Live Debate: Lords Chamber

Oral questions: The UK’s implementation of ILO Convention 190, which recognises the right to be free from violence and harassment in the workplace

Oral Question Baroness Smith of Llanfaes.

15:01

Lord Katz (Labour)

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Lords, I beg leave to ask the question. Standing in my name on the Order Paper.

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My Lords. The UK ratified ILO Convention 190 in March 2022, demonstrating its commitment to preventing and addressing violence preventing and addressing violence and harassment in the workplace. We have a robust legislative framework in place, consisting of strong in place, consisting of strong health and safety at work and discrimination laws. We're we're confident that these meet the convention's requirements. These convention's requirements. These protections will be further strengthened through the Employment Rights Act 2025, including a Rights Act 2025, including a requirement for employers to take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment and harassment by third parties.

15:01

Baroness Smith of Llanfaes (Plaid Cymru)

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My Lords, I thank the noble Lord, the Minister, for his answer. However, if 1 in 5 workers are reporting feeling at risk of violence at work. On what basis is His Majesty's Government confident that existing legislation is sufficient to result in prevention, rather than simply rather than simply for us just responding to the harm once it has occurred?

15:02

Lord Katz (Labour)

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Well, the the noble Lady is obviously right. That and correct that we need to be concerned about preventing and building a culture of positive, positive employment at employers attitudes towards tackling harassment and victimisation in the workplace, rather than simply simply just relying on tackling harm when it's called. But I would say that we are very strong, very, very strong laws and regulations in place right now. Harassment, as I said, is covered under the Equalities Act and in 2010, which has recently strengthened, or in October 24th, to place specific duty on employers to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace.

And and the noble Lady will remember well the debates that we had in Committee on Employment Rights, then Bill, now act, where we may where we change the law to toughen up further. So employers must take all reasonable steps to stop sexual harassment before it starts, and to maintain workplaces free from harassment.

15:02

Lord Addington (Liberal Democrat)

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Would the Minister agree that the fact that we've got a rise in reported number of harassment, certainly of women going through that, we've either got a great rise in the number of incidents or the fact that people are being prepared to report it more. If so, could we not make sure there is an easier way of getting resolution to any complaints, because something that is merely reported and talked about will mean nothing if there is an effective enforcement regime in place.

Yeah.

15:03

Lord Katz (Labour)

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Well, the noble Lord is right that enforcement is as much a part of the problem as created and much part of tackling the issue that as, as, as creating solutions to the, to the, to the the nature of culture in the workplace. I'd point out that the Employment Rights Act does a number of things in this. In this regard as well. As I've already mentioned, it voids non-disclosure agreements between employers and workers that prevent women from speaking out about relevant harassment and discrimination, and also strengthens protection.

For whistleblowers, making it explicit sexual harassment can be the basis for protected disclosure. On top of all else, it creates the Fair Work Agency, which will monitor all these new workplace rights.

15:04

Baroness Prosser (Labour)

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That an awful lot of these incidents occur because so many people in various different kinds of workplaces either think the issue is a non-issue, they think it's funny, or they just don't get it. Now, how about when looking at companies who have been found guilty of not facing up to these problems properly and not dealing with them efficiently, that there should be some further action taken unless the company agrees and carries out proper training of their management team to ensure that they do understand what's wrong, and they spot things before it gets out of hand.

15:04

Lord Katz (Labour)

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Well, my noble friend makes a very good point that actually in in enforcement has to be seen somewhat by driven driven by example. It's really important that we don't that we don't trivialise. This issue is some as some seek to do. And I think I would widen that out past workplaces to the very issue of, of of of discrimination, harassment and violence against women and girls. And that's why I think everybody in this House should be in the your Lordships' House should be welcoming the government's Violence Against Women and Girls strategy that was published just before Christmas.

It's a we have a landmark mission to halve violence against women and girls over the next decade, and that's the way that we place women's equality at the heart of the government's mission.

15:05

Lord Young of Acton (Conservative)

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I declare my interest as a director of the Free Speech Union. Can the noble Lord, the Minister, help define what harassment, what third party non sexual harassment? Employers will have a duty under section 21 of the Employment Rights Act to protect, to take all reasonable steps to protect their employees from. In the past, when I've raised the spectre of that duty being extended to indirect harassment i.e. overheard conversations, jokes, remarks, witticisms, I've been pursued. Could the noble Lord, the Minister, assure us that I was just being alarmist? And when the government does produce its guidance on this issue, which I understand it is about to do, it specifically says business owners are not responsible for protecting their employees from overheard conversations, remarks, witticisms, jokes.

