Lords
Proceedings
8 September 2026
El Niño
My Lords, when will the Government accept that it is our own brilliant British farmers who can provide food security, but they are being punished for their efforts by the family farms tax? Why are the Government refusing to listen to the NFU and its 43,000 farming members who remain opposed to the p…
Lords
Proceedings
7 September 2026
Creative and Performing Arts Teaching Grants
My Lords, universities need more teachers generally, but so do schools. The Government pledged to recruit 6,500 new teachers, but the annual school workforce census shows that there are 1,900 fewer teachers across all schools. Does the Minister agree with Daniel Kebede, the general secretary of the …
Lords
Proceedings
3 September 2026
Parcel Delivery Services
My Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Pack, for securing this important debate and I look forward with great interest to hearing the maiden speech of the noble Lord, Lord Sarwar. It is right that we reflect on the mounting issues within this country’s national postal service and highlight the poten…
Lords
Committee Stage
2 September 2026
Digital Government (Disclosure of Information) Regulations 2026
My Lords, these regulations relate to the Digital Economy Act 2017, which enables data-sharing between public authorities and energy suppliers. The regulations will permit the sharing of information to support the delivery of a debt relief scheme by allowing specified persons to disclose information…
Lords
Proceedings
23 July 2026
Prisoner Early Release Scheme
I thank the Minister for his response. Noble Lords on the Conservative Benches have been tabling and voting for amendments to secure exemptions from this early release scheme since November last year, amendments that were defeated by noble Lords on the Government and Liberal Democrat Benches. Why di…
Lords
Proceedings
22 July 2026
Category 4 Steel Imports: Tariff-free Quotas
My Lords, following on from the noble Lord, Lord Hannan, why does the Minister think that the overwhelming majority of economists say that tariffs harm the economy?
Lords
Proceedings
22 July 2026
Performing Artists and Musicians: Access to the EU
My Lords, UK talent that performs overseas is nurtured via the music and dance scheme—a long-standing programme to help students overcome financial barriers and to support our next generation of brilliant performing artists and musicians. Can the Minister confirm that funding for this scheme will co…
Lords
Proceedings
16 July 2026
Key Stage 2 Exam Results
My Lords, it is incredibly important to support all businesses, big and small, to enhance economic growth. But in this instance, it is obviously entirely fair and reasonable to ask: what steps are both the Government and Pearson undertaking right now to support teachers who are back at their desks d…
Lords
Committee Stage
15 July 2026
2 contributions
Lifelong Learning (Fee Limits) Regulations 2026
My Lords, I thank the Minister for introducing these regulations. Lifelong access to high-quality education is a key component for a successful society. Access to resources that improve the skills and capabilities of the workforce goes hand in hand with a more dynamic economy and a more independent …
My Lords, in summary, these regulations should be viewed as positive and we hope that they are effective.
Lords
Debate
14 July 2026
Cyber Security and Resilience (Network and Information Systems) Bill
My Lords, I thank the Minister for introducing the Bill before your Lordships’ House this afternoon. His Majesty’s loyal Opposition support the objective which lies behind this legislation. The cyber threat facing the UK is growing incrementally, both in scale and in sophistication. From hostile sta…
Lords
Proceedings
7 July 2026
British Industry and Services: Public Procurement
If the Government’s policy is to prioritise British industry, can the Minister explain why one of the first projects being carried out by Great British Energy is to install, in 100 of our schools, solar panels that are either Chinese-made or include Chinese components, many of which are sourced from…
Lords
Proceedings
6 July 2026
Imprisonment for Public Protection Prisoners
My Lords, there appear to have been 3,000 IPP prisoners in 2024, 2,500 in 2025 and still close to 2,500 in 2026, with the never-released group dropping from 1,200 to around 950 in the same timeframe. In his response to the noble Lord, Lord Carlile, the Minister said that there had been an 11% reduct…
Lords
Proceedings
2 July 2026
Post-16 Education and Skills: Funding
My Lords, to be clear, teachers deserve the best deal possible for their brilliant work, but yesterday the Government brought forward a 6.5% increase, bringing their overall pay rise to 17% since the election. The issue is that schools are expected to fund 1% of this increase through efficiency savi…
Lords
Proceedings
22 June 2026
NHS: Dementia Treatment Trials
My Lords, Wes Streeting was absolutely right when he said that prevention is better than cure. The onset of dementia can be delayed by regular exercise and eating healthily, but the facts are that one in three adults is not taking the recommended NHS guidelines for exercise. Ultra-processed foods pr…
Lords
Proceedings
18 June 2026
Steel Tariffs
My Lords, the British Chambers of Commerce has said that the changes
“could add millions of pounds to manufacturers’ costs”.
Why do the Government want to add more costs to UK industry, which is already reeling from the increased national insurance costs?
Lords
Proceedings
11 June 2026
Misinformation: Social Market Foundation Report
My Lords, it is not just about elections; social media exposes under-16s to relentless misinformation. It distorts their understanding of reality, fuels anxiety and fear, and normalises hateful or dangerous ideas. My noble friend Lord Bailey mentioned health misinformation. A ban would give children…
Lords
Proceedings
10 June 2026
Mindanao Earthquake
My Lords, the safety and well-being of those living in and around General Santos City is the only thing that matters right now. But, following on from my noble friend Lady Sugg, on a practical level, we have some brilliant UK-based firms with international operations that specialise in structural in…
Lords
Proceedings
8 June 2026
South East Water: Disruption of Supply
My Lords, climate experts are predicting that a super El Niño this autumn could lead to 2027 being the hottest year on record. We know this today, so what exactly are the Government doing now to prepare the country in advance and avoid the disruption to water supplies as seen last spring? There can …
Lords
Proceedings
4 June 2026
2 contributions
Young People and Work
My Lords—
Alan Milburn’s report highlighted the harms of social media for young people. Just a few weeks ago, the front page of the Mirror newspaper ran with the headline, “Kids’ social media ban within weeks”, citing Liz Kendall. Can the Minister please give us an update? Noble Lords were clear during the pa…
Lords
Proceedings
3 June 2026
Access to Nature Green Paper
My Lords, enjoying access to nature, combined with physical activity, is medically proven to result in healthier, more prosperous and happier communities. The Minister mentioned the Environmental Improvement Plan: will she commit to the target within that plan that everyone should have access to gre…
Lords
Proceedings
3 June 2026
World Cup Ticket Prices
My Lords, the World Cup brings together communities and breaks down barriers, but the reality is that not all UK football fans have reliable broadband or smart TVs for streaming. So will the Government act to fund libraries, community centres and jobcentres, which could be free streaming hubs, parti…
Lords
Proceedings
2 June 2026
Steel Import Restrictions
My Lords, consumers do not buy raw steel, but they do buy the things made from it. Tariffs cause a squeeze on real wages as more household income goes on goods whose prices have been pushed up by input costs. Why would any Government want that?
Lords
Oral Questions
26 March 2026
Learning Disabilities: Health and Social Care Access
My Lords, I am pleased to respond to this Question for Short Debate, and I congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Scriven, on securing what, as we have heard, is a very important debate. I also congratulate him on his commitment to improving outcomes for those who have a learning disability. Personally a…
Lords
Proceedings
23 March 2026
UK Steel Strategy
My noble friend Lord Sharpe quite rightly said that open markets are good and, following on from my noble friend Lord Harper, it is quite correct that economists may say that the uncertainty of tariff policy is not favourable for employment or investment. So I ask the Minister: why exactly do the Go…