Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that the Arakan Army has committed human rights violations in northwestern Myanmar; and what steps they are taking bilaterally and through international mechanisms to ensure accountability for those abuses.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)

The UK remains deeply concerned by reports of human rights violations in western Myanmar. We are aware of allegations involving armed actors in the region and continue to push for accountability for such abuses, wherever they occur.

As penholder on Myanmar at the UN Security Council, we convened six Council meetings in 2024 and three so far in 2025 to spotlight the crisis, including the first open meeting in five years focused on the Rohingya. We also co-sponsored the UN Human Rights Council resolution in April (2025) on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, condemning ongoing violations particularly against ethnic minorities.

The UK has provided £900,000 to the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar since 2021 to support the collection, verification, and preservation of evidence for future prosecution, and established the Myanmar Witness programme to verify open-source evidence of human rights violations.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to the report by the Circulation Foundation and Legs Matter Act now to save limbs and lives, published in May, what assessment they have made of the current challenges in the diagnosis and treatment of peripheral arterial disease.

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

NHS England commissions the National Vascular Registry which provides information on the quality and outcomes of care for adults who had major vascular procedures in National Health Service hospitals. The registry produces quarterly and annual reports. It aims to support vascular services to provide high quality care for these people, and shares examples of good practice as well as highlighting areas which merit further investigation in order to improve care.

NHS England commissions vascular arterial care from a number of specialist centres to ensure appropriate management of peripheral arterial disease. The service specifications recommend a "hub and spoke" model, where a central, high-volume arterial centre, or the "hub", provides round-the-clock, specialist arterial surgery and complex endovascular interventions. A multi-disciplinary team approach is used and is hosted by the hub.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are promoting a multidisciplinary approach to the management of peripheral arterial disease that involves vascular surgeons, cardiologists, radiologists and primary care providers; and how that approach will be supported across the NHS.

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

NHS England commissions the National Vascular Registry which provides information on the quality and outcomes of care for adults who had major vascular procedures in National Health Service hospitals. The registry produces quarterly and annual reports. It aims to support vascular services to provide high quality care for these people, and shares examples of good practice as well as highlighting areas which merit further investigation in order to improve care.

NHS England commissions vascular arterial care from a number of specialist centres to ensure appropriate management of peripheral arterial disease. The service specifications recommend a "hub and spoke" model, where a central, high-volume arterial centre, or the "hub", provides round-the-clock, specialist arterial surgery and complex endovascular interventions. A multi-disciplinary team approach is used and is hosted by the hub.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government how the upcoming cardiovascular disease modern service framework will ensure that patients with peripheral arterial disease have equitable access to appropriate assessment, treatment and follow-up services across the NHS.

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

To accelerate progress towards the Government’s ambition to reduce premature deaths from heart disease and stroke by 25% within a decade, we will publish a new cardiovascular disease modern service framework (CVD MSF) in 2026. The CVD MSF will support consistent, high quality, and equitable care whilst fostering innovation across the cardiovascular disease pathway.

The Department and NHS England are engaging widely throughout the development of the CVD MSF to ensure that we consider a range of conditions that impact on cardiovascular disease premature mortality, including peripheral arterial disease, and that we prioritise ambitious, evidence-led, and clinically informed approaches to prevention, treatment, and care.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of (1) children and (2) adults who are accessing mental health support via artificial intelligence platforms after being unable to access statutory mental health services.

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

No such assessment has been made. We recognise that people are facing unacceptably long waiting times to access mental health support. This is why we are transforming the current mental health system so that people can access the right support at the right time in the right place.

Building on the 10-Year Health Plan, the NHS Medium Term Planning Framework, published on 24 October 2025, sets targets for integrated care boards in 2026/27 to improve the quality of and access to mental health services. This includes expanding NHS Talking Therapies and expanding the coverage of mental health support teams in schools and colleges. This builds on the significant progress we’ve made since July 2024 to hire almost 7,000 extra mental health workers. And by spring next year, over 900,000 children and young people will have access to a Mental Health Support team in schools and colleagues.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to embed genetic testing in cancer treatment pathways, and whether additional funding will be available to NHS trusts for that testing.

