House of Lords Business

Lord Allen of Kensington to ask His Majesty's Government, under the policy whereby asylum seekers whose claims have been outstanding for more than 12 months through no fault of their own can request permission to work in jobs on the Shortage Occupation List published by the Home Office, how many such requests have been (1) made, and (2) granted, since the policy was introduced; an… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

Lord Allen of Kensington to ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to alter the current arrangements for asylum seekers whose claim has been outstanding for more than 12 months through no fault of their own to be able to request permission to work in jobs on the Shortage Occupation List published by the Home Office.  HL553

Lord Allen of Kensington to ask His Majesty's Government when they intend to introduce the Skills England bill.  HL554

Lord Allen of Kensington to ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential benefit of zero-rating VAT on fuel oil to assist households that are reliant on fuel oil to heat their homes; and what plans they have to reduce VAT on fuel oil.  HL555

Baroness Altmann to ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of removing Winter Fuel Payments, without further warning, on (1) pensioners whose incomes are a small amount above the Pension Credit threshold, and (2) those who are entitled to Pension Credit but do not claim it.  HL556

Baroness Altmann to ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take, in light of their decision to renew funding of UNWRA, to ensure that its schools and facilities are not used to conceal Hamas infrastructure or launch attacks on Israel.  HL557

Lord Alton of Liverpool to ask His Majesty's Government what is their policy in relation to the provision of development aid to entities within China; and what is the total of UK aid provided to the China in the past 10 years.  HL558

Lord Alton of Liverpool to ask His Majesty's Government whether they have investigated reports that China lobbied for the removal of references to Taiwan from material used in schools in connection with GCSE examinations.  HL559

Lord Alton of Liverpool to ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which the independence of the UK higher education sector has been compromised by a reliance on funding from China.  HL560

Baroness Anelay of St Johns to ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support initiatives to close the financing gap for food security and nutrition, further to the report The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2024, published in July by the World Food Programme, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN, the International Fund for… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

Baroness Anelay of St Johns to ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with NATO allies about the importance of retaining a minimum credible deterrent for as long as global conditions require.  HL562

Baroness Anelay of St Johns to ask His Majesty's Government whether they will continue to (1) support the UK–Brazil Tech Hub, and (2) develop the global network of international tech partnerships, to build digital ecosystems that would facilitate sustainable economic growth and development.  HL563

Baroness Anelay of St Johns to ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to appoint a Prime Minister’s Special Representative for Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict.  HL564

Baroness Anelay of St Johns to ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to take forward their commitment to the UN on 30 July that they would welcome discussion and feedback from other States Parties and from civil society on their National Implementation Report regarding the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.  HL565

Baroness Anelay of St Johns to ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support the UK–Brazil Partnership on Green and Inclusive Growth announced on 24 May; and whether they endorse the initial five main pillars of the agreement relating to climate, forests, agriculture, energy and finance.  HL566

Earl Attlee to ask His Majesty's Government whether the Malvern Hills Trust, also known as the Malvern Hills Conservators, is considered to be a public body and, if so, for what purposes.  HL567

Earl Attlee to ask His Majesty's Government whether the Secretary of State granted one or more Special Orders under section 44 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 which permitted the movement of long trams from the Very Light Rail Innovation Centre in Dudley to the Metro Maintenance Centre in Wednesbury on 15 February; and if so, whether the haulier who moved a tram on that date gave fiv… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

Lord Berkeley to ask His Majesty's Government what plans, including regarding location and dates, they have made for the next meeting of the Islands Forum.  HL569

Lord Berkeley to ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to support the UK coastal fishing industry with seafood grants to improve fuel efficiency, crew health and safety, and the economic viability of the sector.  HL570

Lord Berkeley to ask His Majesty's Government what funding they are making available for the development of Northern Powerhouse Rail between now and April 2025; and how many staff are currently engaged on this project.  HL571

Lord Berkeley to ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the effect of the planned reductions in the percentage discounts for student, senior, services and other railcards on numbers of rail passengers; and (2) the effect of the ensuing increase in fares on the overall cost of passenger railway to the Government.  HL572

Lord Berkeley to ask His Majesty's Government which types of passenger train operating on which routes allow wheelchair users to board and alight without assistance.  HL573

Lord Berkeley to ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to require all new passenger trains to be built with step-free access through at least one set of doors per carriage.  HL574

Lord Birt to ask His Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to review the working of the UK–US extradition treaty.  HL575

