Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that there is appropriate distribution of workers with skills in artificial intelligence across the UK.

Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Lifelong learning and adaptability are key to ensuring everyone can prosper in an increasingly technology-driven world. The Government is committed to ensuring a balanced distribution of AI-skilled workers across the UK. The AI Opportunities Action Plan outlines steps to build a strong, diverse talent pipeline.

Working with DSIT and the Industrial Strategy Council, Skills England will bring together businesses, training partners, and unions with national and local government to assess the country’s skills need – including AI and digital skills – and map pathways to fill them.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the regulation of the development of artificial intelligence technologies on investment in those technologies.

Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

In response to the AI Opportunities Action Plan, the Government is prioritising investment into the AI sector and creating the right conditions to ensure global AI companies want to call the UK home.

The Action Plan sets out a number of recommendations on how the Government can proactively work with regulators to support our ambitions for AI and growth, which the Government will be taking forward.

The Government is also developing legislative proposals which will allow us to safely realise the enormous benefits of the most powerful AI systems. We will be launching a public consultation in due course to ensure our proposals are proportionate and support innovation.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage investment in artificial intelligence technologies by ensuring that there is sufficient infrastructure to support the power grid.

Answered by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath

The Government has invited expressions of interest from local authorities and other interested parties to identify locations for AI growth zones that can facilitate the rapid development of projects.

Additionally, the Government is collaborating with Ofgem and NESO to implement major reforms in the grid connections process. This initiative could unlock up to 500GW of capacity from the connection queue, thereby speeding up connections for AI data centres.

Furthermore, the Government is establishing the AI Energy Council, which will bring together senior representatives from both the energy and AI industries to determine optimal locations for AI data centres and proactively manage their energy needs.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the use of artificial intelligence technologies in supporting (1) the diagnosis of stroke in patients, and (2) the prescription of drugs to stroke patients.

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

Artificial intelligence (AI) is being used to analyse and interpret acute stroke brain scans to support doctors when diagnosing and making treatment decisions in 100% of stroke units in England. Early data has shown a reduction in the average amount of time taken to assess and treat patients, from 140 to 79 minutes, tripling the chance of independent living following a stroke, when these tools are employed.

Clinical Decision Support (CDS) systems are tools which use AI to assess patient data and suggest medication that could be prescribed, though the final decision is always made by a clinician. CDS systems are in use across the United Kingdom and can be used to support clinicians prescribing medication to stroke patients.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Federation of Small Businesses, Taking a toll: small businesses and the cost of tax compliance, published on 22 April, particularly in regard to the (1) time spent, and (2) cost, for small business to remain tax compliant.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government is committed to simplifying the tax system for all taxpayers including small businesses and is taking this forward as part of its three priorities for HMRC.

HMRC is investing in its customer services, greater use of data and improving its digital services which will improve overall customer experience and reduce the time and therefore cost to comply.

HMRC welcomes the FSB’s report and officials are currently reviewing its detail. HMRC will be engaging with the FSB to understand the underlying methodology used to assess the average time and cost to comply.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of artificial intelligence technology being trained on real patient data, and whether they intend to introduce regulation around the use of health records in training artificial intelligence

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

There are strict safeguards in place throughout the National Health Service to protect data. All providers of services which handle patient data must protect that data in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), and the Data Protection Act 2018, and every health organisation is required to appoint a Caldicott Guardian to advise on the protection of people’s health and care data, and ensure it is used properly. This includes where artificial intelligence (AI) is used in relation to patient records.

The NHS AI Lab and Sciencewise, part of UK Research and Innovation, held a public dialogue on how the public feels decisions should be made about access to their personal health data for AI purposes. The AI Lab conducted a discovery exercise to design approaches based on insights from the public, which is now informing broader data stewardship initiatives, for example, as part of the Secure Data Environments.

