Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of increasing water bills on consumers, and what action they will take to limit that impact.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
For too long, investment has not kept pace with the challenges of an ageing infrastructure system, a rapidly growing population and climate change. Bills will therefore now need to rise to invest in our crumbling infrastructure and deliver cleaner waterways.
Ofwat published their final determinations for Price Review 2024 in December, which sets company expenditure and customer bills for 2025-2030. These bill rises equate to around £3 additional per month on average before inflation.
The Government expects water companies to put robust support measures in place to ensure that vulnerable customers across the country are supported and is working with industry to keep current support schemes under review to ensure that customers are sufficiently supported.
Furthermore, we expect companies to hold themselves accountable for their commitment to end Water Poverty by 2030 and will work with the sector to ensure that appropriate measures are taken to this end.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to promote the carriage of freight by rail.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Government recognises that the economic and environmental potential of rail freight is significant and is committed to supporting its growth.
We encourage modal shift from road to rail through the Mode Shift Revenue Support scheme which has a budget of £18 million. The scheme has been extended to March 2026.
Under our plans to reform the railway, there will be a statutory duty on Great British Railways to promote the use of rail freight and there will be an overall rail freight growth target set by the Secretary of State, with clear and meaningful targets for rail freight growth within pre-defined periods.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with Estonia and other NATO allies concerning their commitment to provide military support.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The UK remains committed to Baltic and NATO security through a variety of means, including its commitment to the Enhanced Forward Presence deployment, NATO Air Policing, and the Joint Expeditionary Force. The Secretary of State for Defence regularly meets with his Estonian counterpart to discuss military contributions to European defence and security, having met most recently on 26 March 2025.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to ensure that the ban on keeping XL Bullies is enforced effectively.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government is committed to ensuring that the ban on XL Bully dogs is fully implemented and enforced to ensure our communities are protected from dangerous dogs. Defra have supported the police to deliver additional training to Dog Legislation Officers to make sure the ban is effectively enforced, and we are continuing to engage closely with the Police to monitor the impacts of the XL Bully dog ban.
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 representations they have made to other governments regarding the importance of international action to promote the uptake of vaccinations.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The United Kingdom continues to be the largest donor to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, a public-private partnership that works to ensure that 54 of the world’s poorest countries have affordable access to life-saving vaccines. We are providing a further £1.65 billion in financing for the period covering 2026 to 2030.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) works in partnership with the devolved administrations to deliver on our commitments to the global elimination of vaccine preventable diseases such as polio, measles, rubella, hepatitis B and C. The UKHSA collaborates closely with international partners, including the World Health Organization (WHO), on a range of activities aimed at strengthening routine immunisation programmes and improving uptake.
The UKHSA holds a mandatory role in the WHO’s Expanded Programmes for Immunization to ensure that all children, in all countries, benefit from life-saving vaccines, and is also contributing to work in the European Immunization Agenda 2030. The UKHSA also collaborates with international partners on relevant research, for example the Reducing Inequalities in Vaccine uptake in the European Region – Engaging Underserved communities project.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, sponsored by the Department, supports international work to improve the development of evidence-based advice on vaccination. This includes representation on the global National Immunization Technical Advisory Group (NITAG) steering committee, and through bilateral and multi-lateral communication with NITAGs globally.
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 steps they are taking to combat tuberculosis domestically and internationally.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and NHS England’s joint Tuberculosis (TB): action plan for England, 2021 to 2026 details actions to achieve a 90% reduction in people with TB by 2035. This is aligned with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) elimination targets. Work to review and update the national action plan, including a call for evidence, is underway.
The Tuberculosis (TB): action plan for England, 2021 to 2026 is available on the GOV.UK website, in an online only format. The UKHSA’s research and analysis executive summary on TB, updated 16 January 2025, is also available on the GOV.UK website, in an online only format.
The United Kingdom is a leading donor in the fight against TB. Our £1 billion commitment to the Global Fund, from 2023 to 2025, will provide TB treatment and care for 1.1 million people, screen 20 million people for TB, and provide 41,800 people with treatment for multidrug-resistant TB. This is complemented by our investment in Unitaid, to improve access to key TB products, and our support of WHO and others, to strengthen health systems.
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 steps they are taking to promote the uptake of vaccinations to combat the spread of diseases.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is aware of the need to improve the uptake of our vaccine programmes.
The Department is working with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and NHS England to take steps to promote uptake by providing diverse delivery methods, to make getting vaccinated easier, increasing outreach efforts to under-served groups, and raising awareness of the dangers of vaccine preventable diseases. Paid for marketing campaigns to support uptake of routine immunisations, seasonal flu, and COVID-19 vaccinations have been run over the past year, with evaluation showing positive results.
The UKHSA has continued to undertake annual surveys of parents and adolescents to develop an understanding of how knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes towards immunisation, vaccine safety, and disease severity influence vaccine uptake decision-making.
Along with this work, the Department is also looking at how it can go further, exploring new ways to boost uptake by supplementing the general practice offer already based in communities through teams including community pharmacists and health visitors.
It is vitally important that everyone has their recommended vaccinations, as they are the best way to help protect yourself and your family from these viruses, which can cause serious harm.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what has been the increase in the uptake of pension credit since the announcement that winter fuel payments will be means-tested; and what estimate they have made of the likely cost of this to the Exchequer next winter.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The latest take up figures were published in October 2024. They showed that in financial year 2022/23, 65% of those entitled to Pension Credit claimed the benefit.
Data on Pension Credit claims and awards was published in November. It showed that there has been a 145% increase in Pension Credit claims received by DWP in the 16 weeks following the Chancellor’s Winter Fuel Payment announcement on the 29 July, compared to the number received in the 16 weeks prior to the announcement.
Benefit expenditure and caseload forecasts are regularly made publicly available by the Department. The latest published forecasts estimate that Winter Fuel Payments will cost £330m in nominal terms, for financial year 2025/26.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment, if any, they have made of the benefits of limiting the amount of alcohol sold to customers in bars and restaurants at airports; and what consideration they have given to imposing such restrictions.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The vast majority of airline passengers drink responsibly when travelling.
However, individuals who are drunk can be denied from boarding an aircraft, and tough penalties are in place for being drunk and disruptive on an aircraft (including imprisonment for up to two years or an unlimited fine, or both).
A call for evidence carried out in 2019 on imposing licensing restrictions on airside premises did not provide new evidence to make a compelling case for additional restrictions.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had, or plan to have, with the Welsh Government or other interested parties concerning the operation of the Barnett formula with respect to Wales.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
There are currently no plans to modify the operation of the Barnett formula. The Barnett formula has stood the test of time because it is simple, efficient and provides a clear and certain outcome.
The Chief Secretary to the Treasury is in regular contact with his devolved government counterparts on matters of devolved government funding and the Barnett formula. Officials are also in regular dialogue on the operation of devolved government funding arrangements, including the Barnett formula.
Overall, the Welsh Government currently receives at least 20% more funding per person than equivalent UK Government spending in the rest of the UK. That translates into over £4 billion more in 2025-26.