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To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect of the decline in UK birth rates on levels of pension spending.
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect of the decline in UK birth rates on levels of pension spending.
The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is the Government's official forecaster responsible for assessing the UK economic and fiscal outlook. Its annual publication the Fiscal Risks and Sustainability (FRS) report incorporates biennial long-term projections
The OBR has noted that demographic change can affect future spending and revenues, including the pressures that demographic changes create on state pension spending
The Government keeps these issues under review as part of its wider consideration of the public finances. In July 2025, the Government announced the launch of the Third State Pension age review to consider whether the rules around pensionable age are appropriate, based on the latest life expectancy data and other evidence. The review is ongoing.
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the reply by Lord Livermore on 14 July (HL Deb col 562), what legal advice they have received on the compatibility of a revised UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement with the UK's obligations under the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership and UK-US...
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the reply by Lord Livermore on 14 July (HL Deb col 562), what legal advice they have received on the compatibility of a revised UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement with the UK's obligations under the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership and UK-US...
The UK and EU are committed to building a closer relationship and are negotiating agreements that will boost trade, enhance energy security and create opportunities for young people. The government takes all its international partnerships seriously and will ensure that UK-EU agreements are consistent with the UK’s wider international obligations.
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the projected cost of ministerial severance payments in the financial year 2026–27.
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the projected cost of ministerial severance payments in the financial year 2026–27.
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the cost of ministerial severance payments resulting from the cabinet reshuffle in July.
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the cost of ministerial severance payments resulting from the cabinet reshuffle in July.
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the cost of severance payments to special advisers resulting from the cabinet reshuffle in July.
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the cost of severance payments to special advisers resulting from the cabinet reshuffle in July.
My Lords, I, too, send my best wishes to the noble Lords, Lord Livermore and Lord Stockwood. I welcome the appointment of the noble Lord, Lord Pitt-Watson, and look forward to the more constructive approach favoured by the new Prime Minister. With 10-year yields above 5%, political and international instability is already increasing borrowing costs and placing the sustainability of the public finances under serious strain. Does the Minister recognise that unfunded spending commitments cannot simply be floated in the press or on podcasts
without consequences? Markets react, investment and growth are discouraged, and working people ultimately pay the price, with increases in the cost of living.
My Lords, I, too, send my best wishes to the noble Lords, Lord Livermore and Lord Stockwood. I welcome the appointment of the noble Lord, Lord Pitt-Watson, and look forward to the more constructive approach favoured by the new Prime Minister. With 10-year yields above 5%, political and international instability is already increasing borrowing costs and placing the sustainability of the public finances under serious strain. Does the Minister recognise that unfunded spending commitments cannot simply be floated in the press or on podcasts
without consequences? Markets react, investment and growth are discouraged, and working people ultimately pay the price, with increases in the cost of living.
I echo the noble Baroness’s comments about my noble friend Lord Pitt-Watson, who will be the new Minister, taking over imminently—after this Question, I hope. The Government are well aware of the international situation we have in the Middle East and Ukraine; we know about the issues that we face. I do not believe the announcements being made are unfunded; we are finding the money to face up to the problems that ordinary people around the country are facing. I repeat the facts again: £9.4 billion of unfunded pay awards and £2.6 billion of new unfunded policy announcements by the last Government. What we are doing pales into insignificance compared to the debt they left the country in.
Lords motion to regret. Motion withdrawn.
Lords motion to regret. Motion withdrawn.
My Lords, a visitor levy is a poor prospect, damaging the hospitality sector and its employees, and is no doubt a contributor to today’s ONS unemployment figure of 14.8% for 18 to 24 year-olds. The Prime Minister has made an array of promises: a cut in VAT on electricity, lifting the personal tax allowance, ending rough sleeping, a huge council house programme and relocation packages to get civil servants to move north—
My Lords, a visitor levy is a poor prospect, damaging the hospitality sector and its employees, and is no doubt a contributor to today’s ONS unemployment figure of 14.8% for 18 to 24 year-olds. The Prime Minister has made an array of promises: a cut in VAT on electricity, lifting the personal tax allowance, ending rough sleeping, a huge council house programme and relocation packages to get civil servants to move north—
I thank the noble Baroness for setting out the Government’s plan so clearly, and in doing so enjoying so much support from behind me. This visitor levy is really important; it exists in every G7 country. I am sorry—I do not want to be completely flippant because this is really important. Of course, we expect local authorities, mayors, to take proper decisions about how to fund these things, and to grow their economy.
