Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether speech and language therapy is consistently available from NHS hospitals to pupils attending independent schools, and what steps they are taking to ensure that it is.

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

The National Health Service is free at the point of use and provides care to anyone who needs it based on clinical need. A parent or carer can speak to their general practitioner who can refer a child to local NHS children’s occupational therapy services if there is a clinical need, for instance if there are difficulties with motor skills, sensory issues, handwriting, etc. The fact that a child attends private school does not disqualify them from NHS healthcare services, as NHS services are based on clinical need, not type of school. In some cases, there have been errors in a local service offer that have led to this being corrected before.

In circumstances where the difficulty would be considered a disability, then equality duties would apply, and reasonable adjustments would be expected.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the capacity of the National Wealth Fund to finance (1) new manufacturing facilities, and (2) the hydrogen and fuel cell technology manufacturing sector.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The NWF is the government’s principal investor and policy bank, with £27.8 billion of capital to mobilise investment in the growth and clean energy missions

The NWF prioritises clean energy, digital and technologies, advanced manufacturing, and transport sectors. The NWF will commit at least £5.8 billion over this Parliament to green hydrogen, carbon capture, ports, gigafactories and green steel sub-sectors.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the levels of UK-made content in the supply chains of Hydrogen Allocation Rounds 1 and 2; and what measures they will take to ensure higher levels are used in future rounds.

Answered by Lord Whitehead - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Developing domestic supply chains is a government priority, as demonstrated through our Industrial Strategy and comprehensive public financial institution offer which will provide direct support to UK hydrogen supply chains.

DESNZ collects supply chain data through the Hydrogen Allocation Rounds and welcomes the industry’s voluntary 50% local content ambition.

We are developing options to strengthen our approach to domestic supply chains in future allocation rounds and will be launching our HAR3 market engagement exercise setting out our proposals in due course.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the job-creation potential in the UK hydrogen and fuel cell technology manufacturing sector by 2050.

Answered by Lord Whitehead - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The sector is nascent but is expected to grow significantly; the global hydrogen market could exceed $1 trillion by 2050, with the UK well positioned to capture a substantial share.

We intend to publish a revised Hydrogen Strategy which will include the latest hydrogen jobs estimates and set out plans to optimise the job creation and economic benefits delivered by the UK hydrogen economy.

We will continue to engage with stakeholders across the hydrogen value chain; working together with industry and unions to identify actions that support the skills and workforce needs of the UK’s low carbon hydrogen economy.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure National Wealth Fund investment benefits increase research and development in the UK hydrogen and fuel cell technology manufacturing sector.

Answered by Lord Whitehead - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The NWF is the Government’s principal investor and policy bank with operational independence and a total £27.8bn to catalyse private investment in capital intensive projects. The NWF will commit at least £5.8bn over this Parliament to green hydrogen, carbon capture, ports, gigafactories and green steel sub-sectors.

To crowd investment into supply chains, the Government has announced a £1bn Clean Energy Supply chain fund aligned with the Clean Energy Industries Sector Plan and a £4bn British Business Bank Industrial Strategy Growth Capital initiative. DESNZ has also spent around £160m from the now complete £1bn Net Zero Innovation Portfolio on hydrogen R&D.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, following the extensive damage in Sri Lanka from torrential rain and a cyclone, what consideration they have given to providing extra and urgent practical support.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)

I refer the Noble Lord to the topical statement made by the Foreign Secretary in departmental oral questions on 2 December, which - for ease of reference - is reproduced below:

"May I send my condolences and those of the Government to all those who have lost loved ones in the deadly storms in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam? Many have lost homes and livelihoods. I praise the emergency responders who have worked tirelessly and are committed to helping those affected, often at great personal risk.

"In response to requests for support that we have already received, the UK is providing £1,000,000 to address immediate humanitarian needs in Sri Lanka and has contributed £800,000 in response to the multiple typhoons that have struck Vietnam. The UK is closely monitoring the situation and stands ready to provide further support as needed."

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to streamline background checks for applicants to the University Officer Training Corps who had been members of the Combined Cadet Force while at school.

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

The University Officer Training Corps (UOTC) application process, which all applicants are subject to, cannot be streamlined or reduced for applicants who were members of the Combined Cadet Force (CCF). A UOTC Officer Cadet is attested into the British Army as a Group B Reservist and are required to complete and pass medical and security checks, which members of the CCF are not subject to when joining the CCF. The CCF is not part of the British Armed Forces (Regular or Reserve), it is a uniformed youth organisation, that is sponsored by the Ministry of Defence, and which operates in schools across the United Kingdom.

Found: Members Baroness Fairhead Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town Lord German Lord Naseby Baroness Hale of Richmond

Found: Members Baroness Fairhead Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town Lord German Lord Naseby Baroness Hale of Richmond

Found: , including Sally Ann-Hart, Chris Clarkson, Bob Blackman MP, Lord Naseby and Graeme Nuttall — author