Asked by: Andy McDonald (Labour - Middlesbrough and Thornaby East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his Department's policies of trends in levels of confidence of workforce unions in public health sector pay review body processes.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
This specific assessment has not been made. My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has met regularly with unions to help rebuild the relationship between the Government and National Health Service staff.
Whilst we will continue to use the Pay Review Bodies to set pay, we have listened to union concerns about the process, which is why we have committed to remitting in July this year, with an ambition to announce and implement uplifts as early as possible in 2026/27.
Asked by: Katie Lam (Conservative - Weald of Kent)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the UK’s exit from the EU on levels of VAT for (a) repairs and (b) maintenance payments for places of worship.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. VAT is the UK’s second largest tax, forecast to raise £180.4 billion in 2025/26. Taxation is a vital source of revenue that helps to fund vital public services.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport administers the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme. This provides grants towards VAT paid on repairs and maintenance to the nation's listed places of worship.
Asked by: Claire Coutinho (Conservative - East Surrey)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether members of the Race Equality Engagement Group will subject to an assessment of any (a) potential and (b) actual conflicts of interest.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The appointment process for Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon and the other members of the Race Equality Engagement Group (REEG) was informal ministerial appointment, by invitation, following appropriate due diligence checks.
This government will publish the terms of reference for the REEG, and the full membership, in due course.
REEG members will not be remunerated but will be reimbursed for reasonable expenses incurred in respect of the work of the REEG.
Members are expected to declare any conflicts of interest and to recuse themselves from any work where such a conflict, or perceived conflict, may arise.
The REEG will be supported by the Race Equality Unit, in the Office for Equality and Opportunity, from its existing allocation of staff.
Asked by: Claire Coutinho (Conservative - East Surrey)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, how many full time equivalent civil service staff will be allocated to support the work of the Race Equality Engagement Group.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The appointment process for Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon and the other members of the Race Equality Engagement Group (REEG) was informal ministerial appointment, by invitation, following appropriate due diligence checks.
This government will publish the terms of reference for the REEG, and the full membership, in due course.
REEG members will not be remunerated but will be reimbursed for reasonable expenses incurred in respect of the work of the REEG.
Members are expected to declare any conflicts of interest and to recuse themselves from any work where such a conflict, or perceived conflict, may arise.
The REEG will be supported by the Race Equality Unit, in the Office for Equality and Opportunity, from its existing allocation of staff.
Asked by: Claire Coutinho (Conservative - East Surrey)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether the members of the Race Equality Engagement Group will be remunerated.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The appointment process for Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon and the other members of the Race Equality Engagement Group (REEG) was informal ministerial appointment, by invitation, following appropriate due diligence checks.
This government will publish the terms of reference for the REEG, and the full membership, in due course.
REEG members will not be remunerated but will be reimbursed for reasonable expenses incurred in respect of the work of the REEG.
Members are expected to declare any conflicts of interest and to recuse themselves from any work where such a conflict, or perceived conflict, may arise.
The REEG will be supported by the Race Equality Unit, in the Office for Equality and Opportunity, from its existing allocation of staff.
Asked by: Lord Agnew of Oulton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will place in the Library of the House a list of the 10 highest-value call-off contracts made through Crown Commercial Service management consultancy frameworks, including but not limited to MCF3, since the start of the 2022–23 financial year; and, for each contract, whether they will include the supplier, customer department, contract value, date and a brief description of the work commissioned.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
This information is not held by the Cabinet Office.
It is the responsibility of individual customer departments to publish their contracting information.
Asked by: Lord Agnew of Oulton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have conducted an analysis comparing the per-member administrative costs of the (1) Civil Service Pension Scheme, (2) NHS Pension Scheme, (3) Teachers' Pension Scheme, (4) Armed Forces Pension Scheme, and (5) Local Government Pension Scheme, to comparable private sector schemes; and if so, whether they will place a copy of that analysis in the Library of the House.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Civil Service Pension Scheme (CSPS) is a participant in an annual benchmarking of both public and private sector pension schemes, provided by an external supplier for schemes willing to participate in the benchmarking survey.
The benchmarking outlines the CSPS administration, compared to a peer group of 11 schemes of similar size and nature , including those mentioned in the question.
The benchmarking report contains information on the ‘per member costs’ associated with the CSPS, benchmarked against the 11 peer groups.
As was the case under the previous administration, these annual benchmarking reports are not published.
Asked by: Lord Banner (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect to conclude a UK–EU sanitary and phytosanitary agreement that includes provisions for the movement of zoo animals, and what recent discussions they have had with zoos and aquariums on the inclusion of conservation transfers in such an agreement.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As announced at the UK-EU Leaders’ Summit on 19 May 2025, the UK and EU have agreed to establish a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary Zone, aimed at reducing trade barriers and facilitating the safe and efficient movement of trade and facilitating the safe and efficient movement of terrestrial and aquatic zoo animals. Our aim is to start talks straight away and we want to remove barriers as soon as possible.
Ministers have actively engaged with the zoo and wildlife sector through multiple visits and discussions to understand its challenges and opportunities. This dialogue will continue as we work together to support the zoo and wildlife sector.
Asked by: Lord Agnew of Oulton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will place in the Library of the House a copy of the should-cost model or equivalent in-house delivery estimate used to inform the decision to outsource each of the five highest-value outsourcing contracts awarded by central government since the start of the 2022–23 financial year.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Under the Procurement Act 2023, central government departments are required to publish a pipeline notice which sets out what they are intending to procure over an eighteen month period- this will cover the re-procurement of some current services. This is available in the public domain on the Central Digital Platform Find a Tender service. The Cabinet Office does not hold this information centrally beyond what is set out on the platform.
The Cabinet Office does not centrally collate all delivery assessments that inform the decision to outsource the highest-value contracts awarded by central government.
Asked by: Lord Randall of Uxbridge (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact that the policy of the United States regarding deep-sea mining exploration licences could have on areas owned and licensed by the United Kingdom.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The Government has noted the US Executive Order on 'Unleashing America's Offshore Critical Minerals and Resources'. UK Seabed Resources Limited (UKSR), a UK-registered company sponsored by the UK Government, holds two licences for exploration in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ) from the International Seabed Authority (ISA), the body mandated under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea to organise and control activities in the seabed, ocean floor and subsoil thereof beyond national jurisdiction. The CCZ is an area beyond national jurisdiction and is not owned by the UK or any State. UKSR will continue to hold those licences under the auspices of the ISA.