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

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to protect consumers from highly inflated ticket prices resulting from the use of dynamic pricing software.

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

This government recognises that fans should be kept at the heart of live events, and we are concerned to see vastly inflated prices excluding many ordinary fans from having the opportunity to enjoy their favourite musicians.

That is why we have committed to introducing new protections for consumers on ticket resales, and we will launch a consultation in the autumn to seek views on potential options.

Following recent events, we will also examine issues around the transparency and use of dynamic pricing as part of our upcoming consultation this autumn. We welcome the Competition and Markets Authority’s announcement that it is also urgently reviewing recent developments in the ticketing market, including the use of dynamic pricing.

Dynamic pricing as a practice is not prohibited under consumer protection law. However, businesses using dynamic pricing are required to be fair and transparent in their dealings with consumers, and ensure they provide timely, clear and accurate information about their pricing practices. Failure to comply with these requirements may result in a breach of consumer law and could be followed by enforcement action.

We recognise that this is a complex area, and will work with artists, industry and fans to create a fairer system.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure Britain remains competitive in AI innovation following cuts to AI investment.

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

The government is committed to bringing the AI Research Resource supercomputers in Bristol and Cambridge online, which will increase our AI compute capacity by 30 times. In addition, AI entrepreneur Matt Clifford has been appointed to lead the government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan. This will set out recommendations to grow our AI sector and ensure AI can be deployed across the economy to improve people’s lives.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure the wellbeing of pensioners this winter, particularly in the light of (1) the forecasted rise of household bills, and (2) the removal of the Winter Fuel Allowance.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Over the next five years we expect over 12 million pensioners are likely to see their State Pensions increase by thousands of pounds as a result of our commitment to the Triple Lock.

Additionally, the Government will invest an extra £6.6 billion over this Parliament in clean heat and energy efficiency through the Warm Homes Plan, upgrading five million homes through solutions like low carbon heating and improved insulation to reduce emissions and cut bills.

The Household Support Fund is also being extended for a further six months, from 1 October 2024 until 31 March 2025.   An additional £421 million will be provided to enable the extension of the HSF in England, plus funding for the Devolved Governments through the Barnett formula to be spent at their discretion, as usual.

The Warm Home Discount scheme in England and Wales provides eligible low-income households across Great Britain with a £150 rebate on their electricity bill. This winter, we expect over three million households, including over one million pensioners, to benefit under the scheme.

We know there are low-income pensioners who aren’t claiming Pension Credit, and we urge those people to apply. This will passport them to receive Winter Fuel Payment alongside other benefits – hundreds of pounds that could really help them. We will ensure that the poorest pensioners get the support they need.

Over the past two years, energy bills have fallen. Between 1 October to 31 December 2024 Ofgem’s energy price cap is set at £1717 per year for a typical household. This means the price cap for October to December 2024 will be more than 5% lower (£117 less) than for October to December 2023.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the decline in confidence among small businesses following (1) rises in energy prices, (2) the increase in material costs, and (3) the anticipated rise in employment costs.

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

We recognise that recent times have been challenging for business. The Government is committed to support small businesses. Our Plan for Small Business set out nine pledges, including a pledge to reduce the cost of energy bills. We will be setting out further detail over the coming months.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that universities remain and do not close down despite financial difficulties.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)

The department is committed to creating a secure future for our world-leading universities so they can deliver for students, taxpayers, workers and the economy. The government has already started reviewing options to deliver a more robust higher education (HE) sector but it will take time to get it right.

Sir David Behan has been appointed as interim Chair of the Office for Students (OfS) to oversee the important work of refocusing their role to concentrate on key priorities, including prioritising the financial stability of the HE sector.

However, the government recognises the immediate financial strain that some providers are under and is working closely with the OfS to monitor any risks and to ensure students' best interests are protected.

Ultimately, HE providers are independent from the government and therefore it is their responsibility to ensure they have a sustainable business model.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure the UK remains an attractive destination for businesses.

