Peers will hold five short debates in the House of Lords on Thursday 8 January, examining issues ranging from the environmental legacy of British mining overseas to
the safety of advanced artificial intelligence, trade with Israel and the future of vaccine assessment.
In the main chamber, members will debate the UK’s responsibility to ensure mining companies address pollution linked to their operations in former British colonies. The debate has been tabled by Liberal Democrat peer Lord Oates and will focus on corporate accountability and environmental damage connected to historic and current extraction activities.
Four additional one-hour debates will take place in Grand Committee from 1pm, as part of the Lords’ monthly programme of short debates.
Peers will first consider whether sufficient steps are being taken to keep advanced AI development safe and controllable. The debate, proposed by Conservative peer Lord Fairfax of Cameron, follows a recent threat update from the Director General of MI5 highlighting potential risks linked to emerging technologies.
The Environmental Improvement Plan 2025 will also be scrutinised, with members examining how it will deliver the targets set out in the Environment Act 2021. The debate has been brought forward by Crossbench peer Lord Krebs.
Trade relations with Israel will be discussed in a debate led by Lord Austin of Dudley, a non-affiliated peer, focusing on the contribution bilateral trade makes to the UK economy.
The final debate will look at vaccine health technology assessments, with peers considering proposals to include wider societal and economic benefits alongside clinical outcomes. The discussion has been tabled by Labour peer Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick.
All debates will be available to watch live on Parliament TV, with House of Lords Library briefings published ahead of the discussions. Photo by UK government, Wikimedia commons.