Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to take any steps in light of the Committee for Privileges in the House of Commons, Matter referred on 4 September 2025: Actions of the Charity Commission; and in particular what steps they are taking to review appointments to, budgets of and use of powers by the Charity Commission.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Charity Commission has apologised unreservedly to Parliament in response to the House of Commons Committee for Privileges report, and has accepted the report in full. The Commission is considering wider lessons to be learnt from the Committee's report, and it has also commissioned a judge-led independent review into its handling of the two cases.
This work is supported by additional resources for the Commission allocated in the recent Spending Review. Recognising the growing range of threats facing charities and the corresponding demands upon the Commission, the Government is also working with the Commission to expand its regulatory powers, and has full confidence in the current leadership of the Commission to deliver this. Charity Commission board appointments are made by the Secretary of the State in accordance with the Governance Code for Public Appointments.
Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question
To ask His Majesty's Government what was the cost of the review by Sir Gary Hickinbottom into the Charity Commission’s handling of the Lara Hall and Damian Murray case.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Sir Gary Hickinbottom has recently commenced work on his independent review of the Charity Commission’s handling of the two cases. As the review is at an early stage it is not yet possible to accurately state the total costs of the work. The review is expected to conclude this Autumn.
Asked by: Lord Bradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to support unpaid carers over the next 12 months in the light of increases to the cost of living.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government recognises the vital contribution made by unpaid carers and is committed to ensuring they receive the support they need.
The cross-government Unpaid Carers Action Plan, published on 14 July, sets out our work to improve how unpaid carers are recognised, how support is offered, and how they can be helped to reach their full potential and live fulfilling lives.
Financial support is available from the Department for Work and Pensions through Universal Credit, Pension Credit, and – in England and Wales – Carer’s Allowance. The Universal Credit Act 2025 introduced, for the first time ever, a sustained above-inflation increase to the Standard Allowance to rebalance support for those on low incomes. This increased by 6.1% in April 2026. The Universal Credit carer element, which is payable in addition to the Standard Allowance for those providing unpaid care of 35 hours a week or more for a severely disabled person, was increased in line with the increase in the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) by 3.8%.
The Standard Minimum Guarantee in Pension Credit was increased in line with average earnings growth by 4.8%. The Pension Credit carer addition, which is payable in addition to the Standard Minimum Guarantee, was increased in line with the increase in the CPI by 3.8%, as was Carer's Allowance.
The weekly earnings limit in Carer's Allowance was increased to £204 per week, aligned with 16 hours at the National Living Wage. This continues the policy we introduced last year, which saw the largest ever increase in the earnings limit since Carer's Allowance was introduced, and means over 60,000 additional people are expected to receive Carer's Allowance between 2025/26 and 2029/30.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of preventing asylum seekers in Home Office supported accommodation from being able to go out into the community freely.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)
In accordance with current legislation, people with a valid pending claim for asylum are permitted to remain in the UK while their claim is being processed, and as they have permission to remain in the UK during that time, they cannot be routinely detained. Detention is primarily used to facilitate removal of those who have no lawful right to remain in the UK, and who refuse to leave voluntarily.
Those in the asylum system who have valid leave may be subject to conditions under section 71 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002. Asylum Seekers who have no leave to be in the UK, who are not detained, will be placed on immigration bail with strict conditions set under Schedule 10 to the Immigration Act 2016.
The conditions imposed are considered on a case-by-case basis and can include requirements on where a person must live, as well as obligations to maintain regular contact with the Home Office. This may include reporting in person, by telephone or digitally, and notifying the Home Office of any changes to contact details. Failure to comply with these conditions may result in further immigration enforcement action including immigration detention.
Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by the Prime Minister on 2 July (HCWS180), what safety protections are in place for the functioning independence of the Office for Nuclear Regulation after its transfer to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, recognising that as it is not a non-ministerial department, ministerial directions can be issued.
Answered by Baroness Curran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Office for Nuclear Regulation was established under the Energy Act 2013 and will remain an independent public corporation. This change does not affect their statutory basis, legal powers or regulatory decisions.
Ministers do not intervene on matters of regulatory decision making. The extent to which Ministers can direct the ONR is set out in the Act and under Section 108 of that Act, any Ministerial direction is reported to Parliament on an annual basis.
Asked by: Chris Philp (Conservative - Croydon South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she pans to answer named day written questions 12724, 12725, 12726 and 12727 tabled on 24 June.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Minister for Border Security and Asylum wrote to the Rt. Hon. gentleman on 13 and 23 July.
Asked by: Baroness Berger (Labour - Life peer)
Question
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the proportion of computing capacity located in the UK that could not be remotely disabled, restricted, or otherwise rendered unavailable by a supplier, government, or other entity based outside the UK.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government works closely with industry partners to strengthen the resilience of critical digital infrastructure and to reduce vulnerabilities that could arise from supply chain dependencies, cyber risks or single points of failure. This includes promoting robust cybersecurity practices, business continuity planning and risk management measures across critical sectors.
Through the National Cyber Security Centre and other relevant authorities, the Government continues to assess risks to the UK's digital infrastructure and, where necessary, takes action to protect national security and the continuity of essential services.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the expansion of artificial intelligence companies on demand for commercial office space in London.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government recognises the significant contribution that AI companies make to economic growth and innovation.
Demand for commercial office space in London is influenced by a range of factors, including wider economic conditions, business investment and workplace trends. The expansion of AI companies may contribute to demand for office space, particularly in innovation and technology clusters, but the Government does not routinely assess the impact of individual sectors on the commercial property market.
Asked by: Lord Houchen of High Leven (Conservative - Life peer)
Question
To ask His Majesty's Government how many (1) desks, and (2) civil servants, are assigned to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology office at 22–26 Whitehall.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
22-26 Whitehall has 825 desk work settings. The site is used by multiple Government departments, and official figures have not yet been updated following the creation of the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade.
On 30 June 2026, 22-26 Whitehall had 998 active DSIT civil servants as their contracted office location.
Asked by: Baroness Nargund (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what support they plan to provide for young women entering the workforce in relation to the rise of artificial intelligence, lack of job security, and skills confidence.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
With over one million young people not in education, employment and training, this Government will not leave an entire generation of young people behind. The Government is investing an additional £2.5 billion over the next three years into the Youth Guarantee and the Growth and Skills Levy.
This investment will support almost one million young people and create up to 500,000 opportunities to earn and learn, including through expanded network of Youth Hubs, earlier intensive support in Jobs Centres through a new Youth Guarantee Gateway, additional work experience and training opportunities, a £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant and £2,000 apprenticeship hiring payment for employers, and a fully funded six month job for long-term unemployed 18–24-year-olds.
We also recognise the crisis of participation that Alan Milburn has so clearly laid out in his interim report. We will use this interim report to continue to build our reforms and look forward to final recommendations in the Autumn.
AI has potentially transformative benefits for the economy and wider society, and the Government is doing all it can to ensure that the United Kingdom is at the forefront of this technological transition. That’s why the government is taking action now to shape this transition in a way that benefits workers, including young women, and the economy. This includes: