Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
These initiatives were driven by Lord Carlile of Berriew, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
Lord Carlile of Berriew has not introduced any legislation before Parliament
Lord Carlile of Berriew has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting
While the Government recognises the personal challenges faced by people with addictions or dependencies such as alcohol, we subscribe to the view of successive Governments since the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, that it is not appropriate to give such conditions protected status under discrimination law. Alcohol addiction or dependency therefore remains specifically excluded from the Act’s definition of disability under the Equality Act 2010 (Disability) Regulations 2010.
Addiction and dependency can however sometimes cause a disability – for example lung or kidney failure – or be the result of a disability, for example a mental health condition. Where the addiction arises due to medically prescribed drugs or other medical treatment – for example an individual who has an addiction to painkillers because they are prescribed following an accident or surgery – protection may also be available under the Act. We believe that this offers the right balance between protecting individuals on the one hand and employers and service providers on the other.
There is a strong programme of work underway to address alcohol-related health harms and disparities, including an ambitious programme to establish specialist Alcohol Care Teams in hospitals and support children of alcohol dependent parents. The focus of the newly established Office for Health Improvement and Disparities is on improving the nation’s health and levelling up health disparities. This includes tackling alcohol-related health harms.
While the Government recognises the personal challenges faced by people with addictions or dependencies such as alcohol, we subscribe to the view of successive Governments since the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, that it is not appropriate to give such conditions protected status under discrimination law. Alcohol addiction or dependency therefore remains specifically excluded from the Act’s definition of disability under the Equality Act 2010 (Disability) Regulations 2010.
Addiction and dependency can however sometimes cause a disability – for example lung or kidney failure – or be the result of a disability, for example a mental health condition. Where the addiction arises due to medically prescribed drugs or other medical treatment – for example an individual who has an addiction to painkillers because they are prescribed following an accident or surgery – protection may also be available under the Act. We believe that this offers the right balance between protecting individuals on the one hand and employers and service providers on the other.
There is a strong programme of work underway to address alcohol-related health harms and disparities, including an ambitious programme to establish specialist Alcohol Care Teams in hospitals and support children of alcohol dependent parents. The focus of the newly established Office for Health Improvement and Disparities is on improving the nation’s health and levelling up health disparities. This includes tackling alcohol-related health harms.
Legislation and Standing Orders provide for the expulsion of peers from the House of Lords who are imprisoned for serious offences. Ultimately, matters relating to the expulsion of a peer is for the House of Lords rather than the Government.
Nobody is under any obligation to address convicted criminals for serious offences by their title.
Whilst Peers may voluntarily stop using their peerage titles, there is currently no formal mechanism for revoking their titles, which would require bespoke primary legislation. The Government currently has no plans to bring forward such legislation.
His Majesty’s Government recognises the impact that fraudulent advertising can have on people’s lives and is committed to increasing protections against it. Data from the City of London Police / the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau found 35,000 frauds linked to digital advertising from April 2020 to March 2021, which carried an estimated overall cost of £400 million.
As set out in HM Government’s response to the consultation on the Online Advertising Programme in July, the programme’s focus is on tackling illegal advertising and increasing protections for children and young people under 18 against advertisements for products and services which it is illegal to sell to them. It is intended that all forms of paid-for fraudulent advertising will be in scope. Further detail of the proposed regulation will be set out in a second consultation, which will be published in due course.
His Majesty’s Government recognises the impact that fraudulent advertising can have on people’s lives and is committed to increasing protections against it. Data from the City of London Police / the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau found 35,000 frauds linked to digital advertising from April 2020 to March 2021, which carried an estimated overall cost of £400 million.
As set out in HM Government’s response to the consultation on the Online Advertising Programme in July, the programme’s focus is on tackling illegal advertising and increasing protections for children and young people under 18 against advertisements for products and services which it is illegal to sell to them. It is intended that all forms of paid-for fraudulent advertising will be in scope. Further detail of the proposed regulation will be set out in a second consultation, which will be published in due course.
