Asked by: Lord Wallace of Tankerness (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government which universities were represented in the delegation which accompanied the Prime Minister to India in October.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
During the Prime Minister's visit to India in October 2025, the UK delegation included representatives from the following universities:
These institutions were part of a broader initiative to expand UK higher education presence in India, with several receiving approval to establish campuses in cities such as Mumbai, Bengaluru, and GIFT City. The delegation aimed to strengthen academic collaboration, promote research partnerships, and support India's growing demand for higher education.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of trials of a test designed to identify pregnant women at risk of miscarriage; and whether his Department plans to roll this out on the NHS.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to considering the latest research and evidence that will improve the experiences and outcomes for women at risk of miscarriage.
The Department commissions research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR is currently funding a £1 million award focused on a device that delivers vital doses of progesterone to women with threatened miscarriage. If approved, this would become the world’s first drug-device combination product to treat threatened miscarriage. The new technology could help over 150,000 women in the United Kingdom who experience threatened miscarriage each year.
Tommy’s National Centre for Miscarriage and Research at the University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire is piloting a new test to identify women with an abnormal womb lining that increases their risk of miscarriage. We will carefully consider the findings of this pilot when it concludes.
Asked by: Tessa Munt (Liberal Democrat - Wells and Mendip Hills)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many new radiotherapy machines were applied for from the funding announced in the Autumn Budget 2024; and which hospital trusts applied.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
31 trusts submitted applications for funding to replace a total of 40 machines, with some trusts having applied to replace two machines. This became 30 trusts after the North Middlesex University Hospital Trust joined the Royal Free London Group on 1 January 2025, during the application process. Each trust had submitted a separate request.
Of the 30 trusts that submitted applications, two withdrew their applications, namely the Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust and the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, having received funding for a replacement machine from National Health Service capital underspend. University Hospitals Birmingham did receive a contribution from this funding towards the refurbishment of its radiotherapy bunker infrastructure.
The 28 trusts that submitted applications, and who have been awarded funding to replace one machine, are as follows:
Asked by: Tessa Munt (Liberal Democrat - Wells and Mendip Hills)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding was allocated to the emergency radiotherapy capital equipment fund in 2024-25; and which hospital trusts have been awarded that funding.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Providers were awarded a total of £15 million to replace ageing radiotherapy equipment from an underspend in the National Health Service’s capital settlement for 2024/25. The providers who were allocated money, and the amount they were allocated, are as follows:
The University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust received funding for two machines.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment she has made of the contribution of the creative sectors in (a) Birmingham, Edgbaston, (b) Birmingham and (c) the West Midlands to the UK economy.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The creative industries sector is one of eight growth-driving sectors identified in the government’s Industrial Strategy. We will publish a Creative Industries Sector Plan to drive growth in the late spring. The creative industries can be found in clusters throughout the UK, with the Creative Policy and Evidence Centre noting 55 clusters making a strong contribution to the sector’s contribution of £124bn to the UK’s GVA.
In 2023, the West Midlands was one of the top three regions in terms of median annual earnings for the creative industries (£40,650). The West Midlands’ Creative Industries contributed £4 billion to the UK economy and there were 138,000 filled jobs in the sector in the region. This includes a strong presence in video games, film and television as well as in the wider culture and creative industries.
Government support for the sector has included £520,000 to the West Midlands region to provide creative industries specific business support and develop regional investor readiness through the Create Growth Programme. This is delivered in combination with the West Midlands Combined Authority, Creative UK, Create Central and Innovate UK with funding from DCMS. A further £425,000 will be provided by DCMS via the Integrated Settlement during the 2025/26 Financial Year.
In November at the Beyond Conference, we announced £6.74m to deliver the CreaTech Futures Creative Industries Cluster with funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council. This will drive research and development, business innovation and skills within the creative industries ecosystem across the West Midlands. This will be led by Birmingham City University with Coventry University, the University of Birmingham, the University of Warwick and the Royal Shakespeare Company. The Cluster will create a network of four complementary, interconnected R&D labs in immersive audio and video technologies, virtual production, applied AI for createch and gaming, esports, and animation.
At the Creative Industries Growth Moment in January, we announced additional funding, to be agreed as part of the Spending Review to six Mayoral Combined Authorities including the West Midlands Combined Authority to drive business growth.
