Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the anticipated cost of weight loss drugs to the NHS in each of the next five years.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government does not hold an estimate for the anticipated cost of weight loss drugs to the National Health Service for this year or the next five years. Whilst there is data on total medicines budgets forecast up to 2028, in line with the Spending Review period, these budgets are not forecast down to the individual medicine level.
The Government does hold data on NHS spend on medicines used to treat obesity, including the newest medicines, GLP-1s. GLP-1s can be used to treat obesity or type 2 diabetes and it is not possible to separate data by usage. The data we hold is commercially confidential.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the anticipated cost of weight loss drugs to the NHS this year.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government does not hold an estimate for the anticipated cost of weight loss drugs to the National Health Service for this year or the next five years. Whilst there is data on total medicines budgets forecast up to 2028, in line with the Spending Review period, these budgets are not forecast down to the individual medicine level.
The Government does hold data on NHS spend on medicines used to treat obesity, including the newest medicines, GLP-1s. GLP-1s can be used to treat obesity or type 2 diabetes and it is not possible to separate data by usage. The data we hold is commercially confidential.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what actions are they taking to support pubs, restaurants and cafes.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government recognises the vital contribution pubs, restaurants and cafés make to local communities and the wider economy. We are supporting the sector through a range of measures to ease cost pressures and promote long term resilience.
This includes permanently lowering business rates multipliers for eligible Retail, Hospitality and Leisure properties and we have also introduced a £4.3 billion business rates support package to protect ratepayers from increases following the revaluation. In addition, raising the Employment Allowance to £10,500 means around 865,000 employers will pay no National Insurance Contributions this year.
Furthermore, The Chancellor announced a new National Licensing Policy Framework as part of her budget. This sets out a vision for a proportionate licensing system that supports good businesses while continuing to tackle bad operators.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the cost to the exchequer of the practice of phoenixism; and what actions they are taking to restrict directors and shadow directors of companies in administration or liquidation from acquiring the assets of such companies at a discount.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) estimates that, in 2022-23, phoenixism accounted for 22% of total tax losses. These losses arise from a combination of write-offs and remissions. Overall tax losses were £3.8 billion (based on Annual Reports and Accounts from July 2023, the latest available data).
HMRC, Companies House and the Insolvency Service have agreed a joint plan to address phoenixism which includes increasing the use of upfront payment demands (securities), with the aim of doubling the amount of tax protected to £250 million by 2026–27, making more directors personally liable for company taxes during 2025–26, and increasing the number of Insolvency Service enforcement outcomes in phoenixism cases.
In the Budget in November 2025, the government announced it was taking action to tackle those who abuse insolvency processes to evade tax and write off their debts. The government will fund the recruitment of 50 additional Insolvency Service staff within a new Abusive Phoenixism Taskforce to disqualify more rogue directors and will amend the Company Directors Disqualification Act to extend the circumstances in which directors who break the law can be disqualified.
Administrators and liquidators have a statutory duty to act in the interests of creditors, to whom they must report, and obtain the best value for any assets of the company. The Administration (Restrictions on Disposal etc to Connected Persons) Regulations 2021 impose additional requirements for providing information to creditors, including an independent evaluation, where company assets are sold to connected parties within 8 weeks of the start of an administration, including in so-called pre-pack sales.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of rough sleepers in (1) London, and (2) each other region in England and Wales.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The government inherited a homelessness crisis - the number of people sleeping rough is far too high. The latest published management information estimated that 2,195 people slept rough across the month in London in September 2025 and 9,292 people slept rough across the month in England. Housing and homelessness is devolved, but the government publishes data on the number of people sleeping rough in England, including regional breakdowns, here.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the actions necessary to return the number of people sleeping rough to the level achieved during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
This government’s long-term vision is to end homelessness and rough sleeping and we are focused on delivering long-term solutions to prevent people from sleeping rough in the first place. Our National Plan to End Homelessness sets out the actions we will take to halve long-term rough sleeping by the end of this Parliament including investing £15 million in our Long-Term Rough Sleeping Innovation Programme to enable councils with the greatest pressures to deliver more personalised and comprehensive support for people with complex needs.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of trends in the uptake of flu vaccinations both regionally and nationally, and what steps they are taking to promote this uptake.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
For England, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) publishes provisional vaccine uptake data throughout the flu season. Weekly national level data for general practice (GP) patients is available from October to January on the GOV.UK website.
