Asked by: Lord McColl of Dulwich (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to bring the offence of cuckooing under the Crime and Policing Act 2026 into force; what steps they are taking to ensure police officers receive necessary training on the new offence beyond the publication of statutory guidance; and what plans they have to collect and publish data on the offence including reported crimes, charges, prosecutions and convictions.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The new offence of ‘cuckooing’ (controlling another’s home for criminal purposes) introduced in the Crime and Policing Act will ensure that the police take strong action against those who prey on vulnerable people and help to identify and protect victims from this appalling crime.
In addition, the Crime and Policing Act 2026 also includes provision for the Secretary of State to issue statutory guidance to relevant law enforcement officers about the exercise of their functions in connection with the prevention, detection and investigation of the cuckooing offence.
The Home Office is currently developing this statutory guidance for police, alongside non-statutory guidance for all professionals, in consultation with police and partners to support consistent and effective response to cuckooing. We are working with policing partners, including the National County Lines Coordination Centre, to support implementation of the cuckooing offence.
We will commence the new cuckooing offence as soon as possible alongside publication of the guidance.
The Government recognises the importance of understanding how the new offence is used in practice. Information on crimes recorded by the police, charges, prosecutions and convictions is routinely collected through established criminal justice data systems and will be monitored.
Asked by: Lord McColl of Dulwich (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Justice and Care report, Issue Brief: Female victims of modern slavery in the UK, published on 6 July; how they intend to address the questions it raises including (1) whether adult British women are missing from the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) and if so why, (2) why exploitation type is not recorded for such a significant proportion of women and girls, and (3) why female potential victims of sexual exploitation who receive a negative reasonable grounds finding are unable to provide sufficient information.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
This Government is committed to ensuring that victims receive timely decisions on their identification so that they can receive support and rebuild their lives.
This Government is aware of the Justice and Care Issue Brief: Female victims of modern slavery in the UK, published on 6 July, and welcomes research which contributes to our understanding of the experiences of victims of modern slavery.
This Government recognises the importance of ensuring that all victims of modern slavery are identified and referred for support where appropriate. Any individual who consents, regardless of nationality, age or gender, may be referred to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) by an authorised First Responder organisation where there are indicators that they may be a victim of modern slavery.
To assist First Responders, the Home Office recently launched an updated online NRM referral form to improve the quality of referrals and support informed decision making. In addition, the Home Office introduced a First Responder Toolkit to provide clear, practical guidance for First Responders and developed two e-learning modules covering the indicators of modern slavery for adults and children and what to do when First Responders encounter potential victims.
Data on exploitation types reported in NRM publications is based on the information provided in the NRM referral by First Responders. We keep data and evidence relating to the operation of the NRM under review and work closely with statutory agencies, law enforcement, local authorities and the voluntary sector to improve victim identification, including for groups who may face particular barriers to disclosure or engagement with support services.
The Home Office does not publish data on the number of requests for support beyond the 45-day move-on period and whether these are granted following a Recovery Needs Assessment (RNA). The RNA process ensures that confirmed victims can continue to receive support via the Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract until they no longer have recovery needs, or until their recovery needs can be met by alternative support services.
Asked by: Lord McColl of Dulwich (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many requests for additional support beyond the 45 day move on period under the Recovery Needs Assessment process for confirmed modern slavery victims have been (1) requested, and (2) granted, in each quarter since January 2025.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
This Government is committed to ensuring that victims receive timely decisions on their identification so that they can receive support and rebuild their lives.
This Government is aware of the Justice and Care Issue Brief: Female victims of modern slavery in the UK, published on 6 July, and welcomes research which contributes to our understanding of the experiences of victims of modern slavery.
This Government recognises the importance of ensuring that all victims of modern slavery are identified and referred for support where appropriate. Any individual who consents, regardless of nationality, age or gender, may be referred to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) by an authorised First Responder organisation where there are indicators that they may be a victim of modern slavery.
