Lord Rooker Portrait

Lord Rooker

Labour - Life peer

Became Member: 16th June 2001


Lord Rooker is not a member of any APPGs
7 Former APPG memberships
Charity Retail, Corruption, Folic Acid Fortification, Food and Health, Gasworks Redevelopment, Poverty, War Heritage
Food, Poverty, Health and Environment Committee
13th Jun 2019 - 21st Jan 2020
EU Energy and Environment Sub-Committee
12th Jun 2015 - 2nd Jul 2019
SLSC Sub-Committee B
4th Sep 2018 - 30th Apr 2019
Select Committee on Charities
25th May 2016 - 26th Mar 2017
Draft Deregulation Bill (Joint Committee)
17th Jul 2013 - 11th Dec 2013
Draft House of Lords Reform Bill (Joint Committee)
6th Jul 2011 - 26th Mar 2012
Barnett Formula Committee
10th Dec 2008 - 12th Nov 2009
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) (Sustainable Farming, Food and Animal Welfare)
2nd Jul 2007 - 5th Oct 2008
Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
1st Jun 2005 - 5th Oct 2008
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) (Sustainable Farming and Food)
9th May 2006 - 28th Jun 2007
Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)
9th May 2005 - 27th Jun 2007
Procedure and Privileges Committee
15th Jun 2005 - 8th Nov 2006
Minister (Office of the Deputy Prime Minister) (Regeneration and Regional Development)
13th Jun 2003 - 10th May 2005
Minister (Office of the Deputy Prime Minister) (Housing & Planning)
29th May 2002 - 13th Jun 2003
Minister (Home Office) (Asylum & Immigration)
11th Jun 2001 - 28th May 2002
Minister of State (Department of Social Security)
29th Jul 1999 - 7th Jun 2001
Minister of State (Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food)
6th May 1997 - 29th Jul 1999
Public Accounts Committee
13th Jan 1989 - 22nd Jan 1991


Division Voting information

During the current Parliament, Lord Rooker has voted in 9 divisions, and never against the majority of their Party.
View All Lord Rooker Division Votes

Debates during the 2024 Parliament

Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.

Sparring Partners
Baroness Merron (Labour)
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
(8 debate interactions)
Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Labour)
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
(2 debate interactions)
Lord Collins of Highbury (Labour)
Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
(2 debate interactions)
View All Sparring Partners
View all Lord Rooker's debates

Lords initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Lord Rooker, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.


1 Bill introduced by Lord Rooker


A bill to amend the Bread and Flour Regulations 1998 to require flour to be fortified with folic acid.

Lords - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading: House Of Lords
Tuesday 30th June 2015

Lord Rooker has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting


Latest 35 Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department
5th Dec 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken since 4 July to assess the commercial links between the UK and Xinjiang, and measure the flow of products entering the UK from Xinjiang.

The UK does not publish data on the levels of trade between the UK and specific regions of mainland China. However, the UK’s Overseas Business Risk guidance makes clear the government’s serious concerns about the widespread and systematic human rights violations in Xinjiang and urges companies to conduct appropriate due diligence when making business decisions.

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
17th Jul 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to update the Bread and Flour Regulations 1998 to include folic acid fortification.

The UK notified the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in February that we intended to lay a Statutory Instrument that will amend the Bread and Flour Regulations.

My Ministerial colleagues are considering next steps on this issue. Changes to rules could include clarifying definitions; providing for the fortification of wheat flour with folic acid; exemptions to avoid disproportionate impacts for businesses; and a change to the enforcement approach.

Baroness Hayman of Ullock
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
18th Nov 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government whether there is any evidence that the fare cap has affected bus operations leading to accidents.

The Department does not hold any data which suggests that the national bus fare cap has led to accidents.

Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill
Minister of State (Department for Transport)
18th Nov 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they hold a national database of people killed or injured in bus accidents.

Road safety is a priority for the government, and we expect bus operators to uphold the highest standards of safety, policed by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, and upheld judicially by the Traffic Commissioners. The Department for Transport’s guidance to local transport authorities on developing their Bus Service Improvement Plans makes clear that these should include plans setting out how LTAs and local bus operators will work together to ensure that bus services are safe and perceived to be safe by all. That same philosophy applies also to franchising and contracting by local transport authorities and to their operators.

The Department for Transport maintains a database of road injury collisions and casualties, including those involving buses or coaches, based on data reported by police using a system known as STATS19. Statistics on the number of people killed and injured in bus or coach collisions are published annually on GOV.UK.

The latest figures can be found in published Table RAS0601 and show that in 2023, the latest year for which figures are available, 59 people were killed and 4,286 injured in collisions involving buses or coaches. The number of casualties which were hospitalised is not recorded within the STATS19 dataset.

Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill
Minister of State (Department for Transport)
18th Nov 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have conducted any research into whether bus contracts prioritising speed lead to increased accidents or injury.

Road safety is a priority for the government, and we expect bus operators to uphold the highest standards of safety, policed by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, and upheld judicially by the Traffic Commissioners. The Department for Transport’s guidance to local transport authorities on developing their Bus Service Improvement Plans makes clear that these should include plans setting out how LTAs and local bus operators will work together to ensure that bus services are safe and perceived to be safe by all. That same philosophy applies also to franchising and contracting by local transport authorities and to their operators.

The Department for Transport maintains a database of road injury collisions and casualties, including those involving buses or coaches, based on data reported by police using a system known as STATS19. Statistics on the number of people killed and injured in bus or coach collisions are published annually on GOV.UK.

The latest figures can be found in published Table RAS0601 and show that in 2023, the latest year for which figures are available, 59 people were killed and 4,286 injured in collisions involving buses or coaches. The number of casualties which were hospitalised is not recorded within the STATS19 dataset.

Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill
Minister of State (Department for Transport)
18th Nov 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of people hospitalised each day as a result of bus accidents.

Road safety is a priority for the government, and we expect bus operators to uphold the highest standards of safety, policed by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, and upheld judicially by the Traffic Commissioners. The Department for Transport’s guidance to local transport authorities on developing their Bus Service Improvement Plans makes clear that these should include plans setting out how LTAs and local bus operators will work together to ensure that bus services are safe and perceived to be safe by all. That same philosophy applies also to franchising and contracting by local transport authorities and to their operators.

The Department for Transport maintains a database of road injury collisions and casualties, including those involving buses or coaches, based on data reported by police using a system known as STATS19. Statistics on the number of people killed and injured in bus or coach collisions are published annually on GOV.UK.

The latest figures can be found in published Table RAS0601 and show that in 2023, the latest year for which figures are available, 59 people were killed and 4,286 injured in collisions involving buses or coaches. The number of casualties which were hospitalised is not recorded within the STATS19 dataset.

Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill
Minister of State (Department for Transport)
18th Nov 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the incidence of bus accidents leading to death or injury.

Road safety is a priority for the government, and we expect bus operators to uphold the highest standards of safety, policed by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, and upheld judicially by the Traffic Commissioners. The Department for Transport’s guidance to local transport authorities on developing their Bus Service Improvement Plans makes clear that these should include plans setting out how LTAs and local bus operators will work together to ensure that bus services are safe and perceived to be safe by all. That same philosophy applies also to franchising and contracting by local transport authorities and to their operators.

The Department for Transport maintains a database of road injury collisions and casualties, including those involving buses or coaches, based on data reported by police using a system known as STATS19. Statistics on the number of people killed and injured in bus or coach collisions are published annually on GOV.UK.

The latest figures can be found in published Table RAS0601 and show that in 2023, the latest year for which figures are available, 59 people were killed and 4,286 injured in collisions involving buses or coaches. The number of casualties which were hospitalised is not recorded within the STATS19 dataset.

Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill
Minister of State (Department for Transport)
9th Sep 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the sale of the Boots Pension scheme to an insurance company and (2) the effect of this sale on the protection provided to the pensions held in the Boots Pension scheme by the Pension Protection Fund.

When a Defined Benefit pension scheme transfers responsibility for paying some or all of its members’ benefits to an insurer, the scheme pays a premium to the insurance company, which then takes on responsibility for paying the promised benefits. This is a well-established approach used by pension scheme trustees to secure the promised pensions for members with an insurance company.