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

The NHS Genomic Medicine Service (GMS), commissioned by NHS England, ensures equitable access to genomic testing for cancer patients across England through seven regional GMS geographies working with Cancer Alliances and National Health Service trusts. Genomic testing is delivered by a national network of seven NHS Genomic Laboratory Hubs (GLHs), guided by the National Genomic Test Directory, which includes over 200 cancer indications for a range of genomic tests, including whole genome sequencing. Seven NHS GMS Alliances are funded to embed genomic medicine into clinical pathways and raise awareness among clinicians and patients. Funding for GLHs is agreed annually in line with NHS England funding allocations, with NHS England working with GLHs to drive efficiency and maximise available resources. In 2025/26, NHS England is continuing its Cancer Genomics Improvement Programme for a second year to deliver quality improvement initiatives, education, local engagement, and to establish Cellular Pathology Genomic Centres to streamline cancer genomics pathways and accelerate genomic testing.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure users of artificial intelligence platforms can safely access mental health support and are protected from harmful content such as suicide and self-harm content.

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

We recognise the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) platforms and the potential risks they pose, particularly when people are seeking mental health support.

The National Health Service operates within a comprehensive regulatory framework for AI, underpinned by rigorous standards for safety and effectiveness. Publicly available AI applications that are not deployed by the NHS are not regulated as medical technologies and may offer incorrect or harmful information. Users are strongly advised to be careful when using these technologies.

Regardless of whether content is created by AI or humans, the Online Safety Act places robust duties on all in-scope services to prevent users encountering illegal content including content on suicide and self-harm.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with NHS trusts and pharmaceutical companies about the use of genomic testing to support cancer pathways.

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

NHS England commissions the NHS Genomic Medicine Service (NHS GMS) to provide standardised, high quality, and equitable access to genomic medicine across the National Health Service in England. NHS England and the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry have established an NHS Genomic Pharmaceutical Industry Strategic Advisory Group, to provide a framework for engagement with industry partners to support the strategic aims of the NHS GMS and system partners. This is a forum to align on priorities and identify mechanisms to support agreed improvements across the end-to-end genomics pathway, including in cancer, that will enable timely patient access to treatments and opportunities to participate in clinical trials.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the need for greater pricing transparency in the mobile and broadband sector where some deals are accessible only through negotiation at the end of fixed contracts.

Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

I refer the Rt Honourable Lady to the answer given on 27 October 2025 to Question UIN HL10944.

People need to feel empowered when interacting with the telecoms market so they can be confident that they are getting a fair and transparent deal. DSIT’s Secretary of State wrote to Ofcom’s CEO on 31st October to ask for its assessment of telecoms consumer protections and what further action should be taken.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to recognise the result of the upcoming general election in Myanmar; and whether they will raise the issue of that election at the United Nations General Assembly.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)

I refer the Noble Baroness to the answer provided on 3 November to Question HL11182.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether patients with a cancer diagnosis will have access to local genomic testing; and if so, what is the timeline for that access to be in place.

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

The 10-Year Health Plan committed to every cancer patient having the choice to receive a comprehensive genomic analysis and molecular profiling, where appropriate. The NHS Genomic Medicine Service (GMS) ensures equitable access to genomic testing for cancer patients across England through seven regional GMS geographies working with Cancer Alliances and National Health Service trusts. Genomic testing is delivered by a national network of seven NHS Genomic Laboratory Hubs, guided by the National Genomic Test Directory, which includes over 200 cancer indications for a range of genomic tests, including whole genome sequencing. In 2025/26, NHS England is continuing its Cancer Genomics Improvement Programme for a second year to deliver quality improvement initiatives, education, local engagement, and to establish Cellular Pathology Genomic Centres to streamline cancer genomics pathways and accelerate genomic testing.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential merits of including broader value elements, such as societal and economic benefits, in the health technology assessment of vaccines.

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

The Department works closely with the UK Health Security Agency and NHS England to design, implement, and deliver programmes offering high levels of long-term protection against preventable diseases.

When doing so, the Department takes into consideration the expert advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), an independent departmental expert committee. The JCVI bases its advice and recommendations on evidence of the burden of disease, of vaccine safety and efficacy, and of the impact and cost effectiveness of immunisation strategies.