To assist First Responders, the Home Office recently launched an updated online NRM referral form to improve the quality of referrals and support informed decision making. In addition, the Home Office introduced a First Responder Toolkit to provide clear, practical guidance for First Responders and developed two e-learning modules covering the indicators of modern slavery for adults and children and what to do when First Responders encounter potential victims.
Data on exploitation types reported in NRM publications is based on the information provided in the NRM referral by First Responders. We keep data and evidence relating to the operation of the NRM under review and work closely with statutory agencies, law enforcement, local authorities and the voluntary sector to improve victim identification, including for groups who may face particular barriers to disclosure or engagement with support services.
The Home Office does not publish data on the number of requests for support beyond the 45-day move-on period and whether these are granted following a Recovery Needs Assessment (RNA). The RNA process ensures that confirmed victims can continue to receive support via the Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract until they no longer have recovery needs, or until their recovery needs can be met by alternative support services.
Asked by: Lord McColl of Dulwich (Conservative - Life peer)
Question
To ask The Senior Deputy Speaker how members of House of Lords Select Committees are selected.
Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede
Membership of Lords Select Committees is proposed by the Committee of Selection and agreed by the House. In making its recommendations, the Committee of Selection considers nominations put forward through the Usual Channels.
Members who are not affiliated to one of the main parties or groups may apply directly to the Senior Deputy Speaker if they wish to serve on a committee. The Senior Deputy Speaker brings such applications to the attention of the Committee of Selection, which considers them when making its recommendations to the House.
Asked by: Lord McColl of Dulwich (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of reduced waiting times for conclusive grounds decisions in the National Referral Mechanism on modern slavery victims' recovery and access to support services.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
This government is proud of our record to reduce the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) backlog and ensure victims of modern slavery receive certainty in a timely fashion. There has been a decrease to the backlog of 84% since the peak in 2022.
Adult victims receive support through the Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract (MSVCC) and through wider state services. Victims supported by the MSVCC will currently continue to receive support following a positive Conclusive Grounds decision where needs are identified through the Recovery Needs Assessment process. There is no overall limit on time in support.
The new Support for Victims of Modern Slavery contract (due to come into force in 2027) will further improve the needs-based support for adults.
Victims who receive a negative Conclusive Grounds decision will continue to be provided with up to 14 working days of move-on support from the date of receipt of the decision.
Child victims are supported through a range of systems, including statutory local authority support and the Government-funded Independent Child Trafficking Guardian (ICTG) service. ICTGs are currently available in two-thirds of Local Authorities, but from Spring 2027 they will be nationally available across England and Wales. There is no time limit on support provided to children and ICTG support will cease once the child has met one of the exit criteria set out within ICTG Interim Guidance.
Asked by: Lord McColl of Dulwich (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to prevent domestic violence associated with drugs and alcohol use in homes with children.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
We know that there is a correlation between domestic abuse and substance misuse, but domestic abuse is not caused by substance misuse.
This government is determined to safeguard victims by disrupting the behaviour of perpetrators through perpetrator interventions. The Home Office is investing £74.5 million (until March 2029) for the Domestic Abuse and Stalking Perpetrator Intervention Fund.
Perpetrators’ misuse of drugs and alcohol must be addressed to ensure domestic abuse interventions are efficient. This government continues to invest in local treatment and recovery systems with over £3.4 billion ringfenced through the Public Health Grant to help ensure that those with drugs and alcohol problem can access support. Through this investment and partnership working across health, criminal justice, safeguarding, and domestic abuse services, we are supporting individuals and families to reduce harm, support recovery, and improve outcomes for children and families.
In England, the Families First Partnership programme is rolling out reforms to family help, child protection and family group decision making to keep children safe. The programme is backed by £2.4 billion over three years. These reforms will help rebalance the system of support away from crisis intervention and towards earlier help, ensuring children and families, including those experiencing domestic abuse and/or substance misuse, are able to access the right support at the right time.
