As set out in the Memorandum of Understanding between HM Treasury and the Bank of England, the Bank of England is entirely responsible for the design, production, issue and distribution of banknotes.

In 2025, the Bank of England established a new internal advisory group, the Banknote Imagery Advisory Group, to advise the Governor on the choice of theme and imagery to appear on its new series of banknotes. Following a public consultation in July 2025, the Bank of England chose to depict UK wildlife on its next series of banknotes. On 3 June 2026, the Bank of England launched a further public consultation to seek the views on what images will appear on its next series of banknotes.

The final decision about what images will appear on the next series of banknotes will be made by the Governor of the Bank of England.

The Bank of England periodically updates banknotes to incorporate stronger security features. The Bank has shared with HM Treasury an estimate of the overall investment required for the H-series of banknotes, however this cannot be disclosed at this stage due to commercial sensitivities in the design and production process.

As set out in the Memorandum of Understanding between HM Treasury and the Bank of England, the Bank of England is entirely responsible for the design, production, issue and distribution of banknotes.

As set out in the Memorandum of Understanding between HM Treasury and the Bank of England, the Bank is entirely responsible for the design, production, issue and distribution of banknotes.

As such, HM Treasury is not consulted by the Bank of England on its banknote designs.

As set out in the Memorandum of Understanding between HM Treasury and the Bank of England, the Bank of England is entirely responsible for the design, production, issue and distribution of banknotes.

As such, given responsibility rests with the Bank of England, HM Treasury has not made an assessment of the Bank of England's proposed banknote designs.

As set out in the Memorandum of Understanding between HM Treasury and the Bank of England, the Bank of England is entirely responsible for the design, production, issue and distribution of banknotes.

As such, given responsibility rests with the Bank of England, HM Treasury has not made an assessment of the criteria used by the Bank of England to determine whether historical figures should continue to be represented on banknotes.

I am grateful to my noble friend, who has great experience in these matters. When this Government came to power in July 2024, we recognised—this is not a political point—that there were challenges in the legislation that needed to be addressed. We commissioned Jonathan Hall KC to do a thorough review of that legislation. He has reported back and we have accepted those recommendations.

This legislation, which I have been trailing to the House in discussions when pressed on this matter, has now been produced. It was introduced on 9 June. It will be considered in both Houses of Parliament. We hope that it will be done quickly. I cannot comment on how the legislation will be used, but the power is there for the Secretary of State to take considerations, if required, on any state threat. Once this power is passed, the United Kingdom will be a safer place, because we will be able to take stronger action against those who seek to do us evil.

Government meets Centrica regularly as a key partner in the UK energy system, on various topics including the Rough storage facility. Details of the Department’s ministerial meetings are published regularly on gov.uk.

In 2024, UK storage equated to approximately 5% of annual gas demand. This compares to a 2024 EU average of 29%.

The UK has access to diverse sources of gas supply, including gas from the UK Continental Shelf, pipeline imports from Norway, Belgium and the Netherlands, and the second largest LNG import capacity in Europe. This limits our reliance on one source of supply, and means that the UK does not rely on natural gas storage in the same way that many European countries do.

Government has no concerns regarding our gas security. This assessment is supported by the system operator, National Gas, who are confident we would meet gas demand in the event of disruption such as large infrastructure failure during a cold snap; and who have powers to improve gas supply if needed.

Whilst the UK already benefits from diverse sources of gas supply that limit our reliance on one type of infrastructure - including North Sea production, pipeline imports from Europe, three LNG terminals, and eight storage facilities - the Government recognise that the energy transition could impact our future infrastructure requirements. This is why we recently consulted on options to preserve gas security of supply, including measures to encourage new storage investment or introduce strategic storage. We will publish a response in due course.

Government has no concerns regarding our gas security. This assessment is supported by the system operator, National Gas, who are confident we would meet gas demand in the event of disruption such as large infrastructure failure during a cold snap; and who have powers to improve gas supply if needed.

Whilst the UK already benefits from diverse sources of gas supply that limit our reliance on one type of infrastructure - including North Sea production, pipeline imports from Europe, three LNG terminals, and eight storage facilities - the Government recognise that the energy transition could impact our future infrastructure requirements. This is why we recently consulted on options to preserve gas security of supply, including measures to encourage new storage investment or introduce strategic storage. We will publish a response in due course.

