Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support the development of fusion energy and allied technologies.
Answered by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Fusion supports the Government’s Plan for Change and its Missions to Kickstart Economic Growth – through innovation, highly skilled jobs, and tech transfer to adjacent sectors, and make Britain a Clean Energy Superpower.
The Government has announced a record £410m for fusion R&D to fund world leading new facilities, cutting edge research, support for the UK’s thriving industry and skill provision across the UK.
The Government is supporting rapid development of the fusion energy sector, investing in cutting-edge research capabilities and facilities, and implementing a proportionate regulatory framework to cement the UK as a global hub for fusion investment and commercialisation.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (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 21 October 2024 (HL1252), whether they have established a returns and enforcement unit, and 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)
I refer the Noble Lord to the answer I gave him on 21 October 2024 in response to Question HL1252.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government which Ministers are responsible for ensuring the resilience of critical national infrastructure; and if those responsibilities are split, which ministers are responsible for resilience in each sector.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK currently has 13 Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) sectors. Each sector has a Lead Government Department (LGD) that is responsible for sectoral resilience, including risk assessments, policy and guidance and industry engagement. The LGD Minister or Secretary of State for each CNI sector holds overall accountability for their CNI sectoral approach.
The Cabinet Office is responsible for the overarching CNI policy for the UK government, setting strategic cross-cutting priorities and providing assurance to Ministers that LGDs are fulfilling their responsibilities to ensure the security and resilience of their sectors. The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (CDL) is the Cabinet Office Minister with overall responsibility for Resilience. CDL chairs the National Security Council on Resilience, at which CNI topics are routinely discussed and relevant LGDs are represented.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the security situation in the Taiwan Strait.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has a clear interest in peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. We consider the Taiwan issue one to be settled peacefully by people on both sides of the Strait through constructive dialogue, without the threat or use of force or coercion. We are concerned by any activity that risks destabilising the status quo and have stated this alongside our G7 partners, including in the most recent G7 Foreign Ministers' statement.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their position on the sovereignty of British Antarctic Territory.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has no doubt about our sovereignty over the British Antarctic Territory. It is the oldest territorial claim in Antarctica, dating back to 1908. The UK is also fully committed to the Antarctic Treaty, 1959. The UK maintains a permanent presence in Antarctica through the British Antarctic Survey, who operate three scientific stations, and the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust, who manage the historic base at Port Lockroy. The Royal Navy's Ice Patrol Ship is deployed to Antarctica during the austral summer, reaffirming our sovereignty over the British Antarctic Territory and monitoring compliance with the Antarctic Treaty.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking in relation to any current UK–US trade negotiations, and what plans they have for any future negotiations.
Answered by Baroness Gustafsson - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK-US relationship is already very strong, with trade of around £300 billion, and shared investment of over £1.2 trillion at the end of 2023. The Prime Minister and President Trump met on 27 February and agreed to deepen this relationship and to work together on a trade deal focused on tech. The Secretary of State for Business and Trade has also been engaging with the US Administration including Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, to make the case for stronger UK-US trade that benefits both our countries.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the effects of increased employer National Insurance contributions on GP practices.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We have made the necessary decisions to fix the foundations of the public finances in the Autumn Budget. Resource spending for the Department will be £22.6 billion more in 2025/26 than in 2023/24, as part of the Spending Review settlement. The employers’ National Insurance rise will be implemented in April 2025.
General practices (GPs) are valued independent contractors who provide over £13 billion worth of National Health Services. Every year we consult with the profession about what services GPs provide, and the money providers are entitled to in return under their contract, taking account of the cost of delivering services.
We are investing an additional £889 million in through the GP Contract to reinforce the front door of the NHS, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.2 billion in 2025/26. This is the biggest increase in over a decade, and we are pleased that the General Practitioners Committee England is supportive of the contract changes.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to develop an exascale computing capability in the United Kingdom.
Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Expanding the UK’s compute capability is essential for the development and adoption of AI, scientific research, and improving public services. DSIT and UKRI are taking forward the development of the AI Research Resource, a network of clusters, currently consisting of Isambard-AI, in Bristol, and Dawn, in Cambridge, which will be fully operational by the summer. When this capacity is live, it will increase the UK’s existing public compute capacity by thirty times.
The government set out the further steps it will take to scale-up our compute infrastructure in response to the AI Opportunities Action Plan. This includes commitments to expand the AI Research Resource (AIRR) a further 20x by 2030, and to publish a long-term compute strategy. The government is developing this strategy and recognises the importance of large-scale scientific computing.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what engagement they have had with military families in receipt of the Continuity of Education Allowance while monitoring the impact of VAT on independent school fees; whether they will provide details of which military family representatives Ministers have met since that policy took effect in January.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) recognises the unique circumstances faced by our Service personnel and that frequent mobility can disrupt children’s education. Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) helps by providing the children of Service personnel with a stable education that would not otherwise be available in the state-maintained day school sector, due to their family’s mobility.
Following the introduction of VAT on independent school fees, the MOD conducted an in-year recalculation of the rates of CEA effective 1 December 2024. The single Services will continue to monitor any impact on retention in service for those claiming CEA following the introduction of VAT. Additionally, the MOD will continue to monitor the impact through engagement with the Families Federations and feedback from Service personnel.
The Pay and Allowances Casework and Complaints Cell (PACCC) will monitor the impact on Service personnel changing schools and withdrawing from CEA. Currently, no Service Personnel have withdrawn from claiming CEA as a direct result of the introduction of VAT on independent schools
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what measures they use to monitor the impact of imposing VAT on independent school fees on families in receipt of the Continuity of Education Allowance.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) recognises the unique circumstances faced by our Service personnel and that frequent mobility can disrupt children’s education. Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) helps by providing the children of Service personnel with a stable education that would not otherwise be available in the state-maintained day school sector, due to their family’s mobility.
Following the introduction of VAT on independent school fees, the MOD conducted an in-year recalculation of the rates of CEA effective 1 December 2024. The single Services will continue to monitor any impact on retention in service for those claiming CEA following the introduction of VAT. Additionally, the MOD will continue to monitor the impact through engagement with the Families Federations and feedback from Service personnel.
The Pay and Allowances Casework and Complaints Cell (PACCC) will monitor the impact on Service personnel changing schools and withdrawing from CEA. Currently, no Service Personnel have withdrawn from claiming CEA as a direct result of the introduction of VAT on independent schools