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 Watson of Wyre Forest, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
Lord Watson of Wyre Forest has not introduced any legislation before Parliament
Gambling (Industry Levy Review and Protections for Vulnerable People) Bill 2017-19
Sponsor - Richard Graham (Con)
Representation of the People (Young People's Enfranchisement and Education) Bill 2017-19
Sponsor - Jim McMahon (LAB)
The No10 Data Science Team has a remit to improve the way in which key decisions are informed by data, analysis, and evidence using cutting-edge data science techniques. This enables the Government to use the best available evidence, throughout the policy and decision-making process, to drive long-term systems change and enable staff to collectively solve the most pressing policy challenges. They also use data to track delivery of government priority programs, working closely with Delivery Unit. The Government would not normally comment on the details of policy development and formation nor the process by which collective decisions are made across government.
The team also runs a transformation program including: (1) project rAPId, a free, open source, lightweight data sharing system; (2) the No10 Innovation Fellowships, bringing industry expertise in AI into central government on year-long secondments to improve public services; (3) Evidence House, a program to upskill civil servants in data science, AI and software engineering; and crowdsource technical solutions to complex problems; and (4) creating and managing the new Incubator for Artificial Intelligence, a 30-strong team of AI experts who are working on rapid delivery of AI projects in line with the Prime Minister’s priorities.
I am informed that the noble Lord has been sent responses from the lead departments, (1) by the Ministry of Defence and (2) by the Department for Business and Trade.
The Cabinet Office intends to publish guidance on the use of non-corporate communications channels as soon as possible. This will replace the guidance published in 2013.
The Cabinet Office intends to publish guidance on the use of non-corporate communications channels as soon as possible. This will replace the guidance published in 2013.
As part of reforming the trade remedies framework, legislation was laid in September 2023, which created additional flexibility for Ministers with respect to decisions regarding the steel safeguard. On 9 February 2024 the Trade Remedies Authority initiated a ‘TRQ review’ and a ‘suspension assessment’ of product category 1 of the steel safeguard measure. As their investigations remain ongoing, I cannot comment further nor prejudice their final recommendation.
Officials within the Department for Business and Trade take a proactive approach when engaging with industry and encourage them to share their views directly with the Trade Remedies Authority. Stakeholders who are formally registered as interested parties to the extension review can submit additional information and evidence to the Trade Remedies Authority.
The Trade Remedies Authority published their preliminary findings on the steel safeguard extension review on the 21 February, which set out that evidence pointed towards a likelihood of recurrence of injury to UK steel producers, should the steel safeguard not be extended.
Their review remains ongoing, and I cannot comment further nor prejudice their final recommendation. The Secretary of State for Business and Trade will make a decision after she is sent a final recommendation.
The Trade Remedies Authority has published its preliminary findings of their extension review of the steel safeguard measure. Their review remains ongoing, and the Department for Business and Trade cannot comment further nor prejudice their final recommendation.
The Trade Remedies Authority has published its preliminary findings of their extension review of the steel safeguard measure. Their review remains ongoing, and the Department for Business and Trade cannot comment further nor prejudice their final recommendation.
An up-to-date list of the Prime Minister’s Trade can be found on www.gov.uk/government/groups/trade-envoys.
I will arrange for a copy of their Terms of Reference to be placed in the library.
The commitments made in the National AI Strategy and in the Science and Technology Framework remain central to DSIT’s approach to AI.
We’re committed to delivering a pro-innovation and pro-safety approach to AI. As per the AI Regulation White Paper and the consultation response, we’ve set out how the Government is strengthening its global AI leadership and supporting regulators to deliver the framework.
We’re also committed to increasing the UK’s capabilities in AI. We’re doing this by investing in skills and talent initiatives, delivering further investment in compute for AI, and prioritising AI adoption by establishing the AI Opportunity Forum.
The Government is engaging with AI and rights holder sectors to develop an approach that allows both sectors to grow together. Any approach will need to be underpinned by trust and transparency between parties, with greater transparency from AI developers about use of copyrighted material to train AI models and the attribution of outputs having an important role to play. The Government will soon set out further proposals on the way forward.
The Government has not made an assessment of the specific Cheng et al. (2023) paper. The Government has considered the conclusions of the 2021 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) which assessed the latest literature in this area and found that, “The global ocean has warmed faster over the past century than since the end of the last deglacial transition (around 11,000 years ago) (medium confidence).”
HM Government has no plans to take forward the three main recommendations made in the Press Recognition Panel’s eighth annual report on the recognition system.
The Government committed in its manifesto to the repeal of Section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act 2013, which we will do through the Media Bill, and has consistently supported the independent self-regulation of the press.
In November 2022, the latest available information, 465 people were employed in state-funded schools in England with a role of ‘nurse’. This is similar to previous years, with 469 in 2021 and 445 in 2020. This information has been provided in Table 1 by local authority and year.
