I thank my noble friend for his kind words, and I look forward to seeing a number of noble Lords at the IPP Peers meeting on Monday. I will take away the point on the progression board that he mentions. However, I reiterate that we need prisons that work and a Probation Service that works. One of the things that I been focused on is performance in the justice system. I am pleased to inform Members of your Lordships’ House that 70% of our prisons and 90% of our probation regions are now performing better than they were. Self-harm and assaults on staff are down. To me, all that shows that we are getting to the right place, which will make it easier for often complex prisoners to get on so they can get out and stay out.

Statistical information held in relation to the regional breakdown of all 1182 recipients for the 2026 Birthday Honours List can be found below. Percentages are rounded to 1 decimal point. Data for CBE and higher levels has been aggregated and is also included below. Data reflects the correspondence address provided by recipients.

Data is collected using city/town and county, then aggregated into regional figures at the time that the recipients were sounded for an award, not when they were originally nominated. There were 16 individuals who noted their location as South Yorkshire in the 2026 Birthday Honours List, 3 of which were above OBE level. There were 3 individuals who noted their location as Sheffield.

Information on the number of nominations by mayoral authority in South Yorkshire is not captured, as we are unable to break down the data in that way. However, of those who listed their location as South Yorkshire, 7 individuals received an award above MBE level.

53 recipients of honours in the 2026 Birthday Honours List have received honours in previous lists.

This data relates only to the main Prime Minister’s List and does not include data from the Defence List or the Overseas and International List, which are not administered by the Cabinet Office.

Transparency data for the list by county, the level of award received and the service for which each recipient has been recognised, as well as information on recipients recognised in previous honours lists, is publicly available on gov.uk.

Honours are awarded on merit basis. A key aim of the honours system is to ensure that it is more representative of the country as a whole and we will continue to encourage more nominations from every corner of the UK, including South Yorkshire, in future honours lists.

Statistical information held in relation to the regional breakdown of all 1182 recipients for the 2026 Birthday Honours List can be found below. Percentages are rounded to 1 decimal point. Data for CBE and higher levels has been aggregated and is also included below. Data reflects the correspondence address provided by recipients.

Data is collected using city/town and county, then aggregated into regional figures at the time that the recipients were sounded for an award, not when they were originally nominated. There were 16 individuals who noted their location as South Yorkshire in the 2026 Birthday Honours List, 3 of which were above OBE level. There were 3 individuals who noted their location as Sheffield.

Information on the number of nominations by mayoral authority in South Yorkshire is not captured, as we are unable to break down the data in that way. However, of those who listed their location as South Yorkshire, 7 individuals received an award above MBE level.

53 recipients of honours in the 2026 Birthday Honours List have received honours in previous lists.

This data relates only to the main Prime Minister’s List and does not include data from the Defence List or the Overseas and International List, which are not administered by the Cabinet Office.

Transparency data for the list by county, the level of award received and the service for which each recipient has been recognised, as well as information on recipients recognised in previous honours lists, is publicly available on gov.uk.

Honours are awarded on merit basis. A key aim of the honours system is to ensure that it is more representative of the country as a whole and we will continue to encourage more nominations from every corner of the UK, including South Yorkshire, in future honours lists.

Statistical information held in relation to the regional breakdown of all 1182 recipients for the 2026 Birthday Honours List can be found below. Percentages are rounded to 1 decimal point. Data for CBE and higher levels has been aggregated and is also included below. Data reflects the correspondence address provided by recipients.

Data is collected using city/town and county, then aggregated into regional figures at the time that the recipients were sounded for an award, not when they were originally nominated. There were 16 individuals who noted their location as South Yorkshire in the 2026 Birthday Honours List, 3 of which were above OBE level. There were 3 individuals who noted their location as Sheffield.

Information on the number of nominations by mayoral authority in South Yorkshire is not captured, as we are unable to break down the data in that way. However, of those who listed their location as South Yorkshire, 7 individuals received an award above MBE level.

53 recipients of honours in the 2026 Birthday Honours List have received honours in previous lists.

This data relates only to the main Prime Minister’s List and does not include data from the Defence List or the Overseas and International List, which are not administered by the Cabinet Office.

Transparency data for the list by county, the level of award received and the service for which each recipient has been recognised, as well as information on recipients recognised in previous honours lists, is publicly available on gov.uk.

Honours are awarded on merit basis. A key aim of the honours system is to ensure that it is more representative of the country as a whole and we will continue to encourage more nominations from every corner of the UK, including South Yorkshire, in future honours lists.

Statistical information held in relation to the regional breakdown of all 1182 recipients for the 2026 Birthday Honours List can be found below. Percentages are rounded to 1 decimal point. Data for CBE and higher levels has been aggregated and is also included below. Data reflects the correspondence address provided by recipients.