Yeah. witticisms, jokes. Yeah.

15:06

Lord Katz (Labour)

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Well, I, I congratulate the noble Lord for getting through that that question without mentioning the word, the phrase banter ban. I'm going to be. Absolutely. I'm going to be absolutely clear. Employers will not be penalised for failing to anticipate the unforeseeable or to take other impractical steps. Their employers can't and are not expected to police or control every action, author or third parties. It doesn't change. Article ten of the European Convention on Human Rights applies in terms of interfering with the right to freedom of expression.

And it's you know, it's really clear that we that it's about it's not about banning banter in a pub. It's about taking action against real hate, homophobia, racism, misogyny that whether it's other customers or whether it's other other workers, shouldn't, shouldn't have to face in this day and age. in this day and age.

15:07

Lord Hamilton of Epsom (Conservative)

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Does the noble Lords Minister accept that Downing Street should actually accept that the ILO convention applies to them as well, when it comes to meting out violence and harassment on Labour colleagues, whose only crime is that they think they could run the country better than the Prime country better than the Prime Minister. Yeah, yeah.

15:07

Lord Katz (Labour)

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In a word, I in a word to answer. To answer. Yes, of course it applies in all in all workplaces. But I think, I think I'm not going business.

15:07

Baroness O'Grady of Upper Holloway (Labour)

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My Lords. other people across this House, this government's focus on reducing violence and in particular, the introduction of those new measures on non-disclosure agreements that silenced thousands and thousands, particularly of women who were facing harassment. And that's serious when you're at work trying to earn a living. So we should congratulate the government for listening. But on the duty to prevent harassment. Could my noble friend, the Minister also listen to concerns that at the moment, Health and Safety Executive workplace inspectors don't have a specific role to enforce that duty? If there are other ideas, I think people would be happy to listen to them.

But can he reassure us that there will be a comprehensive enforcement regime for that duty to prevent harassment? Yeah.

15:08

Lord Katz (Labour)

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Well, my noble friend is absolutely right to recognise the importance, the important step this government has taken to avoid NDAs when it comes to prevention of speaking out about harassment and discrimination. I'm very proud. I think all our benches at least are very proud of that landmark, that that landmark piece of legislation, the Employment Rights Act. In terms of enforcement, I've already said one of the other things the Employment Rights Act does is create the Fair Work Agency, which will be which will be relevant to in terms of workplace, workplace, workplace enforcement of all the new rights it creates at work.

Having said that, the health and Safety, Health and Safety at Work legislation still covers people at work in terms of work related violence and other risks from working activities, and there will certainly be still in place enforcing those aspects.

15:09

Lord Hunt of Wirral (Conservative)

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Please share with the noble Lord, the Minister, my concern that backlogs in employment tribunals have now reached record levels. The noble Lord, the Minister, referred to the Employment Rights Act, that statute and the related work reforms will generate on the government's own analysis, at least a 17% increase in claims before employment tribunals. So I ask the noble Lord, the Minister, will he give a clear assurance that those involved with claims of violence and harassment at work will not face delayed justice because of employment tribunal backlogs, and that the government will provide the additional judges, staff and resources required to meet that expected rise in claims.

Yes.

15:10

Lord Katz (Labour)

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To talking about backlogs and underfunding in our criminal justice system. In fact, our whole our whole justice system is a certain amount of chutzpah from the from the benches opposite who spent 14 years underfunding all aspects of our justice system to actually then say, isn't this going to be a problem? We are investing in our criminal justice system. We have legislation going through your Lordships' House to do to do just that. And I don't result from the criticism of the benches opposite in their failure to invest in our justice system.

Yeah.

15:11

Oral questions: Impact of uniformed youth groups on promoting skills and resilience in young people

Third Oral Question Baroness Morgan of Drefelin.

15:11

Baroness Twycross, The Minister of State, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (Labour)

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I beg leave to ask the question. >> OK. >> We recognise the excellent contribution and impact of uniformed youth organisations. The uniformed youth organisations. The government has directly funded their work since 2022. There is a range of existing research that shows the positive impact of uniformed youth organisations on young people and their lives. Ipsos independently evaluated the DCMS funded Uniformed Youth Fund from 2022 to 2025. The evaluation found evidence supporting the positive impact of Uniformed Youth Organisation membership on young people's wellbeing, social and emotional development skills and community connectedness.

