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 safety of Myanmar nationals deported back to their country; and whether it is their current policy to do so.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government keeps the situation in Myanmar under close review. The UK does not remove individuals where there is a real risk of persecution or serious harm, and all cases are considered on their individual merits.
We only seek to return those whose asylum claims have been unsuccessful, or who otherwise have no lawful right to remain in the UK. By definition, they do not need protection and are not at risk on return. Furthermore, we only seek to return those who have no lawful right to remain in the UK.
Returns are only conducted when it is safe and practical to do so.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support efforts to strengthen unity, co-ordination and local governance among Myanmar’s pro-democracy forces and ethnic groups.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK engages with a range of opposition and civil society stakeholders, including the National Unity Government, to support voices among pro‑democracy actors. Around two-thirds of our assistance in Myanmar is delivered through local organisations, including faith groups, education providers and community‑led structures, helping to strengthen local governance capabilities and community resilience. We continue to use our role at the UN and our discussions with regional partners to encourage a unified, inclusive dialogue towards a peaceful and democratic future for Myanmar.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to ensure that supply chains of products and services reaching the UK from Myanmar, including rare earth mining, garment and manufacturing, logistics and infrastructure, do not include products sourced from forced or slave labour and involving other human rights violations in Myanmar.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Noble Baroness to the answer given on 18 June 2025 to question HL8153.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to establishing land-based missile defences for major population centres and critical infrastructure in Great Britain; what estimate they have made of the cost of any such provision; and whether they have considered how a supply of requisite ordnance might be secured.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
His Majesty’s Government continually monitors and assesses the threats to the United Kingdom. A range of air and missile defence capabilities are under consideration within the Defence Investment Plan.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the humanitarian impact of the USA's oil blockade of Cuba; what representations they have made to the government of the United States about that impact; and what assessment they have made of the right of Cuban people to self-determination.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK continues to follow developments in Cuba closely, including the impact of the 29 January US executive order. The UK has maintained a consistent and long-standing position on the US embargo, voting for the annual UN resolution calling for its end every year since 1996. Consistent with the International Covenants on human rights, the UK recognises the right of self-determination of all peoples, including the people of Cuba.
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, further to the Land Use Framework, published on 18 March, what funding and resources they plan to provide a National Soil Map of England and Wales; and what steps they will take to ensure that that map is open source and freely available.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As committed to in the newly published Land Use Framework, Cranfield University and Defra have reached an agreement to develop an open access portal of soil and related environmental data for England and Wales, including the National Soil Map of England and Wales (NATMAP).
The agreement will see a new system launch in Spring 2026, derived from Cranfield’s LandIS (Land Information System), which will give free access to the extensive data. LandIS is a substantial environmental information system operated by Cranfield University, designed to contain soil and soil-related information for England and Wales. It is one of the largest systems of its kind in Europe and is recognised as the definitive source of national soils information in the UK.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Welsh Government about the continuation of the Taith programme in conjunction with the return of the UK to the Erasmus+ scheme.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Any decision on the continuation of the Taith programme following the UK’s association to Erasmus+ in 2027 rests with the Welsh Government.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they plan to take to ensure that the UK Cruise Growth Plan, published on 16 September 2025, does not increase (1) the levels of air pollution and other factors that damage public health in port cities, (2) environmental impacts on the sea, and (3) the climate impact of the cruise industry.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Whilst the UK Cruise Growth Plan is focused on boosting the cruise industry’s economic impact, it sits alongside the Government’s Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy, through which we will work together with the cruise industry on shared ambitions and policy development.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to provide training or other safety provisions for British Merchant Navy crews to deal with GPS jamming and spoofing; and what measures they are taking to ensure the safety of British waters in the face of those risks.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
UK seafarers are trained to use back up navigation systems, including celestial navigation for deep sea voyages and radar and visual fixing techniques in coastal waters, along with all other standard navigational aids. Training on recognising and responding to GPS jamming and spoofing is also an integral part of the competency requirements for those working toward a UK Certificate of Competency.
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 remarks by Lord Collins of Highbury on 16 March (HL Deb col 668), how they will improve the oversight of compliance with the Prevent Duty as a measure to tackle extremism on college and university campuses in the light of the recommendation to reform the Prevent Strategy in Report of the Independent Commission on UK Counter-Terrorism Law, Policy and Practice, published November 2025.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Office for Students is updating its Prevent monitoring framework in line with the 2023 Prevent statutory guidance. It will publish a new framework and guidance in September, which will come into force at the start of 2027, where they will make greater use of Prevent review meetings to target areas of concern and gather more detailed evidence where necessary.
The department will, where required, use its enforcement powers under section 30 of the Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2015, including issuing directions enforceable by court order, to secure full compliance with the Prevent duty.