Lord Stevens of Birmingham

When a provider requests to change its name, a strict criteria and assessment process is followed. The provider will already have undergone considerable scrutiny when being awarded Degree Awarding Powers (DAPs), including input from quality experts, drawn from the sector, to test the provider against multiple criteria. Indefinite DAP’s status is the main eligibility test for providers to be able to go through the title process.

In this instance, the provider gained degree awarding powers in 2016 and so was able to apply for university title as per the rules set out in the Office for Students’ (OfS) ‘Regulatory advice 13: how to apply for university college and university title’, which is attached and also available at: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/publications/regulatory-advice-13-how-to-apply-for-university-college-and-university-title/#:~:text=and%20university%20title-,Regulatory%20advice%2013%3A%20How%20to%20apply%20for%20university%20college%20and,as%20part%20of%20their%20name.

The department and the OfS were notified in September 2023 regarding the provider changing its name. When considering the proposed new name for a provider, the OfS must have due regard to the need to avoid names that are, or may be, confusing. In addition, in the instance of the newly named Health Sciences University, the OfS operated an open consultation on the proposed name. This ran from 22 February 2024 to 21 March 2024, and determined the regulator's final decision. The OfS approach is set out in their case report ‘Approval of proposed new name for AECC University College - Office for Students’, which is attached and can also be found at: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/publications/approval-of-proposed-new-name-for-aecc-university-college/.

In addition to the OfS process, regulations brought into force under the Companies Act 2006 means that the department has responsibility for confirming that it has no objection to the use of the sensitive word ‘university’ in a business name. The OfS published approval of the proposed new name from ‘AECC University College' to 'Health Sciences University’ in July 2024. The department then considered the request from the provider to change its name to ‘Health Sciences University’ and was satisfied that the use of the word ‘university’ was appropriate in this context. The department had no objection to the use of the term ‘university’ in the proposed business name ‘Health Sciences University’ and issued the provider with a non-objection letter on 18 July 2024.

During this consultation the OfS did not receive any responses questioning the merit of the subject area(s) of the provider.

As my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, set out in his Written Ministerial Statement on expected mental health spend on 12 March, National Health Service mental health spending is forecast to reach £16.1 billion in 2026/27, a real‑terms increase of £140 million compared with 2025/26. Since 2023/24, this represents £0.9 billion of real‑terms growth in mental health investment.

The Government does not have an estimate of how much higher spending would be in real terms if the share of spend had remained consistent since 2023/24. The change in proportion of total NHS spend allocated to mental health reflects significant additional investment in other core areas of the NHS, including technology and digital transformation, strengthened general practice, and the establishment of neighbourhood health centres. These wider improvements, even if not counted as “pure” mental health spend, will deliver important benefits for mental health patients, supporting earlier intervention and addressing key drivers of long‑term mental wellbeing.

The headline share of spend measure does not capture the full range of investment supporting mental health, including significant capital funding of £473 million over the next four years for rolling out community‑based mental health centres and mental health emergency departments.

While the share of spend rose prior to 2024 to 2025, it did not in itself deliver the improvements in outcomes that patients rightly expect. That is why, as set out in the 10‑Year Health Plan and the Medium‑Term Planning Framework, the Government is shifting from input‑based requirements towards a clearer focus on the outcomes that matter most for people with mental health needs.

Improving mental health services cannot simply be about more funding. We need a new approach that reduces waiting times, improves the quality of care, and strengthens prevention and early intervention. This includes ensuring people can access a wider range of support models within and beyond the NHS, helping them receive support earlier, avoid reaching crisis, and experience better outcomes.

The Government is developing a Palliative Care and End of Life Care Modern Service Framework for England. I refer the Noble Lord to the Written Ministerial Statement HLWS1086 I gave to the House on 24 November 2025.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care will set out expectations for mental health funding, including the share of overall National Health Service expenditure in 2025/26, in due course, as required under section 3(2) of the Health and Care Act 2022.

The UK is analysing the proposed amendments to Iraq's Personal Status Law and its implications for women and children's rights, which we note have not yet been passed through the House of Representatives. As we continue to privately engage with a range of Iraqi interlocutors to discuss this, including the Government of Iraq, we are emphasising the importance of any amendments' compatibility with Iraq's international obligations.

We very much welcome the excellent research by the University of Northampton on the impact and value of school-based Cadet Forces in the UK, a study commissioned by the Ministry of Defence (MOD).

The report makes compelling reading for anyone interested in the development of young people. There are many useful insights in the report for school leaders to help support their efforts to seek wider opportunities for all their pupils – and breaking down barriers to opportunity is a core Government mission.

The report illustrates the positive impact that school-based Cadet Forces can have on the young people who join and shows how the ‘cadet experience’ can help them develop self-confidence, teamwork, leadership and resilience.

Given these and many other benefits, we want more young people to be able to become cadets. To this end we are currently reviewing how we can increase both the size and the offer of the Cadet Forces. This work is closely aligned with the Strategic Defence Review, and we have been engaging widely to consider how best to deliver these aims.

The joint MOD and Department for Education Cadet Expansion Programme has already seen a significant rise in the number of state schools with Combined Cadet Forces and we continue to invest in this growth.