Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Children's Commissioner's report Growing up in a low income family - children's experiences, published on 8 July; and what actions they intend to take to address the levels of child poverty in England identified by the report.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Child Poverty Taskforce, co-chaired by the Work and Pensions and Education Secretaries, is committed to listening to the voices of children and families and embed the voices of these families directly into their work.
The Office of the Children’s Commissioner’s report, Growing up in a low-income family: Children‘s experiences, was commissioned by the Child Poverty Taskforce to provide evidence on children’s lived experience of poverty to support the development of an ambitious child poverty strategy. The findings of the report make for uncomfortable reading, but it is vital that we face up to the reality of what children in poverty are feeling so we can develop a Strategy that is fit for purpose and truly responds to the needs of children as they set out from their perspective. This valuable research forms part of the Taskforce’s ongoing wider work to ensure those voices are a central part of developing a strategy.
The Child Poverty Unit, based in the Cabinet Office, worked closely with the Office of the Children’s Commissioner on the report, including at research design and reporting stages, and the findings have already been considered as part of strategy development.
The Minister for School Standards is planning to meet with the Children‘s Commissioner for England to discuss the report in detail and a Children’s Commissioners roundtable, co-chaired by the Minister for Employment and the Minister for School Standards, will be held in September to bring together all four Children’s Commissioners for a broader discussion on child poverty.
The Taskforce is considering the report’s recommendations in advance of publication of the strategy in the autumn.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Collins of Highbury on 23 June (HL8468), what assessment they have made of the root causes of the conflict in Benue, in particular of the role of religion.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government is deeply concerned about the ongoing violence in Nigeria's Middle Belt and we express our sincere concern for all those impacted. The root causes of intercommunal violence are complex and often linked to land disputes, historical tensions, and criminal activity. While religion is not a causal factor in these conflicts, the impacts are felt acutely by religious communities, including hindering people's ability to practice their faith freely. The UK supports all affected communities, regardless of faith or ethnicity, and is working through programmes like Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria and the UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership to promote peace, strengthen local institutions, and protect civilians. The UK remains committed to defending Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB), with Nigeria a priority country under the new FoRB strategy, and we will continue to raise this issue in our engagements with Nigeria.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the humanitarian situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, including the issue of conflict-related sexual violence; and how they are engaging the United Nations to ensure that the commission of inquiry is established as a matter of urgency.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) remains one of the world's most severe. In Eastern DRC, conditions have worsened-of the 28 million people facing acute food insecurity nationwide, 10 million are in the three conflict-affected eastern provinces. Civilians face grave risks, including sexual and gender-based violence. The UK provided over £80 million in humanitarian aid last financial year and remains committed to helping those most in need. Following the M23/Rwandan Defence Force (RDF) conflict escalation in January and February, the UK gave emergency funding to Panzi Hospital to ensure it could continue supporting its globally recognized care for survivors of sexual violence in South Kivu. Through our partnership with United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), we continue supporting essential sexual and reproductive health services. Human rights in the DRC are a UK priority. We work with the UN and others to promote them, including most recently at the Human Rights Council where the UK's Permanent Representative encouraged the establishment of the independent Commission of Inquiry. Our Ambassador and Ministers also regularly raise human rights concerns with the DRC government, urging accountability and adherence to international humanitarian law.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent representations they have made to the government of Pakistan concerning the persecution of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community, including the demolition of mosques, targeted killings and grave desecrations; and what steps they are taking to engage with Pakistan and its approach to supporting peacebuilding and the protection of religious freedom in that region.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are deeply concerned by the demolition of Ahmadi mosques in Pakistan and continue to monitor the situation. Our High Commission in Islamabad regularly raises concerns over the persecution of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community with the Government of Pakistan at the highest levels. The Minister for the Middle East raised the deteriorating situation for Ahmadi Muslims, including the impact of extremist groups such as Tehreek-e-Labbaik, with Pakistan's Minister of State for Interior in March 2025. In June 2025, ahead of Eid al-Adha, the Minister for the Middle East also raised the safety and dignity of Ahmadis seeking to practice their faith with Pakistan's Human Rights Minister. We will continue to urge the Government of Pakistan to guarantee the rights of all people in accordance with international standards.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are taking steps to refer the situation in Ethiopia to the International Criminal Court, following the approach taken with regard to Bangladesh and Myanmar, having regard to the mass forced displacement of Tigrayans from Ethiopia.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is concerned by increasing risks of atrocities across the globe, including in Ethiopia. We raise our concern of risks of atrocities in both the multilateral space and bilaterally, where possible. We respect the independence of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in determining crimes against humanity, including in the context of Myanmar and Bangladesh.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they last conducted a joint analysis of conflict and stability for Ethiopia, and whether they will review the situation again to take account of the escalating conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
A Joint Analysis of Conflict and Stability (JACS) Update was completed in June 2024 to refresh cross-government understanding of the drivers of conflict, insecurity and instability in Ethiopia and assess implications for UK response. The JACS continues to be used to inform regular monitoring of conflict and stability risks and to guide a cross-government approach to support peace and stability in Ethiopia.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the national security implications of the ownership of UK critical infrastructure by CK Hutchison, in the light of recent reports that Hong Kong authorities intervened in the company's overseas divestment decisions with regard to sale of ports on the Panama Canal.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government works closely with CNI operators, alongside our National Technical Authorities and industry partners, to ensure resilience and preparedness to the broad and diverse range of threats and risks the UK faces.
As is longstanding practice, the Government does not generally comment on individual investors or investments in the national security context.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 1 July (HL8570), whether any scientific studies authored by Michael Briggs were included in the Expert Working Group review, published in November 2017.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
An Expert Working Group (EWG) of the Commission on Human Medicines reviewed the available evidence on the possible association between hormone pregnancy tests and adverse outcomes in pregnancy. Its review considered all available scientific evidence, including information collected from a public call for evidence.
The purpose of the EWG was to ascertain whether the available data could establish a causal association between the use of hormone pregnancy tests during early pregnancy and adverse pregnancy outcomes.
One publication by Briggs was considered as part of the review of non-clinical evidence of reproductive and developmental toxicity for norethisterone acetate and ethinylestradiol and is therefore referenced on page 97 of this review. This publication is not cited within the text of the report as it did not contribute towards the final paper and its conclusions.
The EWG reported its findings in November 2017 and concluded that the totality of the available scientific data does not support a causal association between the use of hormone pregnancy tests during early pregnancy and adverse pregnancy outcomes.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency remains committed to reviewing any new scientific data which becomes available following the conclusion of the EWG.