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1698297

registered interest
date	25/03/2024
answering body	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept id	208
answering dept short name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
hansard heading	Ismail Haniyeh
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of recent reports that Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was an UNRWA teacher.
tabling member printed	Lord Shinkwin
uin	HL3601
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/04/2024 answer text <p>The UK takes allegations of neutrality violations seriously including any allegations related to Hamas' involvement in UNWRA's education provision. This is something we monitor closely in our annual assessment of UNRWA. When violations have been identified in the past, UNRWA has taken action including raising the issue with relevant parties.</p><p>We are aware that the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services and Catherine Colonna have now provided their interim reports to the UN Secretary-General. Their independent investigations include assessment of the policies and systems UNRWA has in place to ensure neutrality.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 12/04/2024 09:44:28 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	4557 label Biography information for Lord Shinkwin

1698298

registered interest
date	25/03/2024
answering body	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept id	208
answering dept short name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
hansard heading	UNRWA: Equipment
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reported sale of equipment imported by UNRWA to (1) Hamas, and (2) Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
tabling member printed	Lord Shinkwin
uin	HL3602
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/04/2024 answer text <p>The UK takes allegations of neutrality violations extremely seriously including reports of diversion of equipment. This is something we monitor closely in our annual assessment of UNRWA. UNRWA has a number of measures in place to prevent aid diversion.</p><p>We are closely following the independent investigation into UNRWA neutrality policies and systems, led by Catherine Colonna, which will look at all aspects of UNRWA's work.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 16/04/2024 14:28:29 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	4557 label Biography information for Lord Shinkwin

1698299

registered interest
date	25/03/2024
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Poverty: Children
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, following the release of data showing that the number of children living in absolute poverty has risen by the highest rate in 30 years, what steps they are taking to address the increase in child poverty rates.
tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
uin	HL3603
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/04/2024 answer text <p>These statistics cover 2022/23, a year when war in Ukraine and global supply chain challenges led to unexpected and high rates on inflation, averaging 10% over the year. These factors are reflected in the statistics. In response to these pressures, the Government provided an unprecedented cost of living support package which helped to shield households from the impact of inflation. Analysis shows that the Government’s cost of living support prevented 1.3 million people from falling into absolute poverty after housing costs in 2022/23. That includes 300,000 children, 600,000 working-age adults and 400,000 pensioners.</p><p> </p><p>Since the period covered by these statistics, the Government has taken firm action to support families on the lowest incomes. The Government has spent around £276bn through the welfare system in 2023/24, including around £125bn on people of working age and children. We took action to support those on the lowest incomes by uprating benefits and State Pensions by 10.1% from April 2023. We are continuing to support people in 2024/25 by uprating working age benefits by 6.7% and raising the Local Housing Allowance rates to the 30<sup>th</sup> percentile of local market rents, benefiting 1.6 million low-income households.</p><p> </p><p>With over 900,000 vacancies across the UK, our focus remains firmly on supporting parents to move into and progress in work, an approach which is based on clear evidence about the importance of parental employment - particularly where it is full-time - in substantially reducing the risk of child poverty. The latest statistics show that in 2022/23, children living in workless households were over 6 times more likely to be in absolute poverty (after housing costs) than those where all adults work.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 08/04/2024 15:00:05 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick

1698300

registered interest
date	25/03/2024
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Consumer Prices Index
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the factors contributing to the recent decline in consumer prices inflation.
tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
uin	HL3604
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/04/2024 answer text <p>The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has raised interest rates, which is helping to bring inflation down and return to the 2% target sustainably. The Government's responsible approach to borrowing has helped support the MPC as it brings inflation down.</p><p>The Office for Budget Responsibility expects CPI inflation to fall to the 2% target in the second quarter of 2024, a year earlier than they expected in November.</p> answering member printed Baroness Vere of Norbiton question first answered 08/04/2024 14:00:51 answering member 4580 label Biography information for Baroness Vere of Norbiton
tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick

1698301

registered interest
date	25/03/2024
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Consumers: Expenditure
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of recent trends in consumer spending; and what assessment they have made of the impact of this on (1) the retail sector, and (2) the wider economy.
tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
uin	HL3605
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/04/2024 answer text <p>Consumer confidence has strengthened considerably over the past year. The March 2024 release of the GfK index indicated that consumer confidence was 15 points stronger than in March 2023. <br> <br>Government continues to back consumers and retailers. With the economy beginning to turn a corner, we are now able to make responsible tax cuts to boost growth while meeting the fiscal rules to ensure sustainable public finances. These include cutting the employee main rate of National Insurance to 8%, which will make an average worker on £35,400 over £900 a year better off than before.</p><p>At Autumn Statement 2023 we extended Retail, Hospitality and Leisure relief for 2024-5, a tax cut worth £2.4 billion, and froze the small business multiplier for a fourth consecutive year. At Spring Budget 2024, the government went further still by supporting small retailers by increasing the VAT registration threshold to £90,000 and extending the Recovery Loan Scheme, now the Growth Guarantee Scheme.</p><p>Consumer confidence is intrinsically linked to inflation, household finances and the broader economic outlook. To sustain consumer confidence, consumers need to feel assured that their government is taking the long-term decisions necessary to strengthen the economy and build a brighter future.</p><p>Combined, recent policy measures will place more money in people’s pockets, helping boost consumer confidence, and strengthen the UK’s retail sector.</p> answering member printed Baroness Vere of Norbiton question first answered 08/04/2024 14:00:30 answering member 4580 label Biography information for Baroness Vere of Norbiton
tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick

1698302

registered interest
date	25/03/2024
answering body	Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept id	216
answering dept short name	Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept sort name	Science, Innovation and Technology
hansard heading	Artificial Intelligence
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government whether they classify platforms hosting large language models as hosting providers or as publishers and content creators in their own right, and what assessment they have made of the impact of this classification on the regulation and accountability of such platforms.
tabling member printed	Lord Watson of Wyre Forest
uin	HL3606
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/04/2024 answer text <p>The AI Regulation White Paper recognised that allocating liability across the AI supply chain can be highly complex, particularly as these are new technologies that potentially provide a broad range of novel services and functions. The Government is working with a range of stakeholders, including regulators and legal experts, to explore this issue in more depth.</p><p> </p><p>More widely, the Government’s response to the AI regulation White Paper Consultation set out the case for additional targeted binding measures on highly capable general purpose AI models, including Large Language Models. The Government committed to engage with a range of experts on potential interventions in the summer.</p> answering member printed Viscount Camrose question first answered 10/04/2024 11:06:59 answering member 4939 label Biography information for Viscount Camrose
tabling member	1463 label Biography information for Lord Watson of Wyre Forest

1698303

registered interest
date	25/03/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Childcare
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what additional support they are providing to enable local authorities and childcare providers to meet demand arising from their commitment to provide free childcare hours.
tabling member printed	Lord Weir of Ballyholme
uin	HL3607
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/04/2024 answer text <p>There were 15,100 more childcare places in 2023 than the previous year, with 12,900 paid staff added to the same period according to the department’s latest Childcare and early years provider survey (2023).</p><p>To support providers to expand their provision further, the department is investing over £400 million of additional funding to uplift the hourly rate for the entitlements next year. This investment consists of £67 million in new funding to reflect the latest National Living Wage increase, an additional £57 million to support providers in respect of teachers’ pay and pensions, and the £288 million for the existing entitlements in 2024/25 announced in the Spring Budget in March 2023. It also builds on the £204 million of additional investment to increase funding rates this year. To further support the sector delivering the expansion of childcare support, the government is confirming that the hourly rate providers are paid to deliver the free hours offers will increase in line with the metric used at Spring Budget 2023 for the next two years. This reflects that workforce costs are the most significant costs for childcare providers and represents an estimated additional £500 million of investment over two years. Additionally, hundreds of thousands of children aged 3 and 4 are registered for a 30-hour place, saving eligible working parents up to £6,900 per child per year, helping even more working parents and making a real difference to the lives of those families.</p><p>Local authorities are responsible for ensuring that the provision of childcare is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents in their area. The department has regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare, including supporting them through our childcare delivery support contract where appropriate.</p><p>The government has allocated £100 million in capital funding to local authorities to support the expansion of childcare places and the supply of wraparound care. The funding is anticipated to deliver thousands of new places across the country.</p><p>On top of the department’s funding reforms, it is also providing significant support for local authorities to deliver the early years expansion from April, such as:</p><ul><li>Appointing a delivery support contractor (Childcare Works) to provide local authorities with support, advice, guidance and best practice sharing to help them deliver the expansion and deliver enough childcare places for residents. Coram are part of the Childcare Works consortium, and the department is delighted to be working with them to support local authorities to deliver.</li><li>Providing £12 million of delivery support funding to local authorities in financial year 2023/24, to help them meet the costs associated with the rollout.</li><li>In February 2024, the department launched a new national recruitment campaign for the early years and childcare sector, ‘Do something Big, Work with small children’, and a financial incentives pilot. Eligible joiners and returners will receive a tax-free payment of up to £1,000. This followed the introduction of workforce flexibilities to the Early Years Foundation Stage in January 2024.</li><li>The department has also introduced Skills Bootcamps for Early Years which will create a pathway to accelerated Level 3 Early Years Apprenticeships.</li></ul> answering member printed Baroness Barran grouped question UIN HL3609 question first answered 08/04/2024 12:07:12 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	4970 label Biography information for Lord Weir of Ballyholme

