Digital Government (Disclosure of Information) Regulations 2026
Debate between Earl of Effingham and Baroness Lloyd of Effra(1Â month ago)
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The Earl of Effingham (Con)
My Lords, these regulations relate to the Digital Economy Act 2017, which enables data sharing between public authorities and energy suppliers. The regulations will permit the sharing of information to support the delivery of a debt relief scheme by allowing specified persons to disclose information to energy suppliers for the reduction or cancellation of customers’ debt. The Government have committed to delivering targeted support for households most affected by rising energy costs.
The state must help those in need—that is absolutely right—but the reality is that this commitment will do nothing to address the root cause of rising energy costs, which continue to appreciate in part by trying to meet impossible net-zero targets. The most recent contracts for difference allocation rounds held by the Government saw maximum strike prices for offshore wind of £113 per megawatt hour. That is higher than those agreed in previous allocation rounds, higher than the average cost of electricity in the years before and the highest prices in a decade. His Majesty’s loyal Opposition have undertaken the work to tackle the root causes of high energy costs, proposing a cheap power plan to maximise extraction of our own oil and gas resources in the North Sea and to scrap the carbon tax on electricity generation from gas and the renewables obligation subsidy scheme, as well as removing VAT on domestic energy bills. These are constructive proposals endorsed by experts to help tackle the root causes of the cost of living crisis.
These regulations add the Department for Energy, Security and Net Zero and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to the list of specified persons that may share information. It may help your Lordships’ House if the Minister will clarify why these regulations make provision to share information with DSIT when the Government have, as far as we understand, abolished and dismantled that department. If these regulations help those in need, that is a good thing, but they are short-term and, as the noble Earl, Lord Russell, quite rightly said, alone they are not sufficient. The only sustainable long-term solution is the one proposed by His Majesty’s loyal Opposition that I briefly outlined.
Baroness Lloyd of Effra (Lab)
My Lords, I thank the noble Earls, Lord Russell and Lord Effingham, for their support for the importance of tackling poverty and I thank the noble Earl, Lord Russell, for recognising the centrality and importance of data sharing and the way in which that can improve efficiency and the way we can design administratively well-targeted schemes. The level of scrutiny that has been brought is very welcome.
The point of these regulations is to improve outcomes, enable government to identify the right households, target assistance more effectively and ensure that support reaches those who need it most. The debt that I mentioned has been building up over many years. It is very much an attribute of what people and households are experiencing, and that is the motivation for this.
UK Steel Strategy
Debate between Earl of Effingham and Baroness Lloyd of Effra(6Â months, 2Â weeks ago)
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Baroness Lloyd of Effra (Lab)
The noble Lord also brings his extensive interest and expertise to this. I agree that businesses will be worried about the impacts of the situation in the Middle East. The example he gave is very good at showing the practical impacts of what people are encountering day to day. We are monitoring this extremely closely and working with industry—the Secretary of State will meet with businesses in the coming days—to get a full picture of those types of impacts. The consultation on the British industrial competitiveness scheme is currently closed, but we will set out what it means in the coming period.
The Earl of Effingham (Con)
My noble friend Lord Sharpe quite rightly said that open markets are good and, following on from my noble friend Lord Harper, it is quite correct that economists may say that the uncertainty of tariff policy is not favourable for employment or investment. So I ask the Minister: why exactly do the Government think tariffs are a good idea and when can we see the assessment of the cost—the knock-on effect that tariffs will have on consumers?
Baroness Lloyd of Effra (Lab)
Like many countries, we have applied tariffs to counteract the damaging effects of global overcapacity. Our action is not unique; the US, Canada and the EU all apply similar measures to tackle overcapacity. As I mentioned, it has followed engagement and we are looking at transitional measures to ensure that those contracts that have already been put into place can be taken forward. We will also review the measure after 12 months to ensure that it remains effective.
Social Media: Non-consensual Sexual Deepfakes
Debate between Earl of Effingham and Baroness Lloyd of Effra(8Â months, 3Â weeks ago)
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Baroness Lloyd of Effra (Lab)
I cannot speak for others but, from our perspective, it is clear under the Online Safety Act what illegal content is, and what the child safety duties are. Operating in the United Kingdom means abiding by those; it means doing the risk assessments, taking swift action against priority offences, and abiding by all of the regime in place here in the UK.
The Earl of Effingham (Con)
My Lords, this is all happening on social media, so does the Minister agree with the largest union representing teachers in the UK on banning social media for under-16s?
Baroness Lloyd of Effra (Lab)
There are strong views about access to social media for under-16s, and we understand that it is an area of concern for many, especially parents. We are keeping evidence on the impact of social media on children under review. While a ban is not our current policy, we are closely monitoring what is happening in Australia and looking carefully at the evidence. We have already taken some of the boldest steps to protect children with the Online Safety Act, and we are listening to views, for example, from the NSPCC and others. These include concerns about setting age limits which might mean that people are unprepared for the digital world, which is also a responsibility in terms of media literacy and ensuring that people can operate safely and securely in this new digital world.
ExxonMobil: Mossmorran
Debate between Earl of Effingham and Baroness Lloyd of Effra(10Â months, 2Â weeks ago)
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Baroness Lloyd of Effra (Lab)
My noble friend makes some very important points about the importance of swift and collaborative action, partnership with all those who can assist in supporting the workers in this situation and looking at their individual needs and the economic opportunities that are available today, and training them for the future.
She is right that the task force has been established, and my right honourable friend Douglas Alexander met with Fife Council and the Scottish Government earlier today. The Government are committed to working with them to deliver a local response and, more broadly, to mitigate the impact on workers. That will include working with the partnership action for continuing employment and looking to support the 50 employees who are going to be retained to support the decommissioning until 2028, as well as the 50 who are being offered relocation and training packages to Exxon’s other assets.
My noble friend makes a very good point about looking broadly and making sure that this is in the context of the local economy.
The Earl of Effingham (Con)
My Lords, does the Minister know any chief financial officer who talks down prospects for their company? Why does she think the Chancellor spent nine months talking down the UK economy, which has contributed to Grangemouth, Mossmorran and other factories closing down and the subsequent loss of jobs?
Baroness Lloyd of Effra (Lab)
I do not agree with that commentary on our approach to the economy. In fact, I want to take some time to talk about the positive signs in the UK economy. The UK was the fastest-growing G7 economy over the first half of the year, with cumulative GDP growth at 0.9%. The IMF forecast the UK to be the second-fastest-growing economy in the G7 in 2025 and the third-fastest in 2026. I am sure that noble Lords frequently hear the Chancellor and the Prime Minister talking about the value of the inward investment into the United Kingdom. They have been integral to securing that inward investment, as this is an extremely investable country.