Asked by: Lord McColl of Dulwich (Conservative - Life peer)
Question
To ask The Leader of the House when she expects a Written Answer to be given to the question asked by Lord McColl of Dulwich on 21 May (HL381).
Answered by Baroness Smith of Basildon - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
The question was answered by the Department for Health and Social Care on the 30th June 2026. I apologise for the delay and have reminded the department of the need to meet the response target of 10 working days.
Asked by: Lord McColl of Dulwich (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of patients removed from NHS waiting lists in the past year were removed as a result of (1) resolution by medical intervention, (2) withdrawing from treatment, (3) the patient's death, and (4) administrative revisions.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Patients can be removed from the waiting list for various reasons. These include where a patient receives their first definitive treatment, begins a period of active monitoring, or declines treatment, or where a decision is made that no treatment is required. It can also include where a patient does not attend their first appointment, instances where the provider cannot accept the referral because it does not carry out the relevant procedure, and where patients are removed from the waiting list through validation because they no longer need to be treated.
A breakdown of reasons for coming off the waiting list is not available in the monthly official statistics. However, some such information is collected in the weekly management information from the Waiting List Minimum Data Set (WLMDS). The WLMDS is unverified management information, subject to less validation than the monthly official statistics and totals do not match between the two sources.
The WLMDS can be used to estimate proportions for the reasons patients have been removed from the waiting list. Of the reasons requested in this question, the WLMDS does not record centrally the proportion of patients removed due to administrative reasons.
The following table lists the estimated proportion of total completed pathways in the 2025 calendar year for reasons where data is held, with these proportions having been stable since WLMDS data was first collected:
Completed Referral to Treatment (RTT) pathways by RTT status code (WLMDS) | % of total completed pathways |
30- First treatment - the start of the first treatment that is intended to manage a PATIENT's disease, condition or injury in a REFERRAL TO TREATMENT PERIOD | 49% |
31 - Start of active monitoring initiated by the PATIENT | 2% |
32 - Start of active monitoring initiated by the CARE PROFESSIONAL | 13% |
34 - Decision not to treat - decision not to treat made or no further contact required | 31% |
35 - PATIENT declined offered treatment | 5% |
36 - PATIENT died before treatment | <1% |
Total with a valid status code | 100% |
Source: Waiting List Minimum Data Set (WLMDS), NHS England
Notes:
Asked by: Lord McColl of Dulwich (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the extent to which obesity levels in England can be reduced, and (2) whether any such reduction can be driven by government action; and what steps they are taking to reduce levels of obesity in England.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to tackling the obesity crisis, easing the strain on our National Health Service and raising the healthiest generation of children ever.
As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan and published impact assessments, obesity can be reduced over time through sustained improvements in diet at the population level.
The Government is taking bold action to address the obesity crisis. As part of the 10-Year Health Plan, we are consulting on applying the new Nutrient Profiling Model to the existing advertising and promotions restrictions for less healthy food and drink. Illustrative modelling published alongside the consultation suggests this could prevent almost 520,000 cases of adult obesity and over 110,000 cases of childhood obesity over time. We also announced a world first to introduce mandatory healthier food sales reporting for all large food businesses, which could reduce approximately 340,000 cases of childhood obesity, although these figures are provisional and subject to refinement through subsequent impact assessments. This is alongside existing action to restrict junk food advertising on television and online and to give councils stronger powers to block new fast-food outlets near schools.
Asked by: Lord McColl of Dulwich (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risks of bright vehicle headlights impeding the vision of oncoming drivers.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Department’s published road casualty statistics include figures for the number of collisions where ‘vision affected by dazzling headlights’ was recorded as a contributory factor by a police officer attending the scene. In 2023, the latest year for which this data is available, there were 216 reported injury collisions with this factor assigned which equates to 0.2% of overall collisions recorded.
In recognition of public concern about headlamp glare, the recently published Road Safety Strategy includes a commitment to carry out further research in this area.