To mitigate the likelihood and severity of any potential harm to individuals arising from the use of data in AI, the Information Commissioners Office has developed detailed AI guidance which provides an overarching view of data protection, including Data Protection Impact Assessments and UK GDPR. They have also produced an AI toolkit to support organisations auditing compliance of their AI-based technologies. NHS bodies are expected to make use of this guidance and toolkit.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the preparedness of small businesses for the ‘Making Tax Digital’ reforms, and whether additional support is needed before the reforms come into effect.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

Making Tax Digital (MTD) modernises the tax system, helps businesses to keep on top of their tax affairs and supports wider productivity.

Research measuring levels of understanding and readiness is underway and will be published once it is finalised. The Government is actively undertaking a range of activities to ensure that those needing to use MTD for Income Tax are ready and able to do so successfully from April 2026. A communications campaign is underway, raising customer awareness of MTD for Income Tax and encouraging agents and customers to sign up for testing.

HMRC are supporting customers and agents with a suite of guidance products, direct communications, webinars, live events and social media activity to help them to prepare.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report published on 9 February by the Association for UK Interactive Entertainment, Business case for an enhanced video games expenditure credit.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government recognises the importance of the UK’s video games sector and the key role it plays in driving economic growth. As part of our modern Industrial Strategy, we are developing a creative industries sector plan with business, local leaders, and sector experts.

The Government supports the video games sector through the tax system and through funding. Video games companies already benefit from the Video Games Expenditure Credit (VGEC), which provides a generous tax credit of 34 per cent on UK video games development costs.

In addition, companies may benefit from the £5.5 million UK Games Fund for 2025/26, which helps high-potential start-ups scale-up.

When considering new tax reliefs, the Government has to balance a wide range of factors, including the fiscal position and complexity of the tax system. The Government keeps the tax system under review.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is their response to the recommendation by the Children's Commissioner for England to ban 'nudification' apps that enable users to generate sexually explicit images of real people.

Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Government refuses to tolerate violence against women and girls. Sexually explicit deepfakes are degrading and harmful.

We are legislating to ban their creation in the Data (Use and Access) Bill and have introduced a further offence in the Crime and Policing Bill to criminalise the possession, creation or distribution of AI tools designed to generate child sexual abuse material.

Government is also actively looking at options to address ‘nudification’ tools themselves.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the use of video games in education; and whether they have plans to incorporate the use of video games as a learning tool into the curriculum.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

Schools and colleges are free to make their own choices about the most suitable use of technology in their settings, as long as they comply with their wider statutory obligations, such as ‘Keeping children safe in education’. The department has not conducted specific research into the use of video games in education.

In July 2024, the government launched an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, covering ages 5 to 18, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE. The Review wants to ensure a rich, broad, inclusive and innovative curriculum that readies young people for life and work. The Terms of Reference of the Review have been published and are accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/curriculum-and-assessment-review#terms-of-reference.

The Review published its interim findings recently, and these can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/curriculum-and-assessment-review-interim-report.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the level of overseas demand for UK goods in April, and the consequential impact on private sector output.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

Please see the letter attached from the National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority.

Professor Sir Ian Diamond | National Statistician

The Lord Taylor of Warwick

House of Lords

London

SW1A 0PW

1 May 2025

Dear Lord Taylor of Warwick,

As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking what assessment has been made of the level of overseas demand for UK goods in April, and the consequential impact on private sector output (HL6970).

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) UK trade in goods data is currently available up to February 2025[1]. March data will be published on 15 May 2025, while April data will be published on 12 June 2025.

Yours sincerely,

Professor Sir Ian Diamond

[1]https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/nationalaccounts/balanceofpayments/bulletins/uktrade/february2025

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to regulate artificial intelligence chatbots, particularly in regard to the generation of harmful content that may affect young people.

Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Generative AI services - including chatbots - are regulated by the Online Safety Act where they allow users to share content, or they search the internet to provide responses. Such services are required to assess and mitigate the risk of harm to users from illegal content and services likely to be accessed by children will need to protect them from harmful content.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the regulation of cryptocurrency to encourage public investment in digital assets; and what assessment they have made of the impact of that regulation on the economy.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government published draft legislation for the future financial services regulatory regime for cryptoassets on 29 April, with final legislation planned for before the end of the year.

The Government’s regulatory approach is seeking to strike the right balance between protecting consumers and giving the sector the space and flexibility to innovate.