1698304

registered interest
date	25/03/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Childcare
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the percentage of eligible families who will be able to take advantage of free childcare care hours committed by April.
tabling member printed	Lord Weir of Ballyholme
uin	HL3608
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/04/2024 answer text <p>In the 2023 Spring Budget, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced that free childcare would be extended to children of eligible working parents in England from nine months old to support increased parental engagement in the labour market.</p><p>The proportion of eligible parents who will take up the new entitlement is provisionally estimated to be around 75% for those with children aged two, around 60% for those with children aged one and around 35% for those with children under the age of one. These estimates are detailed in a policy costing information note, which was published in July 2023. The information note can be found in the attachment.</p><p>Data on actual take up of the entitlement for children aged two from April 2024 will be collected via the early years census in January 2025, and published in June or July 2025.</p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 08/04/2024 12:23:14 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran attachment 1 file name HL3608 attachment.pdf title HL3608_attachment
tabling member	4970 label Biography information for Lord Weir of Ballyholme

1698305

registered interest
date	25/03/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Childcare: Shortages
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the percentage of areas where there is a shortage of childcare facilities and providers to provide their commitment of free childcare hours.
tabling member printed	Lord Weir of Ballyholme
uin	HL3609
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/04/2024 answer text <p>There were 15,100 more childcare places in 2023 than the previous year, with 12,900 paid staff added to the same period according to the department’s latest Childcare and early years provider survey (2023).</p><p>To support providers to expand their provision further, the department is investing over £400 million of additional funding to uplift the hourly rate for the entitlements next year. This investment consists of £67 million in new funding to reflect the latest National Living Wage increase, an additional £57 million to support providers in respect of teachers’ pay and pensions, and the £288 million for the existing entitlements in 2024/25 announced in the Spring Budget in March 2023. It also builds on the £204 million of additional investment to increase funding rates this year. To further support the sector delivering the expansion of childcare support, the government is confirming that the hourly rate providers are paid to deliver the free hours offers will increase in line with the metric used at Spring Budget 2023 for the next two years. This reflects that workforce costs are the most significant costs for childcare providers and represents an estimated additional £500 million of investment over two years. Additionally, hundreds of thousands of children aged 3 and 4 are registered for a 30-hour place, saving eligible working parents up to £6,900 per child per year, helping even more working parents and making a real difference to the lives of those families.</p><p>Local authorities are responsible for ensuring that the provision of childcare is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents in their area. The department has regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare, including supporting them through our childcare delivery support contract where appropriate.</p><p>The government has allocated £100 million in capital funding to local authorities to support the expansion of childcare places and the supply of wraparound care. The funding is anticipated to deliver thousands of new places across the country.</p><p>On top of the department’s funding reforms, it is also providing significant support for local authorities to deliver the early years expansion from April, such as:</p><ul><li>Appointing a delivery support contractor (Childcare Works) to provide local authorities with support, advice, guidance and best practice sharing to help them deliver the expansion and deliver enough childcare places for residents. Coram are part of the Childcare Works consortium, and the department is delighted to be working with them to support local authorities to deliver.</li><li>Providing £12 million of delivery support funding to local authorities in financial year 2023/24, to help them meet the costs associated with the rollout.</li><li>In February 2024, the department launched a new national recruitment campaign for the early years and childcare sector, ‘Do something Big, Work with small children’, and a financial incentives pilot. Eligible joiners and returners will receive a tax-free payment of up to £1,000. This followed the introduction of workforce flexibilities to the Early Years Foundation Stage in January 2024.</li><li>The department has also introduced Skills Bootcamps for Early Years which will create a pathway to accelerated Level 3 Early Years Apprenticeships.</li></ul> answering member printed Baroness Barran grouped question UIN HL3607 question first answered 08/04/2024 12:07:12 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	4970 label Biography information for Lord Weir of Ballyholme

1698306

registered interest
date	25/03/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Breakfast Clubs
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of (1) primary, and (2) secondary, schools currently provide breakfast clubs.
tabling member printed	Lord Weir of Ballyholme
uin	HL3610
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/04/2024 answer text <p>The government is committed to continuing support for breakfast clubs in England in schools in disadvantaged areas. Up to £40 million is being invested to continue the department’s national programme until July 2025. This funding will support up to 2,700 schools in disadvantaged areas in England, meaning thousands of children from low income families will be offered free nutritious breakfasts to better support their attainment, wellbeing and readiness to learn. Schools are eligible for the programme if they have 40% or more pupils from deprived households, as measured by the Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index.</p><p>The department does not currently hold recent data on the percentage of schools that provide breakfast clubs. As of November 2022, over 2,100 schools signed up to the programme, of which 65% were primary and 23% secondary.</p><p>The recruitment process is still underway for schools that wish to sign up. In March 2023, 2,500 schools had signed up to the programme and the department will work with its supplier, Family Action, to monitor and publish updated data in due course.</p><p>​The government is very supportive of school breakfasts and the contribution these can make to children’s wellbeing and learning. ​Alongside our national programme, there are a number of organisations such as Magic Breakfast, Kellogg’s and Greggs providing valuable support to schools with a breakfast provision.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 08/04/2024 12:24:26 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	4970 label Biography information for Lord Weir of Ballyholme