability to provide cooling, dehumidification, and air filtration in addition to space heating.