15:12

Baroness Morgan of Drefelin (Labour)

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I thank my noble friend, the Minister for that. Fabulous reply. I couldn't agree with her more. We know that the uniformed youth groups will play a vital role in delivering the government's new youth strategy. Groups such as the Scouts, the Girl Guides, All Our Cadets, the Jewish Lads and Girls Brigade and of course the Girls and Boys Brigades do an amazing job. Will the Minister undertake to encourage her department to look again, perhaps at the funding arrangements, so that these groups can retain staff during the transition from the Uniformed Youth Fund, which is coming to an end in March, to the new funding arrangements that will come into place with the the new youth strategy.

So, yes, it's so great to have that contribution from these groups on the record here today. Thank you.

15:12

Baroness Twycross, The Minister of State, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (Labour)

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I'd like to pay tribute to all those supporting uniformed youth organisations, including my noble friend. Our new National Youth Strategy has been co-designed with young people. We are engaging further with young people and youth groups, including uniformed youth organisations, to ensure their perspective needs improvement outcomes are incorporated with regard to transitional funding and funding arrangements. I'll take my noble friend's point back to the department ahead of her meeting with Minister Peacock, which I understand is taking place early next month.

next month.

15:13

Lord Bailey of Paddington (Conservative)

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It's defeated the conservative benches. Can we make her mind up? And please. interest. As the chair of the Cadet Health Check Team, the value of the uniformed services to our young people throughout the country is beyond doubt, particularly in the poorest communities in the country. But the real challenge now is adult volunteers. The whole entire service is based on adult volunteers. So what work is the government doing to improve recruitment and retention of those very valuable volunteers?

15:14

Baroness Twycross, The Minister of State, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (Labour)

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Yeah. noble Lord on the points you raised around the value of the of the uniformed youth youth groups. I think that one of the things our new funding arrangements will do is actually to support the development of volunteers. I'm very happy to share some examples and to discuss that further with the noble Lord.

15:14

Lord Mohammed of Tinsley (Liberal Democrat)

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Lord Lib Dem. made.

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Your Lordships Chamber about the invaluable service that Uniform Youth services provide, particularly when it comes to life skills and experiences. But my question to the Minister would be how can government change policies how can government change policies to get more young people involved in these organisations that more young people benefit from, benefit young people benefit from, benefit from this, and actually stand a better chance when it comes to the

15:14

Baroness Twycross, The Minister of State, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (Labour)

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world of employment? Yeah, yeah. >> The new youth strategy, the National Youth Strategy has been developed by young people precisely to make sure that as a government, we're directing funding towards area areas that young people themselves have identified. I think one of the most difficult findings from some of the work in the run up to the launch of the National Youth Strategy, was around the isolation and loneliness faced by so many young people. And the strategy is a ten year plan to make sure that every young person across the country has somewhere to go, somewhere who cares for them, and a community they feel part of.

15:15

Lord Mountevans (Crossbench)

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My Lord, my Lord. Sea Cadets and president of the successful City of London Sea Cadets, the Minister very kindly discussed the new arrangements of DCMS, but the Strategic Defence Review just six seven months ago called for a 30% increase in activity in the offer of the cadet organisations. What additional funding, if any, can the Minister point to that is going to facilitate this growth? Yeah.

15:16

Baroness Twycross, The Minister of State, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (Labour)

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This is a ministry of defence funding. So my understanding is that the government plans to increase military cadet forces by 30% by 2030, and this is an investment of over £70 million of new funding, as set out in the Strategic Defence Review, which the noble Lord rightly points out was published last year.

15:16

Lord West of Spithead (Labour)

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My Lord Lord Lisvane. >> My Lord Lord Lisvane. >> Interest as president of the Bollington and Macclesfield Sea Bollington and Macclesfield Sea Cadets. So there is a northern aspect to me, as you can see. And I have to say, I have been amazed whenever involved with the Uniform Cadet Forces, how they actually have changed the lives of many of our young people. But my question for my noble friend, Minister is could she confirm that Sea cadets now will carry rifles when members of a guard, and that they will do range firing practices like the other cadet units?

