Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have considered replacing the census with in-depth sampling in the light of ongoing issues at the Office for National Statistics.

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)

On 15 July 2025 HM Government confirmed its commitment to hold a mandatory, questionnaire based census in England and Wales in 2031. The Scottish Government and Northern Ireland Executive have confirmed their commitment to hold tradition censuses in their nations at the same time.

HM Government reached this decision after the UK Statistics Authority conducted extensive research and consultation into alternative options and concluded that a traditional census best met the needs of the UK’s government, local authorities, businesses, charities and citizens. Their reasoning is set out in their detailed recommendation, which was also published on 15 July 2025.

The Government remains committed to delivering the census in 2031 and is working closely with the ONS to ensure the programme’s success.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to review National Highways' management of major incidents, in light of the closure of the M25 on 16 July.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

National Highways routinely reviews the management of major incidents to identify lessons learned and opportunities for improvement. In relation to the closure of the M25 on 16 July 2026, National Highways will undertake both an internal debrief and contribute to multi-agency review processes involving the emergency services and other partners.

Major incidents on the Strategic Road Network (SRN) are managed through a multi-agency response led by the police. National Highways works in accordance with the Joint Emergency Services Interoperability Principles (JESIP) and the Collision, Lead, Evaluate, Act, Reopen (CLEAR) process and supports partners in delivering a coordinated response.

As part of the review process, National Highways will consider the tactical options available and deployed during the incident, including arrangements for traffic management, the release of trapped traffic where appropriate, and support for driver welfare. The review will identify what worked well and any areas where improvements can be made.

National Highways will share relevant lessons learned with operational partners and incorporate any agreed actions into future incident management arrangements. The Government is also supporting work to review local arrangements for driver welfare during major incidents.

There are no current plans to review either the CLEAR or JESIP processes which National Highway works in accordance with to clear incidents on the SRN.

Found: Lord Spellar Rt Hon.

Found: The Chair: This all connects very nicely with the next question from Lord Spellar.

Found: Apologies and notices Apologies were received from Lord Oates, Lord Peach and Lord Spellar. 2.

Found: Lord Spellar Rt Hon.

Found: ; Lord Marland; Baroness Northover; Lord Oates; Baroness Paul of Shepherd’s Bush; Lord Peach; Lord Spellar

Found: ; Lord Marland; Baroness Northover; Lord Oates; Baroness Paul of Shepherd’s Bush; Lord Peach; Lord Spellar

Found: Lord Spellar Rt Hon.

Found: Baroness Mobarik; Baroness Northover; Lord Oates; Baroness Paul of Shepherd’s Bush; Lord Peach; Lord Spellar

Found: Baroness Mobarik; Baroness Northover; Lord Oates; Baroness Paul of Shepherd’s Bush; Lord Peach; Lord Spellar

Found: Lord Spellar Rt Hon.

Found: Baroness Mobarik; Baroness Northover; Lord Oates; Baroness Paul of Shepherd’s Bush; Lord Peach; Lord Spellar

Found: Baroness Mobarik; Baroness Northover; Lord Oates; Baroness Paul of Shepherd’s Bush; Lord Peach; Lord Spellar