Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by Citizens Advice The real cost of hidden deals, published on 26 September, in particular the finding that people experiencing financial difficulty are paying more for comparable mobile contracts than the average consumer.

Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Government was concerned that the Citizens Advice report found that people experiencing financial difficulty and those experiencing mental health problems were more likely to find negotiating their fixed telecoms deal more difficult. Officials have met Citizens Advice to understand the report’s findings in more detail.

We are committed to delivering a telecoms market which works for consumers, including clear and transparent pricing. Ofcom, the independent regulator for telecoms, has introduced requirements to make it easier for people to switch provider if they want to. Ofcom also accredits price comparison websites that meet high standards for accessibility, accuracy, and transparency.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to start the consultation on the proposed changes to the rules governing indefinite leave to remain set out in the White Paper Restoring Control over the Immigration System, published on 12 May (CP 1326).

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

We will be consulting on the new settlement rules later this year.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that specialist citizenship teachers are recruited and retained, and whether they will extend bursaries to that subject in line with other shortage areas.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Recruiting and retaining expert teachers is critical to the government’s mission to break down the barriers to opportunity for every child and delivery is already under way. The government agreed a 5.5% pay award for 2024/25 and a 4% pay award for 2025/26, meaning teachers and leaders will see an increase of almost 10% over two years.

We are already seeing improvement. The workforce has grown by 2,346 full time equivalent between 2023/24 and 2024/25, and this year has one of the lowest leaver rates since 2010.

Recruitment to citizenship initial teacher training (ITT) courses is unrestricted, allowing ITT providers and schools to recruit the specialist citizenship teachers they need. Citizenship trainee teachers are eligible for a tuition fee loan, maintenance loan and additional funding depending on individual circumstances, such as the Childcare Grant.

The department reviews bursaries annually before announcing the offer for those applying for ITT courses to ensure bursaries are focused on subjects experiencing teacher shortages.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that citizenship is treated equally with other statutory national curriculum subjects in Ofsted's inspection framework, and that Ofsted inspections and public reporting reflect schools' statutory obligations to delivery citizenship education.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

This is a matter for His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver. I have asked him to write to my noble Friend directly and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Found: Letter dated 22/10/2025 from Lord Hanson of Flint to Baroness Lister of Burtersett regarding the Border