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To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to review National Highways' management of major incidents, in light of the closure of the M25 on 16 July.
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to review National Highways' management of major incidents, in light of the closure of the M25 on 16 July.
National Highways routinely reviews the management of major incidents to identify lessons learned and opportunities for improvement. In relation to the closure of the M25 on 16 July 2026, National Highways will undertake both an internal debrief and contribute to multi-agency review processes involving the emergency services and other partners.
Major incidents on the Strategic Road Network (SRN) are managed through a multi-agency response led by the police. National Highways works in accordance with the Joint Emergency Services Interoperability Principles (JESIP) and the Collision, Lead, Evaluate, Act, Reopen (CLEAR) process and supports partners in delivering a coordinated response.
As part of the review process, National Highways will consider the tactical options available and deployed during the incident, including arrangements for traffic management, the release of trapped traffic where appropriate, and support for driver welfare. The review will identify what worked well and any areas where improvements can be made.
National Highways will share relevant lessons learned with operational partners and incorporate any agreed actions into future incident management arrangements. The Government is also supporting work to review local arrangements for driver welfare during major incidents.
There are no current plans to review either the CLEAR or JESIP processes which National Highway works in accordance with to clear incidents on the SRN.
My Lords, pursuant to the question from my noble friend Lord Rooker, is it not time that the Government looked at all these quangos, at whether they are value for money and add to public life and at whether issues should really be taken in for proper ministerial decision-making? Is it not time for a cull of the quangos?
My Lords, pursuant to the question from my noble friend Lord Rooker, is it not time that the Government looked at all these quangos, at whether they are value for money and add to public life and at whether issues should really be taken in for proper ministerial decision-making? Is it not time for a cull of the quangos?
As I mentioned earlier, the report carried out by Dan Corry looked specifically at all the arm’s-length bodies in Defra—and there are a lot of them—to see whether the work they are doing was efficient and necessary and whether we could work more effectively and efficiently by reviewing the way they operate.
My Lords, can the Minister address the concern that the NESO inquiry is being conducted by a firm of City lawyers rather than electrical engineers? That gives the impression that the allocation of blame and legal liability is seen as more important than the integrity of the system. Is not...
My Lords, can the Minister address the concern that the NESO inquiry is being conducted by a firm of City lawyers rather than electrical engineers? That gives the impression that the allocation of blame and legal liability is seen as more important than the integrity of the system. Is not...
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the Written Answer by Lord Leong on 9 July (HL1468), what steps they are taking to ensure that the 484 zero emission buses to be funded by additional bus funding will be built in the UK.
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the Written Answer by Lord Leong on 9 July (HL1468), what steps they are taking to ensure that the 484 zero emission buses to be funded by additional bus funding will be built in the UK.
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have considered replacing the census with in-depth sampling in the light of ongoing issues at the Office for National Statistics.
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have considered replacing the census with in-depth sampling in the light of ongoing issues at the Office for National Statistics.
On 15 July 2025 HM Government confirmed its commitment to hold a mandatory, questionnaire based census in England and Wales in 2031. The Scottish Government and Northern Ireland Executive have confirmed their commitment to hold tradition censuses in their nations at the same time.
HM Government reached this decision after the UK Statistics Authority conducted extensive research and consultation into alternative options and concluded that a traditional census best met the needs of the UK’s government, local authorities, businesses, charities and citizens. Their reasoning is set out in their detailed recommendation, which was also published on 15 July 2025.
The Government remains committed to delivering the census in 2031 and is working closely with the ONS to ensure the programme’s success.
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking towards the use of 3D printing for maintenance and repair in all three branches of the armed services.
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking towards the use of 3D printing for maintenance and repair in all three branches of the armed services.
The National Armaments Director Group are accelerating Defence adoption of additive manufacturing (AM) through Project TAMPA, working with industry, including Defence primes and small and medium enterprises, to improve supply chain resilience and platform availability. UK Defence Innovation is funding a 2-year sprint to accelerate the adoption of advanced manufacturing. This will support coherence across the Military Commands, facilitate regulatory compliance and adoption of safe and secure practices in alignment with the Defence Advanced Manufacturing Strategy.