HM Treasury will publish full impact assessments alongside its final legislation.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the survey by the British Retail Consortium on 29 April, particularly the finding that 52 per cent of human resources directors surveyed suggested the Employment Rights Bill would reduce staffing levels.

Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Delivering on our plan to Make Work Pay is a core part of the mission to grow the economy, raise living standards and create opportunities for all. We are committed to working in partnership with businesses to realise that ambition, enabling businesses and workers to thrive.

The Government has consulted with stakeholders extensively. We have collaborated directly with over 170 stakeholders, working in partnership to deliver on our Plan to Make Work Pay. Many of these conversations touch on research undertaken by external organisations.

My department has published a set of Impact Assessments that provide a comprehensive analysis on the potential impact of the Employment Rights Bill. This initial analysis includes consideration of the potential effects on employment; the risk is currently deemed low. This analysis is available at: Employment Rights Bill: impact assessments - GOV.UK. This represents the best estimate for the likely impacts given the current stage of policy development. We plan to refine our analysis as policy development continues, working closely with external experts, businesses and trade unions.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the contribution of the video game industry to economic growth and job creation; and what steps they are taking to support the development of the industry.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Government is committed to supporting the growth of the UK’s video games sector as part of the upcoming creative industries sector plan, having identified the creative industries as one of eight priority sectors in the industrial strategy.

We recognise that the UK’s video games sector brings economic, cultural and social benefits across the UK. DCMS estimates the UK video games sector generated £2.1bn in GVA in 2023, with industry trade body Ukie estimating that 26,000 are people employed directly in the sector in the UK.

To support the growth of the sector, the Government has announced £5.5 million funding for the UK Games Fund (UKGF) for 2025/26, which will provide grants to early-stage studios across the UK to develop prototypes and new intellectual property, and run development programmes for new graduates.

Additionally, video games companies benefit from the Video Games Expenditure Credit, UK Global Screen Fund, and can access support from the Create Growth Programme.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the United Kingdom is protested from large-scale cyber attacks; and what mitigations are in place to protect core infrastructure in the event of an attack.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Government is working tirelessly to improve the cyber resilience of the UK’s critical infrastructure. We published the Cyber Security and Resilience policy statement on April 1, which set out our plans for the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill. It will strengthen the UK’s cyber defences and ensure that critical infrastructure and the digital services that UK citizens and businesses rely on are secure.

We welcome the findings of the recent National Audit Office report on Government Cyber Resilience, which highlight the need for an accelerated response. We are taking immediate steps to address its recommendations, including developing a cross-government implementation plan for the 2030 target and a new model to clarify and enforce cyber resilience responsibilities. We have published the Cyber Policy Handbook and the Secure by Design Framework to embed best practice throughout the UK’s public services. We are using GovAssure to define clear cyber resilience outcomes and develop an objective view of cyber resilience across the government technology estate.

Our commitment to improving the UK’s cyber resilience includes our engagement with the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). The NCSC engages with government, regulators and critical national infrastructure (CNI) operators to improve the cyber security and resilience of CNI, this includes: supporting them to raise their security baseline, improving their understanding the cyber risks they need to manage, such as the Cyber Assessment Framework, and helping them prepare for how they would respond to an incident or a period of heightened risk, leveraging GCHQ expertise.

The NCSC coordinates the government response to significant incidents. In the event of a severe national cyber incident the Cabinet Office activates COBR for enhanced coordination.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report published on 8 May by the Health Foundation, Digitising the NHS and adult social care.

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

Digital transformation offers substantial opportunities for the National Health Service to improve care outcomes and to lower cost, while improving the experience of patients. The impact of digital tools and programmes are measured individually, and organisations are required to identify, manage, actively track, and report impacts, outcomes, and benefits against agreed plans.

Our investment in digitising the frontline will ensure value for money and that health and care staff have access to health-related information when and where it is needed, supporting them to deliver care efficiently, effectively, and safely, reducing variation and improving outcomes.

Currently, 187 out of 206, or 91% of, secondary care trusts have an Electronic Patient Record (EPR) in place, with work underway to provide tailored support to the remaining 19 trusts that do not yet have an EPR. Our ambition is for all trusts to meet our stated core digitisation standards, including having EPRs in place, by March 2026.

