Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to provide compensation to nuclear test veterans.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The 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.
There is no specific compensation scheme for Nuclear Test Veterans and their families. Any veteran, including those of the nuclear tests, who believes they have suffered ill-health due to service has the right to apply for no-fault compensation under the War Pension Scheme if they served before 6 April 2005. War pensions are payable in respect of illness or injury as a result of service in the Armed Forces, with the benefit of reasonable doubt always given to the claimant. Decisions are medically certified and follow consideration of available service and medical evidence and carry full rights of appeal to an independent tribunal.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to respond to the results of the consultation on the use of plug-in solar products.
Answered by Baroness Curran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We have published the government’s response to the consultation and the URL is here: Plug-in solar: Regulatory amendment and interim product specification - GOV.UK
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of people who have (1) been convicted for drug driving, and (2) had their driving licence endorsed following a conviction for drug driving, in each of the last three years.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government takes road safety seriously and are committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. Driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs is unacceptable and there are tough penalties and rigorous enforcement in place.
The Government’s Road Safety Strategy, published in January 2026, recognises drug driving as a major road-safety risk and proposes a combination of stronger enforcement, potential licence-suspension powers, improved evidence gathering, and behaviour-change campaigns to reduce it.
The Road Safety Motoring Consultation specifically sought views on new powers to suspend driving licences for those suspected of drink‑ or drug‑driving offences:
i)while forensic analysis is undertaken;
ii) until attendance at court or a guilty plea, or if bailed, pending forensic analysis being undertaken; or
(iii) when there has been a fatality or serious injury, to better protect the public.
The consultation closed in May, the responses are being considered.
The police already have extensive powers. Under section 10 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 they are able to arrest and detain an individual if they have provided a specimen of breath, blood or urine that exceeds the prescribed drink or drug driving limit or the individual’s ability to drive properly is impaired. How the police decide to use these powers is an operational matter for their discretion.
The Government continues to support the police to ensure that they have the tools needed to enforce road traffic legislation. The Home Office does not hold data on the number of convictions for drug-driving offences or driving licences endorsed following a conviction for drug driving.
As the government department responsible for the courts and criminal justice system, the Ministry of Justice publishes statistics on criminal convictions as part of its Criminal Justice Statistics Quarterly publication
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce the incidence of drug driving.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government takes road safety seriously and are committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. Driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs is unacceptable and there are tough penalties and rigorous enforcement in place.
The Government’s Road Safety Strategy, published in January 2026, recognises drug driving as a major road-safety risk and proposes a combination of stronger enforcement, potential licence-suspension powers, improved evidence gathering, and behaviour-change campaigns to reduce it.
The Road Safety Motoring Consultation specifically sought views on new powers to suspend driving licences for those suspected of drink‑ or drug‑driving offences:
i)while forensic analysis is undertaken;
ii) until attendance at court or a guilty plea, or if bailed, pending forensic analysis being undertaken; or
(iii) when there has been a fatality or serious injury, to better protect the public.
The consultation closed in May, the responses are being considered.
The police already have extensive powers. Under section 10 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 they are able to arrest and detain an individual if they have provided a specimen of breath, blood or urine that exceeds the prescribed drink or drug driving limit or the individual’s ability to drive properly is impaired. How the police decide to use these powers is an operational matter for their discretion.
The Government continues to support the police to ensure that they have the tools needed to enforce road traffic legislation. The Home Office does not hold data on the number of convictions for drug-driving offences or driving licences endorsed following a conviction for drug driving.
As the government department responsible for the courts and criminal justice system, the Ministry of Justice publishes statistics on criminal convictions as part of its Criminal Justice Statistics Quarterly publication
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 large intensive chicken farms on human health, environmental standards, and animal welfare.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency assesses the environmental risk through the assessment of environmental permits to protect habitats from air pollution, and compliance with regulations to protect land and water. Measures are checked through regular compliance inspections.
There are a number of different farming systems in use in England and farms of all sizes have a role to play in promoting sustainable agriculture. All farms, regardless of size and type of production system, must comply with comprehensive legislation aimed at protecting animal health and welfare. The Government remains firmly committed to improving animal welfare and wants to work closely with the farming sector to deliver high standards. Ministers recently met with several representatives of various farming sectors to discuss the Animal Welfare Strategy. This outlines the Government’s plans to improve farm animal welfare including through transitioning away from intensive confinement systems such as cages or crates.