The Royal Navy (RN) are employing additive manufacturing across multiple shore locations and selected vessels to produce spare parts as part of ongoing innovation efforts. This technology has primarily been utilised for low-complexity, non-critical but important components, allowing the RN to build experience and confidence in its application. HMNB Clyde, the home of the Submarine Service, have AM capabilities to support in-service submarines through obsolescence and supply limitations. Multiple components were additively manufactured for HMS ANSON using Australian sovereign AM capabilities during her recent maintenance period at HMAS Stirling.
The Army Equipment Support Publication for Land Systems Expedient Repair outlines the process for applying AM across the Army in the delivery of maintenance and repair. The Army have a permanent capability deployed in Estonia on Op CABRIT, and have recently placed capability in Cyprus, with forward locations supported by a network of advanced manufacturing nodes across the UK.
Since 2020 the RAF have delivered multiple AM parts to front line platforms, helping to return aircraft to availability months earlier. This year, the RAF will release a strategy outlining their ambition by 2030 to make AM business‑as‑usual within the supply chain for both on‑ and off‑aircraft components.
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made in implementing the recommendations of the Fingleton review.
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made in implementing the recommendations of the Fingleton review.
This Government is taking forward all of the Nuclear Regulatory Taskforce’s recommendations and has published an implementation plan. Delivery is already under way, including establishing a lead regulator model and taking forward reforms to cut duplication and improve proportionality.
Our reforms focus on outcomes over process, accelerating nuclear deployment while maintaining the UK’s robust safety and environmental standards.
Delivery is overseen by a cross sector Nuclear Regulatory Implementation Panel, ensuring accountability and pace. I will chair this Panel with the first meeting scheduled for 30 June.
The Government response commits to completing implementation by the end of 2027, supporting faster, more cost-effective delivery of new nuclear projects.
I thank my noble friend the Minister for that reply, but that memo is not getting through to government departments. Time and again, they are giving preference to firms and workforces from overseas rather than British industry and services. We talk a lot in this House about government as regulator, government as legislator and government as policymaker. Is it not time for the role of government as customer to come forward so that we can re-industrialise Britain, as has been made very clear by the incoming Prime Minister? Can she get through to her department and the Treasury that there is a new sheriff in town, and we want to see a rapid change of direction?
I thank my noble friend the Minister for that reply, but that memo is not getting through to government departments. Time and again, they are giving preference to firms and workforces from overseas rather than British industry and services. We talk a lot in this House about government as regulator, government as legislator and government as policymaker. Is it not time for the role of government as customer to come forward so that we can re-industrialise Britain, as has been made very clear by the incoming Prime Minister? Can she get through to her department and the Treasury that there is a new sheriff in town, and we want to see a rapid change of direction?
I am awfully fond of my noble friend, and he will remember that, over 25 years ago, I helped to run his “Buy British” campaign for our trade union. This is something that he has campaigned on for a very long time. As the Chancellor said in March,
“it matters where things are made and who makes them”,
which is why we have changed all these rules. To reassure my noble friend, in the last 12 months we have launched the national security procurement exemption and brought in new rules for local government on lower-threshold procurement to encourage use of a model similar to that in Preston. Government departments now have targets for SME use, ensuring that £7.4 billion of government expenditure will be used with SMEs by 2028, and we have redefined the definition of social value. However, my noble friend is absolutely right: the Government spend £400 billion a year, and we need to make sure we spend it well.
To ask His Majesty’s Government what is their policy on prioritising British industry and services when carrying out public procurement.
To ask His Majesty’s Government what is their policy on prioritising British industry and services when carrying out public procurement.
My Lords, on 26 March, the Government announced procurement reforms to protect our national security, boost growth and build a fairer economy. We have now moved from policy direction to delivery. As of last month, government departments can make use of the national security exemption in the Procurement Act 2023, where relevant. We also introduced a public interest test for departments to formally assess whether their services can be delivered more effectively in-house and have requested all government departments to develop insourcing plans.
My Lords, I put it to the Minister that it would have been better to have had the conversation with the public before we put out the policy, so that we had rolled the pitch and people understood the nature of the threat. I welcome, therefore, what he is saying...
My Lords, I put it to the Minister that it would have been better to have had the conversation with the public before we put out the policy, so that we had rolled the pitch and people understood the nature of the threat. I welcome, therefore, what he is saying...
My Lords, is not the systemic failure here that the Civil Service refused to take past performance into account? That is completely contrary to normal life. If someone did a job on your house or on your car and failed, or if you took a holiday with a company that...