Government has no concerns regarding our gas security. This assessment is supported by the system operator, National Gas, who are confident we would meet gas demand in the event of disruption such as large infrastructure failure during a cold snap; and who have powers to improve gas supply if needed.

Whilst the UK already benefits from diverse sources of gas supply that limit our reliance on one type of infrastructure - including North Sea production, pipeline imports from Europe, three LNG terminals, and eight storage facilities - the Government recognise that the energy transition could impact our future infrastructure requirements. This is why we recently consulted on options to preserve gas security of supply, including measures to encourage new storage investment or introduce strategic storage. We will publish a response in due course.

Government has no concerns regarding our gas security. This assessment is supported by the system operator, National Gas, who are confident we would meet gas demand in the event of disruption such as large infrastructure failure during a cold snap; and who have powers to improve gas supply if needed.

Whilst the UK already benefits from diverse sources of gas supply that limit our reliance on one type of infrastructure - including North Sea production, pipeline imports from Europe, three LNG terminals, and eight storage facilities - the Government recognise that the energy transition could impact our future infrastructure requirements. This is why we recently consulted on options to preserve gas security of supply, including measures to encourage new storage investment or introduce strategic storage. We will publish a response in due course.

The government is working to ensure that a learning difficulty or disability is not a barrier to people who want to realise the benefits of an apprenticeship.

The Find an Apprenticeship service allows people to identify Disability Confident Employers offering opportunities and Additional Learning Support funding is available to training providers to make reasonable adjustments which support apprentices who have learning difficulties and disabilities.

The government also provides £1,000 to both employers and training providers when they take on apprentices aged under 19, or 19-to-24-year-old apprentices who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHC) or have been in care.

To ensure quality apprenticeships provision, the department holds all providers to account through its apprenticeship accountability framework which encompasses a wide range of quality indicators including achievement and retention.

The support and guidance available to employers and apprentices has also been enhanced and the department has worked with the Learning and Work Institute to produce a number of guides to support apprentices’ on-programme experience, including a line manager’s guide to apprenticeships.

The department is continuing to support employers and providers to focus on quality by making systems and processes simpler whilst introducing flexibilities that will improve outcomes and maintain rigour. Improvements include the introduction of a one-click employer on-boarding process, changes to the English and maths requirements for adult apprentices, and new more efficient end-point assessment plans.

The department has also introduced tools to provide timely feedback on quality and reasons for withdrawal so that we can continue to drive forward progress in the coming years.

The government engages regularly with employers and their representative organisations to understand and address barriers to offering apprenticeships, as well as to inform the ongoing development of the growth and skills offer.

In addition, Skills England engaged with over 700 employers and other key organisations between November and December 2024 to establish initial views on what priority training should be accessible through the growth and skills offer. It summarised the findings of this analysis and engagement in its Skills for Growth and Opportunity report published in June.

To deliver the greater flexibility which employers have called for, this government is transforming the apprenticeships offer into a new growth and skills offer. In August we introduced new foundation apprenticeships for young people in targeted sectors, as well as shorter duration apprenticeships. From April 2026, we will introduce new short courses as part of the growth and skills offer in critical skills areas such as artificial intelligence, digital and engineering. Further detail on the offer will be set out in due course.

Additionally, from the next academic year, the government will fully fund apprenticeships for non-levy paying employers, essentially small and medium sized enterprises, for all eligible people aged under 25. This change will make it easier for smaller employers to engage with apprenticeships by cutting costs and reducing bureaucracy for both them and their training providers.

The government also facilitates and funds the Apprenticeship Ambassador Network (AAN) which comprises 2,500 employers and apprentices who volunteer to promote the benefits of apprenticeships. It operates across all parts of England through nine regional networks which provide buddying and mentoring support to small businesses to help them recruit and retain apprentices.

One of Skills England’s priorities is co-creating and refining a set of education and training products with employers and other partners, including occupational standards, apprenticeships and technical qualifications. Skills England is working with employers and other experts as well as analysing data to ensure apprenticeships and technical qualifications meet the needs of the current and future workforce.

Apprenticeships and technical education in the digital route play a crucial role in developing the next generation of skilled tech professionals, equipping them with the technical expertise and practical experience needed to thrive in a rapidly evolving industry.