Monthly national and regional level data for GP patients, school-aged children, and frontline healthcare workers is available from October to January. Monthly data for this season was published on 27 November 2025 and included all vaccinations given between 1 September to 31 October 2025. Final end of season data is published in the annual reports in late spring, with the monthly and annual data available on the GOV.UK website.
The Department is working with the UKHSA and NHS England to encourage flu vaccine uptake via the national ‘Stay Strong. Get Vaccinated’ campaign. Marketing activity is currently running across television, video on demand, radio, outdoor advertising, and social channels. This is complemented by mainstream, regional, and specialist, highly targeted media and stakeholder channels to engage priority cohorts. The media plans include weekly a winter bulletin, highlighting the uptake and importance of the flu vaccination. Campaign messaging is supported by a comprehensive suite of information materials and guidance, ensuring healthcare professionals are empowered to guide patients, and the public can make an informed choice.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reported fall in the number of National Health Service staff taking up the flu vaccine and of the effects of this, and what steps they are taking to address this.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
All frontline health care workers should be offered a flu vaccination by their employer, with this year’s campaign starting from 1 October 2025 and remaining until 31 March 2026. In the NHS England Urgent and Emergency Care Plan 2025/26, which was published in June 2025, a commitment was given to improve vaccination rates for frontline staff towards the pre-pandemic uptake level of 2018/19, and included the aim to improve uptake by at least 5% in 2025/26.
The UK Health Security Agency publishes monthly provisional vaccine uptake data for frontline healthcare workers from November to March. The first monthly data for this season was published on 27 November 2025 and includes all vaccinations given between 1 September and 31 October 2025.
The Department works closely with the UK Health Security Agency and NHS England to encourage everyone who is eligible to get their flu vaccine. For 2025/26, there is an enhanced communications campaign using multiple ways to reach staff including workplace communications, partnerships with unions and professional bodies, and materials tailored for different healthcare roles. All National Health Service trusts have been asked to have an accessible occupational health vaccination offer to staff throughout the entire flu campaign, including onsite bookable and walk-in appointments. Additionally, a range of digital services have been put in place, including to support individuals to make informed choices about when and where to receive the vaccinations.
NHS England has also developed bespoke data reports to monitor trust uptake in real time, working closely with NHS regions and trusts to determine influencing factors for staff uptake and promoting cross-system working to share best practice throughout the seasonal campaign.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans, if any, they have to review the contract with Clearsprings Ready Homes for the provision of accommodation services at Wethersfield asylum centre following recent concerns raised about rats on the site and food quality.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
There are currently no plans to review the providers delivering services at the Wethersfield site.
The Wethersfield site complies with safety, security, health and wellbeing standards. Procedures are in place to fix maintenance and safety issues quickly.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the policy paper published on 9 November by the Bar Council, Tackling violence against women and girls – why family courts are key.
Answered by Baroness Levitt - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Government has read the Bar Council’s policy paper with interest and agrees that the family courts play a key role in our commitment to halve incidences of violence against women and girls over the next decade.
We agree with the Bar Council that proper data and analysis is an essential first step. The Government funded the recently published Family Court Review and Reporting Mechanism pilot, led by the Domestic Abuse Commissioner and will publish a response to the report by the end of the year.
This Government also recognises that legal aid is a vital part of the justice system, supporting the ability of individuals to access publicly funded legal assistance to uphold their legal rights. Legal aid is available for certain private family matters such as child arrangements if an individual is a victim of domestic abuse or at risk of being abused, subject to providing the required evidence of domestic abuse and passing the means and merits tests. Last year we spent £854 million on the provision of family legal aid and we continue to keep the policy under review.
With our partners across the family justice system, we are committed to long-term reform of the family courts to better support and protect victims of domestic abuse and serious violence and their children. Central to this is our new Pathfinder model, which uses a more investigative and less adversarial approach for private law proceedings relating to children and is now operating in nine court areas, with expansion to a tenth in January 2026.
The Government will be publishing our new, cross-government Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy as soon as possible.