His Majesty’s Government recognises the impact that fraudulent advertising can have on people’s lives and is committed to increasing protections against it. Data from the City of London Police / the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau found 35,000 frauds linked to digital advertising from April 2020 to March 2021, which carried an estimated overall cost of £400 million.
As set out in HM Government’s response to the consultation on the Online Advertising Programme in July, the programme’s focus is on tackling illegal advertising and increasing protections for children and young people under 18 against advertisements for products and services which it is illegal to sell to them. It is intended that all forms of paid-for fraudulent advertising will be in scope. Further detail of the proposed regulation will be set out in a second consultation, which will be published in due course.
The government gave a commitment to update the statutory guidance, ‘Promoting the health and wellbeing of looked-after children’ and extend it to care leavers up to the age of 25, in the ‘Stable Homes, Built on Love’ strategy for the reform of children’s social care. The update forms part of the wider mission in the strategy, ‘to reduce the disparities in long-term mental and physical health outcomes and improve wellbeing for care-experienced people’.
This commitment was reaffirmed in September 2023, but a timeframe for completing the update has not been set. However, the department and the Department of Health and Social Care continue to work together on this update and will work with a wide range of stakeholders with a diversity of professional and lived experience to ensure that the guidance is sensitive to the health and wellbeing needs of all looked-after children and care leavers.
This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only.
The Government recognises the impact that fish-eating birds, such as cormorants and goosanders, can have on fish populations. Currently, Natural England can grant licences to shoot a limited number of cormorants and goosanders to prevent serious damage to inland fisheries, where it can be shown that non-lethal measures are failing to manage predation. In the case of cormorants, up to 3000 birds may be licensed to be shot each year. To improve the effectiveness of both non-lethal and lethal measures, Natural England encourages fisheries within the same river-catchment area to cooperate as part of an area-based licensing scheme.
The Environment Agency also supports the employment of Fishery Management Advisers, who provide practical support to angling clubs and fisheries about protecting fish from cormorants and goosanders.
Working together, Natural England and the Environment Agency help fisheries effectively manage predation problems without irreversibly harming the conservation status of these species.
The Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 (as amended) continues to be effective at providing licensing functions to permit the control of piscivorous birds to protect fisheries and in that regard the Government has no plans to amend the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975.
We are aware that there have been supply constraints with olanzapine 210 milligram, 300 milligram, and 405 milligram powder and solvent for prolonged release suspension for injection. We worked with manufacturers to uplift production, and the issues were resolved in February 2024. We worked with NHS England to issue national communications containing advice on how to manage patients whilst there was a disruption to supply. We are not aware of any supply issues affecting oral presentations of olanzapine, or of any supply issues with any risperidone or haloperidol products.
We are aware that there have been supply constraints with olanzapine 210 milligram, 300 milligram, and 405 milligram powder and solvent for prolonged release suspension for injection. We worked with manufacturers to uplift production, and the issues were resolved in February 2024. We worked with NHS England to issue national communications containing advice on how to manage patients whilst there was a disruption to supply. We are not aware of any supply issues affecting oral presentations of olanzapine, or of any supply issues with any risperidone or haloperidol products.
The Government does not hold information regarding the amount of money each integrated care board (ICB) spends on children’s hospices. There is currently no plan to take any action to ensure that ICBs can identify how much money they spend specifically on children’s hospices.
At a national level, NHS England supports palliative and end of life care for children and young people through the Children and Young People’s hospice grant. The grant provided approximately £17 million in 2021/22, £21 million in 2022/23 and £25 million in 2023/24 directly to children and young people’s hospices. NHS England has confirmed that it will be renewing the grant for 2024/25, once again allocating £25 million grant funding for children’s hospices using the same prevalence-based allocation approach as in 2022/23 and 2023/24. NHS England is reprioritising budgets for 2024/25, in light of the revised assessment of financial position and, whilst it is holding funding aside for the children and young people’s hospice sector, it cannot confirm further details, including the distribution mechanism, until 2024/25 financial planning is concluded.