My Lords, is not the systemic failure here that the Civil Service refused to take past performance into account? That is completely contrary to normal life. If someone did a job on your house or on your car and failed, or if you took a holiday with a company that...
My Lords, the Minister is quite right to resist attempts, which happen quite regularly, to demonise individual companies rather than looking at the underlying reality. He is also right to look at results. In this very fast-changing world of information technology, the company leading this year may well not be leading next year or even in six months. I recognise that Palantir has a major presence in the UK, which is welcome, but other companies are available. I caution against the department and the Government becoming overdependent on individual companies that almost become too big to fail, as we have seen in other sectors.
My Lords, the Minister is quite right to resist attempts, which happen quite regularly, to demonise individual companies rather than looking at the underlying reality. He is also right to look at results. In this very fast-changing world of information technology, the company leading this year may well not be leading next year or even in six months. I recognise that Palantir has a major presence in the UK, which is welcome, but other companies are available. I caution against the department and the Government becoming overdependent on individual companies that almost become too big to fail, as we have seen in other sectors.
My noble friend makes a really important point. Palantir provides us with the capability that we require at the moment, but he will be reassured by the fact that, alongside granting this contract to Palantir for the next three years from this April, we are seeking to look at options with small and medium-sized and other companies that could provide the same capability, so that we have a competitive process in future. That also answers the noble Baroness’s point. I suggest that will keep Palantir on its toes in the marketplace as well.
: My Lords, does my noble friend the Minister find slightly odd the intervention from the Opposition Front Bench? Surely if we are to send a message for future contracts, dealing with fraud in previous contracts is essential, otherwise people will think they can get away with it. Why does he think that the Opposition spokesperson was so keen to brush this under the carpet?
: My Lords, does my noble friend the Minister find slightly odd the intervention from the Opposition Front Bench? Surely if we are to send a message for future contracts, dealing with fraud in previous contracts is essential, otherwise people will think they can get away with it. Why does he think that the Opposition spokesperson was so keen to brush this under the carpet?
I completely agree with my noble friend. It is vital that we deal with past instances of fraud. As he said, that must act as a deterrent to future acts of fraud. We will continue to pursue these fraudsters and ensure that we get as much money back as we possibly can.
My Lords, I suggest to the Minister that the Government’s legislative programme is not the only mechanism by which this could be done. For example, have the Whips been putting out Private Members’ Bills, suggested Bills and handout Bills, which is a well-known practice on both sides? Further, there is still the opportunity at any stage to introduce a Bill, which I am sure would sail through the Commons. It could then come here and not take up government time.
My Lords, I suggest to the Minister that the Government’s legislative programme is not the only mechanism by which this could be done. For example, have the Whips been putting out Private Members’ Bills, suggested Bills and handout Bills, which is a well-known practice on both sides? Further, there is still the opportunity at any stage to introduce a Bill, which I am sure would sail through the Commons. It could then come here and not take up government time.
My noble friend has allowed me to express my deep disappointment that the PMB on this, which was Defra’s priority PMB for this Session, was not picked up. I thank noble Lords who were prepared to put it forward but did not come early enough in the ballot.
My Lords, is the Forestry Commission case that was cited not further evidence of commissions and quangos ignoring the intentions of Parliament, and indeed the wishes of the public, and being toothless in the face of gross abuses? Is it not time that government departments and Ministers took back control so that perpetrators can be held accountable and the public’s voice can be effectively heard?
My Lords, is the Forestry Commission case that was cited not further evidence of commissions and quangos ignoring the intentions of Parliament, and indeed the wishes of the public, and being toothless in the face of gross abuses? Is it not time that government departments and Ministers took back control so that perpetrators can be held accountable and the public’s voice can be effectively heard?
The Forestry Commission reports to Defra, to my colleague Mary Creagh MP. I know that she has been working very hard to ensure that the kinds of issues my noble friend talks about are better taken into account, including how the commission manages its estates, the kind of trees that are planted and how to bring in proper enforcement where required.
My Lords, I will take the Minister back to the question about cloning plates, which is increasingly facilitating a whole range of crime, including, with the increase in petrol prices, drive-off from petrol stations. From my experience of 30-odd years being a Member of Parliament in the other place, the DVLA and the police were remarkably uncurious and unwilling to look at genuine grievances from individuals whose plates had been cloned and who were regularly getting traffic violation notices and parking fines. Would it not be for the good of those individuals, and for law and order and the reputation of the authorities, if the police and the DVLA work together to crack down and start to eliminate this menace?
