Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what support her Department is providing to Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service in tackling wildfires; what assessment she has made of the adequacy of funding for wildfire-specific equipment for fire and rescue services; and what steps her Department is taking to protect the health and safety of firefighters undertaking prolonged wildfire operations.
Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
On 9 February, the Ministry published the 2026/27 Local Government Finance Settlement which sets out funding allocations for all local authorities including fire and rescue. This financial year, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Authority will have a core spending power of £105.36 million, an increase of 3.8% compared to 2025/26. Decisions on how fire and rescue authorities use their resources and equipment to meet those risks are a matter for each fire and rescue authority.
We’re investing nearly £100 million in the biggest upgrade of national resilience capabilities in nearly twenty years, part of which includes more specialist equipment and wildfire training for firefighters that can deploy nationally to support in wildfires across the country.
Fire and Rescue Authorities are responsible for assessing and planning for wildfire risk locally through their Community Risk Management Plans and work with other responders to ensure appropriate preparedness.
The health and wellbeing of firefighters is a top priority for the Government. Firefighters perform a unique and demanding role, facing a range of physical and mental health risks as part of their duties. We are committed to supporting firefighters throughout their careers and beyond, focusing on prevention, early intervention and long-term wellbeing.
Through our firefighter health and wellbeing programme, the Government is working with the sector to strengthen the evidence base, support and improve understanding of the long-term risks firefighters face. This includes considering how national activity can better support services in protecting firefighters’ health, safety and wellbeing during demanding operational activity.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Twycross on 16 September (HL3026), when they last reviewed their decision to ask the Infected Blood Delivery Authority to decide the rate of compensation payments.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
As recommended by the Infected Blood Inquiry, the Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) has operational independence from the Government. IBCA’s Board takes decisions on the organisation’s progress and performance, and publishes recordings and minutes of its meetings.
Whilst the roll out of the Scheme is an operational decision for IBCA as an independent body, I fully support its commitment to moving forward as swiftly as possible. As the Minister, I will assist in any way I can to speed up the payments.
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Competition and Markets Authority on the expected timetable for the Strategic Market Status investigation into Microsoft’s business software ecosystem; and what steps they are taking to ensure that any remedies to address competition concerns are implemented without undue delay.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The CMA launched its Strategic Market Status designation investigation into Microsoft’s business software ecosystem on 14 May 2026.
This investigation must be completed within 9 months. An indicative timetable of this investigation is published on the CMA’s website. The CMA operates independently and decisions on which firms to investigate, and how these investigations are conducted rest solely with the CMA.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to promote greater professional responsibility among those developing artificial intelligence systems capable of operating with increasing autonomy.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Government takes these risks extremely seriously. It is a good thing that the companies developing the most advanced AI systems are now talking openly about the risks as well as the opportunities. The UK’s AI Security Institute is in daily conversation with industry partners on AI security and is working closely with allies and partners around the world on the risks posed by increasingly capable AI systems. Further detail is provided in Written Statement UIN HCWS314 'Artificial intelligence update'.
Asked by: Baroness Finn (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 8 July (HC15560), whether rejoining Interreg EU has been an item of discussion or negotiation as part of the current EU/UK reset.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement allows for UK participation in EU programmes, with decisions made on a case by case basis and subject to negotiation. We recognise the value of the UK associating to EU programmes where this is in line with the national interest, as demonstrated by our participation in Horizon Europe, Copernicus and the PEACEPLUS programme in Northern Ireland and Ireland. However, participation in Interreg Europe has not been discussed.
Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government why the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology was closed; and on what basis they determined which departments should be assigned its responsibilities.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Prime Minister has made a number of changes to the Machinery of Government to rewire the state and drive economic growth across the country, including transforming how the Government is structured to approach science, innovation and technology, including AI.
The UK stands at a critical juncture where unprecedented global changes demand that we secure our position as a world leader in AI, science and technology. In this context, we cannot see science and technology as an isolated issue, limited to one department, but instead as a major priority that cuts across the whole of government and is vital to the UK’s future economic prosperity.
Recognising this, the functions of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) have been redistributed to align with the Government’s core economic and social agenda.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they made of alternative delivery models, including direct commissioning from UK universities and specialist training providers, before awarding new Civil Service learning and development contracts to KPMG and EY.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The National School of Government and Public Services will provide world-class learning and development for civil servants, supporting public sector excellence and preparing our people for the future. Our new in-house delivery model will move away from reliance on professional services firms, ensuring learning is designed and delivered by civil servants for civil servants, working with the best external training providers, including universities.
In the meantime, the EY and KPMG contracts include the option of commissioning UK universities and specialist training providers to deliver training to the Civil Service.
Asked by: Lord Goodman of Wycombe (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, with reference to the command paper Protecting What Matters, published on 9 March (CP 1540), with which (1) individuals, (2) groups, (3) organisations, (4) businesses, and (5) bodies, will the Cabinet Office work to support the introduction of training on how religious hatred manifests and how it should be addressed.
Answered by Baroness Blake of Leeds - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
It is for individual organisations and employers to determine which training offer and provider is best suited to their sectors. As set-out in Protecting What Matters, tackling religious hatred requires a whole-of-society response, and improving understanding across society of how religious hatred manifests and how it should be addressed is vital.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the AI Security Institute has access to frontier artificial intelligence models for pre-release safety testing.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The UK's AI Security Institute (AISI) has built trusted, voluntary relationships with the world's leading AI labs. This collaboration lets us keep pace with a fast-moving technology and adapt as it evolves, and has allowed AISI to secure privileged access that has identified dozens of vulnerabilities that developers fixed before public release. AISI is in daily conversation with industry partners and works closely with allies and partners around the world on the risks posed by increasingly capable AI systems.
Asked by: Lord Goodman of Wycombe (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, with reference to the command paper Protecting What Matters, published on 9 March 2026, which (1) individuals, (2) groups, (3) organisations, (4) businesses, and (5) bodies will support the roll out of training on how religious hatred manifests itself and how it should be addressed.
Answered by Baroness Blake of Leeds - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
It is for individual organisations and employers to determine which training offer and provider is best suited to their sectors. As set-out in Protecting What Matters, tackling religious hatred requires a whole-of-society response, and improving understanding across society of how religious hatred manifests and how it should be addressed is vital.