Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in relation to contracts to supply and maintain Class 810 "Aurora" rolling stock for East Midlands Railway on the Midland Main Line, whether Hitachi Rail is required to provide sufficient serviceable trains to meet the timetable commitments of the train operator; and if so, whether (1) Hitachi Rail is required to pay compensation to East Midlands Railway when it fails to do so, (2) this applies for every affected journey, and (3) this includes liquidated damages to compensate for loss to the train operator's business, including losses incurred by refunding passengers for cancellations or service disruption.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Class 810 Aurora fleet is being delivered and maintained under contractual arrangements involving East Midlands Railway (EMR), Hitachi Rail and Rock Rail. Those agreements include contractual obligations relating to train availability and performance, together with associated performance and remedy mechanisms where contractual requirements are not met. The detailed terms of those arrangements, including any compensation or liquidated damages provisions, are commercially confidential and are not publicly disclosed.
The Department has been clear to Hitachi Rail that its management of the Class 810 fleet programme has been unacceptable. Delivery of the new Aurora trains to EMR has been significantly delayed, with the first train entering passenger service around three years later than originally planned. The Department expects Hitachi Rail to improve both the rate of fleet introduction and the operational performance of the trains already in service.
Hitachi Rail is also responsible for the day-to-day maintenance of EMR’s existing Class 222 Meridian trains, which have experienced significant performance issues this summer. The Department expects Hitachi and EMR to work together to rapidly improve the reliability of these trains.
Alex Hynes, Chief Executive Officer of Department for Transport Operator, meets Hitachi Rail regularly and is pressing the company for urgent improvements to both the delivery pipeline and fleet performance so that EMR can realise the full benefits of the new Aurora fleet. The Department continues to monitor EMR's delivery of services and performance obligations under its National Rail Contract.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of religious confession as a regulated activity for the purposes of the mandatory reporting duty for child abuse.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
This government remains firmly committed to tackling all forms of child sexual abuse. The new mandatory reporting duty we are working to implement will be a vital step in safeguarding children more effectively across a range of institutions and settings.
The duty will apply to those working or volunteering with children in faith settings, and there will be no exceptions based on religious practices.
Ministers and officials from the Home Office have had discussions on mandatory reporting with representatives of various Church denominations over recent months as this new duty progressed through the Crime and Policing Act. We will continue to engage across government and with stakeholders to help manage the implementation of the new duty to ensure readiness and compliance for when the duty comes into effect in 2027.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question
To ask His Majesty's Government, in light of the Committee for Privileges in the House of Commons report, Matter referred on 4 September 2025: Actions of the Charity Commission, whether they retain confidence in (1) the chief executive, and (2) the board, of the Charity Commission.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Charity Commission has apologised unreservedly to Parliament in response to the House of Commons Committee for Privileges report, and has accepted the report in full. I have full confidence in the leadership of the Charity Commission, and am confident that the board is taking action to address the concerns raised by the report, and to learn lessons in its handling of similar cases going forward.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Chapman of Darlington on 6 July (HL1195), regarding the award conferred on the UK Ambassador to Bahrain on 21 June, why they did not state whether the Kingdom of Bahrain sought prior permission from the Honours Secretariat, given the precedent set out in the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 29 December 2023 (HL1188); whether such permission was sought and, if so, on what date; and whether the Ambassador received prior communication regarding the award and, if so, on what date(s) that communication was reported to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office or the Honours Secretariat.
Answered by Lord Wood of Anfield - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Before the award was conferred, the Ambassador informed the Bahraini authorities that he could not accept it under UK policy. The Government of Bahrain did not seek the required Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) permission, and the Ambassador's handling was consistent with the advice provided by the FCDO.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to ask the Office of Rail and Road to re-evaluate the open access application by Hull Trains to operate services between London King's Cross and Sheffield, in light of the reductions to East Midlands Railway’s Intercity timetable.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Hull Trains’ previous application to operate services between London and Sheffield was rejected by the Office or Rail and Road (ORR) in July 2025 due to concerns over capacity, performance and financial impacts. We respect the ORR’s decision on this.
Any Open Access operator may apply to operate new services, but this would be a commercial decision for the operator to take. Under the current system, any new application would be subject to full and independent review by the ORR. In the future, Great British Railways will be able to decide the best use of network capacity and take decisions as a directing mind.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Sherlock on 26 June (HL886), what estimate they have made of the proportion of Personal Independence Payment claims processed under the Transform Decision Making pilot where a learning disability is recorded as a secondary condition; and what steps they are taking to ensure the impacts on claimants with co-occurring neurodivergent conditions are accurately tracked.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
In cases where a claimant has multiple conditions or disabilities that affect daily living or mobility, all are considered during the assessment and decision making process. However, only the primary condition is recorded on the data that DWP uses to report disabling conditions. We cannot, therefore, provide information on the proportion of PIP claims processed within the trial where a learning disability is recorded as a secondary or co-occurring condition. Our impact evaluation will also be limited to primary disabling condition. Due to the small scale of the trial and volume of cases involved, we do not expect to be able to produce robust subgroup analysis for claimants whose primary disabling condition is a learning disability.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Sherlock on 26 June (HL888), how the existing quality assurance process for the Transform Decision Making pilot measures the accuracy of case managers' descriptor selections for claimants with a learning disability compared to those with purely physical impairments.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
DWP has a number of quality assurance processes in place to support decision accuracy; these include local quality checks, independent assurance activity and formal fraud and error measurement. Together, these processes provide assurance that descriptor choices are accurate and consistent.
As part of the pilot Case Managers complete an initial assurance process following their training. During this period, decisions are subject to 100% checking before they are issued to customers. These checks focus on the accuracy of the descriptor selection and whether the resulting award is financially correct. Case Managers receive feedback on the outcome of each check and where errors are identified, may receive further coaching or support. The results of the assurance activity are monitored to identify trends and inform continuous improvement, including targeted guidance and support where required.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Sherlock on 26 June (HL888), what plans they have to introduce accredited training specifically addressing masking, verbal compliance, and executive dysfunction in claimants with a learning disability for case managers operating the Transform Decision Making pilot.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Through the trial we will continue to conduct user research with Case Managers to refine processes, guidance and learning requirements, helping to ensure Case Managers are equipped to make quality decisions under all circumstances. Insights from the trial will help inform whether any changes are needed to the learning offer under the transformed decision making approach.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Baroness Merron on 2 July (HLWS179), why the redundancy of the former Chief Executive of the South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board can be classified as a compulsory redundancy given the statement that NHS England’s approval was conditional on potential shared leadership arrangements which did not materialise.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement of 2 July, NHS England has advised that the relevant condition was that the former Chief Executive role should not be filled through external recruitment but should instead be addressed through redeployment or other leadership arrangements to avoid an additional redundancy and that this condition was met. The redundancy was therefore classified as a compulsory redundancy.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 2 July 2026 (HL232), what mechanisms they use to ensure compliance with HM Treasury guidance on public sector exit payments, given the statement that the Department of Health and Social Care does not centrally reassess whether an interim post holder performed the same statutory duties as a redundant role.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As set out in the answer of 2 July 2026 to Question HL232, compliance with HM Treasury’s guidance on public sector exit payments and value for money protocols is secured through the relevant employer governance and assurance processes, with NHS England oversight where required. Departmental and HM Treasury approval is generally required where the payment relates to a special severance payment or other non-contractual payment.
Responsibility for ensuring that any redundancy decision is lawful, contractual, and represents value for money rests with the employing integrated care board, supported by NHS England’s assurance role where applicable.