In adult social care, 75% of registered care providers now have digitised care records, up from 41% in December 2021, benefiting 85% of people who draw on care.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that artificial intelligence start-up firms founded in the United Kingdom remain based here as they scale their businesses.

Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Government is committed to supporting the digital economy, removing barriers to inclusive economic growth, and ensuring that the UK remains one of the best places in the world for our great tech businesses to start, scale and stay.

Programmes such as the SEIS/EIS schemes and R&D Tax Credits demonstrate the UK’s commitment to supporting tech companies in thriving in the UK.

The AI Action Plan sets out our intention to support the growth ambitions of businesses across the AI sector. Initiatives include opening the AI Research Resource to a wider pool of SMEs to drive forward new AI-enabled innovations, fostering national champions within the UK startup ecosystem, and unlocking data assets for startups to access.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how current net zero targets will affect the adoption of artificial intelligence technologies and investment in these technologies.

Answered by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath

Embracing the opportunities that AI can provide to drive growth and productivity in the economy is a government objective. Building the low carbon economy of the future will lead to significant increases in electricity demand across many sectors. These projected increases were a key part of the analysis that underpinned the department’s Clean Power Action Plan, consistent with our net zero targets. By unlocking new low carbon electricity generation, improving access to the electricity grid and the efficient operation of the energy system we will achieve Clean Power by 2030. We will maintain secure, resilient energy supplies that can be used to enable these technologies.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the quantity of new motorway constructed in the past ten years, and what plans they have to develop further motorways.

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

No government for 30 years has proposed building significant stretches of new motorway.

The Department for Transport sets out forward investment plans for England’s strategic road network of motorways and major A-roads within 5-year road investment strategies. During the first RIS, covering 2015-2020, National Highways delivered 36 major enhancements schemes, adding 343 lane miles of capacity. In RIS2, covering 2020-2025, National Highways delivered a further 30 major enhancements, adding a further 363 lane miles of capacity. The Department is in the process of developing RIS3, starting in 2026. The scope of investment will be determined by the ongoing Spending Review.

The Department publishes total lengths of England’s road network including trunk A-roads and Motorways on the GOV UK website.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many care workers there are in the United Kingdom; and what assessment they have made of impact of the planned end of visas for overseas care workers on the number of care workers to meet demand.

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

Every day our 1.59 million-strong adult social care workforce provides vital care and support to people of all ages and with diverse needs. Care workers are essential to those who draw on care and support, helping them maintain their quality of life, independence and connection to the things that matter to them.

Adult social care is a devolved matter. In England in 2023/24, data from Skills for Care shows that there were 905,000 filled care worker roles.

The Home Office has estimated an annual reduction of approximately 7,000 main applicants as a result of ending overseas recruitment for social care visas. This is based on their internal management information for entry visas granted, covering the period of March 2024 to February 2025. This estimate reflects that there was a drop in visa grants of more than 90% compared to the 12 months ending in March 2024, when more than 83,000 entry visas were granted to care workers and senior care workers.

The analysis in the Technical Annex, published alongside the Immigration White Paper, will be refined and included within the relevant Impact Assessments accompanying the rule changes, as appropriate.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support high street shops and to prevent further closures following the rise in National Insurance contributions.

Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

We intend to introduce permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties, including those on the high street, from 2026-27. Ahead of these changes being made, we have prevented RHL relief from ending in April 2025 by extending it for one year at 40 per cent up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business and frozen the small business multiplier.

The government is protecting the smallest businesses from changes to Employer National Insurance Contributions (NICs) by increasing the Employment Allowance to £10,500. This means that in 2025-26, 865,000 employers (43%) will pay no NICs at all.

Later this year we will publish our Small Business Strategy which will focus on, amongst other issues, what more we can do to support high streets.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of children who have left private education and enrolled in state-funded education following the application of VAT on school fees.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

The published tax information and impact note on VAT includes impact on pupil movement, with any movement into the state sector estimated to be equivalent to fewer than 0.1% of pupils this academic year.

