Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government how much of the funds allocated to the devolved administrations they have been compelled by the Treasury to return on the basis of underspending as of 5 April.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

Each devolved government is able to carry forward funding into future financial years. The Scottish and Welsh Governments each have a Reserve, and the Northern Ireland Executive has access to Budget Exchange. Details of these arrangements are outlined in the Statement of Funding Policy.

Outside of these arrangements, and for ringfenced non-Barnett funding, the devolved governments are required to return underspends to the UK Consolidated Fund at the end of the financial year, as with UK Government departments. This is the normal operation of the public spending framework, as set out in the Consolidated Budgeting Guidance.

Historical outturn data for the devolved governments up to the 2023-24 financial year is published in the most recent HMT Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses (PESA) publication from July 2024. [1] This publication will be updated later this year with Provisional Outturn for 2024-25.

[1] You can access this publication via this link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/public-expenditure-statistical-analyses-pesa.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase the compensation payable to those victims of the Post Office Horizon errors who initially agreed to a smaller amount than might now be payable due to financial pressures arising from their wrongful convictions.

Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Previously convicted postmasters can accept a £600,000 fixed-sum settlement or opt for a detailed assessment if they wish to claim more. All eligible applicants will receive a preliminary payment of £200,000 while making this decision, to help with any immediate financial pressures.

We recognise the fixed sum may not suit everyone’s circumstances, which is why we fund legal advice and disclosure to help assess whether this is the right option. There is no time limit to make a decision.

Claimants can instead opt to submit a full claim We also fund legal advice to help prepare these claims and if a claimant disagrees with their offer, their case can be referred to an Independent Panel for consideration.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect the Rail Accident Investigation Board to publish its final report on the collision between passenger trains near Talerddig on 21 October 2024.

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

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) currently expects to publish its final report on the collision between passenger trains near Talerddig on 21 October 2024 during Spring 2026.

RAIB published an interim report on the Talerddig collision on 30 April 2025, which is available on GOV.UK.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether every person who has served a prison sentence as a result of a wrongful conviction is eligible for financial compensation.

Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Individuals who have had their conviction quashed in an out of time appeal following a qualifying miscarriage of justice are eligible to apply for compensation through the Miscarriage of Justice Application Service (MOJAS). S.133 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 sets out the circumstances in which the Government will provide compensation under this scheme. Under subsection 1ZA, compensation will only be awarded if the conviction has been overturned as a result of a new or newly discovered fact that shows beyond reasonable doubt that the person did not commit the offence.

MOJAS compensation is just one route by which someone whose conviction is quashed can receive compensation, with other options including making a civil claim based on malicious prosecution or misfeasance in a public office, for example.

The Miscarriage of Justice Support Service which is part of Citizens Advice and funded by HM Prison and Probation Service, also provides support to all individuals who have had their conviction quashed by the Court of Appeal. They are able to support with accessing accommodation, benefits and signposting to psychological support.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is their policy on supporting education in the medium of Welsh for pupils living in England.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

The government recognises the cultural and linguistic importance of the Welsh language, which is reflected in the provision of Welsh-medium teaching for pupils living in Wales. In England, there is no requirement for schools to provide education through the medium of Welsh. However, schools have the flexibility to support pupils who speak Welsh or wish to learn the language.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reliability of postal deliveries in rural areas, and what plans they have to further investigate this matter.

Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The government is committed to a sustainable universal postal service for users throughout the UK, including maintaining the one-price-goes anywhere principle including for those in remote and rural areas.

It is for Ofcom, as the independent regulator of postal services, to set and monitor Royal Mail’s service standards and decide how to use its powers to investigate and take enforcement action should Royal Mail fail to achieve its obligations without good justification.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of (1) adults, and (2) children, in England who have autism.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

There is varied evidence on the ‘true prevalence’ of autism, which is the proportion of the population who would meet the criteria for a diagnosis if they were to be assessed, regardless of whether or not they have received a formal diagnosis.

Part II of the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey, due to be released in Autumn 2025, will give us an indication of autism prevalence. We are also exploring options through the National Institute for Health and Care Research to improve our current understanding of autism prevalence.

In respect of numbers of people diagnosed as autistic, the NHS Network Contract Direct Enhanced Service dataset shows that, as of March 2025, 968,651 people, both children and adults, had an autism diagnosis recorded in their general practice (GP) records, based on 98.21% of the GP-registered population.

Evidence shows that there is variation in rates of autism diagnosis by age. Some information on diagnosis rates by age group can be taken from the Health and Care of People with Learning Disabilities, Experimental Statistics 2023 to 2024, published by NHS England, and based on 54.7% of registered patients. This data shows that 3.41% of zero to 17-year-olds have an autism diagnosis, compared to 0.79% in adults aged 18 years old and over. Evidence suggests that diagnosis rates remain below the levels indicated by evidence on prevalence in some cohorts, such as older people, but are higher than the most recent prevalence estimates in other cohorts, such as younger people.

Found: At Q189 Lord Wigley noted that the Committee has heard that local authorities and the NHS often have