Lord Birt to ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage on 6 August (HL248), what percentage of the 1.5 million homes that the Government is committed to delivering in this Parliament will be social homes.  HL576

Lord Birt to ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to set out a detailed and comprehensive analytical framework for establishing the optimum route to achieving Net Zero.  HL577

Lord Birt to ask His Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to review the (1) performance, (2) remit, and (3) powers, of Ofwat.  HL578

Baroness Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury to ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to convene the Industrial Strategy Council announced in the King's Speech on 17 July; and what will be the process of appointing members to the council.  HL579

Baroness Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury to ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to have representatives from the creative industries on the Industrial Strategy Council.  HL580

Lord Bradshaw to ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage on 9 August (HL387), how much high-quality land has been lost for the use of agricultural production in the last ten years for which figures are available.  HL581

Lord Bradshaw to ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how the leasing market for rolling stock may develop in future; and what assessment have they made of the experiences of rolling stock procurement (1) by Transport for London, (2) by the private sector, or (3) abroad.  HL582

The Lord Bishop of Bristol to ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to continue the Review of Civil Legal Aid; and if so, when they intend to publish a final report.  HL583

The Lord Bishop of Bristol to ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to increase fees payable for (1) barristers, and (2) solicitors, undertaking legal aid cases.  HL584

Lord Carrington to ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how long landlords and letting agents will need to take to prepare for, and update processes, when section 21 repossessions end.  HL585

Lord Carrington to ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how long it will take to change relevant legal forms and provide training to the judiciary and court staff on the system that replaces section 21 repossessions.  HL586

Lord Carrington to ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact that ending fixed term tenancies in the private rented sector will have on lending to (1) individual residential landlords, and (2) build-to-rent developers.  HL587

Lord Cromwell to ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to reduce or withdraw support to the Sustainable Farming Incentive and, if so, (1) when, and (2) by how much; and what assessment they have made of the subsequent effect on existing agreements and new applications.  HL588

Lord Cromwell to ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which the Environmental Land Management Scheme will achieve a full financial replacement for support previously available under the now closed Basic Payment Scheme.  HL589

Baroness Deech to ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with Network Rail concerning the impact on (1) local businesses, (2) older people, (3) disabled people, and (4) pregnant people, of the extended closure of Botley Road as part of the redevelopment of Oxford's rail station; and whether they intend to make resources available to Network Rail to mitigate th… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

Baroness Deech to ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the performance of Network Rail in replacing the Oxford railway bridge which has involved closing the main road (A420) into the city centre for the past 16 months and postponing the reopening indefinitely.  HL591

Baroness Deech to ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the economic and social cost to Oxford of the closure of the A420 into the city; and what steps they plan to take, if any, to ensure that Network Rail is held accountable for the impact of the long-term closure of the road.  HL592

Baroness Eaton to ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to allowing local authorities to veto the use of hotels for the purpose of housing asylum seekers in their respective areas.  HL593

Baroness Eaton to ask His Majesty's Government what steps they plan to take to consult local authorities before Government contractors decide to use hotels in those respective areas for the purpose of housing asylum seekers.  HL594

Lord Empey to ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to raise issues pertaining to the terms and operation of the Windsor Framework in their discussions with the European Union as part of the upcoming review of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement.  HL595

Baroness Finlay of Llandaff to ask His Majesty's Government what evidence they have of unrelieved symptom distress in patients when care assistants are prohibited from administering prescribed medication at home; and how many errors have been recorded when care assistants have administered prescribed breakthrough medication in the patient's home.  HL596

Lord Forsyth of Drumlean to ask His Majesty's Government how many children with special educational needs are in independent schools.  HL597

Lord Forsyth of Drumlean to ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the total additional cost to military families of the planned introduction of VAT at 20 per cent on independent school fees.  HL598

Lord Forsyth of Drumlean to ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure that the planned introduction of VAT on independent school fees is consistent with the European Convention on Human Rights.  HL599

Lord Forsyth of Drumlean to ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of any additional gross earnings needed by working people to meet the cost of the planned introduction of VAT on independent school fees.  HL600

Lord Forsyth of Drumlean to ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to remove charitable status from independent schools; and if so, what is their estimate of the impact this would have on the cost of nursery education.  HL601

Lord Forsyth of Drumlean to ask His Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number of additional places which will be required by local authorities to accommodate children forced to leave independent schools as a consequence of the imposition of VAT on education fees.  HL602