15:17

Baroness Twycross, The Minister of State, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (Labour)

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So I have to say, I've got >> So I have to say, I've got absolutely no idea. I'm not I'm not going to sort of come up with a going to sort of come up with a fudge answer, but I will write to my noble friend to give him outline, to outline whether or not that is the case.

15:17

Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee (Non-affiliated)

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Foster. Foster. >> Foster. Foster. >> As a former brownie guide and

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As a former brownie guide and guide leader. I absolutely agree with all that has been said about the worth of belonging to uniformed organisations, particularly in relation to self esteem for our young people and the resilience that is built up there. I visited my local guide unit just two weeks ago during Parliament week, and I was very concerned to learn that a number of units have actually closed recently because of the lack of volunteers. Is there more that government can do to help with the lack of volunteers and working with the devolved administrations to help highlight that? Yes.

15:18

Baroness Twycross, The Minister of State, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (Labour)

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I think the noble Lady makes a really valuable point, as previous speakers have done, in relation to the really vital role of volunteers in this. You can't have these uniformed youth groups without the volunteers who who do this. I think that most of the funding that's outlined within the National Youth Strategy is around a focus on England. But what I will do is, is take back the noble Lady points, because obviously it is a national organisation and I'd like to thank her and everyone else in your Lordships House who've actually sort of contributed through volunteering for these groups.

15:18

Lord Harris of Haringey (Labour)

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My Lords, my Lords, I refer to

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my. Preparedness Commission in. 1908, scouting.

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For boys, and then in 1912, the companion edition for called How companion edition for called How Girls Can Help Build up the Empire. Was very explicit about the Was very explicit about the importance of being prepared, and that remains very much at the heart of the work that those two of the work that those two uniformed organisations are, and all the others that have been mentioned. But this isn't going to be increasingly important for the nation, given all the threats and hazards that we face.

So can my noble friend indicate whether or not that philosophy is both going to be supported in in terms of those organisations, but also other youth organisations and more generally within schools, to ensure that young people are equipped both with the personal resilience skills, but also with the skills that may be necessary to support the country in terms of the threats and hazards that we face.

15:19

Baroness Twycross, The Minister of State, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (Labour)

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I think Be Prepared could usefully be used as a motto for Ministers standing at the Dispatch Box your Lordships' House as well. I think that the there is clearly a role by cadet forces and other uniformed youth organisations in terms of that broader resilience piece. But I think that throughout a thread that goes through all our policies on youth is around that resilience that young people so desperately need, and all Lords from across your Lordships' House be aware of the crisis so many young people are feeling, and we want to make sure that they do feel equipped for the challenges they face ahead.

15:20

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay (Conservative)

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The noble Lady, the Minister said in her initial answer. The last conservative government set up last conservative government set up the Uniformed Youth Fund to give young people these life changing skills and opportunities, and I was glad to hear about the evaluation she mentioned. It's sad, therefore, that the fund is is ending in March and in the transition to the new funding arrangements. Can she guarantee, as she said in response to her noble friend, that all of the organisations, including the Sea Cadets, Saint John Ambulance, the Guides and Scouts and others will continue to receive funding support so that young people can continue to have these life changing opportunities.

15:21

Baroness Twycross, The Minister of State, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (Labour)

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Yeah, yeah. transitional funding back to the department. However, as the noble Lord be aware, the Uniformed Youth Fund was announced in the immediate aftermath of Covid and was intended to sort of allow the groups to set up additional units, and it was only ever intended to run until 2025. So the additional year has been while we've been setting up the programmes under the and the funds under the new National Youth Strategy, which we're proud to say we've co-produced with young people.

And that's why the focus has shifted to a different way of of rolling out funds.

15:22

Oral questions: Plans to regulate the development of superintelligent AI

Fourth Oral Question Lord Hunt of Kings Heath. Order Paper.

15:22

Baroness Lloyd of Effra, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology) (Labour)

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AI superintelligence.

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Is a subject of ongoing debate regarding its definition and whether it is achievable. Advanced transformative AI presents both significant opportunities, such as improvements in health care and climate action and risks. The AI Security Institute helps government assess and identify potential assess and identify potential emerging risks as frontier AI evolves, which would include pathways towards any kind of superintelligence, the government superintelligence, the government will remain vigilant and prepare for new AI risks, including rapid advancements that could affect society and national security and AI, regulated by existing expert regulators, will be informed by the Institute's findings.