Arrangements to provide pension benefits to some or all scheme members with an insurer are secure and offer long term protection for member benefits. Insurance companies are regulated by the Prudential Regulation Authority and their policy holders are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.

Pension Protection Fund protection is retained until the whole scheme is transferred to an insurer, and both the sponsor and the trustees are discharged. At that point the members are no longer protected by the Pension Protection Fund. This is because all benefits are now secured with an insurance company.

No assessments of individual schemes are made by Government.

Baroness Sherlock
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
6th Sep 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend (1) to remove the £10 Christmas bonus for qualifying pensioners, or (2) to restore it to its original value as a percentage of the basic pension.

The Government has no current plans to revise the arrangements for the Christmas Bonus.

The Christmas Bonus is an annual, tax-free, lump sum payment to pensioners and to working age people who are in receipt of certain qualifying benefits during the relevant week which is usually the first full week in December.

Baroness Sherlock
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
5th Dec 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to introduce forensic analysis to the NHS supply chain to identify whether cotton from China is in the supply chain.

A Written Ministerial Statement (WMS) was laid in both Houses of Parliament on 21 November to launch the consultation on the proposed modern slavery regulations for the National Health Service, and is available on the parliament.UK website, in an online only format. As stated in the WMS, the regulations and guidance have been published in draft form alongside the consultation and, subject to the outcome of the consultation, the Department intends to lay draft regulations before Parliament in due course.

The published guidance, which is available on the GOV.UK website in an online only format, refers to a risk assessment tool that NHS England is currently developing based on the six characteristics to help assess modern slavery risks, as set out in Public Procurement Policy Note 02/23 -Tackling Modern Slavery in Government Supply Chains, a copy of which is attached. These characteristics are: industry type; nature of the workforce; supplier location; context in which the supplier operates; commodity type; and business or supply chain model.

The Department would of course welcome ideas and suggestions on risk assessment tools and methodologies in responses to the consultation.

Baroness Merron
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
5th Dec 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to Written Answers by Baroness Merron on 4 November (HL1904 and HL1905), when they plan to publish the upcoming regulations under section 12ZC of the National Health Service Act 2006.

A Written Ministerial Statement (WMS) was laid in both Houses of Parliament on 21 November to launch the consultation on the proposed modern slavery regulations for the National Health Service, and is available on the parliament.UK website, in an online only format. As stated in the WMS, the regulations and guidance have been published in draft form alongside the consultation and, subject to the outcome of the consultation, the Department intends to lay draft regulations before Parliament in due course.

The published guidance, which is available on the GOV.UK website in an online only format, refers to a risk assessment tool that NHS England is currently developing based on the six characteristics to help assess modern slavery risks, as set out in Public Procurement Policy Note 02/23 -Tackling Modern Slavery in Government Supply Chains, a copy of which is attached. These characteristics are: industry type; nature of the workforce; supplier location; context in which the supplier operates; commodity type; and business or supply chain model.

The Department would of course welcome ideas and suggestions on risk assessment tools and methodologies in responses to the consultation.

Baroness Merron
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
5th Dec 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have consulted companies engaged in forensic analysis of products to improve the NHS supply chain.

Section 47 of the Health and Social Care Act 2022 mandated my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to conduct a review of risks associated with slavery and human trafficking in National Health Service supply chains, with an emphasis on cotton-based products. The report was laid in Parliament on 14 December 2023.

The supply chain mapping undertaken for the purpose of the review was identified as inappropriate for the size and range of the products supplied to the NHS, requiring extensive effort by the buyers and suppliers to collect information, that was still insufficient to affect change. Many of the suppliers identified as having high risk supply chains are based in the United Kingdom, however their supply chains are global.

In response to the findings, the review made a series of recommendations, outlined in detail in the publication. Upcoming regulations under Section 12ZC of the NHS Act 2006 will further aid the NHS in assessing and mitigating modern slavery risks in individual procurements, alongside the introduction of a consistent risk assessment embedded into the health family’s e-commerce system, Atamis.

