Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the UK’s national debt as a share of GDP; and how this compares with other G7 countries.

Answered by Lord Livermore

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) publishes estimates of the UK’s General Government Gross Debt as a percentage of GDP which can be compared to other countries.

The latest IMF numbers show that, at the end of 2025, the UK’s General Government Gross Debt was 102.3% of GDP. The UK has the second lowest level of debt in the G7, 20.7 percentage points lower than the G7 average.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what has been the increase in the welfare budget in the financial year 2025–26; and what is the estimated rise over the next financial year.

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

The Office for Budget Responsibility project that welfare spending in 2025-26 will be £332.9billion compared to spending of £314.8billion in 2024-25, an increase of £18.1billion in nominal terms.

In 2026-27 welfare spending is projected to be £352.8billion, an increase of £19.9billion in nominal terms compared to 2025-26.

Welfare spending is consistent with the Office for Budget Responsibility’s Economic and Fiscal Outlook and includes expenditure on benefits paid by DWP (including working age and pensioner benefits such as the State Pension), HMRC (such as Tax Credits and Child Benefit), and Northern Ireland Social Security expenditure.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to stop the continuing persecution and killing of Christians in Nigeria; and what representations they have made internationally on behalf of Christians enduring persecution.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington

We continue to support the Nigerian authorities in tackling violence against Christians, and other communities affected by violence in Nigeria, as set out in my Written Ministerial Statement on 27 November 2025 (HLWS1104), and the response provided on 5 June to Question HC5325, which - for ease of reference - is reproduced below:

During his visit to Nigeria in May 2026, the UK's Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB), David Smith MP, met senior Nigerian government representatives, including the National Security Adviser, Governor of Plateau State and Minister for Information. He engaged a broad cross-section of senior Muslim and Christian religious leaders including the Sultan of Sokoto and President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, and Nigerian-led civil society and peacebuilding partners.

Discussions highlighted the importance of interfaith engagement in addressing violence affecting individuals of all religions or beliefs, alongside wider drivers including land, resource and ethnic tensions. The Special Envoy also raised concerns about the misuse of blasphemy and Sharia laws, including the cases of Yahiya Sharif Aminu and Deborah Samuel, and observed examples of peaceful inter-religious coexistence. The UK will continue working with the Nigerian government and international partners to protect FoRB for individuals of all faiths or beliefs in Nigeria.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any potential impacts of the EU-Mercosur trade agreement on farmers in Northern Ireland.

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

The EU-Mercosur trade agreement was signed on 17 January 2026 and provisionally entered into force on 1 May 2026, but has not yet been ratified, and is a matter for the EU. The EU-Mercosur deal does not apply in Northern Ireland. The Government will monitor any impacts of this deal on farmers across the UK; the Northern Ireland Executive has specific responsibility for farming policy in Northern Ireland.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to protect the British Army from vexatious claims made by terrorists or their families relating to its actions during the Troubles.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Captain of the King's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard (HM Household) (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Lords)

Civil litigation plays an important role in enabling facts to be uncovered, as well as enabling victims to feel that they have achieved some measure of justice even where they have not been able to achieve that through the criminal justice process.

For example, four individuals were found responsible for the Omagh bombing in the civil courts in 2009. The Judge in that case ordered £1.6m damages to the Omagh families as a result of this.

Civil claims are always decided on their merit by independent courts and in the vast majority of cases, civil claims are taken against the State, not against individuals.

This Government’s commitment to our Operation Banner veterans is unshakeable and that is why the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill puts in place the strongest possible safeguards, which were not included in the Legacy Act.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many patients have died waiting in A&E departments in England in the past 12 months; and how that figure compares with the figure for the period between June 2024 and June 2025.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The information requested is not held centrally, as NHS England does not collect or publish data on the number of patients who die whilst waiting in accident and emergency departments.

The Government and NHS England are committed to improving urgent and emergency care performance and reducing long waits for patients. As part of delivering the Urgent and Emergency Care Plan 2025/26, the Government and NHS England have provided over £450 million of capital investment to expand urgent and emergency care capacity, alongside implementing new national clinical standards, including the Model Emergency Department and Model Acute Pathway, to improve patient flow, reduce overcrowding and ensure patients receive care more quickly in the most appropriate setting.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether any civil servants have been granted permission to work from a holiday destination abroad, and if so, how many; and which departments have approved this.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Captain of the King's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard (HM Household) (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Lords)

This information is not held centrally.

Decisions on terms and conditions of employment, including International Remote Working, are made by individual departments, depending on their specific business requirements and the nature of the role. Departments must comply with strict regulations when making decisions to allow individual staff members to work abroad, with cases approved only in exceptional circumstances.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government when the third runway at Heathrow will commence construction.

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

The Government recognises the need to move at pace to support the UK’s competitiveness, connectivity, and growth. We’ve set out our ambitions to move quickly. However, construction and operational timelines remain a matter for any potential scheme promoter.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential impacts of the Defence Industrial Strategy 2025 on Northern Ireland.

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

The Defence Industrial Strategy includes a range of initiatives to cut red tape, speed up development to delivery and ensure our defence investment benefits local communities. By backing UK businesses, reforming defence procurement and launching the defence industry skills programme, the Defence Industrial Strategy will drive sustainable economic growth and create jobs across the UK, including Northern Ireland.

On 22 April we also launched the Northern Ireland Defence Growth Deal, which will deliver £50 million of defence investment in Northern Ireland. This funding will harness Northern Ireland’s defence sub-sector strengths and deliver the enabling interventions required to strengthen and grow Northern Ireland’s defence and dual-use ecosystem.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government what action they will take to stop Chinese research vessels in UK waters (1) intercepting cargo ships, and (2) charting the seabed for submarines.

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

The Ministry of Defence keeps the security of our waters under continuous review, working closely with other Government Departments, industry and international partners in relation to hostile and other security related threats.

The Royal Navy continues to deliver persistent presence, surveillance and deterrence activity in UK waters. The government has been clear on its readiness and willingness to respond decisively to any maritime threat to the UK and its interests. Allocation of military assets is prioritised to respond to global operational needs, including the vessels and aircraft of the Royal Navy.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how much they have paid to the government of France to stop illegal immigrants arriving from boats into the United Kingdom.

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

The UK and France maintain a longstanding relationship on tackling illegal migration at our shared border. Joint work with France has prevented more than 44,000 crossing attempts since the last general election.

The UK and France have reached agreement on a deal covering the financial years 2026/27 to 2028/29, which aims to increase the number of personnel deployed by 53% and provide a significant increase in technological and intelligence resources to strengthen operations.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have held with representatives of the logistics industry on the cost of trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Captain of the King's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard (HM Household) (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Lords)

The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland meets regularly with the logistics sector and businesses trading between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, including through the Northern Ireland Business Stakeholders Group.

Working with the EU and fast parcel operators, we have ensured that from 1 July the vast majority of low-value imports will not face EU duties when moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, cutting costs and protecting GB-NI trade.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of youth unemployment trends in each region of the United Kingdom.

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

The information requested is published and available at:

https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/default.asp

Guidance for users can be found at:

https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/home/newuser.asp

The estimated youth unemployment levels can be found by selecting “Query data” on the NOMIS home page and selecting “Annual Population Survey/Labour Force Survey” and then “annual population survey – regional – labour market status by age (Dec 2004 to Dec 2025)” in the lists of data sources. The “Geography” and “Date” menus will need to be set accordingly. The age needs to be set to “16-24” and the Labour Market Status needs to be set to “Unemployed”. Then click “Download Data”.

The latest data, for the year January 2025 to December 2025, is given in the table below.