Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the proposed digital ID scheme will be rolled out on the same basis for all parts of the UK.

Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

From the end of this Parliament, UK employers will be required to conduct digital right to work checks when people move jobs.

The Government will work closely with the Devolved Governments throughout all stages of the programme’s development.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what actions they are taking with the EU to remove the requirement for those selling poppies in Northern Ireland to have an EU sticker on every poppy tray to confirm compliance with EU rules, or to make Northern Ireland poppy sellers exempt from this requirement.

Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

We are pleased that the Royal British Legion continues their charitable fundraising activities in Northern Ireland as they have always done. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has written to the Royal British Legion to assure them that the updated General Product Safety Regulation in Northern Ireland does not apply in respect of the Poppy Appeal.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what actions they are taking with the EU to ensure that the sale of poppies in Northern Ireland is removed or made exempt from the requirement to have an EU representative nominated with associated paperwork.

Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

We are pleased that the Royal British Legion continues their charitable fundraising activities in Northern Ireland as they have always done. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has written to the Royal British Legion to assure them that the updated General Product Safety Regulation in Northern Ireland does not apply in respect of the Poppy Appeal.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they are having with the devolved administrations of the UK to share knowledge and experience gained from trials that ban or restrict the use of smartphones in schools.

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

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

The department continues to be interested in the approaches taken in the devolved nations with regards to behaviour in schools. Officials have met with representatives from the devolved administrations to share knowledge and discuss policy development, including around mobile phone use in schools, to inform a broader understanding of the policies across different education systems.

Schools should prohibit the use of mobile phones and other smart technology with similar functionality to mobile phones throughout the school day, including during lessons, the time between lessons, breaktimes and lunchtime, as set out in the ‘Mobile phones in schools’ guidance, published in 2024.

The department expects all schools to take steps in line with this guidance to ensure mobile phones do not disrupt pupils’ learning.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that people with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia are diagnosed early enough to benefit from novel treatments if approved by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence in the future.

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

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for developing authoritative, evidence-based recommendations for the National Health Service on whether new medicines represent a clinically and cost-effective use of resources. The NHS in England is legally required to fund medicines recommended in a NICE appraisal, usually within three months of final guidance.

A timely diagnosis is vital to ensuring that a person with dementia can access the advice, information, care, and support that can help them to live well and remain independent for as long as possible. We remain committed to recovering the dementia diagnosis rate to the national ambition of 66.7%. The latest dementia diagnosis rate reported by NHS England for the end of September 2025 was 66.3%.

To support commissioners and providers with appropriate data and to enable targeted support where needed, we have developed a memory service dashboard for management information purposes.

Our health system has struggled to support those with complex needs, including those with dementia. Under the 10-Year Health Plan, those living with dementia will benefit from improved care planning and better services.

We will deliver the first ever Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia to deliver rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. This will be informed by phase one of the independent commission into adult social care, expected in 2026.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many Troubles-related criminal cases are pending to appear in court or currently being processed against (1) members of proscribed terrorist organisations and (2) veterans of the security forces.

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

While ongoing prosecutions are a matter for the independent Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland, it is the Government’s understanding that there are nine ongoing Troubles-related prosecutions.

Of those nine prosecutions, six fall in the republican category, one in the loyalist category, one in the former police category and one in the military category.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what cross-departmental discussions have taken place on adopting a joined-up approach to evidence-based parenting support; and on the merits of ensuring that the Best Start in Life Strategy is driven by evidence-based parenting programmes.

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

Best Start Family Hubs are key to our vision of joined-up services in the community, bringing together professionals from health and education, working with nurseries, childminders, schools, health services, libraries and local voluntary and community groups.

The department has confirmed over £500 million of funding allocated for the delivery of Best Start Family Hubs, parenting programmes and home learning environment support.

Through Best Start Family Hubs, all local authorities will deliver evidence-based interventions for families with 3 to 4 year-olds from April 2026. The department will be sharing a list of evidence-based interventions that have been developed in collaboration with expert partners and informed by sources such as the Foundations Guidebook and Nesta’s call for evidence. The list will favour evidence-based interventions that have undergone the most rigorous evaluation to reflect our ambition to support local authorities in investing in programmes most likely to have the greatest impact.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government how much funding they have provided to enable students to obtain International Baccalaureate qualifications in each of the past five years, and how much funding they will provide for that purpose in 2026–27.

