Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 17 April (HL15207), when the Senior Civil Service Performance Management Framework will be updated; how it will ensure that underperformance is held to tougher standards; and how the impact of these new standards will be monitored and assessed.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Captain of the King's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard (HM Household) (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Lords)

The Senior Civil Service (SCS) performance management framework for the 2026/27 performance year will be published imminently.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to require financial services providers and other regulated entities to accept a broader range of identity documents for people who, by reason of disability, are unable to complete facial recognition verification; and what plans they have to issue guidance to relevant regulators on service providers' obligations under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments for such customers.

Answered by Lord Livermore

The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone can access and use financial services.

Financial services providers are bound under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments, where necessary, in the way they deliver their services. UK banks’ and building societies’ treatment of their customers is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which requires firms to provide a prompt, efficient and fair service to all customers. This includes ensuring that services are designed and delivered in a way that meets the needs of customers, including those who may face barriers using particular channels or technologies.

Firms are expected to consider how they provide services to customers who are unable to use specific processes, such as biometric or digital identity verification, and to ensure that appropriate alternative approaches are available where needed.

Firms are expected to meet their existing legal and regulatory obligations. The Government has no plans to mandate that financial services providers accept specific forms of identity documents, or to issue additional guidance to regulators on firms’ obligations under the Equality Act 2010.

The Government’s Financial Inclusion Strategy sets out actions to improve access to financial services, including work with industry through an Inclusive Design Working Group to address potential barriers faced by consumers. The process to submit issues for this group to consider and prioritise closed at the end of April. The next window for submissions will open in early 2027.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the barriers faced by people who use non-invasive ventilators in completing facial recognition-based identity verification; and what assessment they have made of the impact on disabled people who are consequently unable to access essential services such as banking.

Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

The UK digital verification services trust framework describes rules for providers to follow to show they provide trustworthy digital verification services. The trust framework requires that all services follow accepted standards on accessible service design.

For digital verification services providing identity verification, we know that certain identity checking methods won’t suit some users, such as people whose circumstances make facial recognition difficult to use, which is why the trust framework enables services to employ a wide range of methods for identity proofing, including some which don’t require use of facial biometrics.

Businesses choosing to check users’ identities using digital verification services may set requirements on what identity checking methods they will accept, and where these require facial biometrics that are difficult for a user, they can choose to follow other identity checking routes instead.

These businesses, which may include banks and other financial services, must consider their obligations under wider legislation such as the Equality Act 2010, when considering how they deliver their services.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what has been learnt so far from the Health and Growth Accelerators; when those pilot projects will be fully evaluated; and when that evaluation will be published.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The NHS Health and Growth Accelerators programme is testing a novel approach in which local National Health Service systems, such as the West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB), the South Yorkshire ICB, and the North East North Cumbria ICB, are empowered and held accountable for the impact they have on people’s work status through early intervention and prevention. The programme is building evidence for the health system’s contribution to economic activity.

In 2025/26, the accelerators had an outcome target to reduce health-related economic inactivity equivalent to at least 4,250 people kept in or returned to work who otherwise would have been inactive due to their health while improving population health. Building on 2025/26, the programme will continue in 2026/27 to generate evidence on how investing in prevention can help people stay in work, a key part of the Government’s 10-Year Health Plan for England.

NHS England has commissioned an independent evaluation funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) to be conducted by Rose NET team. Definitive evidence on whether accelerators have met their outcome target will come from the full evaluation, concluding in 2027. The evaluation will use an Office of National Statistics linked dataset for independent evaluation through the NIHR which will identify the precise impacts of health interventions on employment, earnings, benefit receipts, and demands on NHS services.

The 10-Year Health Plan commits to expanding the accelerator model to all ICBs if the first three ICBs can successfully demonstrate that investing in prevention generates fiscal savings and health improvements through increased workforce participation. The programme has established the NHS Work and Health Network with NHS Alliance, which provides a national forum for the scaling and spread for all ICBs to benefit from the learning of the accelerators.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Sherlock on 19 January (HL13274), whether they have now responded to the recommendations from the Keep Britain Working Review regarding the fit note; what further reforms to the fit note system they plan beyond the WorkWell Primary Care Innovation Fund pilots; and when they expect to publish those plans.

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

On 20th May 2026, the Government announced that it would test reform of the fit note, beginning with pilots across four integrated care boards in England. These pilots are funded by £3m in the first year and will take place within a small number of GP surgeries across the following areas: Birmingham and Solihull, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly, Coventry and Warwickshire, and Lancashire and South Cumbria.

The pilots will explore replacing the traditional GP-led fit note process with newly designed plans that provide better support to people who fall ill at work. They aim to move from a process of administrative sickness certification to a new service focussed on getting people the support they need to stay in work and sustainably return.

