Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government why a visa requirement for Columbian nationals travelling to the United Kingdom was reintroduced in November 2024.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

A visit visa requirement for Colombian nationals was reintroduced on 26 November 2024 due to the significant and sustained increase in individuals travelling to the UK for reasons other than those permitted under the Immigration Rules for Visitors following the lifting of the visa requirement in November 2022. In particular, there was a significant increase in Colombian nationals claiming asylum, with more asylum claims in every quarter of 2023 and 2024 than in the entire 10 years preceding the visa lift. Full reasons for the reintroduction of the visa requirement were provided in the Explanatory Memorandum to the changes in the Immigration Rules on 26 November 2024. This also set out details of the visa-free transition period for Colombian nationals holding travel bookings to the UK made prior to the reintroduction of the visa requirement.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer on 11 November 2024 by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede (HL2195), when they plan to conduct the consultation on the revised Victims' Code.

Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

We aim to consult on the revised Victims’ Code early this year as part of our commitment to ensure that victims of crime have the information and support they need.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer on 31 July 2024 by Lord Collins of Highbury (HL27), what progress has been made towards a UN Security Council Resolution on the protection of civilian interpreters working with the Armed Forces in conflict zones who may not be classified as conducting humanitarian activities.

Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

We recognise the vital role that interpreters play in conflicts, and the threats they face. The most effective way to protect civilians and safeguard human rights, including those civilians working as interpreters, is by improving implementation of existing UN Security Council resolutions, compliance with International Humanitarian Law and seeking accountability for violations.

The UK takes seriously our duty of care responsibilities for civilian interpreters and other locally employed civilians working with our Armed Forces, as the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme demonstrates. The ARAP scheme, administered by the Ministry of Defence, provides safe resettlement routes for those formerly employed, directly or indirectly, by the UK Government.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they are holding with foreign language professionals and their representative bodies about the regulation of machine translation in the context of developing AI policy.

Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

We recognise that the vast majority of AI systems - including machine translation - are best regulated at the point of use and in the context in which they are deployed. That’s why in response to the AI Action Plan, the government has committed to supporting regulators in evaluating their AI capabilities and understanding how these can be strengthened.

In regard to foreign language professionals, the GCHQ-chaired cross-Government Languages Group brings together government language professionals, developers and commissioning officers who have a stake in machine translation capability, to capture use cases and develop best practice for its development and deployment.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for building Mandarin language skills within the workforce to meet the needs of the United Kingdom in (1) security, (2) diplomacy, and (3) trade.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

The government appreciates the benefits that studying Mandarin can bring to the workforce needs of the United Kingdom.

The government has recently confirmed funding for the Mandarin Excellence Programme until the end of this academic year, when the current contract ends. The department will work with all interested parties across government to consider the future approach to supporting Mandarin language learning beyond August 2025, to meet the UK’s varied needs for a pipeline of Mandarin language speakers.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will continue to fund the Mandarin Excellence Programme after its current funding expires in August 2025.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

The government appreciates the benefits that studying Mandarin can bring to the workforce needs of the United Kingdom.

The government has recently confirmed funding for the Mandarin Excellence Programme until the end of this academic year, when the current contract ends. The department will work with all interested parties across government to consider the future approach to supporting Mandarin language learning beyond August 2025, to meet the UK’s varied needs for a pipeline of Mandarin language speakers.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Department for Education will consult the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the security services before it makes a decision on the funding of the Mandarin Excellence Programme beyond August 2025.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

The government appreciates the benefits that studying Mandarin can bring to the workforce needs of the United Kingdom.

The government has recently confirmed funding for the Mandarin Excellence Programme until the end of this academic year, when the current contract ends. The department will work with all interested parties across government to consider the future approach to supporting Mandarin language learning beyond August 2025, to meet the UK’s varied needs for a pipeline of Mandarin language speakers.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to amend the Accessible Information Standard so that it is aligned with the recommendation of Healthwatch England to cover the needs of those who speak little or no English.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

We have no current plans to make such a change to the Accessible Information Standard (AIS). The AIS aims to make sure that people who have a disability, impairment or sensory loss get information that they can access and understand. NHS England is responsible for the AIS and has completed a review as part of the revision of the standard.

Spoken and community languages are specifically excluded from the AIS and have not been included as part of its review due to the legislative basis of the AIS and its focus on meeting the needs of disabled people.

The General Medical Council’s guidance states that all possible efforts must be made to ensure effective communication with patients. This includes arrangements to meet patients’ communication needs in languages other than English. Where language is a problem in discussing health matters, NHS England and NHS Scotland’s guidance states that a professional interpreter should always be offered.

NHS England is aware of safety investigations and other issues relating to translation services and has completed a strategic review and options appraisal to identify if and how NHS England can support improvements in the commissioning and delivery of community language translation and interpretation services.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer  by Baroness Smith of Malvern on 6 January (HL3649), what progress has been made in discussions across the Government regarding funding of the Mandarin Excellence Programme beyond August 2025; and when they expect a decision on the subject to be announced.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

The department continues to work with all interested parties across government to consider the future approach to supporting Mandarin language learning beyond August 2025, and we will set out more in due course.

Found: company based in Bethesda, Maryland) Baroness Blackstone No relevant interests declared Baroness Coussins

Found: : Lord De Mauley (The Chair); Lord Alderdice; Baroness Blackstone; Lord Bruce of Bennachie; Baroness Coussins