Asked by: Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications of the Chinese-owned hotel which has been built overlooking RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
We take the security of our people, bases and interests extremely seriously. RAF Akrotiri is protected by robust, multi-layered security measures, which we keep under constant review. For reasons of operational security, we do not comment on the details of these measures.
Asked by: Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case of the late Peter McCormack; and what representations they will make, if any, to the High Court in Belfast about the change in his status from innocent civilian to IRA volunteer.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence has not received a civil claim on behalf of Peter McCormack and is therefore not involved in any related legal proceedings. It would not be appropriate to comment on matters that may be before the courts.
Asked by: Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that planning policy maintains safeguards for existing and future on-site hospital helipad infrastructure, and does not restrict its availability for continuous air ambulance operations.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), published in August 2026, gives substantial weight to the benefits of providing new or improved public service infrastructure, including healthcare facilities.
The NPPF is clear that existing community facilities and public services should not have unreasonable restrictions placed on their current or permitted operation as a result of development being approved after they were established. This means that development proposals should be capable of being integrated effectively with existing public service activities and infrastructure in their vicinity including blue light services.
Where the operation of an existing activity could have a significant adverse effect on a proposed new development in its vicinity, development proposals should identify the nature of the potential impacts and be able to demonstrate that suitable mitigation can be provided before the development has begun.
The new NPPF and the government’s response to the consultation are available on gov.uk here.
Asked by: Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to establishing a hospital helipad infrastructure contingency fund to address urgent funding requirements when unforeseen needs arise beyond the capacity of the HELP Appeal.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises the important role that hospital helipads can play in supporting emergency and specialist care pathways. However, it has not established, and is not currently considering, a dedicated contingency fund for hospital helipad infrastructure.
Decisions on capital investment are primarily taken by National Health Service organisations and systems, which must balance a range of competing clinical and estate priorities within available resources. Where helipad infrastructure is identified as a local priority, NHS organisations may consider how best to support these requirements, including through charitable contributions such as those provided by the HELP Appeal.
Asked by: Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the decoupling of the wholesale price of gas and the price of electricity applies to the Northern Ireland electricity market as well as the market in Great Britain.
Answered by Lord Whitehead
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. I will correspond directly with the noble Baroness.
Asked by: Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hanson of Flint on 17 March (HL15097), why information relating to the vehicle recovery options assessment consultation is not being communicated to all recognised industry stakeholders; and whether they plan to publish an interim update and timeline for the consultation outcome.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The government recognises the importance of this consultation to industry stakeholders.
Following the closure of the consultation in July 2025, Home Office officials have been analysing consultation responses and to progress preparatory work to publish a response.
The government response will be published as soon as time allows.
Asked by: Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government when the outcome of the vehicle recovery options assessment consultation will be made available.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Responses to the consultation, Amendments to Secondary Legislation on the Police Removal, Storage and Disposal of Vehicles, are being considered, before arrangements are made to publish the Government response.
Asked by: Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Chapman of Darlington (HL12024), whether they will now answer the question put: namely, what assessment they have made of the findings of the report by the Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education, Review of Pakistani Textbooks, published in August; and what discussions they have had with the government of Pakistan about reports of harmful and discriminatory content in the curriculum.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington
As I stated in my response to Question HL11399, all our education programmes in Pakistan are subject to due diligence, and any materials provided under those programmes are reviewed for equity across gender, ability, ethnicity, and religion before being shared with government counterparts.
On the broader issue of textbooks used in Pakistani schools, we are clear that any incitement to hatred or violence is unacceptable and has no place in education, and we urge the Pakistani authorities to ensure that all teaching materials used in their schools meet the relevant United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) standards.
Asked by: Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Chapman of Darlington (HL12023), whether they will now answer the question put: namely, what verification of education materials funded through UK aid in Pakistan has been undertaken; whether it has been verified that those materials meet UNESCO standards of peace, tolerance, and equality; and what plans they have to publish the outcome of any such verification.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington
As I stated in my response to Question HL11399, all our education programmes in Pakistan are subject to due diligence, and any materials provided under those programmes are reviewed for equity across gender, ability, ethnicity, and religion before being shared with government counterparts.
On the broader issue of textbooks used in Pakistani schools, we are clear that any incitement to hatred or violence is unacceptable and has no place in education, and we urge the Pakistani authorities to ensure that all teaching materials used in their schools meet the relevant United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) standards.
Asked by: Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East’s (UNRWA) implementation of Recommendation 35 of the Colonna Review, which calls for the removal of hate speech, incitement to violence, and antisemitic references from educational materials in UNRWA schools; and what evidence they have that UK-funded support has contributed to progress on that reform.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington
The UK continues to support implementation of the Colonna Report by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) to ensure they meet the highest standards on neutrality and integrity. 21 recommendations from the report have been completed, recommendation 35 is in progress. As per UNRWA's internal regulations, all references to hate speech, incitement to violence, and/or antisemitism are strictly banned from host-country textbooks, where locally produced supplements and materials are developed by UNRWA for use in its schools. The textbook review process in Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria has been finalised, with findings shared with host countries and further dialogue taking place to address outstanding issues in line with UN and UNESCO standards.