Baroness Merron
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
20th Nov 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to bring the National Food Crime Unit of the Food Standards Agency within the remit of the Independent Office for Police Conduct and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services.

The Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) National Food Crime Unit works to prevent, detect and investigate fraud within our food system. The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has the power under the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 to grant food crime officers access to specific investigative powers under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994.

The drafting of secondary legislation to grant these powers and to bring food crime officers under the necessary remit of the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) for complaint handling purposes is at an advanced stage and is currently undergoing final review by both IOPC and the FSA.

It is intended that a regime of scrutiny by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) will also be placed on a legislative footing. A recent FSA bid for primary legislation included a Private Member’s Bill within the handout list for the first session, though this was not taken forward. However, in October 2024, HMICFRS agreed to a voluntary inspection regime for the FSA’s use of investigatory powers whilst work progresses to secure primary legislation. The FSA is working with HMICFRS to put appropriate arrangements in place for the voluntary inspection regime and Home Office officials are updating their minister of this arrangement.

Baroness Merron
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
20th Nov 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect the National Food Crime Unit of the Food Standards Agency to obtain the full powers to operate as set out in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022.

The Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) National Food Crime Unit works to prevent, detect and investigate fraud within our food system. The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has the power under the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 to grant food crime officers access to specific investigative powers under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994.

The drafting of secondary legislation to grant these powers and to bring food crime officers under the necessary remit of the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) for complaint handling purposes is at an advanced stage and is currently undergoing final review by both IOPC and the FSA.

It is intended that a regime of scrutiny by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) will also be placed on a legislative footing. A recent FSA bid for primary legislation included a Private Member’s Bill within the handout list for the first session, though this was not taken forward. However, in October 2024, HMICFRS agreed to a voluntary inspection regime for the FSA’s use of investigatory powers whilst work progresses to secure primary legislation. The FSA is working with HMICFRS to put appropriate arrangements in place for the voluntary inspection regime and Home Office officials are updating their minister of this arrangement.

Baroness Merron
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
22nd Oct 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have conducted any checks of products they use which contain cotton to ascertain where the cotton was grown.

Section 47 of the Health and Social Care Act 2022 mandated my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to conduct a review of the risks associated with slavery and human trafficking in National Health Service supply chains, with an emphasis on cotton-based products. The report was laid in parliament on 14 December 2023.

The report revealed that while many NHS tier one suppliers are United Kingdom-based, their supply chains often connect through multiple tiers to higher-risk countries, where many of the suppliers of cotton are based. Approximately 34% of high-risk suppliers were registered as based in China, where there is significant concern of forced labour, especially in Xinjiang's cotton production. Concern has also been raised about Pakistan's Sialkot region, a major source of surgical instruments where production is often subcontracted to the largely unregulated informal sector. Concerns also extend to cotton-producing nations like Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, and to Malaysia and China for personal protective equipment manufacturing.

The supply chain mapping undertaken for the purpose of the review was identified as inappropriate for the size and range of products supplied to the NHS, requiring extensive effort by the buyer and suppliers to collect information that was still insufficient to affect change. Many of the suppliers identified as having high risk supply chains are UK based, however their supply chains are global.

In response to the findings the review makes a series of recommendations, outlined in detail in the publication. It advises a joint-department strategy for better risk assessment and mapping in NHS supply chains, urging ongoing emphasis on managing modern slavery risks, including updating procurement practices and standardising assessments integrated with e-commerce systems.

It recommends bolstering NHS staff's ability to tackle modern slavery, and improving supply chain mapping capability. Upcoming regulations under Section 12ZC of the NHS Act 2006 will further aid the NHS in assessing and mitigating modern slavery risks in individual procurements, alongside the introduction of a consistent risk assessment embedded into the health family’s e-commerce system.

Baroness Merron
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
22nd Oct 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government what procedures they apply to NHS product supply chains to identify if any products which contains cotton are grown in the Xinjiang area of China.

Section 47 of the Health and Social Care Act 2022 mandated my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to conduct a review of the risks associated with slavery and human trafficking in National Health Service supply chains, with an emphasis on cotton-based products. The report was laid in parliament on 14 December 2023.

