Parliament and Government Summary — 4 September 2026

The Lords examined three committee reports, while the Government set out a proposed new criminal offence covering child-like sexual abuse dolls.

Key points

• The Lords considered reports on preparing for an ageing society, social mobility and forced labour in UK supply chains.
• The Home Office said making, selling or owning child-like sexual abuse dolls would become a specific offence carrying up to five years’ imprisonment.
• The Delegated Powers Committee published the Government’s response on three bills covering nature’s rights, public accountability and financial services.

Main development

The Home Office announced that making, selling or owning child-like sexual abuse dolls would become a specific criminal offence, with a maximum prison sentence of five years. The measure represents a proposed change to criminal law aimed at covering each of those forms of conduct directly. It followed the Commons bill item selected for second reading on the same subject, although the available evidence records that stage as scheduled rather than confirming that the debate took place. [1]

In the Lords

• Peers considered the Joint Committee on Human Rights report on forced labour in UK supply chains. The discussion concerned human-rights protections connected to supply chains operating in the UK, placing the issue in the context of how those protections should be upheld in commercial activity. [2]
• The Lords examined the Economic Affairs Committee’s report on preparing for an ageing society. Its focus was the long-term policy challenge of adapting economic planning and public services to population ageing. [3]
• Peers considered the Social Mobility Policy Committee report on local roots and lasting change. The report approached social mobility through local communities, with the wider concern being how access to opportunity can vary between areas and be improved over time. [4]

Bills and legislation

• The Child-like Sexual Abuse Dolls (Offences) Bill was scheduled for second reading in the Commons. This is the stage at which MPs consider a bill’s general principles; the proposal concerns creating criminal offences relating to child-like sexual abuse dolls, but the available evidence does not confirm that the scheduled debate took place. [5]

Committee reports

• The Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee published the Government’s response on the Nature’s Rights Bill, the Public Office (Accountability) Bill and the Financial Services and Markets Bill. The response addresses delegated powers and regulatory arrangements across proposed environmental rights, public accountability and financial-services legislation. [6]

Sources used

1. New law to ban depraved child-like sexual abuse dolls — GOV.UK
2. Forced Labour in UK Supply Chains (JCHR Report) — Hansard
3. Preparing for an Ageing Society (Economic Affairs Committee Report) — Hansard
4. Social Mobility: Local Roots, Lasting Change (Social Mobility Policy Committee Report) — Hansard
5. Child-like Sexual Abuse Dolls (Offences) Bill — UK Parliament Bills
6. 8th Report – Nature’s Rights Bill [HL]; Public Office (Accountability) Bill; Financial Services and Markets Bill [HL]: Government Response — UK Parliament Committees

Licensing

Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0.

Last updated

First published on 5 September 2026. No corrections at the time of publication.