Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the portraits of Elizabeth I, Sir Walter Raleigh, William Gladstone, Margaret Thatcher and William Shakespeare, which formerly hung in 10 Downing Street, have either been (1) rehung elsewhere; or (2) moved into storage; and if so, where.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

I refer the Noble Lord to my answer of 23 September 2024, Official Report, PQ HL1035 and the answer of the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office, Georgia Gould, 31 October 2024, Official Report, PQ 8943. To note, the portrait of William Gladstone was hung in 11 Downing Street, rather than 10 Downing Street.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Welsh Government's Sustainable Farming Scheme, including the scheme’s requirement to devote at least 10 per cent of agricultural land to tree cover and to manage at least 10 per cent as semi-natural habitat, with the result that 20 per cent of agricultural land could be taken out of production; and what plans they have to introduce any such scheme in England.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Agriculture is a devolved area, and Wales’s Sustainable Farming Scheme is therefore a matter for the Welsh Government.

Defra and devolved administration officials meet routinely to share experiences and insight regarding our respective agricultural policies.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government when the review of smart motorways is set to conclude.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

This Government will not roll out new smart motorways. The safety of everyone travelling on our roads is the Government’s priority, which is why we are committed to delivering a new Road Safety Strategy, the first in over a decade. In addition, we have asked the Office for Rail and Road to report on the effectiveness of safety systems in place on smart motorways, including the performance of stopped vehicle detection technology and operational technology performance. Their next report is due in Spring 2025.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to make any changes to the statutory guidance for low traffic neighbourhoods.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

The Government is clear that traffic management measures such as low traffic neighbourhoods are a matter for local authorities as they know their areas best. Traffic management schemes should always be developed through engagement with local communities.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of applying Value Added Tax to independent school fees on Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office staff based abroad who have children studying at UK boarding schools.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

On 29 July, the Government announced that, as of 1 January 2025, all education services and vocational training provided by a private school in the UK for a charge will be subject to VAT at the standard rate of 20%. This will include fees paid by CEA.

A small minority of diplomatic officials and service personnel are posted abroad for extended periods. In such circumstances, the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office provide the Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) to ensure this does not interfere with their children's education.

The government will monitor closely the impact of these policy changes on affected military and diplomatic families with any changes to this scheme being considered as part of the ongoing Spending Review.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government when they will publish an updated list of ministers' interests.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Basildon - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal

The List of Ministers’ Interests will be published in due course.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made in setting up a new returns and enforcement unit to fast-track removals to safe countries for people who do not have the right to stay in the UK, and in particular how many of the additional 1,000 staff allocated to the unit have been recruited.

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

We need to be able to progress swiftly those with no right to remain in the country towards a return, reversing the decline in returns since 2010.

That’s why we have already begun delivering a major surge in immigration enforcement and returns activity to remove people with no right to be in the UK and ensure the rules are respected and enforced, redeploying significant numbers of staff to a returns and enforcement programme enhancing the Home Office’s ability to accelerate removals to safe countries for individuals without the right to remain here.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase recruitment and retention in the Armed Forces.

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

The new Government’s work in improving retention and recruitment is part of a package of measures aimed to renew the contract between the nation and those who serve. We are modernising and refining our policies and processes to attract, and then retain the best possible talent, highlighting that Defence is a modern, forward-facing employer which offers a valuable and rewarding career. Our aim is to attract and recruit more, as well as maximise the number of applicants that successfully enter and remain in Armed Forces employment.

We have already awarded the largest Armed Forces pay increase in 22 years, ensuring that the starting Armed Forces’ salary is in line with the National Living Wage, and have set a new ambition for the Armed Forces to make a conditional offer of employment to candidates within 10 days and to give people a provisional training start date within 30 days. We have reviewed and implemented changes to the Armed Forces’ Entry Medical Employment Standards, setting new regulations for a range of conditions including asthma and eczema. Furthermore, Defence is creating a new military direct-entry cyber pathway. This will help boost our cyber resilience and support the UK’s ability to conduct operations in cyberspace.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Smith of Malvern on 26 September (HL846), what additional funding they will provide to schools to ensure that every child between the ages of 5 and 14 has the opportunity to learn a musical instrument.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)

This government is clear that music and the arts should be part of every child’s education.

The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review will advise on how we deliver a broader curriculum for every child, including subjects such as music, art and drama. The government will also support children to study a creative or vocational subject to 16 and ensure accountability measures reflect this.

School music provision is supported through the £79 million per annum grant provided for the Music Hub programme, which is led by Arts Council England. Music Hubs are partnerships that provide a suite of services to schools to support the delivery of music education, including instrumental teaching, whole class ensemble teaching, instrument hire, continuing professional development for teachers and access to national and regional music opportunities.

To further support access to learning a musical instrument, the government is also providing a £25 million capital grant for musical instruments, equipment and technology. This funding will be distributed to the 43 Music Hub lead organisations by Arts Council England.

The government has also announced the Music Opportunities Pilot, expanding Young Sounds UK’s existing programme – Young Sounds Connect – which offers disadvantaged pupils across primary and secondary schools the opportunity to learn to play an instrument of their choice or learn how to sing to a high standard by providing free lessons and supporting young people to progress. The four year pilot will be delivered across 12 areas in England, and this is backed by £2 million from the government and £3.9 million from Arts Council England and Youth Music.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they are making regarding a free trade agreement with India.

Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Boosting trade abroad is essential to deliver a strong economy at home. That is why we are committed to delivering a Free Trade Agreement with India, which is projected to be the world’s third largest economy by2028.

The Business and Trade Secretary is reviewing progress in our talks with India, and when ready we intend to restart negotiations towards a deal in the best interests of the British people and the economy, supporting jobs and communities across the UK.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many investigators, intelligence officers and police officers have been recruited into the Border Security Command to date.

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

The Border Security Command (BSC) has been launched within the Home Office, led by the Commander, Martin Hewitt. The BSC will be appropriately resourced to ensure we can disrupt organised criminal gangs and respond to a range of threats across the border security system.

The Command will collaborate with a wide range of agencies, recruiting hundreds of new specialist staff across these organisations, including investigators, to smash the criminal gangs and strengthen our borders. Wider recruitment is ongoing and any external opportunities for the BSC will be advertised on Civil Service Jobs; initial roles within the BSC have been filled through internal processes.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many Home Office caseworker employees there were in each month since July.

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

The Home Office employs teams of caseworkers in a variety of different functions to deliver the department’s key missions, including processing visa applications, strengthening border security, clearing the backlogs and increasing removals of those with no right to stay.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many special advisers are employed by the Government.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

As when the noble Lord was a special adviser under the previous administration, the number of special advisers will be published in the Annual Report on Special Advisers.

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