Whilst specific elements of pilot design are to be shaped locally, broadly, the pilots will test:

• New stay in work and return to work plans that provide patients with timely, proportionate, and actionable advice and support to manage their health condition
• New work and health teams who develop the plans and facilitate joined-up conversations between patients and their employers around support or adjustments needed in the workplace

The pilots have been designed through close engagement with GP leaders and the health system. We are also working with employer and patient groups to shape design as pilots progress. Within all four pilots, teams will be able to sign people off work who need time to recover from their illness. The pilots are focussed on the in-work population (either those who are at risk of falling out of work due to illness or those who are already signed off sick). Participation will be voluntary, and the pilots will not determine eligibility for any benefit entitlement or replace the Work Capability Assessment. Any future rollout or legislative reform will be informed by learnings from the pilots.

The fit note pilots are a key element of the Government's response to the recommendations made in the Keep Britain Working Review, published in November 2025. The Review was clear that the fit note is 'not working as intended', and called for the Government to test alternatives and replacements to the fit note. Any long-term system reform is expected to combine employer and state funded provision, balancing the engagement benefits of employer-led support with the necessity for non-workplace provision (for example, for those who leave work due to illness). We are working closely with the Keep Britain Working Vanguards as they test the 'best case' for an employer-led intervention, with the NHS-based pilots running in parallel, and learnings from each model being used to inform future reform.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Baroness Sherlock on 19 January (HL13272 and HL13273), whether information on the shape and remit of the Vanguard Taskforce and the Workplace Health Intelligence Unit has now been confirmed; what the terms of reference and membership of the Vanguard Taskforce are; and what the remit, governance arrangements, and operational timetable of the Workplace Health Intelligence Unit are.

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

Work is progressing at pace on the Keep Britain Working Vanguard Phase following publication of the review’s final report in November. Led by Sir Charlie Mayfield, Co-Chair of the Vanguard Phase, we have been working closely with Vanguard employers, regions and stakeholders to mobilise the Vanguard Phase.

As part of this, a Vanguard Taskforce/ Advisory Group has now been established and is chaired by Sir Charlie Mayfield, in partnership with the Department for Work and Pensions, the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Business and Trade. The Taskforce brings together external experts from across business, trade unions, health, and disability and inclusion fields; full membership has been published as part of the Keep Britain Working March update, on Gov.uk (Annex B).

The Taskforce is an external advisory body. It provides independent advice, insight and constructive challenge to support delivery of the Vanguard Phase, including testing and refining emerging proposals and advising on the feasibility and impact of workplace health interventions. It has no decision-making powers, with policy decisions remaining with Ministers. The full terms of reference will be published on Gov.uk in due course.

We are making progress on setting up the Workplace Health Intelligence Unit (WHIU). During the Vanguard Phase we are working with employers, experts and partners to design the Unit’s functions and operating model, including how it can best act as a central hub for evidence, insight and employer-facing support. This includes considering its governance arrangements and how it will work across Government to maximise impact. Further detail on the Unit will be set out in due course as this design work progresses.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 23 April (HL16380), whether any teams modelled on the Vaccine Taskforce to deliver Prime Ministerial priorities have now been established; and if so, which Prime Ministerial priorities each team has been assigned and which ministers are sponsoring those teams.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Captain of the King's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard (HM Household) (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Lords)

Government has started the first two pilots of these taskforces. One that will improve data sharing across the criminal justice system with work taking place between the Ministry of Justice and the Home Office and a second to address violence against women and girls by working to accelerate delivery of support services in communities across the country. Delivery is led by departmental ministers with sponsorship from myself and my ministerial team.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hermer on 27 April (HL16377), whether the artificial intelligence tool developed by the Cabinet Office and No.10 to identify disproportionate reporting and consultation duties was piloted in any departments before being rolled out; and if so, what the results of that pilot were.

Answered by Lord Hermer

The AI tool was developed to identify reporting and consultation duties in the statute book. The tool does not indicate whether the duties are useful, or unnecessary. It was tested on a small data set across the statute book. The dataset included legislation from multiple departments and performed with very high accuracy, rather than being piloted on a single department. The tool has since been applied to the wider statute book.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hermer on 27 April (HL16377), how the artificial intelligence tool developed by Cabinet Office and No.10 defines "disproportionate" reporting and consultation duties; and on what data or criteria the tool was trained to make that determination.