The figures provided are based on staff roles as reported by the school. ‘Nurse’ may not necessarily indicate a qualified specialist community public health nurse. School nurses play a pivotal role in supporting schools to meet this duty, but they will not be the only healthcare professionals available to help schools in supporting their pupils.
Information on the state funded school workforce in England, including the number of support staff employed by schools each November, is published in the annual ‘School Workforce in England’ national statistics release at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.
There have been no ministerial level meetings to date, but the Unit for Future Skills (UFS) has met Defra officials at a working level. The UFS also recently joined Government’s Green Jobs Delivery Group and will look to support this group to access data and insights on skills needs across green sectors.
Whilst no specific assessment has been made of the horticulture sector’s skills gaps; enabling an innovative, productive and competitive food and farming industry which invests in its people and skills to drive growth is a key priority for the Government. Attracting bright new talent that is diverse and inclusive into agricultural and horticultural careers and having a skilled workforce in place is vital for the future of UK food and farming. By raising awareness of agriculture and horticulture as an exciting and attractive career path, people will understand the opportunities available to them in the farming and land management industry.
An Independent Review of Labour Shortages in the Food Supply Chain began in September. The review will focus on farming, processing, and food and drink manufacturing as sectors that are critical for food production and food security. Skills in the food supply chain is a critical area that will be covered in the final report. The final report will be published by summer 2023 and the Government response will follow thereafter.
The Government is contributing towards the establishment of a new professional body for the farming industry; The Institute for Agriculture and Horticulture (TIAH). TIAH is aimed at removing the fragmentation that exists within current learning and skills landscape for farming businesses, enabling the industry to drive greater uptake of skills, creating clear career development pathways and promoting the sector as a progressive, professional and attractive career choice. TIAH has launched a pilot to help develop its services ahead of a general launch to wider membership.
The Government is also reforming post-16 technical education to provide clearer routes into skilled employment in agriculture and other sectors. A key part of this is the introduction of the new Technical Level programmes (T-levels) which include pathways in agriculture, environmental and animal health and care. Alongside apprenticeships this provides more opportunities and pathways for young people looking for careers in agriculture and horticulture.
Alongside training opportunities, TIAH will also provide information about apprenticeships. There are currently 40 high-quality apprenticeship standards available in the agriculture, environmental and animal care sector including Horticulture and landscaping technical manager.
Data on the number of preventable deaths which have occurred as a result of failure to administer an adrenaline auto-injector and failure of an adrenaline auto-injector are not collected by Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), as the Human Medicines regulations relate to pharmacovigilance of adverse drug reactions and medication errors resulting in adverse drug reactions. Anyone experiencing side effects with medicines is encouraged to report these to MHRA via Yellow Card.
The Quality Outcomes Framework (QOF) ensures all general practitioner practices establish and maintain a register of patients with an asthma diagnosis in accordance with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance. Part of this guidance includes the provision of an annual Asthma review. The QOF annual review indicator was introduced in 2020/21 and contains Asthma review data from the past two years. In 2020/21 there were 1,132,926 and in 2021/22 there were 1,964,234. The 2022/23 data is to be published in September.
NHS England does not hold this information.
This information is not collected centrally.
I refer the noble peer to the answer of 20 November 2023, Official Report, House of Commons, PQ 1905.
The Home Office does not provide guidance to senior police officers for dealing with parliamentary correspondence. That is a matter for Chief Constables themselves, who are operationally independent and PCCs, who provide the most direct line of accountability for local Police Forces.
In October 2019, the Home Secretary asked His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) to assess the Metropolitan Police Service’s progress in learning lessons and embedding the recommendations from Sir Richard Henriques Independent Review of the Metropolitan Police Service’s Handling of Operation Midland (published in October 2016). HMICFRS published its report in March 2020 and wrote to all Chief Constables to make them aware of their report’s findings and recommendations. In May 2021, at the then Home Secretary’s request, the MPS provided an update on their progress to Sir Richard Henriques – available on Gov.uk Letter from Dame Cressida Dick (MPS) to Sir Richard Henriques (accessible version) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
The Government continues to work with policing partners, including the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, to ensure police handling and investigation of such sensitive matters is both fair and impartial, while also responding to the needs of victims and survivors. We fund the police Vulnerability Knowledge and Practice Programme, which identifies and shares best practice between forces in engaging with vulnerable people and investigating crimes such as child sexual abuse.
The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) has informed the Home Office of the discovery of information relevant to the work of the Daniel Morgan Independent Panel (DMIP) and the subsequent inspection, commissioned by the former Home Secretary, of His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS). HMICFRS will review the undisclosed material. The Independent Office for Police Conduct has also been informed.
The MPS has informed the family of Daniel Morgan and Baroness Nuala O’Loan, Chair of the now concluded DMIP, of the discovery, and offered to provide both with access to the material if required.
