Lord Foulkes of Cumnock

The Government is clear that equality and opportunity for all are at the heart of our programme of national renewal. This includes actively considering the needs of older people and ensuring that they are not discriminated against. The Equality Act 2010 is the means by which age discrimination against older workers and job applicants is prohibited. Since the abolition of the default retirement age, employers can no longer use a person’s advancing years as automatic grounds for dismissal. Requiring a person to leave their job on age grounds is only lawful where the employer can objectively justify their decision. We are committed to retaining these strong protections.

The Equality Act 2010 already contains strong protections for older people against age discrimination in a variety of settings, including work and the provision of services. The Act prohibits both discrimination because of age and harassment related to age.

We welcome the recent Women and Equalities Select Committee inquiry into the rights of older people, which made a number of recommendations relating to ageism. The Government’s response to this inquiry sets out our commitments to ensure the right support systems are in place for older people, including on employment, health care and digital inclusion. Ofcom, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and the Independent Press Standards Organisation have also responded to the inquiry, with Ofcom providing reflections on the report’s recommendations on broadcasting.

In advertising, industry codes applied by the ASA prohibit adverts from causing serious or widespread offence, and outline that particular care must be taken to avoid causing offence on the grounds of protected characteristics, one of which is age.

All the creative industries have an important role in holding a mirror up to nature, exposing and understanding our common prejudices and challenging the stereotypes that hold us back socially and economically. The arm’s length principle wisely prevents government from lecturing the arts about how and when they should do this.

Over the course of this Parliament we expect over 12 million pensioners are likely to see their new State Pensions increase by £1700 as a result of our commitment to the Triple Lock.

We are also providing support through our Warm Homes Plan which pensioners will benefit from. This will support investment in insulation and low carbon heating – upgrading millions of homes over this Parliament. Our long-term plan will protect billpayers permanently, reduce fuel poverty, and get the UK back on track to meet our climate goals.

The Warm Home Discount scheme in England and Wales provides eligible low-income households across Great Britain with a £150 rebate on their electricity bill. This winter, we expect over three million households, including over one million pensioners, to benefit under the scheme.

The Household Support Fund is also being extended for a further six months, from 1 October 2024 until 31 March 2025.   An additional £421 million will be provided to enable the extension of the HSF in England, plus funding for the Devolved Governments through the Barnett formula to be spent at their discretion, as usual.

With regards to the suggestion that Winter Fuel Payments are paid to pensioners according to their council tax band, this would not be possible as my Department does not hold data on people’s council tax banding. Additionally council tax band is not always an accurate reflection of someone’s income.

We know there are low-income pensioners who aren’t claiming Pension Credit, and we urge those people to apply. This will passport them to receive Winter Fuel Payment alongside other benefits – hundreds of pounds that could really help them. We will ensure that the poorest pensioners get the support they need.

Over the next five years we expect over 12 million pensioners are likely to see their State Pensions increase by thousands of pounds as a result of our commitment to the Triple Lock.

We are providing support for pensioners through our Warm Homes Plan which will support investment in insulation and low carbon heating – upgrading millions of homes over this Parliament. Our long-term plan will protect billpayers permanently, reduce fuel poverty, and get the UK back on track to meet our climate goals.

The Household Support Fund is also being extended for a further six months, from 1 October 2024 until 31 March 2025.   An additional £421 million will be provided to enable the extension of the HSF in England, plus funding for the Devolved Governments through the Barnett formula to be spent at their discretion, as usual.

The Warm Home Discount scheme in England and Wales provides eligible low-income households across Great Britain with a £150 rebate on their electricity bill. This winter, we expect over three million households, including over one million pensioners, to benefit under the scheme.

We know there are low-income pensioners who aren’t claiming Pension Credit, and we urge those people to apply. This will passport them to receive Winter Fuel Payment alongside other benefits – hundreds of pounds that could really help them. We will ensure that the poorest pensioners get the support they need.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has not conducted a review into the activities of the Duke of York when Special Representative for Trade and Investment in Kazakhstan from 2001 to 2011.

The UK engages with Kazakhstan regularly, with The Minister of State, Stephen Doughty recently hosting the 8th UK-Kazakhstan Strategic Dialogue in London. Kazakhstan is the UK's largest trading partner in Central Asia; the total bilateral trade in goods and service was £2.8 billion in the four quarters to the end of Q3 2024.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office records are retained and managed in accordance with its record retention and disposal policy, ensuring compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. We take our responsibilities under the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act very seriously. Each request is evaluated individually, and when sensitive information falls within the scope of a request, the relevant exemptions are applied. If a requester is dissatisfied with a response under the FoI Act, they have the right to appeal, and the appeal procedures are outlined in the response. We regularly provide advice and assistance in line with the Information Commissioner's Office guidance on how requests can be better framed to help requesters to gain access to the information they are seeking.

As required by the Sovereign Grant Act 2011, the next review of the Sovereign Grant will take place in 2026. The government has committed to bring forward legislation to reset the Grant to a lower level from 2027-28 once Buckingham Palace reservicing works are completed.

The requirements for the 2026 review of the Sovereign Grant have been set by Parliament in the Sovereign Grant Act 2011. This requires the Royal Trustees to consider what percentage of Crown Estate profits should be used in the calculation of the Sovereign Grant for the period from 2027, once Buckingham Palace reservicing works are completed. The Act requires that the Royal Trustees report is laid in Parliament, and any change in the percentage used given effect by Statutory Instrument agreed by the House of Commons. In addition, the government has committed to bring forward legislation to reset the Grant to a lower level from 2027-28, which will enable further parliamentary debate on this issue.

The government’s protective security system is rigorous and proportionate. It is our long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on those arrangements, including expenditure, as doing so could compromise their integrity and affect individuals’ security.

The government’s protective security system is rigorous and proportionate. It is our long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on those arrangements, including expenditure, as doing so could compromise their integrity and affect individuals’ security.

That it is a matter for Police Scotland. No request for assistance has been made.

A review with areas that could have been involved in supporting Prince Andrew in his role as Special Representative for International Trade and Investment, has not produced records of such briefings.