Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of women identified as "pregnant from Ireland" who were forcibly returned from Britain to Ireland in the 20th century and what plans they have to offer recompense to those affected.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Irish Government is implementing a redress scheme which provides compensation to survivors of historical wrongs in Ireland. The Department for Work and Pensions is considering how to legislate so that UK residents who receive this compensation do not have their benefits affected. The ongoing legalisation the PQ is in relation to is Inquiry (Mother and Baby Institutions, Magdalene Laundries and Workhouses) and Redress Scheme Bill
The Home Office has, to the best of its knowledge, confirmed that it does not hold the information requested.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase resource allocation for wildlife licensing applications under the Deer Act 1991 and the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 to improve interdepartmental communication between the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Home Office on this matter and to streamline deer licence applications.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra has no current plans to increase resource allocation for wildlife licensing applications under the Deer Act 1991.
The Home Office assesses applications for the use of animals in science under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. This legislation is not the same as wildlife licensing applications.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to enact species-specific slaughter legislation to protect farmed fish.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Animal Welfare Act 2006 makes it an offence to cause unnecessary suffering to any protected animal, including fish, or to fail to provide for the welfare needs of a protected animal, for which that person is responsible. Legislation on the protection of animals at the time of killing also requires that farmed fish are spared avoidable pain, distress or suffering during their killing and related operations.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the publication of their food strategy for England on 15 July, what steps they plan to take to boost domestic fruit and vegetable production.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is committed to our horticulture sector and the vital role it plays in strengthening food security by ensuring a reliable and sustainable supply of fresh home-grown produce.
The Good Food Cycle, published as part of our food strategy gives the food sector a blueprint for an economically successful and innovative domestic food sector, including horticulture. It will work alongside the Farming Roadmap, the Land Use Framework, the Circular Economy Strategy and the Environmental Improvement Plan to deliver a resilient and healthy food system, that works with nature and supports farmers, growers and food producers.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what guidance they have provided to the NHS to ensure that spending on privately owned health apps does not interfere with the operation of the NHS app.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Privately owned health apps do not interfere with the operation of the NHS App because they are separate systems that do not share data directly or integrate with the NHS App's core functionalities.
These apps offer different services and information, and some patients might use both to supplement the core functionalities of the NHS App, such as managing personal health data or accessing private healthcare providers.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to ban the use of the chemical trimethylbenzoyl diphenylphosphine oxide in gel nail polish, following the decision of the EU to do so.
Answered by Lord Leong - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Trimethylbenzoyl diphenylphosphine oxide (TPO) was added to the GB Mandatory Classification List (GB MCL) under the GB Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP) Regulation in February 2025. As per the requirements of Article 15 of the UK Cosmetic Regulation, Government is taking steps to prohibit the use of TPO in cosmetic products in Great Britain. Full details of the amendments to the Cosmetic Regulation, including any transitional provisions, will be prepared in due course. The first stage will be to ensure no new cosmetic products containing TPO are placed on the market from August 2026.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential welfare issues from facilities in which short-term care is offered to dogs; and how they plan to protect both dogs, and the communities in which such facilities are situated.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 were developed to help improve welfare standards across a range of activities including dog day care, home boarding for dogs and kennelling.
Defra undertook a post-implementation review of the Regulations, which was published in December 2024. The review can be found here and a copy is attached to this answer. The Government is considering the findings.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Smith of Malvern on 25 September 2024 (HL781), what steps they have taken to help those affected by historical forced adoptions; whether they plan to give an apology to affected individuals; and what assessment they have made of the approach of devolved administrations to this issue.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
This abhorrent practice should never have taken place, and our deepest sympathies are with all those affected.
The department continues to follow up on the 2022 Joint Committee on Human Rights report, including improving access to adoption records, enhancing intermediary services and preserving historical records. Regulations have been amended to make it easier for adults to access adoption support, and local authorities have been encouraged to retain records for at least 100 years.
The department is also working with Adoption England, which recently published new guidance to support consistent and legally compliant practice across adoption services. Adoption England continues to fund the pilot initiative Family Connect, a national advice line designed to provide support to adopted adults, birth parents, relatives and professionals. Officials remain in contact with the Scottish and Welsh governments to understand and learn from their approaches.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to prevent the spread of antimicrobial resistance through hospital wastewater; and what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of on-site treatment at healthcare facilities to remove pharmaceutical and microbial contaminants before they enter the municipal sewerage system.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The 2024 to 2029 United Kingdom antimicrobial resistance (AMR) National Action Plan (NAP) encompasses a range of One Health activities to target the drivers of AMR. This includes understanding and reducing the spread of AMR through wastewater and built environments.
As set out in the NAP, the UK Health Security Agency’s modular ward will generate evidence on how the hospital environment contributes to the spread of AMR infection, and how wards should be designed, refurbished, and operated to enhance infection, prevention, and control. A particular focus of the modular ward is understanding how risks associated with water and wastewater can be mitigated.
Evidence will be used to inform the New Hospital Programme, which aims to reduce AMR through innovative approaches to design and care models for the next generation of National Health Service hospitals.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to implement a long-term management plan and consultation regarding beaver reintroduction and recovery; and what plans they have, if any, to provide financial support to landowners wishing to reintroduce beavers into the wild on their land.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only.
On 28 February 2025, Defra announced its new approach to beavers, including a commitment to developing a long-term management plan for beavers in England. We are developing our approach to this work and will engage stakeholders in due course to work together to develop a vision for managing the long-term reintroduction and recovery of beaver populations in England.
Defra has no plans to provide financial support to landowners wishing to reintroduce beavers into the wild on their land. A licence is required from Natural England to release beavers into the wild. Any project seeking a license must demonstrate that they have enough funding for the duration of the wild release project, which is usually 10 years.
Defra does offer support for living alongside beavers through Environmental Land Management (ELM) funding. ELM support and advice for land managers is available through Countryside Stewardship (Higher Tier) and capital grants. In addition, some actions in the Sustainable Farming Incentive also have a role to play in riparian management.