Asked by: Lord Agnew of Oulton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government which NHS providers accounted for the largest proportion of the £7.5 billion impairment in its Public Dividend Capital investments in 2023–24 outlined on page 240 of the Department of Health and Social Care’s Annual Report and Accounts 2023–24, published on 17 December 2024; and what were the individual values of those impairments.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Public Dividend Capital (PDC) is impaired, on an individual National Health Service provider basis, where the net assets of those NHS providers fall below the level of PDC issued to that trust or foundation trust, irrespective of whether subsequent PDC write-offs are likely to occur. The following table shows the NHS providers that accounted for the largest proportion of the £7.5 billion impairment in 2023/24, along with their respective values:
NHS provider name | Impairment value |
Barts Health NHS Trust | £621,000,000 |
Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust | £298,000,000 |
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust | £289,000,000 |
University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust | £282,000,000 |
University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust | £260,000,000 |
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust | £248,000,000 |
Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | £238,000,000 |
University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust | £234,000,000 |
King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | £216,000,000 |
Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust | £212,000,000 |
University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust | £203,000,000 |
South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | £201,000,000 |
North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust | £196,000,000 |
Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust | £187,000,000 |
St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | £180,000,000 |
North Bristol NHS Trust | £176,000,000 |
East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust | £175,000,000 |
Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust | £172,000,000 |
Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust | £158,000,000 |
East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust | £145,000,000 |
Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | £131,000,000 |
Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust | £129,000,000 |
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust | £126,000,000 |
Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust | £105,000,000 |
A change in the accounting treatment for measuring Private Finance Initiative lease liabilities under International Financial Reporting Standards 16 Leases has partly contributed to the increase in the value of the impairments reported in the Department’s 2023/24 accounts.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the efficacy of the research that they commissioned into conversion therapy undertaken by Coventry University.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Officials have a good understanding of legislation on conversion practices across a number of overseas nations and territories, including in the Australian state of Victoria. A jurisdiction’s decision on whether and how to legislate in this area will depend on their specific legal framework and context. This Government has been clear that the draft Bill we publish will respect the important role that religious leaders have in supporting those exploring their sexual orientation or gender identity.
The Government has and will continue to meet with numerous stakeholders representing a wide range of views as we develop this work. This includes an array of organisations both in favour of, or concerned by, the prospect of this legislation.
The research undertaken by Coventry University was commissioned by a previous administration and published in October 2021. This Government’s work to develop draft legislation is informed by the available evidence base on conversion practices, which includes but is not limited to the Coventry University study.
Finally, I can also confirm that the Government is considering all possible impacts and relevant rights in relation to this work, in line with the requirement to consider the compatibility of legislation with Convention rights as an integral part of the policy-making process.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the human rights implications of their proposed Conversion Practices Bill.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Officials have a good understanding of legislation on conversion practices across a number of overseas nations and territories, including in the Australian state of Victoria. A jurisdiction’s decision on whether and how to legislate in this area will depend on their specific legal framework and context. This Government has been clear that the draft Bill we publish will respect the important role that religious leaders have in supporting those exploring their sexual orientation or gender identity.
The Government has and will continue to meet with numerous stakeholders representing a wide range of views as we develop this work. This includes an array of organisations both in favour of, or concerned by, the prospect of this legislation.
The research undertaken by Coventry University was commissioned by a previous administration and published in October 2021. This Government’s work to develop draft legislation is informed by the available evidence base on conversion practices, which includes but is not limited to the Coventry University study.
Finally, I can also confirm that the Government is considering all possible impacts and relevant rights in relation to this work, in line with the requirement to consider the compatibility of legislation with Convention rights as an integral part of the policy-making process.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question
To ask His Majesty's Government how many meetings they have held with members of the Ban Conversion Therapy Coalition.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Officials have a good understanding of legislation on conversion practices across a number of overseas nations and territories, including in the Australian state of Victoria. A jurisdiction’s decision on whether and how to legislate in this area will depend on their specific legal framework and context. This Government has been clear that the draft Bill we publish will respect the important role that religious leaders have in supporting those exploring their sexual orientation or gender identity.
The Government has and will continue to meet with numerous stakeholders representing a wide range of views as we develop this work. This includes an array of organisations both in favour of, or concerned by, the prospect of this legislation.
The research undertaken by Coventry University was commissioned by a previous administration and published in October 2021. This Government’s work to develop draft legislation is informed by the available evidence base on conversion practices, which includes but is not limited to the Coventry University study.
Finally, I can also confirm that the Government is considering all possible impacts and relevant rights in relation to this work, in line with the requirement to consider the compatibility of legislation with Convention rights as an integral part of the policy-making process.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the conversion practices guidance issued by the state of Victoria in Australia on how to pray, in the context of their proposals to publish a Conversion Practices Bill in due course.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Officials have a good understanding of legislation on conversion practices across a number of overseas nations and territories, including in the Australian state of Victoria. A jurisdiction’s decision on whether and how to legislate in this area will depend on their specific legal framework and context. This Government has been clear that the draft Bill we publish will respect the important role that religious leaders have in supporting those exploring their sexual orientation or gender identity.
The Government has and will continue to meet with numerous stakeholders representing a wide range of views as we develop this work. This includes an array of organisations both in favour of, or concerned by, the prospect of this legislation.
The research undertaken by Coventry University was commissioned by a previous administration and published in October 2021. This Government’s work to develop draft legislation is informed by the available evidence base on conversion practices, which includes but is not limited to the Coventry University study.
Finally, I can also confirm that the Government is considering all possible impacts and relevant rights in relation to this work, in line with the requirement to consider the compatibility of legislation with Convention rights as an integral part of the policy-making process.