15:22

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour)

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My Lords, I'm grateful to my noble friend for that considered answer. Clearly, AI has great potential. The UK is third in the global league of AI investment, and I understand the government's response, which essentially is a nuanced approach to encourage both proper regulation but also investment. But, my Lords, superintelligent AI does undoubtedly present risks. She will know that the director general of MI5 has warned the potential future risks from non-human autonomous AI systems, which may evade human oversight and control, and the UK's AI Security Institute, which she mentioned, warned in a worst case scenario, this could lead to catastrophic, irreversible loss of control over advanced AI systems I lost.

The problem is that the companies developing superintelligence do not know the outcome, and there are no barriers at the moment to the development. Can I urge the government to actually take this really seriously and start talking to other countries about putting some safety controls in?

15:24

Baroness Lloyd of Effra, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology) (Labour)

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Thank you. Yeah. mention the research of the AI Security Institute, and that is advice that the government listens to and takes very seriously. AI is a general purpose technology with a wide range of applications, which is why the UK believes that the vast majority of AI should be regulated at the point of use. My noble friend is also right. That collaboration with other countries is critical, and that is the approach that the UK is taking by, by, by, by engaging with many other countries and in of course, engaging through the AI Security Institute with developers.

So it has good insight into what is happening in development today.

15:24

Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat)

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Lib-dems. >> Lib Dems. >> And Conservative benches.

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And Conservative benches. Thank you my Lords. I declare an interest as a consultant to do a interest as a consultant to do a paper on AI regulation and policy. In its manifesto, the government promised binding regulation for companies developing the most powerful AI models. Yet 18 months later, even in the light of the harmful activities of standalone AI bots, we've seen neither the promised consultation nor any draft legislation. My Lords, how can the government credibly claim to be taking superintelligence seriously when they can't even get round to publish a consultation, let alone legislating a.

15:25

Baroness Lloyd of Effra, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology) (Labour)

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As I as I as I mentioned a little moment ago, most AI systems are regulated by our existing expert regulators and they are already acting. The ICO has released guidance on AI and data protection. The MHRA is is taking action to allow a sandbox for AI as a medical device product, and we are working with regulators to boost their capabilities as part of the AI Opportunities Action plan and where we need to take action. For example, as we have under the Online Safety Act, we will do so.

We do not speculate on legislation ahead of future parliamentary sessions, but we will keep the House updated. My noble Lords updated shouldn't when we bring forward a consultation ahead of any potential legislation?

15:26

Baroness Harding of Winscombe (Conservative)

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My Lord of. >> My Lord of. >> Lords, in 1982, the then government commissioned a government commissioned a philosopher, Dame Mary Warnock, to explore the moral and ethical frameworks around human embryology and fertilisation, long before many of the developments were really possible. I worry that the AI Security Institute is just trying to work out what they do, rather than what they should do. Would the government consider a similar commission to establish the ethical frameworks for superintelligence?

15:27

Baroness Lloyd of Effra, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology) (Labour)

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The AI Security Institute looks at the science, and it also looks at the implications for AI. And I think it also collaborates with many other research institutes examining some of the questions with implications for our society as well as our economy. And I think that approach is bearing great fruit. And it, it, it it publishes this so that we can all take account of its findings.

15:27

Lord St John of Bletso (Crossbench)

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Can the noble Baroness, the Minister, elaborate on what economic and labour market risks are associated with superintelligent AI, as distinct from generative AI?

15:27

Baroness Lloyd of Effra, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology) (Labour)

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I think, as I mentioned at the start, there is a lot of debate about the pathway that AI development will take and the pace at which it is developing, what the AI Security Institute has reported is a sharp rise in AI capabilities over the past 18 months, with continued growth almost certain, and it is looking at a number of the questions of the implications of this. For example, one of its research focuses is tracking the development of AI capabilities that would test the limits of human control, which is one of the most pertinent questions, I think, for anybody thinking about the implications of superintelligence.

15:28

Viscount Camrose (Conservative)

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Well. Build on the, I think, very important point raised.

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By the noble Lord, Lord hunt, given that AI research and development can effectively be development can effectively be conducted anywhere, regulation of the development of superintelligent the development of superintelligent AI is going to have to be global. So does the noble Lady. The Minister feel that the UK is Minister feel that the UK is genuinely taking full advantage of our considerable convening power in our considerable convening power in this space to drive forward the global AI safety agenda, and may there further be grounds for concern that our convening power may be diminished over time by the emerging political uncertainty that came to the fore over the weekend?