The report revealed that while many NHS tier one suppliers are United Kingdom-based, their supply chains often connect through multiple tiers to higher-risk countries, where many of the suppliers of cotton are based. Approximately 34% of high-risk suppliers were registered as based in China, where there is significant concern of forced labour, especially in Xinjiang's cotton production. Concern has also been raised about Pakistan's Sialkot region, a major source of surgical instruments where production is often subcontracted to the largely unregulated informal sector. Concerns also extend to cotton-producing nations like Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, and to Malaysia and China for personal protective equipment manufacturing.

The supply chain mapping undertaken for the purpose of the review was identified as inappropriate for the size and range of products supplied to the NHS, requiring extensive effort by the buyer and suppliers to collect information that was still insufficient to affect change. Many of the suppliers identified as having high risk supply chains are UK based, however their supply chains are global.

In response to the findings the review makes a series of recommendations, outlined in detail in the publication. It advises a joint-department strategy for better risk assessment and mapping in NHS supply chains, urging ongoing emphasis on managing modern slavery risks, including updating procurement practices and standardising assessments integrated with e-commerce systems.

It recommends bolstering NHS staff's ability to tackle modern slavery, and improving supply chain mapping capability. Upcoming regulations under Section 12ZC of the NHS Act 2006 will further aid the NHS in assessing and mitigating modern slavery risks in individual procurements, alongside the introduction of a consistent risk assessment embedded into the health family’s e-commerce system.

Baroness Merron
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
22nd Oct 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 21 October (HL1588), whether the public consultation on modern slavery in the NHS supply chain will include alternatives to the Modern Slavery Assessment tool, such as element-analysis processes.

The consultation will comprise of draft regulations which set out what public bodies will need to do to assess and mitigate the risk of modern slavery and human trafficking in all procurement for goods and services for the purposes of health care in the National Health Service. This will be accompanied by guidance on how to best comply with the regulations, including how to assess risk.

The guidance will refer to a risk assessment tool NHS England is currently developing based on the six characteristics to help assess modern slavery risks, as set out in the Public Procurement Policy Note 02/23 on identifying and managing modern slavery risks. These are:

  • the industry type;
  • the nature of the workforce;
  • the supplier location;
  • the context in which the supplier operates;
  • the commodity type; and
  • the business or supply chain model.

The Department would of course welcome ideas and suggestions on risk assessment tools and methodologies in responses to the consultation.

Baroness Merron
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
14th Oct 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to make food hygiene rating certificates mandatory in England.

The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme is operated by the Food Standards Agency (FSA), in partnership with local authorities across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. We will consider whether mandatory display of ratings should be introduced in England in due course. In the meantime, the FSA is working with its local authority partners to maintain and improve the impact and benefits of this highly successful public health scheme.

Baroness Merron
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
14th Oct 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government what was the result of the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care's review under section 47 of the Health and Care Act 2022 of the risk of slavery taking place in NHS supply chains.

The Review of risk of Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking in the NHS Supply Chain, pursuant to section 47 of the Health and Social Care Act 2022, was undertaken in 2023 and published on 14 December 2023. A copy of the report is attached. One of the recommendations from the report was to lay regulations with a view to eradicate modern slavery, supporting the amendment of Section 12zc in the NHS Act 2006. The regulations cover all goods and services procured on behalf of the health service.

The Department and NHS England have also developed detailed guidance to support the embedding of the regulations and policies throughout a procurement exercise. This ensures alignment to procurements conducted under all legal regimes including the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, Procurement Act 2023, and the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023.

A public consultation for the content and approach of those regulations is to be launched in Autumn 2024. This will support my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to develop the regulations to ensure the National Health Service eradicates modern slavery in supply chains.

Baroness Merron
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
9th Oct 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that NHS staff are able to give evidence in court proceedings without it impacting their career.

There are currently no plans for my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to introduce new steps to ensure National Health Service staff are able to give evidence in court proceedings without it impacting on their career. Court proceedings are a private legal matter between employees, their legal advisor, and the employer concerned. Time off to attend court is also a private matter between individuals and the employer, including whether the time is paid or unpaid.

