Lords Mark Holocaust, Weigh Security Risks and Water Overhaul

High-Level Summary

The House of Lords heard four oral questions on support for grass‑roots music venues, implementation of ILO Convention 190 on workplace harassment, the role of uniformed youth groups, and government plans for regulating advanced AI. Peers then held a wide‑ranging Holocaust Memorial Day debate focused on remembrance, education and contemporary antisemitism. Later, the House considered Commons Statements on the Diego Garcia treaty, the proposed Chinese embassy at Royal Mint Court, the Government’s water White Paper, and local government reorganisation. Two statutory instruments—the Glue Traps Regulations and the Local Government (Exclusion of Non‑commercial Considerations) (England) Order—were approved without a division. The sitting also included the introductions of Baroness Paul of Shepherd’s Bush and Lord Barber of Chittlehampton.

Detailed Summary

Introductions of new Members

Tracey Amanda Paul was introduced as Baroness Paul of Shepherd’s Bush and took the oath; Sir Michael Bayldon Barber was introduced as Lord Barber of Chittlehampton, took the oath and signed the Code of Conduct undertaking. Both introductions are recorded as each Member “was introduced and took the oath”.

Grass-roots Music Venues – Oral Question

Responding for the Government, Lord Livermore said the 2025 Budget provides permanently lower business rates for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure premises “including grass-roots music venues”, alongside a £4.3 billion support package. He agreed to meet sector representatives—“I am very happy to meet the groups that he mentioned”—and acknowledged that revaluation pressures mean “sectors such as pubs and music venues will struggle”. On recording studios, he said lower multipliers will mirror the retail, hospitality and leisure scope, focused on properties “reasonably accessible to visiting members of the public”, adding that mixed‑use properties may qualify where the main purpose is hospitality or retail. On the voluntary ticket levy, he quoted the Culture Minister: “My ambition is to see the voluntary levy in place for as many concerts as possible”, and he undertook to relay calls for statutory powers without committing to them. He noted “the incredibly damaging effect of Brexit on that sector”, said details of the places of worship renewal fund would be issued “very shortly”, committed to strengthening the ‘agent of change’ principle as current policy “is not always applied effectively”, and highlighted £2.5 million for Arts Council England’s Supporting Grassroots Music Fund.

ILO Convention 190 (Violence and harassment at work) – Oral Question

Lord Katz said the UK ratified ILO Convention 190 in March 2022 and has a “robust legislative framework”, to be “further strengthened through the Employment Rights Act 2025” requiring employers to “take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment and harassment by third parties”. He stressed the need to focus on prevention culture—“we need to be concerned about prevention”—and noted a recent strengthening of the Equality Act duty to take reasonable steps. On enforcement, he said the Act “voids non-disclosure agreements … strengthens protection for whistleblowers … [and] creates the Fair Work Agency”. Addressing free speech concerns, he said “Employers will not be penalised for failing to anticipate the unforeseeable” and are not expected to “police or control every action of third parties”. He confirmed the Convention applies across workplaces—“of course it applies in all workplaces”—and said “We are investing in our criminal justice system” to tackle backlogs.

Uniformed youth groups and young people’s resilience – Oral Question

Baroness Twycross recognised the “excellent contribution” of uniformed youth organisations and cited independent evaluation showing positive impacts on “well-being, social and emotional development, skills and community connectedness”. She undertook to raise transitional funding concerns—“I will take my noble friend’s points back”—and said new funding arrangements will support volunteer development. She described the national youth strategy as a 10‑year plan to ensure every young person has “somewhere to go, somewhere that cares for them and a community they feel part of”. On cadets, she confirmed plans to increase forces by 30% by 2030 with “over £70 million of new funding”, promised to write regarding sea cadets carrying rifles, noted most youth funding applies to England, and emphasised resilience as a policy thread. She said the Uniformed Youth Fund “was only ever intended to run until 2025”.

Superintelligent AI – Oral Question

Baroness Lloyd noted that “AI’s superintelligence is the subject of ongoing debate” and highlighted the AI Security Institute’s role in assessing risks as frontier AI evolves. She said the UK approach is that most AI should be regulated “at the point of use” and that the Government “do not speculate on legislation ahead of future parliamentary Sessions”, while regulators are already acting. She added that AISI collaborates with research institutes and “publishes findings”, has “reported a sharp rise in AI capabilities over the past 18 months”, and that the UK is co‑ordinator for an international network to advance AI evaluation science. Regulators must be equipped with the “capabilities, capacity and expertise” to keep pace.