Additionally, in line with the NHS Long Term Plan commitment, NHSE has provided approximately £8.5 million match-funding to participating ICBs and formerly clinical commissioning groups between 2022/23 and 2023/24 that committed to invest in children and young people’s palliative and end of life care, including hospices, giving a total investment of £17 million for that period.
NHS England and NHS Improvement’s current guidance concerning the placement of transgender people in hospital wards states that this should be done in accordance with their presentation, such as the way the person dresses and the pronouns they use. NHS England is reviewing this guidance and the Department will ensure that any revised guidance takes account of relevant equalities legislation.
The UK judges that remain on Hong Kong's Court of Final Appeal are retired from UK judicial service. The UK judiciary and legal profession are independent from the UK Government. As private citizens, It is for the individuals concerned to make their own personal decisions on their continued service in Hong Kong.
On 13 July, at the Foreign Secretary's instruction, his senior official conducted a formal démarche of the Chinese Ambassador. The senior official set out our strong objections to actions in Hong Kong in recent weeks, including the issuing of arrest warrants and bounties for eight individuals living overseas, three of whom live in the UK, as well as the detention and questioning of the family members of some of those individuals in Hong Kong. We also expressed our ongoing opposition to the imposition of the National Security Law by Beijing on Hong Kong, which is a breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration.
We regularly discuss the challenges of managing Covid-19 in prisons with senior members of the Bahraini Government and continue to engage with the Government of Bahrain to support its reform agenda, and to deliver on its international and domestic human rights commitments. We continue to monitor and raise the case of Hassan Mushaima and others, as necessary, at senior levels with the Bahraini Government.
Defending human rights and promoting democracy around the world is a core priority for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and its diplomatic network. The UK government monitors events closely and we regularly engage with senior members of the Bahraini government to discuss matters of importance, including human rights.
Iran's human rights record continues to be of serious concern to the UK. We remain deeply concerned by Iran's failure to uphold its international legal obligations. Many citizens have been arrested on unclear charges, arbitrarily detained and denied due process, all contrary to international human rights law.
We regularly express our human rights concerns to the Iranian authorities and we continue to take action both bilaterally and with the international community, to press Iran to improve its poor human rights record.
The government has implemented various measures to combat terrorist financing, disrupt funding of terrorist groups, and address the illicit crypto use and emerging fintech.
This includes extending the UK’s Money Laundering Regulations (MLRs) to the cryptoasset sector in January 2020. The UK assesses cryptoasset Money Laundering and Terrorist Finance (ML/TF) risks case-by-case, allowing the FCA (Financial Conduct Authority) to regulate the rapidly evolving industry. Firms involved in activities that are described as involving Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) will be supervised and subject to enforcement, if they deal with cryptoassets as defined in the regulations.
Separately, the traditional art market is regulated for AML purposes so businesses dealing with NFTs which could reasonably be classified as “works of art” and meet the wider relevant criteria for supervision by HMRC, are required to comply with AML regulations to combat terrorist financing.
To prevent terrorist organisations such as ISIS exploiting blockchain technology, the UK is implementing the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF's) 'Travel Rule') which enhances information sharing and retention for cryptoasset transfers to detect terrorist financing.
We are also updating UK CT legislation with the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency (ECCT) Bill to prevent terrorist groups from exploiting NFT technology. This empowers law enforcement to seize, detain, freeze, and forfeit terrorist cryptoassets, with the revised definition of cryptoassets encompassing various technologies that utilize cryptography and distributed ledger technology, including NFTs.
The UK continues to engage internationally to mitigate illicit finance risks associated with cryptoassets including NFTs, and constantly reviews legislative tools to ensure we can keep pace with evolving terrorist financing threats.
The Home Office publishes statistics on people in detention in the 'Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release', which can be found on Gov.uk. The number of people in detention at the end of each year is broken down by asylum and non-asylum in table Det_01, of the ‘Detention summary tables’, which can also be found attached. The latest data goes up to the end of December 2021. Data for January to March 2022 will be published on the 26 May 2022.