My Lords, is the Minister concerned about the rising pre-eminence of China in AI, with several world-class developers now there and the rapid adoption of its low-cost models across, for example, emerging economies?
My Lords, is the Minister concerned about the rising pre-eminence of China in AI, with several world-class developers now there and the rapid adoption of its low-cost models across, for example, emerging economies?
Developments in AI are incredible in many respects. That only reinforces our belief that we need to invest in the UK, not just in digital infrastructure and hardware—for example,
supporting UK businesses that have unique chip capabilities—but in upskilling people in the UK to adopt AI, so that we as a country can benefit from the productivity gains and that small and large businesses can adopt AI safely and securely.
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Statement of 29 June (HL Deb cols 868–70), how many letters and complaints about Nottingham maternity and neonatal services were received by the Department of Health and Social Care from MPs in the 13 years covered by the report.
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Statement of 29 June (HL Deb cols 868–70), how many letters and complaints about Nottingham maternity and neonatal services were received by the Department of Health and Social Care from MPs in the 13 years covered by the report.
The information requested can only be provided at a disproportionate cost to the Department.
However, the Department has listened to the significant concerns that families have raised about their care, experiences, and devastating outcomes at Nottingham maternity and neonatal services.
In May 2022, NHS England commissioned an independent review of Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust maternity services after significant concerns were raised in relation to quality and safety of care, and concerns of local families. On 24 June, the independent report into Nottingham University Hospitals was published, and we will carefully consider Donna Ockenden’s recommendations in full and take the decisive action needed. Both former and current ministers have met with families affected by the failings at Nottingham maternity services, to listen to their experiences.
My Lords, London is the world’s leading international centre for commercial insurance and reinsurance, which is a subject of this Question. Does the Minister agree that insurance companies, with their considerable long-term expertise, are best placed to determine how the effect of climate change is reflected in premiums? Does he agree that, going forward, that knowledge should influence those—not least our planners—determining where it makes sense to build, so that we get on with housing and infrastructure as we need to do?
My Lords, London is the world’s leading international centre for commercial insurance and reinsurance, which is a subject of this Question. Does the Minister agree that insurance companies, with their considerable long-term expertise, are best placed to determine how the effect of climate change is reflected in premiums? Does he agree that, going forward, that knowledge should influence those—not least our planners—determining where it makes sense to build, so that we get on with housing and infrastructure as we need to do?
The noble Baroness is absolutely right about the importance of getting on with housing and infrastructure, and that is what this Government are seeking to achieve. She is absolutely right to say that a resilient and affordable insurance market is necessary for enabling businesses and households to recover quickly from climate events. The Climate Change Committee has assessed that the insurance gap is currently low relative to most countries. However, without sufficient adaptation, the number of properties that do not have the necessary insurance is expected to grow as climate risks increase. The Government are committed to ensuring that the long-term impacts of climate change are managed. The Government will strengthen the UK’s approach as part of the fourth national adaptation programme, which will set stronger adaptation objectives to improve preparedness for climate impacts.
My Lords, The Pensions Review, along with a whole body of work done by organisations such as the Institute for Fiscal Studies, raises serious concerns about pension adequacy and retirement saving. What steps is the Minister taking to improve financial education and public understanding of the need to save adequately for retirement, particularly among groups such as the self-employed, who are less well served by the auto-enrolment system?