Answered by Lord Hermer

The AI tool identifies solely the reporting and consultation duties, it does not specify whether they are ‘disproportionate’ or not. The policy development around this is ongoing; decisions on proportionality remain the purview of ministers.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what mechanisms currently allow local authority-commissioned services, including treatment services funded through the Public Health Grant, to access nationally negotiated NHS commercial prices for pharmaceuticals; how frequently those mechanisms are used; and what is the total value of pharmaceuticals purchased by local authorities at nationally negotiated NHS prices in the most recent financial year for which data is available.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Local authorities are responsible for commissioning drug and alcohol treatment services according to local need, including the provision of pharmaceuticals such as methadone and long-acting injectable buprenorphine.

From 2026/27, funding for drug and alcohol treatment and recovery is provided through the Department’s ringfenced Public Health Grant. The Department encourages local authorities to prioritise appropriate investment in evidence-based interventions and treatments.

National Health Service commercial arrangements for pharmaceuticals are primarily established to support the procurement of medicines for NHS-funded services. The Department has no current plans to establish separate national commercial agreements specifically for pharmaceuticals used in Public Health Grant-funded substance misuse services. We continue to work with NHS England and local authority partners to consider opportunities to improve access to effective treatments and secure value for money.

The Department supports interventions to expand the provision of long-acting injectable buprenorphine. We are currently undertaking further analysis to understand cost-effectiveness, developing clinical guidance, and considering options to expand access further.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to establish national commercial agreements for pharmaceuticals used in Public Health Grant-funded substance misuse services; and whether any barriers prevent the extension of NHS Medicines Procurement and Supply Chain framework access to drug and alcohol treatment services.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Local authorities are responsible for commissioning drug and alcohol treatment services according to local need, including the provision of pharmaceuticals such as methadone and long-acting injectable buprenorphine.

From 2026/27, funding for drug and alcohol treatment and recovery is provided through the Department’s ringfenced Public Health Grant. The Department encourages local authorities to prioritise appropriate investment in evidence-based interventions and treatments.

National Health Service commercial arrangements for pharmaceuticals are primarily established to support the procurement of medicines for NHS-funded services. The Department has no current plans to establish separate national commercial agreements specifically for pharmaceuticals used in Public Health Grant-funded substance misuse services. We continue to work with NHS England and local authority partners to consider opportunities to improve access to effective treatments and secure value for money.

The Department supports interventions to expand the provision of long-acting injectable buprenorphine. We are currently undertaking further analysis to understand cost-effectiveness, developing clinical guidance, and considering options to expand access further.

Found: Other members present: Baroness Shawcross-Wolfson

Found: Lord Stevenson of Balmacara Other members present: Baroness Shawcross-Wolfson

Found: Frognal; Lord Hampton; Baroness Hamwee; Lord Hannett of Everton; Lord Massey of Hampstead; Baroness Shawcross-Wolfson

Found: of Marylebone Lord Mohammed of Tinsley Lord Mott Baroness Pidgeon Baroness Redfern Baroness Shawcross-Wolfson

Found: of Tinsley; Lord Mott; Baroness Nichols of Selby; Baroness Pidgeon; Baroness Redfern; Baroness Shawcross-Wolfson

Found: Baroness Shawcross-Wolfson Former school governor and trustee of a mathematics charity.

Found: Garden of Frognal; Baroness Hamwee; Lord Hannett of Everton; Lord Massey of Hampstead; Baroness Shawcross-Wolfson

Found: Garden of Frognal; Baroness Hamwee; Lord Hannett of Everton; Lord Massey of Hampstead; Baroness Shawcross-Wolfson

Found: Apologies were received from Lord Faulkner of Worcester, Baroness Nichols of Selby, and Baroness Shawcross-Wolfson

Found: Marylebone; Lord Mohammed of Tinsley; Lord Mott; Baroness Pidgeon; Baroness Redfern; Baroness Shawcross-Wolfson

Found: Hollins Lord Mohammed of Tinsley Lord Mott Baroness Nichols of Selby Baroness Pidgeon Baroness Shawcross-Wolfson

Found: Bexley Health and Wellbeing Board Baroness Pidgeon No relevant interests to declare Baroness Shawcross-Wolfson

Found: Tinsley Lord Mott Baroness Nichols of Selby Baroness O’Neill of Bexley Baroness Pidgeon Baroness Shawcross-Wolfson

Found: Mohammed of Tinsley Lord Mott Baroness O’Neill of Bexley Baroness Pidgeon (interim Chair) Baroness Shawcross-Wolfson

Falling pupil numbers drive budget pressures for schools, most of whose funding is provided on a per-pupil basis, as facilities and senior staffing costs are relatively static. In 2023/24, 14.7% of local authority-run schools were in debt, up from 7.9% six years earlier. The IfG estimates that empty school places account for almost two-fifths of that rise.