15:29

Baroness Lloyd of Effra, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology) (Labour)

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Yeah. extremely successful relationships as evidence, for example, by the number of trade deals that we have secured in the last 18 months or so. These relationships with the EU, with the US and with many other countries are evident also in our discussions on AI with the countries I mentioned, with India, with France. In addition, the UK is the coordinator specifically on questions of coordination of the International Network for the advanced AI measurement, Evaluation and Science, which aims to shape and advance the science of AI evaluations globally.

So both in terms of our engagement at all levels and specifically on the technical level, we are well engaged because the noble Lord makes an extremely important point. This is an effort of global development, and it is important that we engage both with the developers globally and with the countries.

15:30

Lord Browne of Ladyton (Labour)

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My Lord, my Lord, my Lord, my Lords.

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My Lords, given the pace. I defer it.

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defer it. Lord Hanson I am. And always have been a faithful.

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And I. Take the regulation in the future. Confidently can. Be anticipated.

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anticipated. Is it not often the case that its absence in the presence can impede innovation rather than impede innovation rather than foster it, given that many of those responsible for the development of AI, and some the development of AI superintelligence repeatedly have requested tighter controls on their activities, my noble friend, the Minister assure your Lordships' House that the existing regulatory structures are adequate. And can she describe the mechanisms through which their salience and the strength are kept under constant review?

15:31

Baroness Lloyd of Effra, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology) (Labour)

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My noble friend makes a very good point that our regulators need to be equipped, and they need to have the capabilities and the capacity and the expertise to regulate a fast advancing technology. We have put in place many actions and convening powers as part of the action plan to make sure our regulators have that capacity and capability through the AI Security Institute, we are making sure that they have the information they need in order to to regulate.

And and many departments are thinking about this in concert with their regulators to ensure that we are taking advantage of the opportunities and preparing for the risks that AI will

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undoubtedly bring. My Lords, that concludes oral questions for today.

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Moment for noble. Lords who wish to leave the chamber to do so now, As As we As we now come to some instruments previously debated in committee. United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020 (Exclusions from Market Access Principles: Glue Traps) Regulations 2025. The Lord Katz.

15:34

Business of the House

My Lords, I beg to move the

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motion. Standing in my name on the Order Paper. The question is that this motion be agreed to. As many as are of be agreed to. As many as are of that opinion will say content the contrary not content. The contents have it Local Government (Exclusion of Non-commercial Considerations) (England) Order 2026. The Baroness

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(England) Order 2026. The Baroness Taylor of Stevenage. I beg to move the motion standing in my name on the Order

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Paper. The question is of this motion be agreed to. As many as are of that opinion will say content the contrary, not content. The contents have it motion for debate. Holocaust Memorial Day Baroness Taylor of Stevenage.

15:34

Baroness Taylor of Stevenage (Labour)

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My Lords, it is with great respect and solemn reflection that I move the motion standing in my name on the Order Paper. My Lords, as I rise today, I do so with a heavy heart and a deep sense of responsibility. Before I introduce the debate, as noble Lords will be aware, gradually, as time moves on, we lose many of the first hand survivors of the Holocaust who were so engaged in education of our young people and the rest of us.

I would, with the permission of the house, just like to read the names of some of those who we've lost during this year. Eva Schloss MBE, who died on the 3rd of January 2026, a co-founder and honorary president of the Anne Frank trust UK and stepsister of Anne Frank, Manfred Goldberg RM, who died on the 6th of November, 2025. A Holocaust survivor and educator who died aged 95, Manfred's story is part of the Holocaust Education Trust Virtual Reality 360 Education programme.

Harry Ulmer, who died on the 15th of January, 2026, a Holocaust survivor and Holocaust educator. Vera Sheffield, M.B.E. who died in January 2026, aged 95, who came to the UK on the Kindertransport, shared her story up and down the country, including with our staff at the Department of Ministry, housing, Communities and Local Government. Eve Kugler, BEM Holocaust survivor who witnessed Kristallnacht and shared her story again, including with staff in my department, Suzanne Rapaport Ripton, who died in June 2025.

She was a founder member of the Holocaust Survivors Friendship Association, now Holocaust Centre North, and Ruth Posner, who died in September 2025. An extraordinary woman, Ruth survived the Red ghetto, slave labour and life in hiding under a false identity. By the end of the war, Ruth and her aunt were the only surviving members of her family. After a dazzling career in theatre and dance, Ruth decided to begin sharing her testimony as a response to rising levels of anti-Semitism in the UK.