Lord Foster of Bath to ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hanson of Flint on 12 August (HL502), whether they have set a date for the Electronic Travel Authorisation scheme roll out to EU nationals; and whether they have informed port operators about this timetable.  HL603

Lord Foulkes of Cumnock to ask His Majesty's Government what measures they propose to help the poorest pensioners who will lose their winter fuel allowance.  HL604

Lord Foulkes of Cumnock to ask His Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the proposals from (1) Age UK, and (2) Martin Lewis, to mitigate the losses faced by the poorest pensioners who will lose their winter fuel allowance.  HL605

Baroness Gale to ask His Majesty's Government when they intend (1) to respond to the consultation by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on fairer food labelling that closed on 7 May, and (2) to bring forward the proposals to improve transparency in method-of-production welfare labelling for pork, chicken and eggs.  HL606

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park to ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to carry out a monitoring report of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, including its environmental impact and impact on deforestation; whether they will include opportunities for expert stakeholders to provide their views and evidence; and how often they pla… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park to ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to introduce secondary legislation under Schedule 17 to the Environment Act 2021; and what plans they have to review the regulations once implemented.  HL608

Baroness Goudie to ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to deny preferential trading rights to companies from countries with poor human rights records.  HL609

Lord Hain to ask His Majesty's Government what are the latest recidivism rates for all released prisoners.  HL610

Lord Hain to ask His Majesty's Government what are the latest recidivism rates for released prisoners receiving benefits.  HL611

Lord Hain to ask His Majesty's Government what are the latest recidivism rates for released prisoners on training schemes for job placements.  HL612

Lord Hain to ask His Majesty's Government what are the latest recidivism rates for released prisoners in work.  HL613

Lord Hain to ask His Majesty's Government what regulations govern training for prisoners while still in prison for job placements on release.  HL614

Lord Hain to ask His Majesty's Government what regulations govern Universal Credit payments for prisoners immediately after their release.  HL615

Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town to ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to publish the outcome of the Department of Health and Social Care consultation on patients' rights to request medical treatment (1) from someone of the same biological sex and (2) on single-sex wards, where "sex" refers to biological sex.  HL616

Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town to ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to make regulations under section 2(5) of the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act 2014 to amend section 2(3) of that Act to cover communications to a special adviser, as defined in that Act.  HL617

Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town to ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to revise the Ministerial Code.  HL618

Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town to ask His Majesty's Government whether they are planning to amend the terms of reference of (1) the House of Lords Appointments Commission, (2) the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments, (3) the Independent Adviser on Ministers’ Interests, or (4) the Committee on Standards in Public Life.  HL619

Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town to ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to undertake research on headlight glare, in response to the parliamentary petition on headlight dazzle.  HL620

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger to ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to remove VAT from work and building materials that are utilised to repurpose old buildings into housing.  HL621

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger to ask His Majesty's Government whether they have identified older buildings in each local authority area that could be adapted to provide housing.  HL622

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger to ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to encourage developers to use brownfield sites; and whether they plan to give tax breaks to developers of this land to reflect the added costs of making the land fit to be built on.  HL623

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger to ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to consider the potential benefits of beautiful housing in their proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework.  HL624

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger to ask His Majesty's Government what their policy is towards repurposing old buildings for housing, to help address the housing crisis.  HL625

Baroness Hoey to ask His Majesty's Government what representations have been made to the Commonwealth to accelerate the publication by the Commonwealth Observer Group to the 2023 Zimbabwe Harmonised Elections of its final report on its findings on those elections.  HL626

Baroness Hoey to ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) timeliness, and (2) value for money of election monitoring missions undertaken by Commonwealth Observer Groups since 2016.  HL627

Baroness Hunt of Bethnal Green to ask His Majesty's Government how many young people are on the waiting list to access support at the specialist gender services at Great Ormond Street Hospital and Alder Hey Children's Hospital; and what is the current average length of time spent by young people on the waiting list before attending their first appointment.  HL628

Baroness Hunt of Bethnal Green to ask His Majesty's Government, further to the letter from the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to all members of the House of Lords on 8 August, what other forms of care will be included within the clinical study around the use of puberty blockers for young people experiencing gender dysphoria or gender incongruence.  HL629

Lord Jamieson to ask His Majesty's Government, further to the proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework, what is the average price per square metre for housing by local authority.  HL630

Lord Jamieson to ask His Majesty's Government, further to the proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework, what steps they will take to ensure there is sufficient highways infrastructure to support housing growth given that the proposed reforms would introduce a high bar for refusing development on highways grounds.  HL631