A person is protected from victimisation in relation to any discrimination complaint, for instance they may not be subjected to detriment for being involved in a complaint about discrimination, under current employment law. They may also not be subject to detriment for asserting certain statutory rights such as trade union activities.

This also includes where a member of NHS staff has made a protected disclosure under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 and gives evidence regarding those issues in court where they would be protected from detriment by their employer, including, subject to any jurisdictional issues, any former and future employers as a result of them having made the protected disclosure.

Baroness Merron
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
17th Jul 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the current arrangements for NHS staff to express opinions about practices and treatments about which they have concerns.

The Government wants National Health Service staff to have the confidence to speak out and come forward if they have concerns. There are currently over 1,200 local Freedom to Speak Up Guardians across healthcare in England who provide a route for workers to express any concerns about the practices and treatments in their organisation. Over 133,000 cases have been reported to Guardians since the policy was establishment in 2016, and in 2023/24 79.8% of staff who received support from their Guardian and gave feedback said they would speak up again.

Despite this, the 2023 NHS staff survey results showed that only 50% felt that if they spoke up about something that concerned them, their organisation would address their concern. There is therefore a lot more to do before speaking up can be described as business as usual in the NHS.

Baroness Merron
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
7th Oct 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government what response they have received to requests for consular access to Alaa Abd el-Fattah.

HMG Ministers and officials at the British Embassy in Cairo continue to raise Mr Alaa Abd El-Fattah's case with the Egyptian government at the highest levels. They have been consistently clear in calling for his release and continue to press for urgent consular access. The Egyptian Government does not recognise Mr El-Fattah's British nationality and is refusing consular access. The Foreign Secretary has raised Mr El-Fattah's case on several occasions, most recently with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty on 7 October. The Prime Minister raised Mr El-Fattah's case with President Sisi on 8 August and I raised Mr El-Fattah's case with the Egyptian Ambassador on 11 September.

Lord Collins of Highbury
Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
7th Oct 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with the government of Egypt regarding Alaa Abd el-Fattah.

HMG Ministers and officials at the British Embassy in Cairo continue to raise Mr Alaa Abd El-Fattah's case with the Egyptian government at the highest levels. They have been consistently clear in calling for his release and continue to press for urgent consular access. The Egyptian Government does not recognise Mr El-Fattah's British nationality and is refusing consular access. The Foreign Secretary has raised Mr El-Fattah's case on several occasions, most recently with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty on 7 October. The Prime Minister raised Mr El-Fattah's case with President Sisi on 8 August and I raised Mr El-Fattah's case with the Egyptian Ambassador on 11 September.

Lord Collins of Highbury
Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
6th Sep 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the revenue they would receive if National Insurance was paid by those aged over 65 with incomes over the threshold; and what assessment they have made of requiring those with incomes above the threshold to pay it.

Estimated figures of the cost of the National Insurance Contributions (NICs) exemption for those aged over 65 are published by HM Revenue and Customs in their Structural Tax Reliefs publication.

A condensed version of the table of interest has been copied below, showing estimated costs annually from 2018-19 until 2023-24.

Table: HMRC NICs Structural Cost Estimates by Financial Year

Financial Year NICs structural cost estimates (£ million)

2018-19 1,300

2019-20 1,200

2020-21 840

2021-22 1,200*

2022-23 1,200*

2023-24 1,100*

*Projected estimates based upon the 2019-20 Survey of Personal Incomes, projected in line with economic assumptions consistent with the Office for Budget Responsibility’s March 2023 Economic and Fiscal Outlook.

The estimated cost of this exemption does not represent the yield if this exemption were to be abolished as other behavioural responses, including a possible increase in State Pension expenditure, would be expected to substantially reduce the yield.

Lord Livermore
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
22nd Jul 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government why the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation is allowing payments to representatives of sanctioned Russian Companies and individuals while war in Ukraine continues.

The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) in HM Treasury is responsible for financial sanctions implementation and enforcement.

OFSI can only issue specific licences where relevant licensing grounds exist as set out in the legislation. One such licensing ground is professional legal fees and reasonable expenses associated with the provision of legal services. This ground exists because it is important that designated persons can still access legal representation. A ‘reasonableness’ test is applied to each legal fees application which requires applicants to provide sufficient evidence to demonstrate to OFSI that the legal fees and expenses are reasonable.

