Asked by: Baroness Alexander of Cleveden (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase employment support for people receiving sickness benefits.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We know that work can support health and wellbeing, so we want everyone who can to get work and get on in work as far as possible. Disabled people and people with health conditions are a diverse group so access to the right work and health support, in the right place, at the right time, is key.
We therefore have a range of specialist initiatives that join up employment and health systems such as WorkWell and Employment Advisers in Talking Therapies. Existing measures include support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres and Access to Work grants and Connect to Work. We continue to oversee the Disability Confident Scheme.
In our Pathways to Work Green Paper we set out our Pathways to Work offer, backed by £1 billion a year of new funding by the end of the decade. We are building towards a guaranteed offer of personalised work, health and skills support for all disabled people and people with health conditions on out of work benefits, building on existing initiatives.
In November 2025, Sir Charlie Mayfield published the Keep Britain Working Review, setting out recommendations to help employers create healthier, more inclusive workplaces and to reshape how Government works with employers to improve work and health outcomes. We are now working with volunteer employers, providers and regions through a Vanguard Phase to test and refine approaches that support disabled people and people with long‑term physical and mental health conditions to thrive in work. This includes developing effective stay-in-work and return-to-work practices, strengthening prevention, and building the evidence needed to spread good practice so that disabled workers and workers with long-term health conditions receive the support they need to remain in employment successfully.
The 10 Year Health Plan builds on existing work to better integrate health with employment support and incentivise greater cross-system collaboration, recognising good work is good for health. The Plan states our intention to break down barriers to opportunity by delivering the holistic support that people need to access and thrive in employment by ensuring a better health service for everyone, regardless of condition or service area. It outlines how the neighbourhood health service will join up support from across the work, health and skills systems to help address the multiple complex challenges that often stop people finding and staying in work.
Asked by: Baroness Alexander of Cleveden (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support people with health conditions into work.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We know that work can support health and wellbeing, so we want everyone who can to get work and get on in work as far as possible. Disabled people and people with health conditions are a diverse group so access to the right work and health support, in the right place, at the right time, is key.
We therefore have a range of specialist initiatives that join up employment and health systems such as WorkWell and Employment Advisers in Talking Therapies. Existing measures include support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres and Access to Work grants and Connect to Work. We continue to oversee the Disability Confident Scheme.
In our Pathways to Work Green Paper we set out our Pathways to Work offer, backed by £1 billion a year of new funding by the end of the decade. We are building towards a guaranteed offer of personalised work, health and skills support for all disabled people and people with health conditions on out of work benefits, building on existing initiatives.
In November 2025, Sir Charlie Mayfield published the Keep Britain Working Review, setting out recommendations to help employers create healthier, more inclusive workplaces and to reshape how Government works with employers to improve work and health outcomes. We are now working with volunteer employers, providers and regions through a Vanguard Phase to test and refine approaches that support disabled people and people with long‑term physical and mental health conditions to thrive in work. This includes developing effective stay-in-work and return-to-work practices, strengthening prevention, and building the evidence needed to spread good practice so that disabled workers and workers with long-term health conditions receive the support they need to remain in employment successfully.
The 10 Year Health Plan builds on existing work to better integrate health with employment support and incentivise greater cross-system collaboration, recognising good work is good for health. The Plan states our intention to break down barriers to opportunity by delivering the holistic support that people need to access and thrive in employment by ensuring a better health service for everyone, regardless of condition or service area. It outlines how the neighbourhood health service will join up support from across the work, health and skills systems to help address the multiple complex challenges that often stop people finding and staying in work.
Asked by: Baroness Alexander of Cleveden (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support people with disabilities into work.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We know that work can support health and wellbeing, so we want everyone who can to get work and get on in work as far as possible. Disabled people and people with health conditions are a diverse group so access to the right work and health support, in the right place, at the right time, is key.
We therefore have a range of specialist initiatives that join up employment and health systems such as WorkWell and Employment Advisers in Talking Therapies. Existing measures include support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres and Access to Work grants and Connect to Work. We continue to oversee the Disability Confident Scheme.
In our Pathways to Work Green Paper we set out our Pathways to Work offer, backed by £1 billion a year of new funding by the end of the decade. We are building towards a guaranteed offer of personalised work, health and skills support for all disabled people and people with health conditions on out of work benefits, building on existing initiatives.
In November 2025, Sir Charlie Mayfield published the Keep Britain Working Review, setting out recommendations to help employers create healthier, more inclusive workplaces and to reshape how Government works with employers to improve work and health outcomes. We are now working with volunteer employers, providers and regions through a Vanguard Phase to test and refine approaches that support disabled people and people with long‑term physical and mental health conditions to thrive in work. This includes developing effective stay-in-work and return-to-work practices, strengthening prevention, and building the evidence needed to spread good practice so that disabled workers and workers with long-term health conditions receive the support they need to remain in employment successfully.
The 10 Year Health Plan builds on existing work to better integrate health with employment support and incentivise greater cross-system collaboration, recognising good work is good for health. The Plan states our intention to break down barriers to opportunity by delivering the holistic support that people need to access and thrive in employment by ensuring a better health service for everyone, regardless of condition or service area. It outlines how the neighbourhood health service will join up support from across the work, health and skills systems to help address the multiple complex challenges that often stop people finding and staying in work.
Asked by: Baroness Alexander of Cleveden (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they last made representations to the government of Pakistan about the welfare of former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Noble Baroness to the answer given on 6 March to Question HL14686.