Lord Jamieson to ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the removal of the presumption of a five-year land supply for local authorities with an up-to-date local plan as part of the proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework does not lead to a significant increase in speculative applications and planners' workload.  HL632

Lord Jamieson to ask His Majesty's Government what additional support and powers they will provide to local authorities to ensure that landowners and developers actually build when planning permission has been granted.  HL633

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb to ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect of any slowing or collapse of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation on their economic planning.  HL634

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb to ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage local authorities to consult directors of public health when (1) creating local plans, and (2) taking planning decisions.  HL635

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb to ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that routes identified in Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans are considered by local planning authorities when (1) creating local plans, and (2) taking planning decisions.  HL636

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb to ask His Majesty's Government what distance they consider to be a "short walk", as referred to in paragraph 155(c) of the National Planning Policy Framework draft text, published on 30 July.  HL637

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb to ask His Majesty's Government on what date they expect to receive the Health and Safety Executive's final restriction opinion on the risks of using lead in ammunition to human health and the environment, which had been due for submission in March 2023.  HL638

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb to ask His Majesty's Government whether the 30-day constant rate water quality trial, conducted at the Blackford public water source in South Harefield in April and May by Affinity Water Ltd and HS2 Ltd, found any construction-related changes to the water quality at that site, prior to plans to restart abstraction at Blackford pumping station.  HL639

Lord Kempsell to ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to maintain the Civil Service work-from-home rules, introduced in November 2023, which require Civil Servants to work in the office or face-to-face 60 per cent of the time, and whether they will publish a copy of those rules.  HL640

Lord Kempsell to ask His Majesty's Government when they will resume publication of Civil Service office attendance data; and how that data is broken down by department for the period between May and July this year.  HL641

Lord Kempsell to ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support communities in England threatened by coastal erosion, and whether they will publish a national strategy for countering the impacts of coastal erosion.  HL642

Lord Kempsell to ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to reform council tax banding; and if so, whether they plan to carry out and publish an assessment of the impact of any such changes.  HL643

Lord Kempsell to ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of UK capabilities in electronic warfare; and what steps they are taking to improve such capability.  HL644

Lord Kempsell to ask His Majesty's Government how many (1) armed forces, and (2) diplomatic families, currently receive support via the Continuity of Education Allowance; and what were the numbers supported each year since 2019.  HL645

Lord Laming to ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce the number of children who are taken into the care of local authorities.  HL646

Lord Laming to ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve services that aim to prevent children being taken into the care of local authorities.  HL647

Lord Laming to ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce the number of children who frequently fail to attend school.  HL648

Lord Laming to ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve the support given to unpaid carers.  HL649

Lord Leigh of Hurley to ask His Majesty's Government how many licences for arms export to Israel were granted in (1) July, and (2) August; and how those numbers compare to the number granted in the first half of 2024.  HL650

Lord Lipsey to ask His Majesty's Government what progress they are making with regard to their River Wye Action Plan, published on 12 April.  HL651

Baroness Lister of Burtersett to ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Sherlock on 24 July (HL300), what is their most recent estimate of the cost of abolishing the two-child limit; and how this compares with the external estimates referred to.  HL652

Baroness Lister of Burtersett to ask His Majesty's Government when they will announce their decision on the extension of the Household Support Fund beyond 20 September; what assessment they have made of how the current uncertainty over its continuation will affect local authorities' delivery of the fund, should it be continued; and what assessment they have made of the calls from… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

Baroness Lister of Burtersett to ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the findings of the papers (1) Capped and trapped: how the benefit cap makes it almost impossible to find affordable housing, and (2) An impossible move?, by CASE, published in July.  HL654

Baroness Lister of Burtersett to ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage and support local authorities to ensure that children in their care with rights to British citizenship have their citizenship rights confirmed or registered, including where necessary by confirming relevant information from records held by the Home Office.  HL655

Baroness Lister of Burtersett to ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that children with rights to British citizenship can secure their citizenship rights where hostile British or settled fathers are unwilling to support their child's registration or passport applications.  HL656

Baroness Lister of Burtersett to ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to fulfil the commitments made to Parliament at the time of the creation of British citizenship under the British Nationality Act 1981 that information would be made available to affected individuals.  HL657

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering to ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the current threat of blue tongue in livestock; and what steps they are taking to prevent the spread of the disease.  HL658

