Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Coaker on 27 January (HL13563), when the contract for the Defence Marine Services Next Generation In-Port Services was signed; and in doing so what consideration was given to social value in line with the provisions of the Procurement Act 2023.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The contract for Defence Marine Services Next Generation In-Port Services was signed on 25 April 2025. This procurement had commenced in 2022 under the Defence and Security Public Contracts Regulations 2011, rather than the Procurement Act 2023 which came into force in February 2025. In compliance with the regulations in force at the time, the tender evaluation process included assessment of social value responses on education, training and environmental benefits.
Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of other offences linked to vehicles with number plates that are non-readable by automatic number plate recognition systems.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
On-road enforcement of offences relating to the display of number plates and any potential links to other offences are a matter for the police. Therefore, no assessment has been made.
The Government understand the impact of number plate crime and is determined to tackle it. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council and other government departments to improve the identification and enforcement of number plate crime including the use of cloned and ghost number plates.
The Department welcomes the recent report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Transport Safety and is considering the report’s recommendations. Options to support more robust application and audit processes, which would enable tighter checks on number plate suppliers are also being considered.
The Government published its Road Safety Strategy on 7 January 2026, setting out its vision for a safer future on our roads for all. As part of this, the Department from Transport is reviewing motoring offences and has published a consultation which seeks views on the introduction of penalty points and vehicle seizure for the offence of “being in charge of a motor vehicle with an incorrect/altered/false number plate”.
Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what lessons learned from the financing of the Dartford River Crossing they have applied to their plans for the Lower Thames Crossing.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
A robust assessment of private investment options has been undertaken for the Lower Thames Crossing, with the short list outlined in the updated Funding Statement in February 2025. The RAB model has been chosen because it enables the private sector to deliver the scheme efficiently, reduces financial burden on taxpayers, harnesses the benefits of private investment, and ensures strong regulatory oversight to promote the interests of users. In developing the preferred financial model for the Lower Thames Crossing, the Government has drawn on lessons from the financing of previous road projects in the UK and abroad, including the Dartford River Crossing (Queen Elizabeth II Bridge). The RAB model shares a number of features with the Public–Private Partnership (PPP) structure used to fund that bridge infrastructure, but also includes a regulator to ensure that it is operated in a way that promotes user interests and is able to attract the level of investment required.
Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the tender for the Banknote Supply and Service Agreement (notice identifier 2026/S 000-004172) includes a requirement to produce the banknotes in the UK.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
On 19th January 2026, the Bank of England published a tender notice for the award of the Banknote Supply and Service Agreement on the Government’s Find a Tender website. This contract stipulates banknotes must be produced and issued from the Bank of England’s secure printing facility in Debden, Essex. Only the Bank of England issues banknotes in England and Wales, but six banks in Scotland and Northern Ireland can also issue banknotes, as listed on the Bank of England’s website.
The Bank of England has retained sole responsibility for developing, producing, and issuing banknotes in England and Wales since 1921. Therefore, the specifics of the Banknote Supply and Service Agreement is also within the Bank of England’s remit to draft and negotiate.
Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many students from the UK participated in the Erasmus programme in the last year in which the UK was part of the programme; and which nation or English region those students were from.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
In 2020, there were 16,437 UK higher education student mobilities through Erasmus+. Of these, 75.8% were from England, 16.5% from Scotland, 4.3% from Wales, and 3.4% from Northern Ireland. Participation was lower than in preceding years, likely due to the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that police have adequate powers to detain vehicles with number plates that are non-readable by automatic number plate recognition systems in order to assess whether the vehicle or driver have committed other offences.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
This Government takes road safety extremely seriously and is committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads, as well as tackling behaviours that make our roads less safe. We have tough penalties and rigorous enforcement in place to deter offending behaviour. The government published the Road Safety Strategy on 7 January which consults on a number of motoring offences, including tougher enforcement to tackle illegal number plates. Police have a suite of powers to deal with vehicles being driven illegally, anti-socially or carelessly and without insurance or a driving licence. These powers include seizure and disposal of vehicles involved in offences. Police also have the power to stop a vehicle so that further investigation of potential offences can take place.The Government is also working with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, the National Police Chiefs’ Council, the police and industry to improve the identification and enforcement of number plate crime.