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

We are committed to ensuring the UK remains a leading destination for companies to invest and do business. The International Investment Summit in October will showcase our commitment to partnering with global businesses to secure the investment we need for growth. We are answering investors’ calls for stability and predictability with our new Industrial Strategy, providing long-term confidence to invest. The National Wealth Fund will bring together key institutions to offer compelling propositions to investors.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure the protection of families and young children, particularly in light of (1) the decrease in local authority spending on early intervention services, and (2) the rising number of children in residential care.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)

The department recognises that there is a strong evidence base for early intervention to support families stay together and thrive. This will be at the heart of this government’s system reform of children’s social care.

Through the £45 million Families First for Children Pathfinder and Family Network Pilot, the department is testing the implementation of intensive whole-family support in 10 pathfinder local authorities, where multi-disciplinary teams are providing targeted support to help families overcome challenges at the earliest opportunity, to prevent escalation, to keep children safe and help families to overcome challenges, stay together and thrive. The pathfinder is being independently evaluated. Early evaluation findings are expected in spring 2025.

The department recognises that there are increasing numbers of children in high cost, residential placements. Whilst many children benefit from high quality children’s homes, for too many children, residential placements do not meet their needs and are putting significant pressures on local authority budgets. This is why the department is committed to supporting alternatives to care for children who cannot stay with their birth parents, such as kinship arrangements. Through the Family’s First for Children pathfinder and Family Network Pilot, the department aims to make greater use of family networks, involving them in decision-making at an earlier stage, and providing practical and financial support via family network support packages to help keep children safe at home.

Furthermore, foster carers play a vital role in the care system, offering stable, nurturing, and loving family environments. However, in recent years the number of people applying to be foster carers has dropped significantly. The department is addressing this through a suite of measures. Key among these is the creation of a regional approach where 99 local authorities are working in 10 regional clusters, collaborating to recruit and retain foster carers.

This government is introducing a Children’s Wellbeing Bill to support these reforms, including through a strengthened multi-agency response. The department will also take targeted action on specific harms such as child criminal and sexual exploitation.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the increasing number of migrant deaths when attempting to cross the English Channel.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

Channel crossing attempts by migrants in small boats have always been lethally dangerous, with the Channel being a very busy shipping lane. The first recorded fatalities occurred in August 2019. Since the start of 2024, there have been 12 fatal incidents involving the deaths of 37 people. Crossings are getting more and more dangerous as time goes on, with the danger and the risk rising as quality of boats deteriorates and more people are crammed on board.

The ‘vessels’ used to make these crossings are not of commercial manufacture. They are poorly constructed, from cheap and flimsy materials, are unseaworthy, underpowered, and lack safety equipment. They founder frequently, and for each fatal incident there are plenty of other near misses where boats have begun to deflate and people have gone in the water.

The criminal gangs who facilitate these crossings have no interest in the welfare of their clients, only in the pursuit of profit. It is for this reason that boats are increasingly seen to be overcrowded, with the most vulnerable packed into the middle of the boat where crushing and other injuries, such as fuel burns, become more likely.

We are working closely with the French to reduce the risk to life from these crossings and with partners across Europe to bring the evil people smuggling gangs to justice.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that new regulations on the use of artificial intelligence (1) avoid hindering innovation, (2) adapt to a growing industry, and (3) prevent domestic companies from being at a disadvantage internationally.

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

In the King’s Speech, the Government set out its intention to legislate to place binding requirements on those developing most powerful AI models. These proposals will be highly targeted and will support growth and innovation by providing clarity to developers and boosting public trust and business confidence.

The government will be consulting on these proposals to ensure they support UK competitiveness in AI while ensuring its safe development. In addition, the AI Opportunities Action Plan, chaired by Matt Clifford, will set out how the Government can support the growth of the AI sector and compete on the global stage.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of Britain’s labour market, particularly in relation to (1) the decrease in job placements, and (2) the decline in pay growth.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Job placements, as measured by employment, are currently at 33.2m. These have increased by 265,000 on the quarter and 150,000 on the year. The employment rate remains lower than it was immediately pre-COVID by 1.4 percentage points. This has been driven almost entirely by increased economic inactivity, including long term sickness which is at a near-record high.