Lord Macpherson of Earl's Court to ask His Majesty's Government whether they will make a statement on the future of the system of Prime Minister's trade envoys.  HL659

The Lord Bishop of Manchester to ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to increase the minimum income threshold for applications for a (1) spousal, and (2) family, visa.  HL660

Lord Moylan to ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to make the online self-assessment tax return form SA100 available to download, so that taxpayers wishing to submit paper returns do not have to telephone His Majesty's Revenue and Customs to obtain it.  HL661

Lord Moylan to ask His Majesty's Government whether they have plans to transport Sri Lankan nationals from Diego Garcia to the UK and if so, how many persons, and when; what assessment they have made as to how many such persons were trafficked to Diego Garcia by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), an organisation proscribed under the Terrorism Act 2000, or its associates;… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

Baroness Neville-Rolfe to ask His Majesty's Government, with reference to section 7 of the Ministerial Code, whether the Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office made a declaration of interest to (1) the Permanent Secretary of the Cabinet Office or (2) the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Interests, in relation to the ministerial appointment of a Labour staffer from… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

Baroness Neville-Rolfe to ask His Majesty's Government how many staff previously working for (1) the Labour Party, (2) Labour Together, and (3) Labour Parliamentarians, have been recruited without open and fair competition to the Civil Service since the general election, other than as special advisers.  HL664

Baroness Neville-Rolfe to ask His Majesty's Government which Treasury Minister or Ministers (1) requested and (2) approved, (a) the appointment of Ian Corfield, (b) the appointment of Oliver Newton, as civil servants, and (c) the promotion to Director for Special Advisers and Chancellor Engagement of Louise Tinsley; which senior individual or individuals in the Treasury authorised… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

Baroness Neville-Rolfe to ask His Majesty's Government what assessment the Cabinet Secretary has made of the compatibility of appointing Ms Jessica Sargeant from Labour Together as the new Deputy Director in the Cabinet Office’s Propriety and Constitution Group, with (1) propriety, (2) the Nolan principles on standards in public life, and (3) the Civil Service Code’s provisions on… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

Baroness Neville-Rolfe to ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer of Baroness Twycross on 13 August (HL548), whether further headquarters occupancy data have been collated since the end of general election purdah; what guidance they have given to the Civil Service on whether such data should continue to be collected and published; and whether they will place in… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

Baroness Neville-Rolfe to ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Cabinet Office of 30 July (HC923), whether paragraphs 207–208 of the Cabinet Office's Guide to Parliamentary Work (November 2022) on the relationship between the treatment of requests for information under Parliamentary Questions and the Freedom of Informatio… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay to ask His Majesty's Government whether they have had any discussions with the Metropolitan Police regarding reports that they are not investigating the illegal ignition of fireworks on bridges over the River Thames in central London on Wednesday 7 August, one of which landed in the Globe Theatre.  HL669

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay to ask His Majesty's Government where the portrait of Baroness Thatcher by Richard Stone will hang or be stored following its removal from the study of 10 Downing Street.  HL670

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay to ask His Majesty's Government whether the portrait of Baroness Thatcher by Richard Stone, commissioned by Gordon Brown in 2007, is part of the Government Art Collection; and if not, who owns it.  HL671

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay to ask His Majesty's Government on what date the portrait of Baroness Thatcher by Richard Stone was removed from the study of 10 Downing Street.  HL672

Lord Patten to ask His Majesty's Government how many (1) men, and (2) women, in England and Wales are currently in paid employment at the age of (a) 75, and (b) 80 years.  HL673

Lord Reid of Cardowan to ask His Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take to ensure effective border control and management of illegal immigration.  HL674

Lord Reid of Cardowan to ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of recent immigration levels on public services, including healthcare, education, and housing.  HL675

Lord Reid of Cardowan to ask His Majesty's Government what data they hold on the economic contributions of immigrants to the UK, including their roles in key sectors such as healthcare, technology, and agriculture.  HL676

Lord Reid of Cardowan to ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve the efficiency and fairness of the immigration system, particularly in terms of processing times and decision transparency.  HL677

Lord Reid of Cardowan to ask His Majesty's Government in what ways they are supporting the integration of immigrants into UK society, and what measures are in place to promote community cohesion and reduce discrimination.  HL678

Lord Reid of Cardowan to ask His Majesty's Government, in light of current labour shortages in various industries, how they are adjusting immigration policies to attract and retain skilled workers from abroad.  HL679

