Asked by: Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address ageism in advertising, the media and the creative industries.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Equality Act 2010 already contains strong protections for older people against age discrimination in a variety of settings, including work and the provision of services. The Act prohibits both discrimination because of age and harassment related to age.
We welcome the recent Women and Equalities Select Committee inquiry into the rights of older people, which made a number of recommendations relating to ageism. The Government’s response to this inquiry sets out our commitments to ensure the right support systems are in place for older people, including on employment, health care and digital inclusion. Ofcom, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and the Independent Press Standards Organisation have also responded to the inquiry, with Ofcom providing reflections on the report’s recommendations on broadcasting.
In advertising, industry codes applied by the ASA prohibit adverts from causing serious or widespread offence, and outline that particular care must be taken to avoid causing offence on the grounds of protected characteristics, one of which is age.
All the creative industries have an important role in holding a mirror up to nature, exposing and understanding our common prejudices and challenging the stereotypes that hold us back socially and economically. The arm’s length principle wisely prevents government from lecturing the arts about how and when they should do this.
Asked by: Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Labour - Life peer)
Question
To ask His Majesty's Government what actions they are taking to promote the fair treatment and full participation of older people employed in the public sector.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
The Government is clear that equality and opportunity for all are at the heart of our programme of national renewal. This includes actively considering the needs of older people and ensuring that they are not discriminated against. The Equality Act 2010 is the means by which age discrimination against older workers and job applicants is prohibited. Since the abolition of the default retirement age, employers can no longer use a person’s advancing years as automatic grounds for dismissal. Requiring a person to leave their job on age grounds is only lawful where the employer can objectively justify their decision. We are committed to retaining these strong protections.
Asked by: Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government why they hold no records of the Duke of York’s official overseas trips as Special Representative prior to 2008, given that he was appointed to the role in 2001; and what steps are being taken to locate these missing files.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office records are retained and managed in accordance with its record retention and disposal policy, ensuring compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. We take our responsibilities under the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act very seriously. Each request is evaluated individually, and when sensitive information falls within the scope of a request, the relevant exemptions are applied. If a requester is dissatisfied with a response under the FoI Act, they have the right to appeal, and the appeal procedures are outlined in the response. We regularly provide advice and assistance in line with the Information Commissioner's Office guidance on how requests can be better framed to help requesters to gain access to the information they are seeking.
Asked by: Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have conducted any review into the Duke of York’s activities as Special Representative in Kazakhstan; and whether they had any impact on UK diplomatic or trade interests in the region.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has not conducted a review into the activities of the Duke of York when Special Representative for Trade and Investment in Kazakhstan from 2001 to 2011.
The UK engages with Kazakhstan regularly, with The Minister of State, Stephen Doughty recently hosting the 8th UK-Kazakhstan Strategic Dialogue in London. Kazakhstan is the UK's largest trading partner in Central Asia; the total bilateral trade in goods and service was £2.8 billion in the four quarters to the end of Q3 2024.
Asked by: Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government when the terms of reference for the next review of the Sovereign Grant in April 2026 will be prepared; who will be responsible for preparing them; and what input will be invited from parliamentarians.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The requirements for the 2026 review of the Sovereign Grant have been set by Parliament in the Sovereign Grant Act 2011. This requires the Royal Trustees to consider what percentage of Crown Estate profits should be used in the calculation of the Sovereign Grant for the period from 2027, once Buckingham Palace reservicing works are completed. The Act requires that the Royal Trustees report is laid in Parliament, and any change in the percentage used given effect by Statutory Instrument agreed by the House of Commons. In addition, the government has committed to bring forward legislation to reset the Grant to a lower level from 2027-28, which will enable further parliamentary debate on this issue.
Asked by: Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Ministry of Defence provided briefings to Prince Andrew after he left the Royal Navy and during his tenure as Special Representative for International Trade and Investment, what was the nature of such briefings, and on what date they ceased.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
A review with areas that could have been involved in supporting Prince Andrew in his role as Special Representative for International Trade and Investment, has not produced records of such briefings.
Asked by: Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to reset the level of the Sovereign Grant once the reservicing works in Buckingham Palace have been completed.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
As required by the Sovereign Grant Act 2011, the next review of the Sovereign Grant will take place in 2026. The government has committed to bring forward legislation to reset the Grant to a lower level from 2027-28 once Buckingham Palace reservicing works are completed.
Asked by: Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether public funds are used for security at private residences or non-official activities of members of the Royal Family, and, if so, what is the justification for using them for this purpose.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The government’s protective security system is rigorous and proportionate. It is our long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on those arrangements, including expenditure, as doing so could compromise their integrity and affect individuals’ security.
Asked by: Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to publishing annually, alongside the Sovereign Grant accounts, the total public expenditure on security for the Royal Family.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The government’s protective security system is rigorous and proportionate. It is our long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on those arrangements, including expenditure, as doing so could compromise their integrity and affect individuals’ security.
Asked by: Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to providing additional resources or support from UK criminal law enforcement agencies to assist Police Scotland with the ongoing investigation into neurosurgeon Muftah Salem Eljamel, given the concerns regarding the duration of the investigation.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
That it is a matter for Police Scotland. No request for assistance has been made.