Data is collected using city/town and county, then aggregated into regional figures at the time that the recipients were sounded for an award, not when they were originally nominated. There were 16 individuals who noted their location as South Yorkshire in the 2026 Birthday Honours List, 3 of which were above OBE level. There were 3 individuals who noted their location as Sheffield.

Information on the number of nominations by mayoral authority in South Yorkshire is not captured, as we are unable to break down the data in that way. However, of those who listed their location as South Yorkshire, 7 individuals received an award above MBE level.

53 recipients of honours in the 2026 Birthday Honours List have received honours in previous lists.

This data relates only to the main Prime Minister’s List and does not include data from the Defence List or the Overseas and International List, which are not administered by the Cabinet Office.

Transparency data for the list by county, the level of award received and the service for which each recipient has been recognised, as well as information on recipients recognised in previous honours lists, is publicly available on gov.uk.

Honours are awarded on merit basis. A key aim of the honours system is to ensure that it is more representative of the country as a whole and we will continue to encourage more nominations from every corner of the UK, including South Yorkshire, in future honours lists.

Statistical information held in relation to the regional breakdown of all 1182 recipients for the 2026 Birthday Honours List can be found below. Percentages are rounded to 1 decimal point. Data for CBE and higher levels has been aggregated and is also included below. Data reflects the correspondence address provided by recipients.

Data is collected using city/town and county, then aggregated into regional figures at the time that the recipients were sounded for an award, not when they were originally nominated. There were 16 individuals who noted their location as South Yorkshire in the 2026 Birthday Honours List, 3 of which were above OBE level. There were 3 individuals who noted their location as Sheffield.

Information on the number of nominations by mayoral authority in South Yorkshire is not captured, as we are unable to break down the data in that way. However, of those who listed their location as South Yorkshire, 7 individuals received an award above MBE level.

53 recipients of honours in the 2026 Birthday Honours List have received honours in previous lists.

This data relates only to the main Prime Minister’s List and does not include data from the Defence List or the Overseas and International List, which are not administered by the Cabinet Office.

Transparency data for the list by county, the level of award received and the service for which each recipient has been recognised, as well as information on recipients recognised in previous honours lists, is publicly available on gov.uk.

Honours are awarded on merit basis. A key aim of the honours system is to ensure that it is more representative of the country as a whole and we will continue to encourage more nominations from every corner of the UK, including South Yorkshire, in future honours lists.

I thank my noble friend for all his continued support in this difficult area and for sending me a lot of cases that I can look at. The good news is that recall is down by 31%. Under the risk-assessed recall review, which is a specialist review where we can quickly release someone quickly, we had released 50 prisoners early up to September 2025—in the next couple of weeks, we will be releasing the updated figures, and I hope for that figure to be higher. We also have the round table of the Peers’ IPP group on 20 July, which I am really looking forward to, because we can go into this in more detail then.

I can assure my noble friend that I have gone back—not just on this but on other things—a number of times to see whether we can bring in legislation without it being primary, but the lawyers have informed me that that is not the case. We need primary legislation. I am sure that the comments that my noble friend has made about older legislation will be looked at very carefully.

The Disability Confident scheme provides employers with the knowledge, skills, and confidence they need to attract, recruit, retain and develop disabled people and people with health conditions in the workplace. It is a voluntary scheme, developed in partnership with disabled people, employers, and disabled people’s representatives.

The government announced reforms in January 2026 to strengthen the scheme and support continuous improvement for employers. Proposals include speeding up progression between levels, encouraging more small and medium‑sized businesses to participate, better enabling employers to learn from one another, and making sure disabled people’s lived experience shapes how the scheme works.

There are a range of factors which can influence employment outcomes for disabled people, including for those who are blind or partially sighted.

Previous research on the Disability Confident scheme focused on employer experiences. More research is planned to evaluate the effectiveness of the reforms and this will include research with disabled employees.

No ICB should be taking that line. My noble friend is aware that in line with the 10-year plan, NHS England has asked integrated care boards to reduce their running costs. I emphasise running costs, which are not the front-line costs. On the meeting with the former Secretary of State, I can assure my noble friend that the information and views given will of course be brought to the attention of the current Secretary of State. NHS England is the body responsible for dealing with ICBs, their performance and their ways of meeting what is required of them.

I do agree with my noble friend. The report rightly identified the systemic issues that have led to one million young people not being able to earn or learn. It is therefore this Government’s responsibility to take action—as we have already started to do—through the education system, through our youth services and through our welfare and health systems to address the wide range of issues that are leading to young people’s failure to start their working and learning lives in a way that will lead to the sorts of futures we all want them to have.