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick to ask His Majesty's Government what timelines are in place for the development of a cost-benefit analysis on the centralised procurement and supply of adult flu vaccines, in line with paragraph 4.5.6 of the NHS Vaccination Strategy.  HL680

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick to ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to engage with external stakeholders in the development of a cost-benefit analysis of the centralised procurement and supply of adult flu vaccines, in line with paragraph 4.5.6 of the NHS Vaccination Strategy.  HL681

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick to ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the El Niño floods, upon children and families in Somalia.  HL682

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick to ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Official Development Assistance budget for overseas aid.  HL683

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick to ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they will give to the Official Development Assistance budget for overseas aid in the forthcoming Autumn Budget statement.  HL684

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick to ask His Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the annual survey of hospital inpatients in England and Wales, published by the Care Quality Commission on 21 August.  HL685

The Lord Bishop of St Albans to ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the findings set out by UNICEF in their press release 'Almost 300,000 Children Threatened by Severe Acute Malnutrition in Six Drought-Affected Countries in Southern Africa', published on 25 July; and whether they intend to provide additional aid in response to that drought.  HL686

The Lord Bishop of St Albans to ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to tackle hare coursing; and what assessment they have made of whether hare coursing is increasing.  HL687

The Lord Bishop of St Albans to ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the finding in the report The State of the Arts, published by Campaign for the Arts and the University of Warwick on 22 July, that the UK has one of the lowest levels of government spending on arts and culture among European countries; and whether they intend to increase funding… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

The Lord Bishop of St Albans to ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of robbery and shoplifting offences in Hertfordshire; and what steps they plan to take to tackle those crimes in that area.  HL689

The Lord Bishop of St Albans to ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to take steps to prevent UK consumers from purchasing goods produced by forced labour; and what assessment they have made of (1) the decision by the government of the United States to add aluminium to its list of priority sectors for the enforcement of the Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act, and (2)… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

The Lord Bishop of St Albans to ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether allowing the use of debit cards and digital payment wallets in land-based gambling venues will prevent (1) their closure, (2) a decline in revenue, or (3) job losses.  HL691

Lord Sharkey to ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Vere of Norbiton on 13 May (HL4179), when they expect to publish the summary of responses and details of next steps for the Tax Simplification for Alternative Finance consultation, which closed on 9 April.  HL692

Baroness Stedman-Scott to ask His Majesty's Government how many responses have been received to the call for input on incorrect guidance on single-sex spaces and gender self-identification, published on 1 May; and what is the estimated date for publishing the Government response to the consultation and the summary of responses.  HL693

Baroness Stedman-Scott to ask His Majesty's Government what is their policy on (1) Whitehall departments, and (2) arms-length bodies, spending taxpayers’ money on affiliating to Stonewall.  HL694

Lord Stevens of Birmingham to ask His Majesty's Government which scientific criteria they apply in deciding whether an educational institution can describe itself as a Health Sciences University; whether these criteria could apply to an institution teaching homeopathy and other alternative therapies; and which peer-reviewed research or externally-assessed teaching the Office for S… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

Lord Taylor of Warwick to ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure Britain remains competitive in AI innovation following cuts to AI investment.  HL696

Lord Taylor of Warwick to ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to protect consumers from highly inflated ticket prices resulting from the use of dynamic pricing software.  HL697

Lord Taylor of Warwick to ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure the wellbeing of pensioners this winter, particularly in the light of (1) the forecasted rise of household bills, and (2) the removal of the Winter Fuel Allowance.  HL698

Lord Teverson to ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to ensure that UK citizens have the right to marry or form a civil partnership, other than a marriage of convenience, with whom they wish, and have the freedom to reside with their spouse or partner in the UK whatever their wealth or income.  HL699

Lord Teverson to ask His Majesty's Government for what reason the second of the green belt purposes in paragraph 140 of the draft National Planning Policy Framework, "to prevent neighbouring towns merging into one another", is not replicated in paragraph 155 regarding major development permitted through development management or on land which has been released from the green belt.… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

Lord Teverson to ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend that the "vision led approach" required by paragraph 112 of the draft National Planning Policy Framework should be based on any or all of (1) local transport plans, (2) local cycling and walking infrastructure plans, (3) rights of way improvement plans, and (4) bus service improvement plans.  HL701

The Lord Bishop of Winchester to ask His Majesty's Government what representations they plan to make to the government of Iraq regarding the subversion of regional government by Iranian-backed militia in the Ninevah Plains and the impact of this on the stability of the region and on the safety of the Christian community there.  HL702