All children of compulsory school age are entitled to a state-funded school place. Local authorities are responsible for ensuring sufficient state school places. The department already works with local authorities to identify pressures and take action where necessary.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure new houses are not built on areas prone to flooding without necessary defences in place.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The government is committed to building the homes the country needs while ensuring they are safe from flooding.

The National Planning Policy Framework sets out that inappropriate development in areas at risk of flooding should be avoided by directing development away from areas at highest risk. Where development is, exceptionally, found to be justified in areas at risk of flooding, the Framework requires that it be appropriately flood resistant and resilient, and safe for its lifetime.

Local planning authorities should consider the use of conditions or planning obligations to make development acceptable, which may include flood mitigation works. They have powers to take enforcement action against any breach of planning requirements.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the current rate of wage growth; and whether they intend to reassess the current rates at which businesses pay National Insurance contributions on employees.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows that in first quarter of 2025, average weekly pay (including bonuses) across the whole economy grew by 5.5% from the first quarter of 2024.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the Victoria Cross and George Cross medal collection previously displayed in the "Extraordinary Heroes" exhibit remains accessible to the public following its removal from display at the Imperial War Museum.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Victoria and George Crosses tell stories of bravery and courage which form an important part of our national history. Thousands of visitors have appreciated The Lord Ashcroft Gallery, which houses Lord Ashcroft’s personal collection of these medals along with others belonging to the Imperial War Museum and other private owners, has been well-loved since its creation in 2010. The Government is grateful to him for his generous loan.

The Government recognises the importance of these medals and their incredible significance to the recipients, their families and the wider public, and we share the ambition that these medals do continue to be available to the public. In particular, we hope that the medals can be exhibited alongside the stories behind them. The Minister of State at DCMS has engaged with both the Museum’s leadership and with Lord Ashcroft to continue to support efforts to try and find a new permanent home for his remarkable collection. The Imperial War Museum plans to redisplay their own collection of Victoria Cross and George Cross medals at their sites across the country, allowing new audiences to engage with these heroic stories.

While Government does not have any role in curatorial decisions at national museums, it is common practice for museums to update their galleries and displays periodically in order to make the most of the wide range of collection items they hold, and to explore new ways of communicating vital histories to the public.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Imperial War Museum’s decision to close the Lord Ashcroft Gallery, and what impact this will have on the public, as well as on the recipients of the Victoria Cross and George Cross and their families.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Victoria and George Crosses tell stories of bravery and courage which form an important part of our national history. Thousands of visitors have appreciated The Lord Ashcroft Gallery, which houses Lord Ashcroft’s personal collection of these medals along with others belonging to the Imperial War Museum and other private owners, has been well-loved since its creation in 2010. The Government is grateful to him for his generous loan.

The Government recognises the importance of these medals and their incredible significance to the recipients, their families and the wider public, and we share the ambition that these medals do continue to be available to the public. In particular, we hope that the medals can be exhibited alongside the stories behind them. The Minister of State at DCMS has engaged with both the Museum’s leadership and with Lord Ashcroft to continue to support efforts to try and find a new permanent home for his remarkable collection. The Imperial War Museum plans to redisplay their own collection of Victoria Cross and George Cross medals at their sites across the country, allowing new audiences to engage with these heroic stories.

While Government does not have any role in curatorial decisions at national museums, it is common practice for museums to update their galleries and displays periodically in order to make the most of the wide range of collection items they hold, and to explore new ways of communicating vital histories to the public.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government, what assessment they have made of the rising number of people aged 16 to 24 currently not in education, employment or training; and what steps they are taking to increase the number of young people entering education or employment.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

The government is determined to break down barriers to opportunity for all our young people and transform their life chances.

Almost one in seven 16 to 24 year-olds in England and the UK are not in education, employment or training (NEET). This number is too high, and the department is taking the action needed to tackle this issue.