The current productivity standard for Access to Work (AtW) caseworkers is based on a 2021 work study and is now recognised as outdated and unrealistic within today’s operational environment (sections 3.9–3.13 of the National Audit Office report). Since 2021, the nature of the work has changed significantly. Post‑COVID operating conditions have resulted in a different mix and complexity of case types, with a marked increase in applications involving multiple adjustments, fluctuating conditions, and support for customers with neurodiverse needs. As a result, the original productivity benchmark no longer reflects the true handling effort required of caseworkers.

Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) have now been introduced to improve consistent decisions, strengthen quality checks, and enhance Case Manager calls with customers and employers. Early results show 93% customer contact within three calls. Outcomes are positive with further expansion planned. It is important that this SOP is fully embedded in day‑to‑day operations before the new work study is conducted, so that the study accurately reflects the future steady‑state environment in which caseworkers will be operating.

We have committed to recruiting and training an additional 480 staff to process the higher volume of applications, that is a 72.5% increase to the existing 658 staff already working on Access to Work. Recruitment has already begun, and new case managers will receive extensive training to handle complex applications with confidence. This is to ensure disabled people, and people with health conditions can receive timely support to secure and remain in employment. We are keen to ensure Access to Work remains fair and sustainable.

To protect employment opportunities, case managers prioritise AtW applications where the customer is due to start a job within four weeks, as well as new job starts and grant renewals. In 2025, we allocated c. 96% of applications starting work within 4 weeks in 28 days. We will draw on the outcomes of the Green Paper consultation, the Collaboration Committees, and the upcoming work on the Independent Disability Advisory Panel to inform and help shape the future direction of Access to Work. We are continuing to refine policy options, and ministers will announce next steps when the policy, evidence, and delivery plans are fully developed.

My Lords, I am grateful to my noble friend and I pay tribute to the work he has done in relation to youth justice over the years. While proven offending has reduced significantly, that itself has placed pressures on our partners in youth justice services. For that reason, we need to reassess where our focus is best placed in order to ensure that we can add the most value. It is for that reason that the Youth Justice Board is going to be reformed, so that we know that it is using its independence and skills to ensure that we get the best outcomes for children.

From 2 March 2026, adults and accompanied children who qualify for refugee status and humanitarian protection will be granted Core Protection for 30 months, which can be renewed as necessary. Those who remain on Core Protection can apply for settlement after 20 years.

However, refugees will be encouraged, where possible, to switch into a new, bespoke protection work and study route which will enable them to access settlement rights sooner. Settlement remains the normal route to naturalisation as a British citizen, which will continue to be available to those who meet the statutory requirements set out in the British Nationality Act 1981.

Our 10-Year Health Plan will ensure that people with complex needs are supported to be active participants in their own care. As part of this, 95% of people with complex needs or long-term conditions will have an agreed personalised care plan by 2027. Care plans will be a feature of the developing Neighbourhood Health Service, which will deliver more care in local communities and move away from a one-size-fits-all approach, giving people more power and choice over the care they receive.

Work is currently underway to determine the definition of “complex needs” in the context of this target, and how care plans will be delivered in the future, including who will be best placed to coordinate and support delivery of care plans. This includes whether individuals who require Education, Health and Care Plans will be encompassed.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman operates independently of central Government. Decisions about how complaints are investigated and reviewed fall solely within the Ombudsman’s statutory powers. This independence rightly keeps ministers at arm’s length from the complaints service the Ombudsman provides; a service that is an important element of the overarching accountability system for local government.

The Government has no plans to take any steps to dictate how the Ombudsman investigates or reviews individual cases.

I refer the Noble Lord to the Written Ministerial Statement HLWS1207 on 18 December 2025

The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Our 10-Year Health Plan will ensure that people with complex needs are supported to be active participants in their own care. As part of this, 95% of people with complex needs or long-term conditions will have an agreed personalised care plan by 2027.

Work is currently underway to determine the definition of “complex needs” in the context of this target and how care plans will be delivered.

I think that even the Opposition would agree that another party is welcome to Suella Braverman, in the current context. I have never shared the analysis or the objectives of the previous Government, or the previous Home Secretaries, on how we deal with illegal migration and the serious issues of managing our borders. We have just put through an immigration and asylum Act, which has set up a border command. We have agreed deals with France that are making some difference; we have agreed deals with Germany; and we are looking upstream with Iraq and other countries. We are working internationally. That is all in stark contrast to the performance of the previous Government, who basically let this thing happen without any intervention, and those who now stand up and say they have the solutions are the ones who caused the problems.