OFSI releases an Annual Review each year which provides information about the number of licences issued under each regime. However, for confidentiality purposes and in order to comply with UK data protection law, OFSI does not publish details about the parties involved in individual licences granted.

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and an increase in the scale and impact of financial sanctions, OFSI has processed a larger number licence applications than previous years. Many licence applications under the legal services licensing ground involve very complex legal cases, some with very high values, across multiple jurisdictions. The amounts agreed in respect of fees for legal services on behalf of Russian designated persons are not readily available and would involve disproportionate costs to gather at this time.

Even where a licensing ground exists and the reasonableness test is met, OFSI will only issue licences where doing so does not undermine the intent or purpose of the Russia sanctions regime.

Lord Livermore
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
22nd Jul 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government what was the level of payment allowed by the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation between 24 February and 31 October 2022 under the ‘access to justice’ arrangements.

The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) in HM Treasury is responsible for financial sanctions implementation and enforcement.

OFSI can only issue specific licences where relevant licensing grounds exist as set out in the legislation. One such licensing ground is professional legal fees and reasonable expenses associated with the provision of legal services. This ground exists because it is important that designated persons can still access legal representation. A ‘reasonableness’ test is applied to each legal fees application which requires applicants to provide sufficient evidence to demonstrate to OFSI that the legal fees and expenses are reasonable.

OFSI releases an Annual Review each year which provides information about the number of licences issued under each regime. However, for confidentiality purposes and in order to comply with UK data protection law, OFSI does not publish details about the parties involved in individual licences granted.

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and an increase in the scale and impact of financial sanctions, OFSI has processed a larger number licence applications than previous years. Many licence applications under the legal services licensing ground involve very complex legal cases, some with very high values, across multiple jurisdictions. The amounts agreed in respect of fees for legal services on behalf of Russian designated persons are not readily available and would involve disproportionate costs to gather at this time.

Even where a licensing ground exists and the reasonableness test is met, OFSI will only issue licences where doing so does not undermine the intent or purpose of the Russia sanctions regime.

Lord Livermore
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
22nd Jul 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will list the UK-registered companies and partnerships that the Office of Financial Sanction Implementation assessed for legal payments between October 2023 and April 2024.

The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) in HM Treasury is responsible for financial sanctions implementation and enforcement.

OFSI can only issue specific licences where relevant licensing grounds exist as set out in the legislation. One such licensing ground is professional legal fees and reasonable expenses associated with the provision of legal services. This ground exists because it is important that designated persons can still access legal representation. A ‘reasonableness’ test is applied to each legal fees application which requires applicants to provide sufficient evidence to demonstrate to OFSI that the legal fees and expenses are reasonable.

OFSI releases an Annual Review each year which provides information about the number of licences issued under each regime. However, for confidentiality purposes and in order to comply with UK data protection law, OFSI does not publish details about the parties involved in individual licences granted.

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and an increase in the scale and impact of financial sanctions, OFSI has processed a larger number licence applications than previous years. Many licence applications under the legal services licensing ground involve very complex legal cases, some with very high values, across multiple jurisdictions. The amounts agreed in respect of fees for legal services on behalf of Russian designated persons are not readily available and would involve disproportionate costs to gather at this time.

Even where a licensing ground exists and the reasonableness test is met, OFSI will only issue licences where doing so does not undermine the intent or purpose of the Russia sanctions regime.

Lord Livermore
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
22nd Jul 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the difference between the amounts agreed by the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation in respect of fees for services and access to justice for UK legal firms on behalf of Russian individuals and companies (1) before the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, and (2) since the invasion.

The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) in HM Treasury is responsible for financial sanctions implementation and enforcement.

OFSI can only issue specific licences where relevant licensing grounds exist as set out in the legislation. One such licensing ground is professional legal fees and reasonable expenses associated with the provision of legal services. This ground exists because it is important that designated persons can still access legal representation. A ‘reasonableness’ test is applied to each legal fees application which requires applicants to provide sufficient evidence to demonstrate to OFSI that the legal fees and expenses are reasonable.

