Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government when they intend to next discuss sentencing guidelines with the Sentencing Council.

Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Lord Chancellor recently met with the Chairman of the Sentencing Council to discuss the Imposition guideline, and they had a constructive discussion. It was agreed that the Lord Chancellor would set out her position in writing, which the Sentencing Council will then consider before the guideline is due to come into effect.

Ministers will meet with Sentencing Council as needed for continued engagement.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Collins of Highbury on 26 February (HL5029) on Stonewall funding, what steps they are taking to ensure the efficacy and utility of each project mentioned in respect of value for taxpayer money.

Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's LGBT+ rights programme aims to transform the lives of millions of LGBT+ people around the world. This is done by tackling systematic violence, persecution, and exclusion by addressing outdated discriminatory laws, promoting protective legislation, empowering civil society organisations, and supporting the most vulnerable LGBT+ people in conflict and crisis. All programme proposals are required to set out how they will deliver and measure value for money. Successful partners are required to submit reports for the rigorous monitoring and evaluation process. These reports include a results framework or log frame to track progress against targets of the project alongside quarterly and annual progress reports, which allow us to look at the effectiveness, efficiency, efficacy, and utility of any work supported. All the information received from the partner and ongoing conversations throughout the years which the project is active allows us to track value for money.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the new guidance published by the Sentencing Council on public confidence in the criminal justice system.

Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

This Government’s position is clear – we are seeking to remove the unequal treatment before the law in these guidelines.

We asked the Council to reconsider their guidelines in the first instance – and they have now agreed to put these guidelines on pause. We are grateful for their constructive engagement on this issue.

On 01 April, we introduced legislation to address the specific issue with these guidelines and we will work with the House to fast-track it.

We will also consider a broader review of the Sentencing Council’s role and powers over the coming months. It is right that we take time to consider more fundamental reforms such as this.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the long-term impact on the National Health Service of prospective successful applications for indefinite leave to remain until 2029.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

No assessment has been made of the potential impact of changes in the levels of grants of Indefinite Leave to Remain on the National Health Service, and there are no current plans to undertake such an assessment.

Internationally educated staff remain an important part of the workforce, and our Code of Practice for International Recruitment ensures stringent ethical standards when recruiting health and social care staff from overseas. The Government remains committed to growing homegrown talent and giving opportunities to more people across the country to join our NHS.

We will publish a refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade, and treat patients on time again.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hanson of Flint on 25 March (HL5728), whether they collect or collate information about the removal of foreign nationals following the revocation of their student visas in unpublished format.

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

Official statistics published by the Home Office are kept under review in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics, taking into account a number of factors including user needs, the resources required to compile the statistics, as well as quality and availability of data. These reviews allow us to balance the production of our regular statistics whilst developing new statistics for future release.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hanson of Flint on 25 March (HL5728), why information about the removal of foreign nationals following the revocation of student visas is not collected and published.

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

Official statistics published by the Home Office are kept under review in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics, taking into account a number of factors including user needs, the resources required to compile the statistics, as well as quality and availability of data. These reviews allow us to balance the production of our regular statistics whilst developing new statistics for future release.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to the advertisement of the Defence Infrastructure Organisation Head of People Development and Culture, what is the business justification for the salary, and how recruitment into that job role will benefit the Ministry of Defence.

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

The salary for the role of Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) Head of People Development and Culture is determined by the established banding within Defence. The grade is defined by the responsibilities of the position and level of experience needed to successfully deliver in role.

This role is aligned with Defence Reform initiatives, particularly in transforming culture across the organisation, with DIO playing a key role. Attracting the right leaders into the right positions is essential for building capability within Defence. In doing so, we foster the right culture and behaviours ensuring we develop a workforce equipped with the professional expertise needed for the future.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to extend how long a person with a Skilled Worker visa can remain in the UK.

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

The Government currently has no plans to extend how long a person with a skilled worker visa can remain in the UK.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the trends in net immigration to the UK since 2021.

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

Under the previous Government, between 2019 and 2023, net migration more than quadrupled, driven by a big increase in overseas recruitment.

This Government has set out a new approach to end the over reliance on international recruitment and boost economic growth by linking the UK's immigration, labour market, and skills systems and by training up our domestic workforce

We have also commissioned the independent Migration Advisory Committee to review key sectors, and our long-term plan will see departments working together across government, partnering with agencies and experts, to build our skills base and reduce our reliance on migration.

Building on the Prime Minister's speech on migration on 28 November 2024 - the Government will publish a White Paper later this year setting out measures to reduce net migration and link the points-based system with requirements for training in the UK.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the prospective cost to the taxpayer of successful applications for indefinite leave to remain until 2029.

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

Obtaining the specific information requested relating to the cost or contribution to the taxpayer would involve collating and verifying information from multiple systems owned by multiple teams across different Departments and, therefore, could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to implement the recommendations in the report published on 19 March, Independent review of data, statistics and research on sex and gender, by Professor Alice Sullivan.

Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

I refer the noble Lord to the answer I gave to Question UIN HL5960 on 2 April 2025.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the long-term impact on social housing of prospective successful applications for indefinite leave to remain until 2029.

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

Eligibility for social housing is tightly controlled. If a person’s visa means that they cannot access state benefits or local authority housing assistance, they are not eligible for an allocation of social housing. Only eligible individuals can join waiting lists and be given a social housing tenancy.

Where foreign nationals are eligible, they will have their housing needs considered on the same basis as other eligible applicants in accordance with the local authority’s housing allocation scheme. People who are homeless, in overcrowded housing or who need to move for medical reasons are prioritised.

The previous government consulted on changes to social housing allocation tests. This government’s response was published on 2 September and can be found on gov.uk here.

The Government are committed to delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable house building in a generation.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the data collection in the independent report published on 19 March, Independent review of data, statistics and research on sex and gender, by Professor Alice Sullivan.

Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

This was an independent review by a leading academic. As such, the Government has not made an assessment of the approach to data collection.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the finding in the independent report published on 19 March, Independent review of data, statistics and research on sex and gender, by Professor Alice Sullivan, that there is a 'partisan climate on certain issues, including gender' within the Office for National Statistics.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

Please see the letter attached from the National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority.

Professor Sir Ian Diamond | National Statistician

The Lord Jackson of Peterborough

House of Lords

London

SW1A 0PW

8 April 2025

Dear Lord Jackson,

As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking what assessment has been made of the finding in the independent report published on 19 March, Independent review of data, statistics and research on sex and gender, by Professor Alice Sullivan, that there is a 'partisan climate on certain issues, including gender' within the Office for National Statistics (ONS) (HL6248).

The ONS has a long history of engagement with a wide range of stakeholders on all the census questions. We listen impartially and objectively to all voices to safeguard the production of official statistics that serve the public good in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics[1].

We welcome the Independent review of data, statistics and research on sex and gender and are reviewing the findings in detail. We are committed to working with others to improve the comparability, consistency, and coherence of government statistics. This year, the Government Statistical Service (GSS) is holding a series of regional listening events to inform ongoing work on the topics of sex and gender identity.

Yours sincerely,

Professor Sir Ian Diamond

[1]https://code.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/

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