My Lords, I'd like to thank all of those who share their testimony and who help us remember and who will continue to make their mark on our remembrance of Holocaust and its victims. Dear. Tomorrow's Holocaust Memorial Day is not only a date in the diary for me, it's a moment I return to each year with humility and resolve, a day that makes me reflect and pause on the stories I grew up hearing and the lessons my parents impressed upon me about the horrors of hatred.

Tomorrow we remember the 6 million Jewish men, women, and children murdered in the Holocaust and the Roma, Sinti, disabled people, Jehovah's Witnesses, gay men and political opponents who were also persecuted and killed. Each one had a name. Each had a story, each was loved. Behind every number was a human being whose life was cut short by hatred and a machinery of persecution that sought to erase entire communities. We also remember those who, against all the odds, survived.

Many, rebuilt their lives in the UK and dedicated themselves to sharing their testimony, ensuring that future generations understood both the horrors they endured and the hope that they managed to hold on to. Many of us in this room have been privileged to hear these survivors speak with honesty, courage and an often extraordinary generosity of spirit. My own family roots are in the East End of London, once home to a vibrant and close knit Jewish community. Even those of us whose families were not directly targeted felt the shockwaves as news of the camps emerged in homes.

Like my parents and grandparents, the stories of what happened were spoken about with a kind of hushed reverence and understanding that something beyond comprehension had taken place. They taught us that while we could never fully feel that depth of pain, we had an absolute duty to learn about it, remember it, and pass the lessons on. This year's Holocaust Memorial Day theme, Bridging Generations, feels especially poignant as we move into a time when survivors voices are fading. Many have now fallen silent, yet it is our responsibility to ensure their legacy does not fade with them.

Bridging generations is not an abstract concept. It is the quiet question from a child trying to understand why people were hated for who they were. It's the moment in a school assembly when a survivor's words changed the entire mood of the room. It is the recognition that truth, when spoken plainly, has the power to transform hearts. The Holocaust did not begin with camps and crematoria. It began with words with prejudice that became normalised, then embedded in policy, then allowed to flourish unchecked.

It moved from insult to exclusion, from exclusion to persecution, and from persecution to genocide. My Lord's memory is our safeguard. Forgetting is the first step towards repeating history. I feel a profound personal responsibility to ensure that these stories are never lost. That is why I'm proud that in 2024, the Prime Minister pledged that every student in the country should have the opportunity to hear recorded survivor testimony by enabling every young person to access first person accounts, we build resilience against distortion and denial.

The Holocaust Educational Trust Testimony 360 programme will allow students to virtually meet survivors and explore historical sites using virtual reality, long after survivors can no longer be with us, young people will be able to hear their voices, ask questions, and engage with history in a way that feels deeply personal and immediate. The Holocaust Testimony Portal, created by the Association of Jewish Refugees and supported by the government, is another vital initiative. The portal brings together thousands of interviews with survivors, refugees, rescuers, liberators providing user friendly access to decades of testimony.

Generations to come will be able to learn from those accounts. Initiatives like generation to generation ensure descendants of survivors continue sharing family histories, preserving the human threads that connect past and present. When I was a council leader, I set up a Holocaust memorial event in Stevenage. It was over 15 years ago, and I've been privileged to listen firsthand and to family and first hand testament at that event each year. A couple of years ago, I listened to Anita Peleg speak about her mother, the sculptor Naomi Blake.

I remember the hush in the room as Anita played a recording of her mother's own words. It was the kind of silence that falls when truth settles on the heart, heavy yet somehow illuminating. Naomi Blake, who survived Auschwitz and went on to create art filled with hope and renewal, embodied the extraordinary resilience of the human spirit. Hearing her voice reminded me that testimony is not merely information. It is a gift, a gift of courage, of memory, and of humanity.

And listening to our Lord Lieutenant Robert Voss, whose parents escaped Nazi Germany, but who told when he came to our meeting, told us his account of his paternal grandparents murdered in the gas chambers of Sobibor in June 1942. That moment touched me deeply, and it strengthened my resolve to ensure these stories are never allowed to fade. Other projects, such as Ordinary Objects, Extraordinary Journeys, a collaboration between the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, National Holocaust Centre and Museum and the Jewish Museum of Greece show how even everyday belongings can bear

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