Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Baroness Blake of Leeds on Thursday 16 October (HL Deb col 112GC), what options are being considered by officials in the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England to ensure improved quality of and access to fracture liaison services; when the consideration of those options will be completed; and when they intend to publish a plan to implement the chosen option.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Fracture liaison services are commissioned by integrated care boards, which are well-placed to make decisions according to local need.
Officials continue to work closely with NHS England to explore a range of options to provide better quality and access to these important preventative services.
Our 10-Year Health Plan committed to rolling out fracture liaison services across every part of the country by 2030.
Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made an impact assessment of proposals to increase charges payable by independent schools for Ofsted inspections; and if so, whether they will publish that assessment.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department launched an 8 week consultation on 25 September 2025 on the subject of reducing the subsidy for Ofsted inspection fees. The consultation document is publicly available and sets out how Ofsted-inspected private schools will be affected by the proposed fee increases.
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 impact on UK conservatoires of the proposal to introduce a levy on fees that higher education institutions charge overseas students, set out in the White Paper Restoring Control over the Immigration System, published on 12 May (CP 1326).
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The international student levy will fund the reintroduction of targeted maintenance grants for disadvantaged students to break down the barriers to opportunity through the department’s Plan for Change.
We will set out further details on the international student levy and targeted means-tested maintenance grants at the Autumn Budget.
We are committed to engaging the sector on the design of the international student levy and want to understand specific concerns providers have as early as possible.
We have received representations from a group of specialist institutions regarding the impact of the levy on the creative industry, to which the government replied on 13 October.
Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have received about the impact on the UK's creative economy of the proposal to introduce a levy on fees that higher education institutions charge overseas students, set out in the White Paper Restoring Control over the Immigration System, published on 12 May (CP 1326).
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The international student levy will fund the reintroduction of targeted maintenance grants for disadvantaged students to break down the barriers to opportunity through the department’s Plan for Change.
We will set out further details on the international student levy and targeted means-tested maintenance grants at the Autumn Budget.
We are committed to engaging the sector on the design of the international student levy and want to understand specific concerns providers have as early as possible.
We have received representations from a group of specialist institutions regarding the impact of the levy on the creative industry, to which the government replied on 13 October.
Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of state-funded schools had no applications for (1) GCSE music, and (2) A level music, in 2024.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department does not hold information regarding the number of applications for individual subjects. However, the number of entries into each subject in each school and college can be downloaded from the Compare School and College Performance website: https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/download-data.
Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will publish the details of the standard vetting procedures that ambassadors undergo before they are appointed.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
All those appointed to Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office roles undergo pre-employment checks and National Security Vetting. All Ambassador and High Commissioner roles require Developed Vetting (DV) level national security clearance. National security vetting is delivered by United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV) which follow a set process. Full details on the process can be found online.
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 plans NHS England has to expand digital clinical decision support for osteoporosis care across primary care networks.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning services that meet the needs of their population, including for osteoporosis. The Government expects ICBs to take account of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines and other best practice in designing their local services.
The three shifts outlined in the 10-Year Health Plan will support people with long-term conditions, including those with osteoporosis, to better manage their condition and access services closer to home.
Digital tools like the NHS App will empower patients to manage their conditions, access information, and communicate with healthcare professionals more easily. Digital technologies will also enable remote monitoring of patients, allowing for early intervention and personalised care.
The 10-Year Health Plan envisions a healthcare system that is more proactive, personalised, and digitally enabled, leading to earlier diagnosis, more effective management, and ultimately, better outcomes for individuals with long-term conditions such as osteoporosis.
Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 11 June (HL Deb col 1424), how many creative and artificial intelligence sector working groups there will be, and what the focus will be of each of those groups.
Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government has committed to establishing stakeholder working groups to inform the development of policy on copyright and AI.
There will be one plenary group and two sectoral subgroups. These sub-groups will each consider potential policy solutions in the areas of (1) transparency and (2) content control tools and standards.
Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they will publish the terms of reference for the economic impact assessment on copyright and artificial intelligence as required by section 135 of the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, and what opportunities industry will have to provide input to that assessment.
Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
As set out in Section 135 of the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, the Government is required to publish an economic impact assessment within 9 months of the Act’s Royal Assent.
The Impact Assessment will cover the options laid out in the Government’s copyright and AI consultation, as well as any alternative options that are under consideration. It will assess the evidence provided by industry in their consultation responses, alongside input received through the expert stakeholder working groups.
The above scope of the IA was confirmed in parliament during debates on the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025.
Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 11 June (HL Deb col 1424), what process will be used to determine the terms of reference and the membership of the parliamentary working group focused on artificial intelligence and copyright.
Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government has committed to establishing a working group to engage parliamentarians in the development of policy on copyright and AI.
All parliamentarians will be invited to express their interest in joining this group, before the Government, working with relevant Select Committee chairs, finalises its plans for the group and determines the membership. Once arrangements are finalised, the Government will publish information relating to this group on GOV.UK, including any terms of reference and a list of group members.