Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they are giving to securing the full independence of the UK's nuclear deterrent.

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

I can assure the noble Lord that the United Kingdom’s nuclear deterrent is completely operationally independent. Only the Prime Minister can authorise the firing of our nuclear weapons, even if they are to be employed as part of a NATO response.

The UK has a longstanding, close relationship with the US on all defence nuclear issues, which has endured through many changes of Government in our two nations. Our extant long-term arrangements under the 1958 Mutual Defense Agreement and the 1963 Polaris Sales Agreement (as amended in 1982 for Trident) provide for co-operation and collaboration which has been, and continues to be, of considerable mutual benefit to both nations.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide future funding to local authorities to allow them to dispense discretionary crisis support.

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

In England, the Government is providing £742 million to extend the Household Support Fund (HSF) by a further year, from 1 April 2025 until 31 March 2026. The HSF is a scheme providing discretionary support to those most in need towards the cost of essentials, such as food, energy and water.

We recognise that certainty helps Local Authorities to design and deliver sustainable plans for local welfare assistance. Committing to funding the Household Support Fund until 31 March 2026 will allow them to plan their approach with greater confidence.

No decision has been made at this stage on funding beyond the end of March 2026. As with all other Government programmes, any such funding will be considered in the round at Phase 2 of the Spending Review.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to review the Household Support Fund guidance to ensure the fund prevents people from facing serious financial hardship.

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

The Department for Work and Pensions conducted an evaluation of the fourth iteration of the Household Support Fund, that ran from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024, to understand the benefits of the awards made across England during this period. This has been published and can be found here: Evaluation of the Household Support Fund 4 - GOV.UK.

The evaluation followed a mixed quantitative and qualitative approach to assess the effectiveness of the HSF4 delivery by Local Authorities and its benefits for recipients, to inform the design of potential future funding schemes. When setting the Household Support Fund guidance, the Department considers evaluation activities alongside feedback from stakeholder engagement sessions.

The Household Support Fund scheme guidance and individual Local Authority funding allocations for the forthcoming extension will be announced as soon as possible ahead of the scheme beginning on 1 April 2025.