Asylum-related cases refer to those where there has been an asylum claim at some stage prior or during detention. This will include asylum seekers whose asylum claims have been refused, and who have exhausted any rights of appeal, those retuned under third country provisions, as well as those granted asylum/protection, but detained for other reasons (such as criminality).
Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook.
Public servants, including asylum decision making staff, give careful consideration of the protection needs by assessing all the evidence provided by the claimant.
All case working staff receive extensive training on considering asylum claims through our foundation training programme and must follow published Home Office policy guidance when making decisions. The training and guidance cover topics on dependents applying for asylum, child dependents and family asylum claims including those for family and private life.
In addition, an information leaflet is issued to asylum claimants at the point of claim which outlines the asylum process and the claimant’s responsibilities within that process. This information leaflet is periodically reviewed.
The Home Office does not detain anyone in temporary asylum accommodation. Our accommodation providers do not have enforcement powers and those we are accommodating are free to come and go as they please.
Information on the average cost per night to hold an individual in immigration detention can be found at Migration transparency data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). As at Quarter 4 2021, the average cost per night to hold an individual in immigration detention was £101.61.
The total expenditure on asylum is published in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts, available at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ho-annual-reports-and-accounts(opens in a new tab).
We do not publish a breakdown of costs of our accommodation & support contracts by location or property type as such detail is considered commercially sensitive.
The Home Office does not detain anyone in temporary asylum accommodation. Our accommodation providers do not have enforcement powers and those we are accommodating are free to come and go as they please. However,detention is an essential part of effective immigration control and is used to ensure that those with no right to remain in the UK are returned to their home country if they will not leave voluntarily. Migrants, including asylum claimants, may be detained for immigration purposes only in accordance with Home Office policy, as set out in the Detention General Guidance and the Adults at Risk in Immigration Detention policy.
The published detention policy makes it clear that detention must only be used when necessary, and for the shortest possible period. There is a presumption in favour of liberty for any person. We only detain people where removal is a realistic prospect within a reasonable timeframe, or initially to establish their identity or basis of claim. This is set out in both legislation and domestic caselaw and we are held to account on this by the courts, and by a series of safeguards that ensure proper scrutiny of decisions to detain, and on-going detention. Due to the complex range of factors involved, the suitability of detention must be appraised on a case by case basis. Once a person is in detention, regular reviews are undertaken to ensure that their detention remains lawful, appropriate, and proportionate. All asylum claims are considered as quickly as possible and enforcement action is taken once any claims have been considered and refused, and once any appeal rights have been exhausted.
The Home Office does not hold information on the number of assaults or sexual offences reported to the police where the suspect was a transgender individual or a police officer.
The safety and welfare of children and young people in custody, and of our staff, is paramount. We are focused on improving safety in the youth estate, where we manage an increased risk of serious incidents, with higher rates of assault on young people and on staff than in other parts of the secure estate.
PAVA spray is currently available for use in the event of a serious incident in the youth estate, if the National Gold commander decides this is necessary. Consideration is being given to whether the criteria for its use in the youth estate require revision.
Following wide engagement on this issue, both with specialists across His Majesty’s Prison & Probation Service, and externally, including with medical advisors and legal experts, we are in the process of examining all the evidence. This is taking time, owing to the complexity of the issues and the seriousness of the question to be decided.
The evaluation of the PAVA roll-out in the adult estate is currently being peer-reviewed prior to publication.
The safety and welfare of children and young people in custody, and of our staff, is paramount. We are focused on improving safety in the youth estate, where we manage an increased risk of serious incidents, with higher rates of assault on young people and on staff than in other parts of the secure estate.
PAVA spray is currently available for use in the event of a serious incident in the youth estate, if the National Gold commander decides this is necessary. Consideration is being given to whether the criteria for its use in the youth estate require revision.
