Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase mandatory random drug testing in prisons in England and Wales, and to expand the range of drugs tested for.

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

The Government is committed to tackling drug use in prisons, which threatens prison safety and security, undermines our work to rehabilitate prisoners and drives reoffending. We therefore need to have a multi-pronged approach that tackles the supply of drugs, drives down demand and supports recovery – drug testing plays an important role in delivering this.

Random mandatory drug testing (rMDT) forms one part of our wider approach to tackling drug use in prisons. In custody, we also conduct more targeted testing, such as suspicion-based testing, when staff have reason to believe an individual has used drugs illicitly, as well as voluntary testing, which forms part of our approach on our Incentivised Substance Free Living Units, where prisoners sign a compact to remain drug free, receive access to improved conditions compared to a standard wing and are regularly tested. In probation settings, we are expanding our drug testing powers through the Sentencing Bill, meaning that any offender on licence can be tested.

We test for a wide range of substances and keep this under regular review to ensure we identify emerging trends to keep both staff and prisoners safe. Our new drug testing contract supports this by giving us greater flexibility to identify areas for improvement in our drug testing capabilities, ensuring we can keep pace with changing patterns of drug use and target support where it is most needed.

In recent years, levels of rMDT have fallen short across the estate because of staffing constraints, and as a result, volumes have not been sufficient nor consistently high enough to produce publishable data – though results are still used as part of adjudication proceedings. There has been some encouraging progress made in recent months to increase levels, and we will continue to keep performance under close review.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what funding they will provide for the Emergency Alerts service once its initial three-year funding comes to an end.

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

As set out in the 2025 Resilience Action Plan, the Emergency Alerts system is one of many public warning and informing capabilities that the UK Government, Devolved Governments and Category 1 responders have at their disposal. It is an integral part of keeping the public safe as it allows for quick sharing of life-saving information.

Since the launch of Emergency Alerts in 2023, the system has been activated five times, in conjunction with other local warning methods, during emergencies to minimise risk to life.

On Sunday 7th September at around 3pm tens of millions of phones across the country received the test message, marking the largest simultaneous public communications event since the Second World War.

The UK Government will continue to ensure that Emergency Alerts capability is maintained and it is expected that the funding of the system will continue through routine departmental spend.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government how much the continuity of education allowance has increased since January and whether they plan to increase it further.

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

Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) helps Service families to provide stability in their children’s schooling where mobility might otherwise cause disruption. The Ministry of Defence engages with Service families through the Families Federations, the chain of command and Pay Colonel teams, who ensure that their views are represented in policy discussions.

With regards to allowance calculations, I refer the Noble Lord to the answer given by the then Minister for Veterans on 9 July 2025 to question 66168.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with Armed Forces families and representatives since January regarding the continuity of education allowance.

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

Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) helps Service families to provide stability in their children’s schooling where mobility might otherwise cause disruption. The Ministry of Defence engages with Service families through the Families Federations, the chain of command and Pay Colonel teams, who ensure that their views are represented in policy discussions.

With regards to allowance calculations, I refer the Noble Lord to the answer given by the then Minister for Veterans on 9 July 2025 to question 66168.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what has been the estimated cost to the state of educating children who have entered the state sector from independent schools since January.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

HM Treasury published a Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) on applying VAT to independent school fees. The TIIN estimates that accounting for the spending implications of any pupil movement into the state sector, the policy will raise £1.7 billion per annum by 2029/30.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government which meetings the Secretary of State for Business and Trade attended during his trip to China in September.

Answered by Lord Stockwood - Minister of State (HM Treasury)

In September, the Secretary of State met with China’s economic Vice Premier He Lifeng, co-chaired the Joint Economic and Trade Commission with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao, and co-chaired the Industrial Cooperation Dialogue with Industrial Minister Li Lecheng. He also held meetings and briefings with UK officials, UK businesses and Chinese automotive and retail investors Geely, Chery, and JD.Com. He discussed challenges in the bilateral relationship with counterparts, including level playing-field issues that undermine fair competition for UK business. He raised concerns on national and economic security issues. The visit pushed forward market access outcomes worth over £1 billion over 5 years.

Further information published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/secretary-of-state-for-business-and-trade-visit-to-china-factsheet/secretary-of-state-for-business-and-trade-visit-to-china-factsheet

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the UK-China Trade in Services Working Group in November will be held in the UK; what is the budget for that event; and who is expected to attend from the UK Government and the government of China.

Answered by Lord Stockwood - Minister of State (HM Treasury)

The UK-China Trade in Services Working Group will be held in Beijing, and led by a Director-level senior official from the UK Department for Business and Trade and China’s Ministry of Commerce. The size of the UK team will depend on the agenda and programme negotiated with the Chinese side, taking into account Value for Money and in line with the Civil Service Code. As set out in official guidance, the costs of the event will be in line with accommodation and subsistence expense rates for official travel to Beijing.

Further information can be found on the government website: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/expenses-rates-for-employees-travelling-outside-the-uk#countries-a-to-c

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what were the total severance payments made to (1) ministers, and (2) special advisers, who left government in the past 12 months; and what was the total amount of those payments.

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

The cost of severance payments for Ministers is not held centrally by the Cabinet Office as individual departments are responsible for administering severance payments to their Ministers.

The cost of severance payments for special advisers between 1st April 2024 and 31st March 2025 was £3.1 million.