Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, with reference to the Summer Intelligence Internship page on sis.gov.uk, whether the requirement for applicants to be an ethnic minority, such as White Other, includes White Irish in that definition.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Information regarding eligibility for this scheme can be found on the SIS website.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer from Baroness Levitt on 24 March (HL15657), for what reason the Independent Monitoring Authority for the Citizens’ Rights Agreements does not record the cost of individual inquiries.
Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Independent Monitoring Authority (IMA) is operationally independent from the Ministry of Justice. The IMA’s inquiry work is, like its other functions, delivered within its overall allocated budget.
This means that, unlike a stand-alone statutory or public inquiry which is established with dedicated funding and resource, no additional or dedicated funds are allocated to individual IMA inquiries.
The IMA does not charge inspection fees to any relevant public authority involved in an inquiry. As a result, unit costs for individual inquiries have not been developed.
The overall costs of the IMA are published in its Annual Report and Accounts, which details all staffing costs and administrative costs.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure full compliance with the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, in respect of the conditions in which living animals used for scientific purposes before and during these procedures are kept.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 is enforced by the Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU) in the Home Office which operates a robust regulatory framework to ensure that animals used for scientific purposes are kept in appropriate conditions both before procedures take place and throughout the conduct of those procedures.
ASPA requires a three-tier system of licensing covering establishments, projects, and individuals. All licensed establishments must comply with standards for animal protections set out in ASPA and in the Code of Practice for the Housing and Care of Animals Bred, Supplied or Used for Scientific Purposes which governs the accommodation, care, monitoring and veterinary oversight of the animals.
Licensed establishments are also required to have key named individuals in place, including veterinary surgeons and animal welfare officers, who are responsible for the health, care and welfare of animals and for advising on their use before and during regulated procedures. Establishments must operate local ethical review processes to provide ongoing oversight of animal welfare, review care and housing arrangements, and ensure that licence conditions are met.
ASRU assures compliance with these requirements through a programme of announced and unannounced audits. Any instances of non-compliance are taken seriously and addressed in accordance with ASRU’s published compliance policy, which provides for a range of regulatory responses, including enforcement action where necessary.
In 2025, ASRU implemented organisational reforms to strengthen delivery of its regulatory functions including increasing the size of its inspectorate, further enhancing oversight of animal protections across licensed establishments.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made in implementing the recommendations of the Stewart Review on major transport projects governance and assurance, published on 18 June 2025.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The government accepted all 89 of James Stewart’s recommendations in June last year and is working on their full implementation. 31 recommendations have now been fully implemented. The Department, HS2 Ltd and other government partners are on track to fully implement the remaining recommendations, which are being addressed as part of the reset of the HS2 programme. This will be concluded by April 2027. Delivering the principles of the review will be an enduring endeavour for the lifetime of the HS2 programme and beyond to ensure that the learning is constantly applied to all relevant projects.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made in disposing of land and property purchased in connection with the HS2 Phase 2b eastern leg.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The department has appointed a delivery agent who is developing a disposal programme for the former Phase 2b eastern leg of HS2. The programme will be delivered over several years, to avoid disrupting local property markets, take into account the impact on local communities, and ensure value for money can be achieved for taxpayers. We expect open market sales to begin in 2026.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer from Lord Hanson of Flint on 24 March (HL15656), whether they will now answer the question put: namely, what estimate they have made of the number of individuals who will be affected by the changes to the EU Settlement Scheme to extend the period to 60 months in which an individual can use an expired biometric residence card as proof of their identity and nationality.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
To support the de-commissioning of biometric residence cards (BRCs), cards issued since 2 August 2021 had an expiry date of 31 December 2024, irrespective of the length of immigration leave granted to the card holder. Cards were issued under the EU Settlement Scheme to non-EEA nationals granted pre-settled or settled status who did not already hold a BRC issued under the Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2016 (the free movement regime). From 30 June 2021 to 31 December 2025, there were 110,228 grants of pre-settled status to non-EEA nationals. Whether these pre-settled status holders subsequently apply for settled status with their BRC is dependent on customer behaviour and their individual circumstances, but the change in HC1691 allows those who wish to do so to remain on a fully digital journey. Without this change, as we pass 18 months since the expiry date of most BRCs for this cohort, a significant portion would be required to attend a UK visa application centre to re-enrol their biometrics, creating an unsustainable demand on UK Visas and Citizenship Application Services.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer from Lord Hermer on 23 February (HL14709), why they do not hold any data which shows the number of defendants prosecuted, referred, acquitted, or convicted of offences created by sections 58 and 59 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 and section 1 of the Infant Life (Preservation) Act 1929.
Answered by Lord Hermer - Attorney General
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) collects data to assist in the effective management of its prosecution functions. This data is derived from structured data fields completed by front line staff on individual case records held in the Case Management Information System (CMS) and reported in the Management Information System (MIS).
Within CMS management information (MI) is recorded at the level of defendants in a set of proceedings rather than against the individual offence or offences a defendant may be charged. This includes defendants charged with offences of s58 and s59 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 and s1 of the Infant Life (Preservation) Act 1929. To identify the prosecution outcomes of offences would require a manual review of case records which would be at disproportionate cost.
The CPS is replacing its current Case Management System. This replacement provides opportunities to design improved management information capabilities to meet future reporting requirements.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they will publish impact assessments for the HS2 construction works between Curdworth in Warwickshire and Handsacre in Staffordshire due to commence in March 2027.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Going back to March 2023, the previous Government asked HS2 Ltd to pause some of the works on the section north of Birmingham. In 2025, this Government agreed to pause the works on the section between Curdworth and Handsacre for a further four years until 2029/2030. The four-year deferral of works will allow construction resources to be focused on the cost‑efficient delivery of HS2’s opening stage between Old Oak Common and Birmingham Curzon Street. During this period, essential activity such as the realignment of the A38 and completion of the A5 overbridge will continue. I appreciate that this may be disappointing for local communities, and I want to reiterate my commitment to delivering HS2 to Handsacre.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to improve parliamentary oversight and scrutiny of HS2.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Government is committed to ensuring transparency and effective oversight of HS2. The latest update on the project is set out in the Interim Parliamentary Report published via Written Ministerial Statement on 23 March, with a further report due shortly. The Government also maintains regular engagement on the programme through Select Committees.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hanson of Flint on 5 March (HL15249), whether they will now answer the question put: namely, when they will next convene a summit with mobile phone operators, mobile phone manufacturers, and law enforcement professionals.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Metropolitan Police recently hosted an international conference on phone theft, attended by partners from across law enforcement and industry. The Government is working with the Metropolitan Police to consider the outcomes from this event in determining what further action is necessary.
We look forward to public commitments from industry in the coming weeks, in advance of the Metropolitan Police Commissioner’s deadline for meaningful commitments of 1 June. If these are not forthcoming, the Government will look to consider any necessary action.