Regular pay growth (excluding bonuses) is currently at 5.1% on the year without accounting for inflation. This rate of pay growth has slowed since June 2023 when it reached 7.9%. Regular pay growth after inflation is currently at 2.2% on the year, following falls in real pay in 2022 and 2023 due to high inflation. Regular earnings after inflation are currently only 3% or £15 a week higher in the latest three months than the start of 2008, 16 years ago.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address teacher shortages.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)

​​​​​​​High quality teaching is the factor that makes the biggest difference to a child’s education. There are now 468,693 full-time equivalent (FTE) teachers in state-funded schools in England, but we must do more to ensure we have the workforce needed to provide the best possible education for every child in all parts of the country, which is why the government has set out the ambition to recruit 6,500 new expert teachers with a focus on key shortage subjects.

​The first crucial step towards achieving this is to ensure teachers get the pay they deserve, which is why the department has accepted in full the School Teachers’ Review Body’s recommendation of a 5.5% pay award for teachers and leaders in maintained schools from this September.

​The department wants to ensure teaching is once again an attractive and respected profession. It is committed to resetting the relationship with the teaching profession. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, has already spoken to various stakeholders and teachers working at the front end and continues to do so. The department is now developing the Social Partnership to work more closely with the sector unions to ensure they have a stronger voice on policies that affect their work.

​Alongside teacher pay, financial incentives are one of the most effective ways to increase teacher supply, and we are continuing to support teacher trainees with tax-free bursaries of up to £28,000 and scholarships of up to £30,000 in shortage subjects. For 2024/25 and 2025/26, we are also offering a Targeted Retention Incentive worth up to £6,000 after tax for mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing teachers in the first five years of their careers who choose to work in disadvantaged schools.

​Recruiting more teachers is a key part of the department’s Opportunity Mission. This government is also committed to tackling long standing retention challenges to ensure teachers stay and thrive in the profession, including by addressing teacher workload and wellbeing, and supporting schools to introduce flexible working practices. The department has made key resources available to help teachers better manage their workload.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of increasing housing costs.

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

While the pricing of mortgages is a commercial decision for lenders, we recognise that many home owners have been faced with higher mortgage rates in recent years. That is why we are committed to delivering economic stability to grow the economy and keep taxes, inflation and mortgage rates as low as possible.

Higher mortgage rates, along with the general increase in the cost of living have in particular created significant challenges for first-time buyers. In 2023 there were 235,000 first-time buyers, compared to 334,000 in 2021, a fall of nearly 30%. Too many people are now locked out of homeownership. Our aim to build 1.5m homes will help tackle this. We have also committed to introducing a permanent, comprehensive mortgage guarantee scheme and to giving first-time buyers the first chance to buy homes.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase capital expenditure in the NHS.

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

Capital investment in the National Health Service increased significantly at the last Spending Review, from approximately £4 billion in 2019/20 to nearly £9 billion in 2024/25. However, Professor Lord Darzi’s independent investigation into the NHS in England, published on 12 September 2024, found that the NHS remains undercapitalised.

The Government recognises that strategic, value for money investments in capital schemes are critical to providing high-quality health and social care, increased productivity, and patient safety.

Decisions regarding future capital investment in the NHS are subject to the upcoming Spending Review. In line with the Government’s plans to deliver an NHS fit for the future, and as part of our internal Spending Review preparations, the Department and NHS England are currently reviewing the NHS capital requirements, including through NHS England’s assessment of long-term NHS estate needs across a range of areas.

Integrated care systems have also been developing local infrastructure strategies with help from NHS England that support key estate investment decisions.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve GDP growth.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

Achieving sustained economic growth is the priority mission of this government. The government is focused on fixing the foundations of the UK’s economy.

Having launched the Growth Mission in July 2024, the government has already taken several steps including planning reforms to get Britain building, establishing the National Wealth Fund, announcing a Pensions Review, and launching Skills England. The government is under no illusion of the scale of the challenge, however, given the difficult economic inheritance.

HM Treasury does not prepare formal forecasts for the UK economy, which are the responsibility of the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). In its March forecast, the OBR expects that GDP per capita will surpass its pre-pandemic peak in 2025. Further details can be found in Table 1.5 of the OBR’s latest Economic and Fiscal Outlook published in March 2024: https://obr.uk/efo/economic-and-fiscal-outlook-march-2024/.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the findings in the review by Lord Darzi of Denham Independent Investigation of the National Health Service in England, published on 12 September, that (1) "cancer care lags behind other countries", and (2) "the UK has appreciably higher cancer mortality rates than other countries"

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

Professor Lord Darzi’s report sets out that the United Kingdom has higher mortality from cancer than neighbouring countries, the Nordic countries, and other English-speaking countries, using data published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. His report also uses the latest data from the International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership to show that five-year survival for common cancers is below that of comparable countries.

