Baroness Alexander of Cleveden

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) are currently updating their Code of Practice to reflect the ruling. It is for the EHRC to ensure that any consultation process is appropriate and meaningfully engages with varied stakeholders. We are engaging with them on this and expect them to consult widely and broadly, listening to diverse voices.

The government is committed to creating a productive and agile state. This means reducing bureaucracy through adoption of digital technology and AI tools; stripping back duplication and inefficiency in arms-length bodies; streamlining approval processes; and improving accountability for Civil Service performance. The Cabinet Office will drive and track delivery of this important programme of work.

The Government recognises that we need to support households struggling with bills whilst we transition to clean power by 2030. The Department’s Warm Home Discount provides a £150 rebate off winter energy bills for eligible low-income households. On 25 February, we published a consultation on the expansion of the Warm Home Discount, giving more eligible households £150 off their energy bills. These proposals would bring around 2.7 million households into the scheme – pushing the total number of households that would receive the discount next winter up to around 6 million. The Warm Home Discount regulations expire in 2026, and we will want to consider all options for future bill support beyond this point.

The government recognises and values the US as a key partner in R&D and look forward to continuing our collaboration on shared priorities to drive economic growth and technological advancement. Both the UK and US are committed to facilitating the exchange of talent and students to enhance R&D capabilities.

The government is committed to ensuring the UK is the top destination for globally mobile research talent based anywhere in the world. The UK boasts a world-leading science base, supported by top universities and research institutions, and has an ambitious funding offer through UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the National Academies, which offer prestigious fellowships and professorships.

The department, along with the Department for Business and Trade and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, is currently conducting a review of the international education strategy to ensure that it continues to be an effective tool in increasing the value of education exports and reflects the priorities of education stakeholders, businesses and Ministers.

The immigration white paper sets out a series of measures that will achieve a reduction in net migration, while maintaining the UK’s globally competitive offer to international students and making a significant contribution to growth by boosting our skills base. This includes the commitment to explore the introduction of a levy on higher education (HE) provider income from international students, with proceeds to be reinvested in the domestic HE and skills system. We will set out more details around the levy in the Autumn Budget.

Analysis of the potential impacts is based on the levy applying to English HE providers only. We will fully consult all the devolved governments on the implementation of the international student levy.

While there are no plans to prohibit trophy hunting trips, this Government committed to a ban on the import of hunting trophies of animals of conservation concern in its manifesto and we will deliver on this.

As penholder on Sudan at the UN Security Council, the UK continues to call out atrocities committed in Sudan and press for a peaceful end to the conflict. On 15 April, the Foreign Secretary gathered Foreign Ministers and high-level representatives from 21 countries and multilateral bodies at the London Sudan Conference. Discussions focussed on how to make progress on shared goals of ending the conflict, protecting civilians and scaling-up the delivery of humanitarian aid. Participants agreed on the need for an immediate and permanent ceasefire. As detailed in the co-chairs' statement, this is not the end but the start of a process; the UK remains committed to working with the international community to bring an end to the conflict in Sudan and secure a peaceful future for the Sudanese people.

The Government is committed to ensuring that the tax system provides the economic stability needed for growth.

At the Budget in October the Government honoured the manifesto commitment to cap Corporation Tax and outlined a clear plan in the Corporate Tax roadmap. The Government also took steps to repair the public finances through reforms that removed inefficient and distortive reliefs from the tax system. This included removing loopholes to ensure the tax system was more sustainable alongside delivering on the Government’s manifesto commitments to raise revenue in a fair way.

At Spring Statement 2025 we went further and faster to close the tax gap, making sure that everyone pays the tax they owe, and in April the Government announced measures to simplify the tax system to help deliver the Plan for Change. These measures will reduce burdens on employers and small businesses, and reform the tax system to ensure it continues to be fit for the modern world.

The first part of the landmark Pensions Review has concluded with the publication of the Final Report of the Pensions Investment Review on 29 May 2025.

The ambitious reforms outlined in the Final Report will drive scale and consolidation in both the multi-employer defined contribution pensions market and the Local Government Pension Scheme in England and Wales. They will unlock billions of pounds in investment for productive assets, improve efficiency, and deliver better returns for savers. Estimates suggest the measures could increase a Defined Contribution pot at retirement by £5,900 for an average earner who saves over their career.

To deliver these reforms, the Government has introduced the Pension Schemes Bill, providing the necessary legislative framework to implement these reforms, alongside wider pension reforms. The Bill received its first reading on 5 June 2025.

These measures will support the new more ambitious industry-led voluntary Mansion House Accord, announced on 13 May 2025. The Accord is a commitment from 17 of the UK’s largest defined contribution pension schemes to invest 10% of their default funds in private assets, with half of that earmarked for the UK, by 2030. This will unlock more productive investment and help support the diversification of savers’ pensions assets.

The estimates in the technical annex are illustrative and based on data from 2023-24, or 2022-23 where the former is not available. The actual institutions which will be impacted will depend on their compliance with the criteria at the time.

The estimates in the technical annex are illustrative and based on data from 2023-24, or 2022-23 where the former is not available. The actual institutions which will be impacted will depend on their compliance with the criteria at the time.