Asked by: Baroness Alexander of Cleveden (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will publish an overview of the key threats they have identified to the UK's electoral processes.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
It is, and always will be, an absolute priority for this Government to protect our democratic and electoral processes. Several government publications provide an overview of key threats to the UK’s electoral processes as part of the Government’s Counter Political Interference and Espionage Action Plan to disrupt and deter foreign influence and spying from foreign states.
The Government’s strategy for modern, secure and inclusive elections, published in July, sets out our plan to strengthen oversight of and safeguards against known and emerging threats, including foreign interference through covert political funding. We will deliver a robust and proportionate response to known risks, protecting the integrity of our system and reinforcing public trust in democracy. The strategy can be found (attached) here: Restoring trust in our democracy: Our strategy for modern and secure elections - GOV.UK
Additionally, on December 16th 2025, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government announced an independent review into countering foreign financial influence and interference in UK politics. The terms of reference for the review can be found (attached) here: Independent review: countering foreign financial influence and interference in UK politics: Terms of Reference - GOV.UK
The findings of the independent review will build on both the Government’s Elections Strategy and Counter Political Interference and Espionage Action Plan and inform the elections and democracy bill that we will bring forward this year.
Furthermore, the national technical authorities have published overviews of key threats. The guidance that the National Protective Security Agency published in October highlights the range of vectors and tactics that foreign actors are using to target individuals working in UK politics. This can be found (attached) here: Defending Democracy | National Security Act | NPSA and the NCSC published guidance for political organisations and individuals to counter the cyber threat to elections: Defending democracy - NCSC.GOV.UK
Asked by: Baroness Alexander of Cleveden (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will publish a breakdown of the number of full-time staff working on the Defending Democracy Taskforce in each year since it began.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Defending Democracy Taskforce comprises Ministers and senior officials from multiple government departments, alongside representatives from law enforcement, the Parliamentary authorities, the Electoral Commission, and the UK Intelligence Community.
The Taskforce draws on expertise and skills from across this community. However, each department remains responsible for delivery on their respective priorities for the Taskforce, and provides resources as required.
There is also a dedicated Home Office team which supports the Taskforce in its work, including delivery of time limited work, which is reflected in the changing number of full time staff. In the financial year 2022-2023 and in 2023-2024, the staffing allocation to this central team was 12 full-time staff. In 2024-2025 this allocation was 9 full time-staff and the staffing allocation for the current year, 2025-2026, is 8.5 full-time staff.
Asked by: Baroness Alexander of Cleveden (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions the Defending Democracy Taskforce has had with (1) the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, and (2) the devolved administrations, about the risks of foreign interference in UK elections.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Taskforce brings Ministers and senior officials from across government together with operational partners to deliver a whole-of-government response to the threats our democracy faces. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is a core member of the Taskforce.
On 16 December 2025, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government announced an independent review into countering foreign influence and interference in UK politics, chaired by Phillip Rycroft. This will report into both MHCLG and the Security Minister in his role as Chair of the Taskforce.
The Taskforce regularly engages with the Devolved Governments on its works. This engagement by the Taskforce and the Joint Election Security and Preparedness Unit (JESP), which leads on election security, will increase in run up to May’s elections.
Asked by: Baroness Alexander of Cleveden (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to make an annual statement to Parliament about the work and key findings of the Defending Democracy Taskforce.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
While the Security Minister is not planning an annual statement about the work of the Defending Democracy Taskforce, the Minister regularly updates Parliament about its progress and priorities, most recently as part of his November 2025 statement to the House on tackling espionage threats from China.
In addition, the Security Minister gave evidence on the work of the Taskforce to the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy in March 2025, the Speaker’s Conference on the security of MPs, candidates and elections in April 2025 and the Joint Committee on Human Rights in relation to Transnational Repression in May 2025.
Asked by: Baroness Alexander of Cleveden (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support technological innovation.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Digital and Technologies sector plan, part of the government’s Modern Industrial Strategy, aims to make the UK the best place in the world to start and scale a fast growing technology business.
The plan focuses on six frontier technologies - Advanced Connectivity Technologies, AI, cyber, engineering biology, quantum and semiconductors - where the UK has comparative advantage. We will take a cross government approach to developing these frontier technologies to grow including through, skills programmes, improving access to finance, support with energy costs and leveraging international opportunities.
Targeted R&D investment will also be critical to driving innovation and incentivising private sector investment in these technologies. That is why in this SR, £58.5 billion is allocated for DSIT to invest in R&D, including funding for UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and Innovate UK - the UK’s national innovation agency.
Asked by: Baroness Alexander of Cleveden (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential impact of the AI Growth Lab on economic growth.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government recognises that artificial intelligence represents a defining economic opportunity for the coming decade. The OECD estimates that AI adoption could add 0.4 to 1.3 percentage points to the UK’s productivity growth- equivalent to adding £55-140 billion to UK GVA in 2030.
Lab would drive innovation and growth, super charging investment in innovative start-ups. The exact quantity of investment is uncertain, but firms participating in a previous FCA sandbox received 6.6 times more investment compared to non-participants.[1]
Early analysis indicates that lifting unnecessary legal barriers to AI in the Lab could unlock billions of pounds of GVA by 2035.
[1] Goo, J. and J. Heo (2020), “The Impact of the Regulatory Sandbox on the Fintech Industry, with a Discussion on the Relation between Regulatory Sandboxes and Open Innovation”, 6 J. Open Innov. Technol. Mark. Complex, https://www.mdpi.com/2199-8531/6/2/.