My Lords, I will take the Minister back to the question about cloning plates, which is increasingly facilitating a whole range of crime, including, with the increase in petrol prices, drive-off from petrol stations. From my experience of 30-odd years being a Member of Parliament in the other place, the DVLA and the police were remarkably uncurious and unwilling to look at genuine grievances from individuals whose plates had been cloned and who were regularly getting traffic violation notices and parking fines. Would it not be for the good of those individuals, and for law and order and the reputation of the authorities, if the police and the DVLA work together to crack down and start to eliminate this menace?
My noble friend is absolutely right: it is not acceptable. There are clearly more number plates that cannot be read by ANPR and more cloned number plates on the road these days than there ought to be. I believe that actions are being taken, because it is a particularly unpleasant experience to discover that you are the victim of fines and other costs generated by somebody pretending to have your index number. The Government are concerned about it. As I say, the consultation about eradicating vehicle plate cloning closed on 11 May. If legislative change is necessary then we are committed to making those changes.
To ask His Majesty's Government what ratio of apprentices to professional staff they consider appropriate when inviting bids to build ships for naval or civil purposes.
To ask His Majesty's Government what ratio of apprentices to professional staff they consider appropriate when inviting bids to build ships for naval or civil purposes.
The Department does not require a specific ratio of apprenticeships to professional staff from shipbuilders as part of the tendering process, but all of the shipyards currently delivering major programmes have significant apprenticeship schemes.
We fully recognise the powerful value that apprenticeships offer to boost employment and as an important part of building a diverse and highly skilled workforce. The Government works closely with employers to encourage and support them to invest in training and development at all stages to build a sustainable pipeline of labour.
The National Shipbuilding Office (NSO) works closely with businesses across the sector to understand their skills requirements and challenges and will set out more detail in the Shipbuilding and Maritime Technology Action Plan.
To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect directed energy weapons designed to combat low cost drones to be available to the UK armed forces.
To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect directed energy weapons designed to combat low cost drones to be available to the UK armed forces.
The UK Government is committed to accelerating the development and deployment of directed energy weapons to counter low-cost drones. The UK is a world leader in research on High-Energy Lasers and Radio Frequency weapons, working with key allies who share our mutual aims in this field. The first DragonFire high-energy laser system is due to be installed on a Type 45 destroyer in 2027, five years ahead of the original plan. This will make the UK the first European NATO nation to operationally deploy advanced laser directed energy technology.
To ask His Majesty's Government how many cases were considered by the Certification Officer in the last year and in how many cases they upheld the complaint of the applicant.
To ask His Majesty's Government how many cases were considered by the Certification Officer in the last year and in how many cases they upheld the complaint of the applicant.
Details of the cases considered by the Certification Officer, including those upheld, are published in the Certification Officer’s Annual Report.
In the 2024–25 reporting year, the Certification Officer issued formal decisions on 13 complaints, of which 1 was upheld.
For the 2025–26 reporting year, the Annual Report has not yet been published. However, the Certification Officer issued 15 formal decisions covering 46 complaints. Of these, 7 were upheld, 33 were not upheld, 4 were struck out, and 2 were dismissed following withdrawal.
Can I put it to my noble friend the Minister that, given the events being described that took place at the marches on Saturday and the cost to the police, let alone the diversion of police officers from the task they ought to be undertaking, which is cracking down on the tide of crime in this country, it would be better to limit the number of such marches and demonstrations?
Can I put it to my noble friend the Minister that, given the events being described that took place at the marches on Saturday and the cost to the police, let alone the diversion of police officers from the task they ought to be undertaking, which is cracking down on the tide of crime in this country, it would be better to limit the number of such marches and demonstrations?
My noble friend will wish to know that, under existing legislation—and, indeed, under the Crime and Policing Act that was passed by this House with Royal Assent only on 29 April—the police already have powers to both ban marches and/or reroute marches away from areas of potential conflict and issue. That is a judgment for the
police. It would be wrong for politicians to determine which marches take place and when, but it is right that the police look at public security and public order and make some determinations. They have done and will do so.