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

Funding is not provided specifically to enable students to obtain International Baccalaureate qualifications. The amounts of total programme funding allocated to institutions for 16 to 19 year olds to undertake T Levels and study programmes, which include the International Baccalaureate over the last 5 years can be found in the table below:

Department for Education funded providers offering the International Baccalaureate will continue to receive 16-19 education funding in the 2026/2027 academic year but the allocations have not yet been made and so the total programme funding figure is not yet available.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to reform the NHS Health Check to identify individuals at increased risk for dementia.

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

The NHS Health Check programme, a core component of England’s cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention programme, already aims to prevent some cases of dementia in eligible people by making them aware that many of the risk factors for CVD are the same as those for vascular dementia.

All attendees aged 65 to 74 years old should be made aware of the signs and symptoms of dementia and be signposted to memory services where appropriate.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to include a hearing check as part of the NHS Health Check to help identify mid-life hearing loss.

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

The NHS Health Check’s Expert Scientific and Clinical Advisory Panel considered proposals to include a hearing check as part of the programme in 2019 and 2021. The proposals were not supported by the panel, in line with the UK National Screening Committee which has recommended against screening for adult hearing loss. For these reasons, there are no current plans to include a hearing check as part of the NHS Health Check.

The Department is carefully considering options to improve the impact of the NHS Health Check programme, and this work is ongoing.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase the flow and quantity of humanitarian aid, particularly medical supplies, being sent into Gaza.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)

I refer the Noble Lord to the answer I provided on 24 October to Question HL10829.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to increase the amount of aid, in particular the amount of medical supplies, provided to Gaza.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)

I refer the Noble Lord to the answer I provided on 24 October to Question HL10829.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that biological male prisoners are not held in women's prisons.

Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

Almost all transgender prisoners are already allocated in line with their biological sex. Over 95% of transgender women are held in men's prisons, and the majority of those in the women's estate are held on E Wing at HMP/YOI Downview, a separate unit where they cannot access the wider regime unless risk assessed as being safe to do so and they are supervised by staff.

No transgender women who retain their birth genitalia and/or have any history of sexual or violent offences can be held in the general women’s estate unless an exemption is granted by a Minister.

The small number of transgender women who are held in the general women's estate are there because they have been risk-assessed as being safe to do so, and because there is a compelling reason to hold them there (which can include risks to them from a placement elsewhere).

We are reviewing transgender prisoner policy following the For Women Scotland vs. The Scottish Ministers Supreme Court ruling and will be able to say more about this in due course.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to review or reform the basis on which National Institute for Health and Care Excellence assesses whether to authorise new drugs for NHS use.

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

The Department regularly has discussions with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) about a range of issues. NICE is responsible for the methods and processes that it uses in the development of its guidance and recommendations and has processes in place to keep its methods and processes under review.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government when they intend to issue guidance to the NHS on single sex changing rooms and hospital wards.

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

NHS England is currently reviewing its Delivering same-sex accommodation guidance and will ensure that it reflects the Supreme Court’s For Women Scotland Ltd v. The Scottish Ministers ruling, and is aligned with the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s statutory Code of Practice (the Code) when that becomes available.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission has submitted its draft updated Code to the Minister for Women and Equalities. The Government will consider the draft updated Code and, if the decision is taken to approve it, the Minister will lay it before Parliament. Parliament will then have a 40-day period to consider the Code.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government when they will issue guidance to schools, colleges, universities and youth facilities on single-sex changing rooms and facilities, and related issues to comply with the Supreme Court ruling in For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers.

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

Single-sex spaces are protected in law and will always be protected by this government.

Schools must always protect single-sex spaces with regard to toilets, showers and changing rooms. The School Premises (England) Regulations 2012 and the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014 impose statutory requirements for both maintained and independent schools to provide sex-separated toilets and suitable changing accommodation and showers for pupils (apart from individual toilets in fully enclosed rooms).

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has also submitted the draft updated Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations to my right hon. Friend, the Minister for Women and Equalities, which the government is considering prior to next steps.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure biological males cannot be recorded as women in the crime statistics.

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

The Government is considering the implications of the Supreme Court ruling on the definition of sex within the Equality Act.

The Government Statistical Service Harmonisation team, based in the Office for National Statistics, are also in the process of reviewing standards and guidance for statistical data on sex and on gender identity.

Once this has concluded the Government will review current guidance to agencies that collect crime statistics across the criminal justice system.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government whether negotiations on a sanitary and phytosanitary deal with the EU have begun; if not, why not; and when any such negotiations are due to begin.

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

We have begun negotiations with the EU on an SPS agreement to make agrifood trade with our biggest market cheaper and easier, cutting costs and removing barriers to trade for British producers and retailers. While those negotiations are ongoing, we cannot comment further on the SPS agreement