The Department remains committed to improving cancer survival rates by hitting all National Health Service cancer waiting time targets within five years, so no patient waits longer than they should.

We will get the NHS diagnosing cancer on time, diagnosing it earlier, and treating it faster, and we will improve patients’ experience across the system.

The findings of Professor Lord Darzi’s independent review will feed into the Government’s 10-year plan to build a health service that is fit for the future. We are considering how a long-term strategic approach to cancer would best fit in with the 10-year plan.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that planning regulation does not hinder the effective implementation of the 5G mobile signal.

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

In 2022, the government made changes to planning regulations to provide mobile operators with the flexibility to upgrade existing sites in England for 5G delivery, enhance coverage and meet the growing demands for network capacity. The reforms were designed to reduce the time, cost and uncertainty involved in upgrading mobile network infrastructure and to encourage greater use and sharing of existing infrastructure. The UK Government is committed to supporting investment in high-quality, reliable digital connectivity so that communities can benefit from faster economic growth and greater social inclusion. Permitted development rights for telecommunications infrastructure have been developed to ensure planning supports this mission. This government has committed to further reforms to the planning system including making it easier to build digital infrastructure.

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce the ethnicity pay gap in businesses.

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

The King’s Speech announced our intention to publish draft legislation this session that will introduce mandatory ethnicity pay gap reporting for large employers (those with 250 or more employees). This will help businesses to identify and close ethnicity pay gaps within their workforces.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to appoint a new investment minister.

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

My Rt Hon Friends the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Secretary of State for Business and Trade are responsible for this Government’s priority of growth and advancing opportunities for investment across the country.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the annual loss of tax revenue from small businesses.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

HMRC is committed to tackling all forms of non-compliance, including evasion. Each year HMRC makes an annual assessment of the tax gap, which is the difference between the amount of tax that should, in theory, be paid, and the amount that is actually paid. The latest published tax gap is for 2022-23 and was 4.8% of theoretical liabilities, or £39.8bn. The element attributable to small businesses is 60% (£24.1bn) of that overall tax gap.

HMRC publishes these estimates in its annual ‘Measuring the Tax Gap’ report. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/measuring-tax-gaps

The tax gap derives from a wide range of non-compliant behaviours, from simple errors at one end of the spectrum to more deliberate behaviours at the other, requiring different approaches to tackle it. The Government is committed to ensuring that businesses and individuals pay the taxes they owe.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to protect high street businesses, particularly independent traders.

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

This Government is focused on its five-point plan to breathe life back into Britain’s high streets. We understand how important the high street is to our businesses which is why our plans include tackling retail crime, ensuring a level playing field between online and high street businesses, stamping out late payments and ending the blight of empty spaces. This work will ensure that our high streets are great places for our businesses, supporting economic growth across the UK.

I am looking forward to working with the Sector Councils for Retail and Hospitality on the strategic issues facing the sectors, including high street regeneration and investment, labour and retail careers, sustainability and supply chain resilience.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government when they intend to re-introduce the Football Governance Bill.

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

The Football Governance Bill was announced as part of the King’s Speech on 17 July 2024. We will introduce this legislation as soon as parliamentary time allows.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support the agribusiness sector in reaching net zero carbon emissions targets.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

This Government is committed to delivering net zero by 2050 and we will work in collaboration with farmers and others with a stake in our food system towards this.

The transition to more climate friendly practices will go hand in hand with food security and farm productivity. We will support farmers to adopt low carbon farming practices, increasing the carbon stored on their land while boosting profitability.

As part of this, we will optimise environmental land management schemes to make them work for farmers and nature, and introduce a land-use framework, helping to protect both the environment, food security and livelihoods.

We will also look carefully at how to enable the benefits of innovation in reaching net zero carbon targets and the integration of new technologies and best practice into farming practices.

Furthermore, to support our farming businesses, we will protect them from being undercut in trade deals, make the supply chain work more fairly and prevent shock rises in bills by switching on GB Energy.