In the ‘Get Britain Working’ white paper, the government set out its commitment to establish a Youth Guarantee of support to access training, an apprenticeship, or to find work for all 18 to 21 year-olds. £45 million has been allocated to Youth Guarantee Trailblazers to develop the Youth Guarantee. The Department for Education and the Department for Work and Pensions will be working with strategic authorities in initially eight areas, including Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, East Midlands, Liverpool City Region, West of England, West Midlands, Tees Valley and two London areas.

The Youth Guarantee builds on entitlements that young people have to participate in education and training up to age 18. Local authorities have statutory duties to support young people into education and training, including identifying and helping those who are currently NEET. The department has also recently published guidance to help local authorities identify young people at an increased risk of becoming NEET, based on characteristics such as a learning difficulty or disability, or poor school attendance so they can be given extra support.

In addition, new foundation apprenticeships will give more young people a foot in the door at the start of their working lives. They will help bridge the gap between employers with skills shortages and those young people not currently engaging with apprenticeships through the existing routes and offers. The first foundation apprenticeships will be available in the construction sector from August, and to support these opportunities, employers will receive £2,000 for every construction foundation apprentice they take on and retain in the industry.

The Department for Education will also offer two weeks’ worth of work experience for every young person and better careers advice at school, and has also created a new body, Skills England, to deliver national, regional and local skills needs.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report published on 7 May by Cisco, 2025 Cisco Cybersecurity Readiness Index, which states that only four per cent of UK firms have achieved a "mature" level of readiness against cybersecurity threats.

Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The government’s Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2025 shows that many businesses do not have sufficient measures in place to protect against cyber threats. This is why the government is taking a range of action to drive up cyber resilience across the UK. This includes the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill which will improve the UK’s cyber defences and better secure our essential services and more of the digital infrastructure the public and businesses rely upon, and a new Cyber Governance Code of Practice which supports boards and directors to effectively govern digital risks and help protect their businesses and organisations from cyber attacks.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that British industry has sufficient access to energy to remain competitive within Europe.

Answered by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath

Government works closely with the National Energy System Operator to analyse where the energy we need will come from over the short, medium and long-term and to assess a range of factors that could affect our supplies. This enables early action and decisions to ensure we can meet demand. Energy security and resilience is maintained through a diverse mix of sources.

The Capacity Market is Government’s main tool for security of electricity supply, ensuring the electricity capacity required to meet peak demand for businesses and households is met for up to four years ahead of its use.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how the US–UK Economic Prosperity Deal will affect the development of trade agreements with other countries.

Answered by Baroness Gustafsson - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal is separate to our negotiations with other countries. We are working to improve our trading relationships with other nations alongside our work with the US. For example, the UK concluded a landmark trade deal with India on 6 May, and on 19 May the Prime Minister confirmed a new agreement with the European Union which will deliver on his core mission to grow the economy, back British jobs and put more money in people’s pockets.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reports that foreign direct investment in the United Kingdom has declined in the past year, and what steps they are taking to reverse any decline.

Answered by Baroness Gustafsson - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The latest PwC survey of Global CEOs showed the UK is now the second most important destination for international investment after the US – beating Germany, China and India [1]. The FT Report 2025 also reaffirmed our status as the leading destination in Europe for Greenfield FDI in 2024, marking the UK’s second-highest recorded investment level.

Additionally, the Department for Business and Trade has been working at pace to develop an Industrial Strategy based on businesses’ responses to the Invest 2035 Green Paper and ongoing engagement with industry. This strategy builds on the government’s commitment to unleash the full potential of UK cities and regions by attracting investment and fostering an environment where businesses can thrive.

[1] https://www.pwc.co.uk/press-room/press-releases/research-commentary/2024/global-ceos-rank-uk-most-important-market-after-us---pwc-s-28th-.html

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of potential for trade agreements with African countries, and which sectors they are prioritising for such agreements.

Answered by Baroness Gustafsson - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The UK has nine trade agreements with 18 countries across Africa, including three association agreements covering Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia in North Africa and six development-focussed Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) in sub-Saharan Africa. UK-African agreements focus on trade in goods. In addition, the UK has a unilateral trade preference scheme, called the Developing Country Trading Scheme, which offers 37 African countries generous preferential access to the UK market, with most countries eligible for tariff-free and duty-free access on all products, excluding arms and ammunition.