OFSI releases an Annual Review each year which provides information about the number of licences issued under each regime. However, for confidentiality purposes and in order to comply with UK data protection law, OFSI does not publish details about the parties involved in individual licences granted.

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and an increase in the scale and impact of financial sanctions, OFSI has processed a larger number licence applications than previous years. Many licence applications under the legal services licensing ground involve very complex legal cases, some with very high values, across multiple jurisdictions. The amounts agreed in respect of fees for legal services on behalf of Russian designated persons are not readily available and would involve disproportionate costs to gather at this time.

Even where a licensing ground exists and the reasonableness test is met, OFSI will only issue licences where doing so does not undermine the intent or purpose of the Russia sanctions regime.

Lord Livermore
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
18th Oct 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to respond to the report by Professor Alexis Jay The Report of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (HC720), published on 20 October 2022.

The Home Office is working closely with departments across Government, including the Department for Education, Department for Health and Social Care, and the Ministry of Justice, to identify how best to deliver against the recommendations made in the final report of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.

Tackling child sexual abuse is a cross-Government priority. We are committed to confronting this horrific crime whenever and wherever it occurs and using all levers available to protect children from sexual abuse and exploitation. The lessons learned from the Independent Inquiry, based on the input of over 6000 victims and survivors, will provide a fundamental basis for this work.

This government understands the frustration with the delays, and we hope to reset this and get started on this soon.

Lord Hanson of Flint
Minister of State (Home Office)
5th Dec 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to make planning permission for a new Chinese embassy dependent upon the government of China making a full disclosure of products entering the UK that contain cotton which is grown in Xinjiang.

An appointed Inspector will hold a public inquiry which will hear a range of evidence for and against the proposals, after which a decision will be made by MHCLG ministers. As this case will come before ministers in MHCLG to determine, it would not be appropriate to comment further. Decisions on planning applications are based on material planning considerations.

Baroness Taylor of Stevenage
Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
6th Sep 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage on 31 July (HL90), whether the Minister's secretary received a response to their letter from the Health and Safety Executive.

I would like to thank my Noble Lord for following up on the response I gave on the 31st July. My office has written to the Health and Safety Executive and I am awaiting a response.

Baroness Taylor of Stevenage
Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
17th Jul 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have received advice regarding the prevention of broken protective earthed neutral conductors in the electrical systems of tower blocks and other sensitive buildings.

I am aware of my Noble Friend's long-standing interest in electrical safety in tower blocks and sensitive buildings. The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) keeps evidence that emerges from the electrical incidents database and its engagement with stakeholders, under review. My secretary will write to HSE officials and ask whether they might meet with you, so that you can explain the issue.

Baroness Taylor of Stevenage
Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
22nd Jul 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government why Russian state-owned companies are being allowed access to UK courts to pursue litigation concerning penalties imposed by Russian courts.

The question of whether courts in England and Wales have jurisdiction to hear claims brought by parties from other countries are determined by the courts in accordance with common law principles and international conventions.

In English and Welsh law, the determination of the appropriate forum (where no international convention applies) to hear a dispute is the one in which the case may most suitably be tried in the interests of all the parties and the ends of justice. Matters which a court will take into account in deciding this would include whether there are any factors connecting the dispute to a particular jurisdiction.

It is open to the opposing party to challenge a claim on the basis that it should have been brought in another jurisdiction.

Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede
Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
22nd Jul 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government on what basis UK courts have had jurisdiction to hear cases started in Russian Courts between Russian companies and individuals since the start of the war in Ukraine.

The question of whether courts in England and Wales have jurisdiction to hear claims brought by parties from other countries are determined by the courts in accordance with common law principles and international conventions.

In English and Welsh law, the determination of the appropriate forum (where no international convention applies) to hear a dispute is the one in which the case may most suitably be tried in the interests of all the parties and the ends of justice. Matters which a court will take into account in deciding this would include whether there are any factors connecting the dispute to a particular jurisdiction.

It is open to the opposing party to challenge a claim on the basis that it should have been brought in another jurisdiction.

Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede
Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)