Skills England have approved 34 digital apprenticeship standards representing a range of technical roles (e.g. digital support, network and telecoms, cyber, software design and development, data and AI) and unlike most occupations, they underpin a range of industries and employment sectors.

Skills England also has regular meetings with other government departments including DESNZ and DWP to ensure technical education supports Industrial Strategy priority sectors such as Digital and Clean Energy in order to drive growth.

The government’s Clean Energy Superpower mission includes challenging targets to provide lower cost, clean, secure power, with good jobs. The government published a Clean Energy Industries Sector Plan in June and a Clean Energy Jobs Plan in October. These documents set out how the government will contribute to the skills pipeline by making sure skills gaps in green industries are filled through a package of recruitment and training.

This government is transforming the apprenticeships offer into a new growth and skills offer that will give greater flexibility to employers and support young people at the beginning of their careers.

In August, we introduced new foundation apprenticeships to give young people a route into careers in critical sectors, enabling them to earn a wage while developing vital skills. They are underpinned by additional funding for employers of up to £2,000 to contribute to the extra costs of supporting someone at the beginning of their career.

More recently, we have announced our ambition to support 50,000 more young people into apprenticeships and backed this with an additional £725 million of investment. This will enable us to expand foundation apprenticeships into sectors that traditionally recruit young people. It also provides £140 million to pilot new approaches, with Mayoral Strategic Authorities, to better connect young people aged 16–24, especially those who are NEET, to local apprenticeship opportunities.

In addition, from the next academic year, the government will fully fund apprenticeships for non-levy paying employers (essentially small and medium sized enterprises) for all eligible people aged under 25. At the moment, this only happens for apprentices aged 16-21 and apprentices aged 22-24 who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or have been, or are, in local authority care. This change will make it easier for those employers to engage with apprenticeships by cutting costs and reducing bureaucracy for both them and their training providers.

We also provide £1,000 to both employers and training providers when they take on apprentices aged under 19, or 19-to-24-year-old apprentices who have an EHCP or have been, or are, in care. Additionally, employers benefit from not being required to pay anything towards employees’ National Insurance for all apprentices aged up to age 25, when the employee’s wage is below £50,270 a year.

This government is transforming the apprenticeships offer into a new growth and skills offer that will give greater flexibility to employers and support young people at the beginning of their careers.

In August, we introduced new foundation apprenticeships to give young people a route into careers in critical sectors, enabling them to earn a wage while developing vital skills. They are underpinned by additional funding for employers of up to £2,000 to contribute to the extra costs of supporting someone at the beginning of their career.

More recently, we have announced our ambition to support 50,000 more young people into apprenticeships and backed this with an additional £725 million of investment. This will enable us to expand foundation apprenticeships into sectors that traditionally recruit young people. It also provides £140 million to pilot new approaches, with Mayoral Strategic Authorities, to better connect young people aged 16–24, especially those who are NEET, to local apprenticeship opportunities.

In addition, from the next academic year, the government will fully fund apprenticeships for non-levy paying employers (essentially small and medium sized enterprises) for all eligible people aged under 25. At the moment, this only happens for apprentices aged 16-21 and apprentices aged 22-24 who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or have been, or are, in local authority care. This change will make it easier for those employers to engage with apprenticeships by cutting costs and reducing bureaucracy for both them and their training providers.

We also provide £1,000 to both employers and training providers when they take on apprentices aged under 19, or 19-to-24-year-old apprentices who have an EHCP or have been, or are, in care. Additionally, employers benefit from not being required to pay anything towards employees’ National Insurance for all apprentices aged up to age 25, when the employee’s wage is below £50,270 a year.

I thank my noble friend for his comments. What is important is that the Parole Board is doing a fantastic job; its staff are fantastic public servants. The release decisions are steady: 45% of hearings over the past five years have led to a positive release. The reason why I think that this is going in the right direction is that these people are increasingly complex individuals. That is why the IPP action plan is working; we need to keep the pressure on. One thing that I bring from my experience of running a business is improving everything, having targets, having real focus and holding people to account.

I will not get into whether it was or was not that, but I say again that we have no plans to bring ARIA under the Freedom of Information Act, which I think is important. If we go back to the origins of ARPA—the organisation in the US that led to DARPA, IARPA and many other such organisations on which ARIA is based—its originators in the 1950s and 1960s said that the reason no other country had managed to emulate that successful programme was because they kept everything on too short a leash. We should not make that mistake.