Asked by: Lord Moylan (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they will publish the new Road Safety Strategy.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Government intends to publish the Road Safety Strategy this year.
Asked by: Lord Moylan (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what enforcement mechanism will be available to the Office of Rail and Road should Great British Railways breach the new statutory code of practice for ticket retailing anticipated under the Railways Bill.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Great British Railways’ (GBR’s) licence will require it to comply with the code of practice, which will be owned and managed by the Office of Road and Rail (ORR).
To ensure that GBR abides by the rules set out in the code of practice, affected third parties will be able challenge any decisions or actions they consider to be noncompliant, by raising them directly with the ORR. The ORR will be required to investigate and, if it considers that GBR has not complied, it will be able to demand corrective action by issuing binding orders on GBR.
Asked by: Lord Moylan (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have taken to ensure that Great British Railways will treat all its retail market participants, including the Great British Railways retailing unit, on a fair, equal and non-discriminatory basis.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Government is committed to a fair and open rail retail market, in which Great British Railways (GBR) will sell tickets alongside, and compete with, independent retailers. Moreover, the retail industry management functions currently performed by the Rail Delivery Group will move to GBR.
To ensure fairness when GBR takes on these functions, the Government has announced a range of safeguards, including an industry code of practice. The code of practice will incorporate clear requirements for how GBR interacts with all market participants and impose separation of decision-making where relevant. It will be owned and managed by the Office of Rail and Road, and GBR’s licence will require compliance with it.
Asked by: Lord Moylan (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent diplomatic discussions they have had with their international counterparts to ensure the promotion of freedom of religion or belief in Morocco.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK champions Freedom of Religion or Belief for all, and we maintain that no one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe. We engage on these issues with the Moroccan Government and authorities on a regular basis.
Asked by: Lord Moylan (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the legal implications of the Podchasov v Russia European Court of Human Rights judgment; and what assessment they have made of the risk that Ofcom's power to issue Technology Notices under section 121 of the Online Safety Act 2023 could create vulnerabilities exploitable by hostile states.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The impugned legislation in Podchasov v. Russia is not directly comparable to the Online Safety Act, which contains robust protections for privacy and freedom of expression. A memorandum on ECHR compatibility was published during Bill passage.
Section 121 of the Act contains stringent safeguards ensuring that Ofcom’s power to issue Technology Notices, including relating to child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA) content communicated privately, can only be used when necessary and proportionate. Ofcom must consider a range of matters, including whether there are less intrusive alternatives, the harm to individuals and the required technology’s ability to achieve the purpose described.
Asked by: Lord Moylan (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hanson of Flint on 30 September (HL10522), whether they will answer the question put, namely when the Common Travel Area Forum most recently discussed passport-free direct air travel between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Conversations on this are ongoing including through the Common Travel Area Forum.
The UK and Ireland have a close and collaborative working relationship on a range of issues, including migration and border security. That collaboration includes a joint commitment to protect the Common Travel Area from abuse, while preserving the rights of British and Irish citizens.
Conversations on this are ongoing including through the Common Travel Area Forum which met in May this year.
Asked by: Lord Moylan (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Turkmenistan concerning the targeting of Christian communities including (1) the monitoring of Christian leaders and (2) the harassment of Christian converts; and what steps they are taking to ensure the promotion of religious freedom in the country.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK is committed to championing Freedom of Religion or Belief. We highlight this issue at the UN, via the G7 and as a member of the Article 18 Alliance. Our Embassy in Ashgabat has contact with representatives of different faith groups, as well as visiting UK faith representatives, to discuss issues they face in practicing their religion in Turkmenistan. In Turkmenistan's most recent UN Universal Periodic Review in 2023, the UK raised concerns about freedom of association. We continue to seek opportunities to raise concerns at the UN and other international fora, where appropriate.
Asked by: Lord Moylan (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government when the Common Travel Area Forum most recently discussed passport-free direct air travel between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Common Travel Area (CTA) allows British and Irish citizens to travel freely between the UK and Ireland and reside in either jurisdiction. It also facilitates the enjoyment of associated rights and privileges including the right to work to study and to access social security benefits and health services.
The UK and Ireland have a close and collaborative working relationship on a range of issues, including migration and border security. That collaboration includes a joint commitment to protect the Common Travel Area (CTA) from abuse while preserving the rights of British and Irish citizens.
Asked by: Lord Moylan (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have had discussions with the government of Nigeria concerning recent attacks on Christian communities in Benue State, and what steps they are taking (1) to support the protection of communities, and (2) to promote religious freedom in Nigeria.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
Intercommunal violence has a devastating effect on communities. The root causes are complex and frequently relate to competition over resources, historical grievances, and criminality. We are supporting Nigeria to tackle these root causes through our Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria (SPRiNG) programme and continue to engage in local and national peace-building efforts. British High Commission officials met with government representatives, traditional rulers and stakeholders across civil society in Benue State in July 2025.
The UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership (SDP) is building capacity in Nigeria's security forces to tackle violence against all civilian communities, including religious communities. The former Minister for Africa discussed intercommunal violence with Nigerian ministers and officials during his visit in May 2025. Our officials in Abuja continue to engage with the Nigerian government and religious leaders on freedom of religion and belief.
Asked by: Lord Moylan (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions, if any, they have had since January with trades unions representing railway workers about harmonising pay and conditions as between employees of formerly privately-owned train-operating companies.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Secretary of State has not met with the rail trade unions to discuss changes to pay and conditions. These matters are for employers to discuss with their union representatives, regardless of whether publicly or privately owned.