Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of figures in Schools, pupils and their characteristics Academic Year 2025/26, published on 4 June, showing that the decline in pupil numbers at independent schools is three times the level of the overall fall in the pupil population in England; and whether they are considering any policy changes as a result.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The data is in line with expectations given the removal the VAT exemption for private schools and decline in the number of school-age children. HMT have published the attached tax policy impact statement.
Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the evidence from the Get Information About Schools dataset about the closures of independent schools.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
’Get Information About Schools’ is an information base which holds detail of independent schools’ registration and closures as reported. The share of pupils in independent schools has stayed broadly consistent at 6.3%, and more private schools opened than closed in 2025.
Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Nigeria about their laws criminalising homosexuality in light of the growing number of attacks on LGBT+ people.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington
The UK Government is concerned by reports of discrimination against LGBT+ people in Nigeria and laws that criminalise homosexuality. The UK stands for the human rights of all people. No one should face violence, persecution, or exclusion because of who they are, who they love, or how they express themselves. We regularly raise human rights issues with the Government of Nigeria, including through our High Commission in Abuja and in multilateral fora. The UK-Nigeria Strategic Partnership underlines mutual commitments to human rights, and we remain committed to ongoing dialogue with Nigeria on these issues.
Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, what action they are taking to support the Charity Commission in improving the way it handles cases of whistleblowers following the Commission's application to pursue a judicial review of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman being refused.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Charity Commission for England and Wales spent £70,000 on external legal advice and representation in relation to this matter from 2024. In taking the legal action, the Commission was seeking legal clarity on questions of jurisdiction between it and the PHSO which the Commission felt was important to clarify for both the sector it regulates and complainants.
The Commission does not collate information on staff time spent on this matter, so it is not possible to provide an estimate of the total costs to public funds.
The Commission has established procedures for dealing sensitively with disclosures from whistleblowers. In light of the PHSO's reports on the two cases in question, the Commission has already taken steps to further improve how it records its risk assessments and how it communicates with those raising concerns about a charity.
This work is ongoing, supported by additional resources for the Commission allocated in the recent Spending Review. Recognising the growing range of threats facing charities and the corresponding demands upon the Commission, the Government is also working with the Commission to expand its regulatory powers.
A former member of the Court of Appeal, Sir Gary Hickinbottom, has been appointed to lead an independent review of the two cases and specifically to examine the Commission's regulatory decision making in these matters.
Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much the Charity Commission spent on legal and other professional advice and court representation in pursuing a Judicial Review of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman from 2024 to the Permission Hearing at the High Court in March 2026.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Charity Commission for England and Wales spent £70,000 on external legal advice and representation in relation to this matter from 2024. In taking the legal action, the Commission was seeking legal clarity on questions of jurisdiction between it and the PHSO which the Commission felt was important to clarify for both the sector it regulates and complainants.
The Commission does not collate information on staff time spent on this matter, so it is not possible to provide an estimate of the total costs to public funds.
The Commission has established procedures for dealing sensitively with disclosures from whistleblowers. In light of the PHSO's reports on the two cases in question, the Commission has already taken steps to further improve how it records its risk assessments and how it communicates with those raising concerns about a charity.
This work is ongoing, supported by additional resources for the Commission allocated in the recent Spending Review. Recognising the growing range of threats facing charities and the corresponding demands upon the Commission, the Government is also working with the Commission to expand its regulatory powers.
A former member of the Court of Appeal, Sir Gary Hickinbottom, has been appointed to lead an independent review of the two cases and specifically to examine the Commission's regulatory decision making in these matters.
Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what the total costs to public funds were of the decision by the Charity Commission to pursue a judicial review of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman between 2024 and March 2026.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Charity Commission for England and Wales spent £70,000 on external legal advice and representation in relation to this matter from 2024. In taking the legal action, the Commission was seeking legal clarity on questions of jurisdiction between it and the PHSO which the Commission felt was important to clarify for both the sector it regulates and complainants.
The Commission does not collate information on staff time spent on this matter, so it is not possible to provide an estimate of the total costs to public funds.
The Commission has established procedures for dealing sensitively with disclosures from whistleblowers. In light of the PHSO's reports on the two cases in question, the Commission has already taken steps to further improve how it records its risk assessments and how it communicates with those raising concerns about a charity.
This work is ongoing, supported by additional resources for the Commission allocated in the recent Spending Review. Recognising the growing range of threats facing charities and the corresponding demands upon the Commission, the Government is also working with the Commission to expand its regulatory powers.
A former member of the Court of Appeal, Sir Gary Hickinbottom, has been appointed to lead an independent review of the two cases and specifically to examine the Commission's regulatory decision making in these matters.
Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many teachers were employed in state schools in English as of 1 January 2025.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Information on the school workforce in England, including the number of teachers, is available in the ‘school workforce in England’ statistical publication.
Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) teacher numbers in state schools are shown here:
| State-funded nursery and primary | State-funded secondary | State-funded special or PRU | Centrally employed | Total state-funded schools |
2024/25 | 215,631.9 | 219,000.7 | 29,150.9 | 4,474.4 | 468,257.9 |
These figures were published on 5 June 2025.
Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made an assessment of the impact on the welfare of cats arising from the absence of regulations on cat breeding.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Anyone in the business of selling cats and kittens as pets should already have a pet selling licence and must meet strict statutory minimum welfare standards which are enforced by local authorities who have powers to issue, refuse, vary or revoke licences.
Defra officials regularly meet animal welfare stakeholders to discuss the welfare of cats and to further our understanding of the cat breeding sector as set out in the Animal Welfare Strategy.
Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of delays in implementing fracture liaison services in England on gender inequality in access to preventative healthcare.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
More than one in three women, compared to one in five men, will experience a fracture due to osteoporosis in their lifetime.
Our 10-Year Health Plan committed to rolling out Fracture Liaison Services across every part of the country by 2030. Integrated care boards remain well-placed to make decisions according to local need. The Renewed Women’s Health Strategy sets an expectation that integrated care boards prioritise community-based models when commissioning new fracture prevention services. Where available, evidence on the potential impacts on gender inequality will be taken into consideration in future policy development.
More broadly, the Renewed Women’s Health Strategy sets out a bold, long‑term plan to transform how the health and care system listens to, supports, and delivers for women and girls. It puts women’s voices and choices at the centre of care, drives faster improvements in services and outcomes that matter most to women, and tackles long‑standing health inequalities across the life course. The strategy aligns with the 10-Year Health Plan to shift care into the community, harness digital innovation, and strengthen prevention so women can live healthier, more fulfilled lives.
Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Secretary of State for Business and Trade or other ministers in the Department for Business and Trade have engaged with Apple, Google, Amazon or Microsoft about the impact of Strategic Market Status designation, or subsequent enforcement by the Competition and Markets Authority, on their investment plans in the UK.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government engages with a wide range of businesses on matters affecting the UK business and investment environment, including the digital markets regime. Such discussions are important for the exchange of views and the development of policy. As the UK’s independent competition authority, the CMA is responsible for all digital markets decisions, including on designations and interventions.