Broader socio-economic factors such as productivity costs from illness, improved educational attainment from reduced school absences, and out-of-pocket expenses and opportunity costs from attending a vaccination may be highlighted by the JCVI or other colleagues across the tripartite to inform policy-making.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how the safety measures in the Online Safety Act 2023 apply to conversational interactions between users and artificial intelligence chatbots where an online search has not been conducted.

Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

AI chatbots that allow users to share content with one another are regulated by the Online Safety Act. This is in addition to chatbots which search live websites to provide results. Over 100,000 services are in scope of the Act including many services with chatbots.

These services must protect users from illegal content, and they must protect children from harmful and age-inappropriate content. The Government has been clear that we will act to address new and emerging AI harms. For example, government is tackling the disgusting harm of Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse with a new offence to criminalise AI models which have been optimised for this purpose. The Secretary of State has also commissioned the department to see what gaps there are if any, in coverage of the Online Safety Act.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have for a personalised approach to testing for patients.

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

The Government is committed to delivering a personalised approach to testing, including genomic testing, as part of its 10-Year Health Plan. The National Health Service will introduce a genomics population health service by 2035, including newborn genomic screening and polygenic risk scoring, both subject to evidence and funding, to enable earlier, tailored interventions. Genomic testing in the NHS in England is already delivered through the NHS Genomic Medicine Service (GMS). A national network of seven NHS Genomic Laboratory Hubs deliver testing as directed by the National Genomic Test Directory, including both whole genome sequencing (WGS) and non-WGS testing. A robust and evidence-based process and policy is in place to ensure that genomic testing continues to be available for all patients for whom it would be of clinical benefit. As part of the NHS GMS testing strategy, there is increasing use of cutting edge, high throughput comprehensive sequencing technologies to ensure efficiency. These measures will transform diagnostic services and treatment across the NHS to make them increasingly individualised, while empowering patients and improving outcomes.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Hayman of Ullock on 30 October (HL11477), whether they will keep the flooding spending formula under regular review as the evidence base for the effectiveness of natural flood management techniques grows.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Delivering on the Government’s Plan for Change, we are investing record levels in flood protection. Over the next Spending Review period (2026/27 to 2028/29), £4.2 billion will be allocated to build new flood schemes and maintain and repair existing defences across the country. This equates to an average of £1.4 billion per year, a 5% increase on the current average of £1.33 billion for 2024/25 and 2025/26. Further details will be published in due course, including the split between capital and revenue funding.

Natural flood management (NFM) plays a vital role in reducing flood risk while delivering wider benefits for people, communities, and the environment. That is why we will be investing at least £300m in NFM over ten years – the highest figure to date for the floods programme. We have also removed barriers that previously held back these projects. Working closely with the Environment Agency, we will explore opportunities to enable more landscape-scale NFM through partnership working and strengthen the evidence base for these interventions.

To ensure the new funding policy delivers effective outcomes, including NFM, we will review its impact after three years.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they are having with the technology industry to ensure artificial intelligence models are tested robustly before deployment, and to embed safeguards such as suicide prevention into model development.

Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Government has ongoing partnerships with artificial intelligence developers to ensure the safety of the models they develop. It is essential that AI models are appropriately tested to ensure safeguards are robust, possible harms are considered and risks mitigated, to ensure the British public are protected.

The role of the AI Security Institute (AISI) is to build an evidence base of these risks, to inform government decision making and help make AI more secure and reliable. AISI works in close collaboration with AI companies to assess model safeguards and suggest mitigations. To date, AISI has tested over 30 models from leading AI companies, including OpenAI, Google DeepMind and Anthropic. AISI’s findings lead to tangible changes to AI models before deployment, reducing the risk from day one.

Once deployed, many AI services are captured by the Online Safety Act 2023, which places robust duties on all in-scope user-to-user and search services, including those deploying generative artificial intelligence chatbots, to prevent users from encountering illegal suicide and self-harm content. These duties apply regardless of whether content is created by AI or by humans.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce the risks of harm from generative artificial intelligence and chatbots.

Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Generative AI services, including AI chatbots, which allow users to share content with one another or search live websites to provide search results, are regulated under the Online Safety Act. In-scope services are required to protect all users from illegal content and children from encountering harmful content, including where it is AI generated.