The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) has informed the Home Office of the discovery of information relevant to the work of the Daniel Morgan Independent Panel (DMIP) and the subsequent inspection, commissioned by the former Home Secretary, of His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS). HMICFRS will review the undisclosed material. The Independent Office for Police Conduct has also been informed.
The MPS has informed the family of Daniel Morgan and Baroness Nuala O’Loan, Chair of the now concluded DMIP, of the discovery, and offered to provide both with access to the material if required.
The Minister for Defence People and Families (Dr Andrew Murrison) will visit the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) shortly to personally review the information and consider its release into the public domain. Given the volume of documents to be reviewed it was considered more practical for the Minister to visit AWE.
There are no restrictions on Ministers accessing these records with the Minister for Defence People and Families the most appropriate given his responsibility for veteran’s affairs. The documents had a variety of security classifications and are now declassified.
The Minister for Defence People and Families (Dr Andrew Murrison) will visit the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) shortly to personally review the information and consider its release into the public domain. Given the volume of documents to be reviewed it was considered more practical for the Minister to visit AWE.
There are no restrictions on Ministers accessing these records with the Minister for Defence People and Families the most appropriate given his responsibility for veteran’s affairs. The documents had a variety of security classifications and are now declassified.
The Minister for Defence People and Families (Dr Andrew Murrison) will visit the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) shortly to personally review the information and consider its release into the public domain. Given the volume of documents to be reviewed it was considered more practical for the Minister to visit AWE.
There are no restrictions on Ministers accessing these records with the Minister for Defence People and Families the most appropriate given his responsibility for veteran’s affairs. The documents had a variety of security classifications and are now declassified.
The Minister for Defence People and Families (Dr Andrew Murrison) will visit the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) shortly to personally review the information and consider its release into the public domain. Given the volume of documents to be reviewed it was considered more practical for the Minister to visit AWE.
There are no restrictions on Ministers accessing these records with the Minister for Defence People and Families the most appropriate given his responsibility for veteran’s affairs. The documents had a variety of security classifications and are now declassified.
I refer the noble Lord to the answers given by my right hon. Friend, the Minister for the Armed Forces (James Heappey), to Questions 11984 and 14769 tabled in the House of Commons by the right hon. Member for Wentworth and Dearne and the hon. Member for Somerton and Frome.
The First-tier Tribunal decision is currently being reviewed. The Tribunal has allowed each respondent 28 calendar days, which is the 25 March 2024, to consider the outcome and decide upon any next steps in terms of an appeal; or whether to accept the decision. It therefore would not be appropriate to comment further on this, or any future handling procedures relating to access to medical records of deceased personnel, until such a decision has been made.
The First-tier Tribunal decision is currently being reviewed. The Tribunal has allowed each respondent 28 calendar days, which is the 25 March 2024, to consider the outcome and decide upon any next steps in terms of an appeal; or whether to accept the decision. It therefore would not be appropriate to comment further on this, or any future handling procedures relating to access to medical records of deceased personnel, until such a decision has been made.
My right hon. Friend the Minister for Defence People and Families will be visiting the Atomic Weapons Establishment shortly to personally review the information and consider its release into the public domain.
The Minister for Defence People and Families (the Rt Hon Dr Andrrew Murrison) asked officials at the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) to review the 150 documents to enable his review of that information shortly before the debate on Nuclear Test Veterans: Medical Records on 28 November 2023.
The Minister will personally assess all 150 documents when he visits AWE shortly and will consider their release into the public domain.
The Minister for Defence People and Families (the Rt Hon Dr Andrrew Murrison) asked officials at the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) to review the 150 documents to enable his review of that information shortly before the debate on Nuclear Test Veterans: Medical Records on 28 November 2023.
The Minister will personally assess all 150 documents when he visits AWE shortly and will consider their release into the public domain.
The Ministry of Justice holds data on prosecutions under Section 1 of the Computer Misuse Act 1990, covering the period requested. This is publicly available and can be viewed via the following link: Criminal Justice System statistics quarterly: December 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Information on the number of individuals prosecuted under Section 1 of the Computer Misuse Act 1990 at all courts can be found in the above tool by navigating to the ‘Prosecutions and convictions’ tab. In the ‘HO Offence code’ filter, select the offence:
The data requested can be found in the attached table.
Since 2022, the annual number of Prevention of Future Deaths (PFD) reports issued by coroners in England and Wales has been collated in the Annual Coroner Statistics which are published each May and cover the preceding calendar year. 440 reports were issued in 2021, and 403 were issued in 2022.
The number of PFD reports issued in each year prior to 2021 is not held centrally. However, coroners have a statutory duty to copy all PFD reports to the Chief Coroner, who publishes them on the Judiciary website unless, exceptionally, he decides not to do so in order to protect an individual’s privacy and/or to protect the public from harm. The number of PFD reports published by the Chief Coroner was 384 in 2018; 595 in 2019; and 301 in 2020.