Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to promote literacy enrichment in the criminal justice system as part of the National Year of Reading.
Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
I refer the noble Lord to the answer I gave to question PQ HL 14560 to Lord Weir on 23 February 2026.
The National Year of Reading is a welcome opportunity to promote a wide range of activity to improve literacy and engagement with reading for people in custody and on probation.
As part of this work we have appointed the first ever Prison Reading Laureate, the author Lee Child. He will champion the transformative power of reading across the criminal justice system, continue expansion of his successful literacy pilot programme which has been running in a number of prisons since 2025 and will bring in more authors to work with prisons across the country, promoting the benefits of reading to rehabilitation.
Reading is a priority for HMPPS who work with many voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations such as the Reading Agency and National Literacy Trust. A programme of work is planned throughout this year to improve national access to books and facilitate workshops with authors. The Youth Custody Service is also launching its first ever Literacy Festival to inspire reading amongst some of the most complex children in our society.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to promote the National Year of Reading in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland recently chaired the East-West Council in Belfast where the Minister for Early Years reported on the significant collaboration between all four nations of the UK regarding the National Year of Reading.
This Government remains committed to working with partners across the United Kingdom to collaborate to share best practices.
Education is a devolved matter and is the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Executive, and decisions about the National Year of Reading in Northern Ireland are for the Northern Ireland Education Minister.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to promote the National Year of Reading in Wales.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The National Year of Reading, a DfE initiative, aims to address long-term declines in reading enjoyment through engaging new audiences, reshaping public attitudes and building the systems needed to embed lasting, meaningful change. The National Year of Reading includes a major physical and online marketing campaign, as well as exciting events, webinars, resources, and activities in communities, libraries, schools and early years settings throughout the year.
In Wales, the bilingual campaign will build on work already underway to support schools, learners and families, to improve literacy standards and nurture a lasting habit of enjoying reading. The campaign will encourage people to ‘Go all in’/ Ymgolli’ and enjoy reading. The National Year of Reading offers further opportunity to celebrate and promote the love of reading in both English and Welsh, showcasing the rich linguistic landscape and encouraging more people to discover, enjoy and engage with literature in the language of their choice.
As Education is devolved, the Welsh Government is working with partners such as schools, local authorities, public libraries, and community groups across Wales to promote a love of reading and deliver a campaign to nurture lifelong reading habits. These partners play a vital role in the campaign and will take part in events across the year to showcase the joy of reading to people of all ages. The campaign also aligns with Estyn’s enhanced focus on reading, which will see the inspectorate working with all education providers to prioritise improving the reading skills of all learners in Wales.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to promote the National Year of Reading in Scotland.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The National Year of Reading is a UK-wide campaign to address the steep decline in reading enjoyment amongst children, young people and adults. For example, only last month our delivery partner for this campaign, the National Literacy Trust, revealed that fewer than 1 in 10 teenage boys read daily for pleasure.
The National Year of Reading aims to engage new audiences, reshape public attitudes and embed lasting, meaningful change on attitudes to reading. It includes a major marketing campaign as well as exciting events, webinars, resources, and activities in communities, libraries, schools and early years settings throughout 2026.
Let me emphasise that this is a UK-wide campaign, and we are working in collaboration with the Scottish Government and DC Thomson, The Scottish Book Trust and The Scottish Book and Information Council to deliver this important initiative in Scotland.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assurances, if any, they have received from the government of China that sanctions will not be imposed on UK parliamentary representatives in the future.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Noble Lord to the Prime Minister's statement on China and Japan on 2 February in the House of Commons, and the Private Notice Question that was debated on 2 February.
In his meeting with the Prime Minister, President Xi Jinping confirmed that all parliamentarians are free to travel to China.
This Government has been clear that China's retaliatory sanctions on UK parliamentarians and others are unwarranted and unacceptable. The lifting of restrictions for all parliamentarians is a positive step, and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is engaging with Chinese officials to get more clarity on what the latest changes mean in practice, including for non-parliamentarians sanctioned by China.
Except for the sanctions announced by the Chinese authorities in March 2021, the Government is not aware of any other UK citizens who are subject to official sanctions.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what actions they are taking to ensure sanctions imposed by China on former Members of Parliament are removed.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Noble Lord to the Prime Minister's statement on China and Japan on 2 February in the House of Commons, and the Private Notice Question that was debated on 2 February.
In his meeting with the Prime Minister, President Xi Jinping confirmed that all parliamentarians are free to travel to China.
This Government has been clear that China's retaliatory sanctions on UK parliamentarians and others are unwarranted and unacceptable. The lifting of restrictions for all parliamentarians is a positive step, and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is engaging with Chinese officials to get more clarity on what the latest changes mean in practice, including for non-parliamentarians sanctioned by China.
Except for the sanctions announced by the Chinese authorities in March 2021, the Government is not aware of any other UK citizens who are subject to official sanctions.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many UK citizens are subject to sanctions by China.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Noble Lord to the Prime Minister's statement on China and Japan on 2 February in the House of Commons, and the Private Notice Question that was debated on 2 February.
In his meeting with the Prime Minister, President Xi Jinping confirmed that all parliamentarians are free to travel to China.
This Government has been clear that China's retaliatory sanctions on UK parliamentarians and others are unwarranted and unacceptable. The lifting of restrictions for all parliamentarians is a positive step, and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is engaging with Chinese officials to get more clarity on what the latest changes mean in practice, including for non-parliamentarians sanctioned by China.
Except for the sanctions announced by the Chinese authorities in March 2021, the Government is not aware of any other UK citizens who are subject to official sanctions.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what sanctions or penalties they plan to impose on (1) Hamas, (2) members of Hamas, and (3) anti-Jewish terrorist organisations, in addition to those already in place.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK proscribed Hamas in its entirety in November 2021, making it a criminal offence to be a member of or support the organisation, and we have also sanctioned Palestinian Islamic Jihad, The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command, and a number of associated individuals. We do not comment on potential future sanctions, as to do so would risk reducing their impact.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what sanctions or penalties they have imposed on (1) Hamas, (2) members of Hamas, and (3) anti-Jewish terrorist organisations, since September 2025.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK proscribed Hamas in its entirety in November 2021, making it a criminal offence to be a member of or support the organisation, and we have also sanctioned Palestinian Islamic Jihad, The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command, and a number of associated individuals. We do not comment on potential future sanctions, as to do so would risk reducing their impact.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what role Young Futures Hubs will play in the delivery of the National Year of Reading.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The National Year of Reading is a Department for Education initiative, in collaboration with the National Literacy Trust.
Young Futures Hubs will bring together services to improve access to opportunities and support for young people at community level, promoting positive outcomes and enabling them to thrive. Local Authorities participating in the programme will co-design the services in each hub alongside young people in the community to ensure it meets local needs.
Young Futures Hubs are just one part of delivering support within a much wider youth landscape, and will work closely with core services and wider initiatives spanning youth, education, employment, social care, mental health, youth justice and policing.