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 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 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.

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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Coaker on 4 August (HL 9670), when they intend to share the findings of the review of the over 43,000 files relating to nuclear test veterans and how they intend to share those findings.

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

The review of records commissioned by my colleague, the Minister for Veterans and People, is ongoing. This work will enable us to better understand what information the Department holds regarding medical testing of Service personnel who took part in the UK nuclear weapons tests, ensuring that relevant information has been examined thoroughly. We will update Parliament at the earliest opportunity once this work is complete.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Coaker on 4 August (HL 9670), how many nuclear rest veterans have applied for no-fault compensation under the War Pension Scheme; how many have been granted compensation; and how many have died before their applications were considered.

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

The War Pensions Computer System currently lacks the capability to uniquely identify individuals who participated in nuclear tests. While the claim file might contain a copy of the Nuclear Test Veterans Priority Claim Request or other relevant information indicating the claimant's involvement in nuclear testing, this information is not consistently available.

To accurately determine the number of Nuclear Test Veterans who applied for or received compensation, or those who passed away before their application was reviewed, would require a manual interrogation of all War Pension files and could only be provided at a disproportionate cost.

Statistics on the War Pensions Scheme are published by the Ministry of Defence at the following link:

www.gov.uk/government/collections/war-pension-recipients-index

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, if any, to promote stability in the property market.

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

The government’s Plan for Change includes our commitment to deliver 1.5 million new homes in England in this Parliament. This sends a clear signal to the market of the scale of our ambition in boosting housing supply.

We are supporting a healthy and sustainable market through bold planning reforms, a significant package of investment including £39 billion for the Social and Affordable Homes Programme confirmed at the Spending Review, and supporting first-time buyers in purchasing their own home through a new permanent Mortgage Guarantee Scheme.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect the first returns of illegal migrants to take place under the UK-France Returns Agreement.

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

Under the UK France returns agreement, the first arrivals have already been detained and readmission requests referred to France. We expect the first returns to start in the coming weeks.

The Home Office will provide further updates in due course.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what international agreements, if any, they are developing with other countries to try to reduce net migration to the UK; and when they anticipate any such agreements being concluded.

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

The Government’s Plan for Change sets out our ambition to secure borders and control immigration.

We are committed to strengthening existing relationships with international partners, including resetting our relationship with the EU and further deepening our co-operation with France, Germany and Italy. We have also been seeking out new international partnerships, and most recently signed a new agreement with the Government of Iraq to fast-track the repatriation of individuals with no legal right to remain in the UK.

We continue to have discussions with partners across the globe, strengthening our collaborative efforts to address migration challenges.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the contribution made by the charity Samaritans to society; and what assistance, if any, they are providing to it.

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

This government recognises the invaluable contribution that Samaritans make every year to the lives of thousands of people experiencing a crisis or suicidal thoughts.

We engage with Samaritans and other voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations closely and will continue to work with them in their important role in suicide prevention efforts. Minister Peacock has met with Samaritans on World Suicide Prevention Day and this discussion focused on government support for the VCSE sector.

This government recently announced the publication of the Civil Society Covenant, which sets out the terms of a new relationship between government and civil society, and is a clear statement that government sees civil society as an indispensable partner in building a better Britain.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the cost to the economy of the tube strike in London.

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

As transport in London is devolved to TfL, the Mayor of London is managing the impact of strike action on London’s transport network. Nevertheless, the Government understands this is disappointing for passengers and businesses and we continue to encourage all sides to work together to resolve this dispute as quickly as possible.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to introduce ID cards for UK citizens; and, if so, what consideration they have given to the timescale and cost.

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

The Government is committed to making the state more efficient and easier to interact with through harnessing technology. We want to learn from countries who have digitised government services for the benefit of their citizens.

The Government will announce further details in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Coaker on 4 August (HL 9670) relating to nuclear test veterans, when they reset their relationship with test veterans and the organisations that support them; when and whether any announcement was made about this change in the relationship; and what precisely was announced.

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

This Government is deeply grateful to all those who participated in the UK nuclear testing programme. We recognise their Service and the huge contribution they have made to the UK’s security.

A priority for the Government when we entered office was to reset our relationship with Nuclear Test Veterans. This has been done through Ministerial and official-level meetings with organisations representing Nuclear Test Veterans and with Parliamentarians, and initiatives including the records review. No standalone announcement was made about this reset, but we have referred to it in public statements and in Parliament. The Secretary of State for Defence and the Minister for Veterans and People most recently met a Nuclear Test Veteran organisation and members of Parliament on 1 September 2025.

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