My Lords, The Pensions Review, along with a whole body of work done by organisations such as the Institute for Fiscal Studies, raises serious concerns about pension adequacy and retirement saving. What steps is the Minister taking to improve financial education and public understanding of the need to save adequately for retirement, particularly among groups such as the self-employed, who are less well served by the auto-enrolment system?
I am grateful to the noble Baroness for her ongoing championing of financial education. I know it is something that she feels passionately about and we have discussed it before. As she knows, financial education now forms part of the school curriculum in all UK nations. In England, financial education forms a compulsory part of the curriculum in mathematics at key stages 1 to 4 and in citizenship at key stages 3 and 4. Together, these cover personal budgeting, saving for the future, financial risk, managing credit and debt, and calculating interest. In terms of the adult population that she refers to, and small and medium-sized enterprises in particular, the DBT is considering this as part of its small businesses work, and I will certainly look into it further in light of her question.
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will publish an annual report on the work of the Defending Democracy Taskforce.
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will publish an annual report on the work of the Defending Democracy Taskforce.
Parliament is regularly updated about the progress and priorities of the Defending Democracy Taskforce.
Most recently, in March 2026 the previous Security Minister updated Parliament in his statement on the work the Taskforce is undertaking to defend our democracy and those who serve within it.
My Lords, I think we need to stand back and take a broad view of the problems. We all know that Covid was a challenge right across government and that fraud was an issue. However, the important thing is to do better next time, which is why we set up the Public Sector Fraud Authority in 2022 and introduced the use of AI into fraud detection, which helped with some of the sort of problems that have been raised. Given the doubt expressed in parts of the report, is the Minister confident that the Government of the day will, in practice, do significantly better next time? I am looking for a commitment here.
My Lords, I think we need to stand back and take a broad view of the problems. We all know that Covid was a challenge right across government and that fraud was an issue. However, the important thing is to do better next time, which is why we set up the Public Sector Fraud Authority in 2022 and introduced the use of AI into fraud detection, which helped with some of the sort of problems that have been raised. Given the doubt expressed in parts of the report, is the Minister confident that the Government of the day will, in practice, do significantly better next time? I am looking for a commitment here.
I can fully understand the noble Baroness’s desire to stand back from this. On entering government, this Government found that £674 million of contracts were in dispute. However, we also inherited a recommendation from the previous Government that any attempt to reclaim that money should be abandoned. The commissioner’s report set out that £10.9 billion was lost to fraud and error from Covid spending. Failed pandemic-era PPE contracts cost the British taxpayer £1.4 billion and over £1.9 billion of bounce-back loans have been flagged as suspected
fraud to the British Business Bank. The commissioner also found that the previous Government’s over-ordering of PPE and delays in quality-checking meant that £762 million is unlikely to ever be recovered, with substandard PPE gowns, masks and visors remaining uninspected for up to two years, preventing recovery of public money. Covid fraud and corruption is an appalling financial scandal which has cost UK taxpayers dearly. The noble Baroness asks for a commitment that we will do better next time; I think we could hardly do any worse.
My Lords, as noble Lords know, I am huge supporter of vocational education, so I welcome this Question. Does the Minister agree with the noble Lord, Lord Forbes, that it would cost the Exchequer £200 million to extend the scheme in the way proposed? More generally, do the Government consider that the criteria to reclaim VAT are fit for purpose?
My Lords, as noble Lords know, I am huge supporter of vocational education, so I welcome this Question. Does the Minister agree with the noble Lord, Lord Forbes, that it would cost the Exchequer £200 million to extend the scheme in the way proposed? More generally, do the Government consider that the criteria to reclaim VAT are fit for purpose?
Both of those points are swept up in the point that I have already made: the Government are continuing to look into the VAT position of these colleges.
My Lords, we should encourage rich people to reside and stay in the UK, as, for example, the top 1% of those paying income tax contribute 29% of receipts. Unfortunately, government policies not only on non-doms but on inheritance tax and other taxes have encouraged them to leave in large numbers—young as well as old people. Since this is against the national interest, will the Government adjust their policies to reverse this unfortunate trend and study the detail further?
