Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have held discussions with the government of China about the importation of stolen and trackable mobile phones from the UK.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Tackling mobile phone theft is a key priority for this Government. In February, the Home Secretary brought together police, the National Crime Agency, the Mayor of London, local government representatives, leading technology companies and others to drive greater collaboration in breaking the business model of mobile phone thieves.
The Summit resulted in commitments from attendees to work in partnership, including to significantly boost the sharing of data and intelligence on mobile phone theft to build a comprehensive picture of the problem, better understand the role of organised crime networks (both in the UK and overseas), and identify the most effective means of tackling these crimes.
While we have not held discussions with the government of China about the importation of stolen mobile phones from the UK, we are continuing to engage with international partners and multilateral organisations to share information and explore further opportunities for cooperation in order to most effectively tackle mobile phone theft.
The Home Secretary will reconvene relevant stakeholders in due course to review progress made and determine next steps to ensure that the police, technology companies and the Government continue to work together to tackle this criminality.
Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the reason for the backlog in scheduling criminal trials in London; what is the currently scheduled trial with the longest delay; what proportion of trials are cancelled because of witness withdrawal; and what action they are taking to reduce the backlog.
Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
This Government inherited a record and rising courts backlog, due in large part to restrictions on courtroom operations put in place during the Covid-19 pandemic, and subsequent Criminal Bar Association strike action. In addition, over the last 12-months, we have seen an 18.6% increase in new cases for the London Crown Courts.
Listing is a judicial function. HM Courts & Tribunals Service works in liaison with the judiciary reviewing and prioritising cases when listing trials, in accordance with the sitting day allocation.
In some Crown Court centres across the London region, cases listed for trial in June 2025 were given dates in 2028 and 2029 – with a very small number being listed into the summer of 2029. However, the vast majority of the trial load is listed before the end of 2026.
The Ministry of Justice publishes statistics on ineffective trial rates, and the general reasons behind ineffective trials (including witness absence/withdrawal), here: Criminal court statistics quarterly: January to March 2025 - GOV.UK.
This Government has funded a record-high allocation of Crown Court sitting days – 110,000 days this financial year, 4,000 more than the previous Government – to tackle the outstanding caseload. We also commissioned Sir Brian Leveson to undertake an Independent Review of the Criminal Courts to consider the merits of longer-term reform and the efficiency of processes in the criminal courts. We will carefully consider Sir Brian’s proposals in more detail before setting out the Government’s full response to the report in the autumn.
As part of our commitment to bearing down on the criminal caseload we have increased magistrates’ court sentencing powers from 6 months to 12 months’ imprisonment for single triable-either way offences. This will free up capacity in the Crown Court.
Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following Microsoft's decision to suspend services to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, whether they plan to regulate technology providers in the UK to ensure that the provision of services takes place under a framework of UK law.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
All regulated entities in the UK, including technology providers, are required to operate within the UK legal framework.
Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether Natural England will provide financial compensation to cover the sunk costs of groups whose proposals for National Landscape status or extension of this status were under consideration, but where Natural England has announced it will now cease work on their bids.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Given the pressures on public finances, Defra has had to make difficult decisions about funding. It was not affordable to continue Defra funding to Natural England (NE) for the new National Landscapes designations programme in 25/26 and consequently the funding for this work is very limited. NE recognises the value of the work which has been completed to date for the projects which have been stopped and is keen to ensure this value is shared with local stakeholders and groups. NE intends to publish the relevant information on NE’s ‘Access to Evidence’ page in due course, so the evidence base which has been gathered can be shared and used.
Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how the productivity of London’s economy compares with the UK’s economy as a whole.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
Please see the letter attached from the National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority.
Emma Rourke | Acting National Statistician
The Lord Birt
House of Lords
London
SW1A 0PW
16 July 2025
Dear Lord Birt,
As Acting National Statistician, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking how the productivity of London’s economy compares with the UK’s economy as a whole (HL9313).
According to our latest regional labour productivity publication for 2023, titled Regional and subregional labour productivity, UK: 2023[1], London remains by far the most productive region in the UK. The headline measure, output per hour worked, shows that London’s productivity was 28.5% higher than the UK average in 2023.
Yours sincerely,
Emma Rourke
Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of economic data for 2023 issued by the International Monetary Fund and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development showing that GDP per person in Germany was 15 per cent greater than in the United Kingdom, and that GDP per hour worked was 20 per cent greater; and whether they have identified any reasons for these disparities.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
As was the case in many advanced economies, the UK experienced a slowdown in productivity growth following the Global Financial Crisis, but this was sharper than for our peers.
HM Treasury published analysis at the Budget in October 2024 [1] , showing that under the previous government UK productivity growth fell to the second slowest in the G7 – lower than France, Germany and the US. This is also reflected in national data collated by the IMF and the OECD.
The UK’s productivity gap with Germany is largely explained by lower levels of capital per worker and weaker total factor productivity.
Increasing productivity is vital in driving economic growth and improving the living standards of working people. That is why growth is the priority mission of this government and why we continue to take steps to boost productivity.
This includes increasing the capital envelope by over £100 billion at Autumn Budget 2024 and a further £13 billion at Spring Statement. Additional capacity announced at Spending Review 2025 and the 10 Year Infrastructure Strategy has allowed the government to increase the capacity of Public Financial Institutions by around 60% this Parliament, to £153 billion. We are also removing barriers to investment through ambitious planning reforms, and championing growth-enhancing sectors through our modern Industrial Strategy.
[1] Box 1.A UK growth performance since the GFC - Autumn Budget 2024 – HC 295
Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to set out a timetable and a strategy for expanding the number of National Landscapes.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Natural England has the statutory responsibility for identifying areas for new or extended National Landscape designations.
Given the pressures on public finances, Defra has had to make difficult decisions about funding. It was not affordable to continue Defra funding to Natural England to continue the new National Landscapes designations programme in 25/26. As such, Natural England have made the decision to stop work on some of the planned programme. Other elements of the programme, including the Surrey Hills boundary review and potential new National Landscape in the Yorkshire Wolds, are being maintained and progressed as the work was further advanced.
Defra is prioritising supporting our existing Protected Landscapes to ensure they remain a source of national pride. We are committed to empower them to become greener, wilder and more accessible.
Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the total annual expenditure on defence by (1) the UK and EU countries combined, and (2) Russia.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The UK Ministry of Defence has no way of verifying other countries' defence expenditure figures, nor does it endorse any specific publication.
However, based on the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute figures, the UK and EU's total defence expenditure in 2024 was $434 billion compared to an estimated $151 billion for Russia.
Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with Microsoft about its suspension of the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in the Hague’s email account.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Support for international criminal justice and accountability is a fundamental element of the UK's foreign policy. The UK is a strong supporter of an effective International Criminal Court (ICC). His Majesty's Government have not had discussion with Microsoft regarding the suspension of the ICC Prosecutor's email account.
Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether Natural England plan to resume work on the consideration of the Cheshire Sandstone Ridge for designation as a National Landscape and the boundary extension review of the Chilterns National Landscape.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is aware that Natural England, in light of pressure on its budgets, has taken the hard decision to stop work on the Chilterns boundary review and consideration of the Cheshire Sandstone Ridge for designation as a National Landscape. It had yet to reach the stage of sharing proposed ‘candidate areas’ publicly and as a result of having to stop the project there is no longer a planned timeline for the public consultation. Natural England is in contact with the affected partners to work through the implications of this decision over the coming weeks. We continue to recognise the value landscape designations bring to people and nature and remain committed to maximising that value over the long term.