United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020 (Exclusions from Market Access Principles: Glue Traps) Regulations 2025 – Motion

The House approved the draft Regulations. The motion was moved and agreed: “That the draft Regulations laid before the House on 1 December 2025 be approved” … “Motion agreed”.

Local Government (Exclusion of Non-commercial Considerations) (England) Order 2026 – Motion

The House agreed the draft Order. The motion was moved and agreed: “That the draft Order laid before the House on 2 December 2025 be approved” … “Motion agreed”.

Holocaust Memorial Day – Motion to Take Note

Opening the debate, Baroness Taylor of Stevenage said, “Tomorrow, we remember the 6 million Jewish men, women and children murdered in the Holocaust”, and highlighted initiatives including Testimony360 and the pledge that “every student in the country should have the opportunity to hear recorded survivor testimony”. She cited the Community Security Trust recording “more than 1,500 antisemitic incidents in just the first half of 2025”, and argued for a national memorial beside Parliament. Lord Pickles warned that “Ceremony without action becomes ceremony without meaning”, presented evidence of rising antisemitism, and observed fewer schools marking the day. Baroness Ludford reflected on vigilance and the danger that “Evil comes step by step”. Baroness Deech said “antisemitism is a continuum” and urged education that addresses contemporary forms. The right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Coventry (maiden speech) described community remembrance, including a parish marking the day for the first time. Peers shared personal testimony, including Baroness Ramsey’s reading from a Belsen account ending, “Do you think it’s better forgotten?”. Closing, the Minister confirmed the Holocaust remains compulsory at key stage 3, reiterated commitment to the national memorial, and noted the decline in school commemorations.

Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill – Urgent Question (Commons Statement repeated)

Baroness Chapman repeated the Commons Statement that the 22 May treaty “secures the strategically important UK-US military base on the island of Diego Garcia” and is “essential to keeping British people safe”. She said the agreement is crucial for national security and had been welcomed by key partners. Answering questions, she confirmed that amending arrangements with the US requires an “exchange of letters, and that is in hand”, and said whether this triggers the CRaG process would be determined once the details are known. She added that fixing a new deadline would breach the Mauritius agreement, acknowledged the “forced displacement of the population” as a source of shame, and stated, “I do not know of any treaty that can be rewritten unilaterally”.

Chinese Embassy at Royal Mint Court – Statement (Commons Statement repeated)

Ministers said the planning decision was quasi‑judicial and that security agencies judge the risks manageable with mitigations. The Intelligence and Security Committee concluded that, taken as a whole, “the national security concerns that arise can be satisfactorily mitigated”. A joint MI5/GCHQ letter stated it is “not realistic to expect to be able wholly to eliminate each and every potential risk” but the “package of mitigations” is acceptable and consolidation has “clear security advantages”. Baroness Anderson reiterated that the then Foreign Secretary in 2018 “gave formal diplomatic consent for China to use the Royal Mint site” and quoted the agencies’ assessment that mitigations were expert and proportionate. On staffing, she said additional diplomatic posts “must be approved on a case-by-case basis by the FCDO’s protocol department” under the Vienna convention. The ISC chair confirmed the Committee’s mitigations conclusion and that Ministers had all necessary information.

Water White Paper – Statement (Commons Statement repeated)

The White Paper proposes major reforms: to “abolish Ofwat and create a new and more powerful regulator, integrating economic and environmental regulation”; introduce MoT‑style asset checks; establish an independent water ombudsman and a water efficiency label; and publish a transition plan ahead of legislation. In the Lords, the Minister said a transition plan “will be published later this year” and a new water reform Bill will be brought forward “during this Parliament”. Interim steps include a “new supervisory approach” to regulation, doubling funding for catchment partnerships, openness to mutual models “in principle”, and, later, “new MoT checks” and a performance improvement regime to get ahead of leaks and asset failures.

Local Government Reorganisation – Statement (Commons Statement repeated)

Peers scrutinised the decision to postpone some scheduled local elections in the context of moving to unitary councils. The Minister said the Government “do not take lightly the postponement of elections” and that pauses, “where they have been requested, are intended to help us move to unitary councils quicker”. She added that, once proposals are agreed, “Residents will have their say” in elections to the new councils in 2027. She set out an indicative timetable: for Surrey, elections in May 2026 with new unitaries coming into force in April 2027; for six devolution priority areas, decisions by March 2026 with elections in May 2027 and implementation from April 2028; and for the remaining 14 areas, consultation in early 2026, decisions by Summer Recess 2026, elections in May 2027 and implementation from April 2028. She noted that in two cases (Nuneaton and Bedworth, and Pendle) requests to postpone were not granted, indicating a case‑by‑case approach.