My Lords, we should encourage rich people to reside and stay in the UK, as, for example, the top 1% of those paying income tax contribute 29% of receipts. Unfortunately, government policies not only on non-doms but on inheritance tax and other taxes have encouraged them to leave in large numbers—young as well as old people. Since this is against the national interest, will the Government adjust their policies to reverse this unfortunate trend and study the detail further?
No, and I do not think the noble Baroness can make those claims based on the data that is available, as I have already said. The previous Government’s reforms assumed that there would be migration of non-doms. This Government’s reforms assume that there will be migration of non-doms, and the OBR has said that there is no evidence to change the estimated impact of the reforms on migration. Reforms to the tax treatment of non-doms have been designed specifically to make the UK competitive, with a modern, simple tax regime that is also fair. The noble Baroness mentioned other tax reforms; in the round, the Government’s reforms to the non-dom regime and to capital gains tax keep the UK an attractive place in which to live and invest, while ensuring that everyone who is a long-term resident pays their taxes here, helping to fairly fund our public services.
My Lords, we on these Benches very much agree that food and other waste should be minimised, and we sympathise with the objective of this measure. However, are the Government satisfied that the proposal will be effectively administered? I speak, of course, as a former retailer.
My Lords, we on these Benches very much agree that food and other waste should be minimised, and we sympathise with the objective of this measure. However, are the Government satisfied that the proposal will be effectively administered? I speak, of course, as a former retailer.
I think we are satisfied.
My Lords, the weather is, of course, borderless. What contingent planning have His Majesty’s Government undertaken to mitigate the combined impact of potential shortages of essential supplies—including fertiliser, which is so important to British farmers—that might arise from the conflict in the Gulf and from a possible super El Niño event in 2026?
My Lords, the weather is, of course, borderless. What contingent planning have His Majesty’s Government undertaken to mitigate the combined impact of potential shortages of essential supplies—including fertiliser, which is so important to British farmers—that might arise from the conflict in the Gulf and from a possible super El Niño event in 2026?
The noble Baroness is right that each crisis moment is different and that we need to ensure that we have strong foundations, which I believe we do as a country in our resilience planning. COBRA is a very effective co-ordinating tool to make sure that we know that we are on top of all those challenges and that we can make assessments as and when required in this space.
My Lords, the recent noise around Labour’s leadership meltdown has drowned out the fact that the Government have still not announced a date for the publication of what has become the “defence invisibility plan”. Does the Minister agree that the proposed defence, security and resilience bank is a distraction from the need for NATO countries—and that includes the UK—to increase defence expenditure both significantly and quickly?
My Lords, the recent noise around Labour’s leadership meltdown has drowned out the fact that the Government have still not announced a date for the publication of what has become the “defence invisibility plan”. Does the Minister agree that the proposed defence, security and resilience bank is a distraction from the need for NATO countries—and that includes the UK—to increase defence expenditure both significantly and quickly?
I welcome the noble Baroness’s conversion to spending more on defence; she had 14 years to do something about it but did not do anything. To ensure that the UK is prepared to respond to growing threats, the Chancellor has announced a £270 billion investment in defence over the course of this Parliament. We have already invested £5.6 billion more in defence this year alone compared with previous plans, and spending on defence is rising every single year of this Parliament. As the noble Baroness knows, NATO qualifying defence spending is set to rise to 2.6% of GDP by April next year. The Government have also set an ambition to spend 3% of GDP on defence in the next Parliament when economic and fiscal conditions allow. The defence investment plan will set out the MoD’s plans to ensure that resources are directed effectively to meet its priorities and deliver value for money for taxpayers. We are working hard to finalise that and it will be published shortly.
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of their plans for dynamic alignment with the EU on food and drink on (1) trade deals with other nations, and (2) the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership; and whether such dynamic alignment with the...
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of their plans for dynamic alignment with the EU on food and drink on (1) trade deals with other nations, and (2) the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership; and whether such dynamic alignment with the...
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.