The Government will not hesitate to act where required – for example we have introduced an offence in the Crime and Policing Bill to criminalise AI models which have been optimised to create child sexual abuse material.

Responding to the AI Action Plan, the Government committed to work with regulators to boost their AI capabilities. We are committed to ensuring our rule book is up to date and future-proofed so the UK is prepared for the changes AI will bring.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government, in regard to recommendation 11 of An independent review of Defra’s regulatory landscape, published on 2 April, which environmental regulations will be in scope of the rolling programme of regulatory reform.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Dan Corry’s review of Defra’s regulatory landscape recommends that the Department scope a rolling programme of reform for specific regulations, suggesting several early priorities for reform. Work is ongoing to establish where improvements are most needed and where legislation would be required. In the meantime, the Department continues to lay statutory instruments on a regular basis to deliver environmental improvements and commitments.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Hayman of Ullock on 30 October (HL11477), how much of the £4.2 billion spending review commitment for flood defences will be made up of capital spending.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Delivering on the Government’s Plan for Change, we are investing record levels in flood protection. Over the next Spending Review period (2026/27 to 2028/29), £4.2 billion will be allocated to build new flood schemes and maintain and repair existing defences across the country. This equates to an average of £1.4 billion per year, a 5% increase on the current average of £1.33 billion for 2024/25 and 2025/26. Further details will be published in due course, including the split between capital and revenue funding.

Natural flood management (NFM) plays a vital role in reducing flood risk while delivering wider benefits for people, communities, and the environment. That is why we will be investing at least £300m in NFM over ten years – the highest figure to date for the floods programme. We have also removed barriers that previously held back these projects. Working closely with the Environment Agency, we will explore opportunities to enable more landscape-scale NFM through partnership working and strengthen the evidence base for these interventions.

To ensure the new funding policy delivers effective outcomes, including NFM, we will review its impact after three years.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will compensate individuals and families who have suffered from the effects of sodium valproate in the past 30 years, and if so, when.

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

The Government is carefully considering the work by the Patient Safety Commissioner and her report, which set out options for redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh. This is a complex issue involving input from different Government departments. The Government will provide a further update to the Patient Safety Commissioner’s report.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Baroness Merron on 13 October (HL Deb cols 9–10), what plans they have to introduce an 18-week referral-to-treatment target for dementia to ensure parity with other conditions and to address current waiting times.

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

We will deliver the first ever Frailty and Dementia Modern Service Framework to deliver rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. This will be informed by phase one of the independent commission into adult social care, expected in 2026.

The Frailty and Dementia Modern Service Framework will seek to reduce unwarranted variation and narrow inequality for those living with dementia and will set national standards for dementia care and redirect National Health Service priorities to provide the best possible care and support.

In developing the Frailty and Dementia Modern Service Framework, we are engaging with a wide group of partners to understand what should be included to ensure the best outcomes for people living with dementia. As part of this exercise, we will consider what interventions should be supported to improve diagnosis waiting times, which we know are too long in many areas. We are considering all options to help reduce variation, including reviewing metrics and targets.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence about (1) updating the baseline cost-effectiveness threshold, and (2) changing the reference case discount rate.

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

The Department regularly has discussions with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) about a range of issues. NICE is responsible for the methods and processes that it uses in the development of its guidance and recommendations and has processes in place to keep its methods and processes under review.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Northern Ireland Executive and the Justice Minister in Northern Ireland regarding proposed amendments to the Sentencing Code and the parts of the Sentencing Bill that relate to Northern Ireland; and whether a Legislative Consent Motion will be required for that Bill.

Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

Ministry of Justice officials have engaged officials in the Northern Ireland Executive in relation to a range of Bill measures and amendments that apply in Northern Ireland, including on sentences with a fixed licence period.

A Legislative Consent Motion is not required with respect to Northern Ireland.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government when they will publish a response to the Patient Safety Commissioner’s report of February 2024 regarding funding redress issues for those harmed by pelvic mesh and sodium valproate.

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

The Government is carefully considering the work by the Patient Safety Commissioner and her report, which set out options for redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh. This is a complex issue involving input from different Government departments.

Found: Lord Hope of Craighead Baroness Browning Baroness Pitkeathley Lord Crisp Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick

Found: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: A final question: is DAERA equipped to deal with this issue?