Ammonia from poultry farms contributes to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution concentrations across the country. The precise contribution is difficult to assess and will vary according to the prevailing weather conditions and other sources of PM2.5. Long term exposure to fine particulate matter is associated with a number of serious health conditions. Intensive poultry farms with a capacity of 40,000 poultry places or more require a permit under the Environmental Permitting Regulations, to control their emissions into the environment.
Where animal welfare is impacted by farming practices, this can lead to increased health risks to humans through either the food chain, direct animal contact or through environmental contamination. For gastrointestinal disease this can occur through increased shedding of human pathogens where animals are at heightened stress, such as Salmonella spp and Campylobacter spp. Increased shedding of bacteria can also increase the risk antimicrobial resistance can spread.
Any individual exposed to positive detections of HPAI in poultry will be managed according to UKHSA’s public health guidance. Guidance for the management of people exposed to birds or other animals infected with influenza A(H5) - GOV.UK (copy attached).
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, if any, to ease passport checks upon UK travellers in EU countries.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Passport checks for British citizens in EU countries remain a matter for individual member states.
The Government continues to engage the European Commission and European countries to understand the new border process changes and to promote flexible, pragmatic solutions for UK travellers.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill on 6 July (HL1210), how many stations on the rail network in England are currently not accessible for all users; and how many are expected to become accessible for all users in each of the next three years.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Department continues to improve accessibility through programmes such as the Access for All scheme, including the announcement in January of 31 new projects progressing.
There are just over 2,000 mainline railway stations in England. Of these, 488 stations have no step-free access. 392 stations have partial step free access - this is where step-free access is available to one or more platforms, but not all platforms, or there are restrictions that mean not all journeys through the station are step-free.
Future funding for the Access for All programme will be considered as part of the next Spending Review, which may provide an opportunity for stations to receive accessibility funding.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer from Baroness Chapman of Darlington on 18 June (HL1080), what steps they are taking following the National Audit Office’s report Investigation into the financial sustainability of the British Council, published on 13 June.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington
I refer the Noble Lord to the letter sent to the Foreign Affairs Committee by the Minister for Multilateral and Human Rights on Tuesday 30 June concerning the financial position of the British Council.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what lessons about strategic planning they have learnt from heatwaves in the last four years, in particular in relation to reservoirs, air conditioning in publicly owned buildings, public transport, and healthcare.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Captain of the King's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard (HM Household) (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The recent heatwaves have served to reinforce the importance of strategic contingency planning and highlight the wide range of potential consequences. The Resilience Action Plan sets out the Government’s work to strengthen domestic resilience to all risks, including climate change. ‘Environmental’ is one of 26 chronic risks identified in the Government’s Chronic Risks Analysis.
Furthermore, the Government is taking action to ensure that public and private infrastructure operators can continue to deliver the essential services that underpin the economy and set the conditions for sustainable long-term growth in the face of increasingly severe climate impacts.
More broadly, under the Climate Change Act 2008, the Government has a legal framework for strengthening UK preparedness to climate change risks. This includes preparing a Climate Change Risk Assessment every five years, which is led by Defra, followed by a National Adaptation Programme setting out how the government will address the identified climate risks across a range of sectors including infrastructure.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the level of shop theft, and what action they plan to take as a result.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Action to restore neighbourhood policing is making a difference – including delivering more than 3,100 additional police officers and PCSOs into neighbourhood roles since March 2025.There are signs the tide is turning, with a small fall in shop theft offences by 1% in the year ending December 2025 compared with the previous year. This is compared with increases of nearly 30% in the period before the election.
We are removing the £200 threshold for shop theft and commencing the new offence of assaulting a retail worker as soon as possible.
We are also equipping the police to fight the organised crime gangs that drive shop theft across the country. Our £5m investment in the specialist OPAL policing unit is boosting intelligence-led policing to identify offenders, disrupt the tactics used to target shops, and bring more criminals to justice.
We are also actively engaged with retailers and law enforcement agencies to strengthen digital evidence-sharing and the responsible use of facial recognition technology, making it easier to identify repeat offenders and build stronger cases against them.