Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Smith of Malvern on 12 February (HL14125), what is the breakdown of the students from England who participated in the Erasmus programme in 2020 by English region.

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

In 2020, the regional breakdown of higher education students from England who participated in the Erasmus+ programme was:

• 18.6% from the South West.
• 14.7% from London.
• 13.7% from the West Midlands.
• 11.7% from the East Midlands.
• 10.6% from Yorkshire and The Humber.
• 10.4% from the South East.
• 8.4% from the North West.
• 7.1% from the North East.
• 4.8% from the East of England.

All Erasmus+ data is publicly available.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government how much they spent to acquire Sheffield Forgemasters; how much more they have invested to date; and what estimate they have made of the cost of future investment.

Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) spent £2.56 million in August 2021 to acquire Sheffield Forgemasters and its unique defence supply capability in its entirety. To date the MOD has invested a further £542 million in the recapitalisation of the company to modernise and expand its defence manufacturing facilities, including a new 13,000 tonne forging line and a state-of-the-art machining facility. The programme to deliver this is running to cost and schedule and completes in 2033. The total investment is forecast to be £1.3 billion.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to accelerate the development, testing, production and installation of DragonFire.

Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The UK Government is committed to accelerating the development, testing, production, and installation of the DragonFire high energy laser system. The UK remains on track to become the first European NATO nation to bring advanced laser directed energy technology into service. Two major periods of firing trials, conducted successfully in 2025, have been instrumental in advancing the system's readiness for service and operational capability.

In November 2025, the Ministry of Defence awarded a contract to MBDA for the delivery of the first two DragonFire units, with the first of these scheduled for installation on a Type 45 destroyer in 2027, five years earlier than originally planned. This programme exemplifies the MOD's commitment to supporting British technical excellence and rapidly integrating cutting-edge technology to enhance the capabilities of our Armed Forces.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government which company will provide the new electric buses for Sheffield.

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

On 12 March it was announced that South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) will receive a grant of £33.4m to help improve air quality in Sheffield by replacing diesel buses with new zero-emission buses. It is for SYMCA to procure these buses.

Found: Lord Spellar Rt Hon.

Found: Lord Spellar Rt Hon.

Found: Baroness Hunter of Auchenreoch; Lord Marland; Baroness Mobarik; Baroness Northover; Lord Peach; Lord Spellar

Found: Baroness Winterton of Doncaster Apologies and Notices Apologies were received from Lord Spellar