Following wide engagement on this issue, both with specialists across His Majesty’s Prison & Probation Service, and externally, including with medical advisors and legal experts, we are in the process of examining all the evidence. This is taking time, owing to the complexity of the issues and the seriousness of the question to be decided.
The evaluation of the PAVA roll-out in the adult estate is currently being peer-reviewed prior to publication.
We are updating our strategy for people with care experience in the criminal justice system, to ensure we are using their time in the criminal justice system to support them to lead crime-free lives.
This will include a focus on race and its role in shaping the experiences and outcomes of those with care experience in the criminal justice system, and will link to wider departmental efforts to address racial disproportionality in the criminal justice system.
We are aiming to publish this strategy in 2024.
The Victims and Prisoners Bill has not yet reached Report stage in the House of Commons, meaning it is not in the final form in which it will be introduced to the House of Lords. I look forward to debating this Bill with the Noble Lord and others shortly once it has reached the House of Lords in the form approved by the House of Commons.
The Victims and Prisoners Bill has not yet reached Report stage in the House of Commons, meaning it is not in the final form in which it will be introduced to the House of Lords. I look forward to debating this Bill with the Noble Lord and others shortly once it has reached the House of Lords in the form approved by the House of Commons.
The Victims and Prisoners Bill has not yet reached Report stage in the House of Commons, meaning it is not in the final form in which it will be introduced to the House of Lords. I look forward to debating this Bill with the Noble Lord and others shortly once it has reached the House of Lords in the form approved by the House of Commons.
The Victims and Prisoners Bill has not yet reached Report stage in the House of Commons, meaning it is not in the final form in which it will be introduced to the House of Lords. I look forward to debating this Bill with the Noble Lord and others shortly once it has reached the House of Lords in the form approved by the House of Commons.
The Victims and Prisoners Bill has not yet reached Report stage in the House of Commons, meaning it is not in the final form in which it will be introduced to the House of Lords. I look forward to debating this Bill with the Noble Lord and others shortly once it has reached the House of Lords in the form approved by the House of Commons.
The Victims and Prisoners Bill has not yet reached Report stage in the House of Commons, meaning it is not in the final form in which it will be introduced to the House of Lords. I look forward to debating this Bill with the Noble Lord and others shortly once it has reached the House of Lords in the form approved by the House of Commons.
The Victims and Prisoners Bill has not yet reached Report stage in the House of Commons, meaning it is not in the final form in which it will be introduced to the House of Lords. I look forward to debating this Bill with the Noble Lord and others shortly once it has reached the House of Lords in the form approved by the House of Commons.
The UN’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a state driven process which involves a review of the human rights records of all UN Member States. The UK is firmly committed to the success of the UPR as an important mechanism for constructive peer review.
During the UK’s UPR on 10 November a number of states made recommendations relating to Human Rights Act reform and the Bill of Rights. As is usual practice, a report compiling the recommendations made during the review will be published by the UN Human Rights Council in due course, and a full recording of the session is available on UN Web TV.
The Government regularly discusses matters of mutual interest with our international state partners, and we fully intend to maintain our leading role in the promotion and protection of human rights. The Bill of Rights will allow us to remain a State Party to the ECHR and fully avail ourselves of the margin of appreciation in the sensible application of our human rights laws.
The Bill of Rights follows careful consideration of the work done by the Independent Human Rights Act Review panel. We are very grateful to the panel for its detailed work. In terms of specific provisions, the Bill of Rights takes forward the recommendation from the Review that remedial orders should not be used to amend the Act itself. The Bill also seeks to increase the prominence of the common law in relation to rights protection, which was a key theme of the panel's report.
More broadly, the Review’s analysis helped inform our approach in those areas of the Bill that were covered by its Terms of Reference, which was narrower than the scope of the Bill of Rights.
The Government’s consultation response is available on gov.uk, where we gave a comprehensive breakdown of the responses to the consultation. The consultation sought views on proposals as well as key themes relating to revision and replacement of the Human Rights Act.