Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to introduce limits on the circumstances in which police forces can add children to facial recognition watchlists.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Facial recognition is a crucial tool that helps the police locate missing people, suspects, and those wanted by the courts.
In some cases, under the existing legal framework this includes vulnerable individuals such as missing children. When using facial recognition technology, police forces must comply with legislation including the Human Rights Act 1998, Equality Act 2010, Data Protection Act 2018, Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, as well as their own published policies. For live facial recognition, police forces must also follow the College of Policing’s Authorised Professional Practice (APP) on Live Facial Recognition.
This sets out the categories of people who may be included on a watchlist. These include individuals wanted by the police or the courts, suspects, missing or vulnerable people, or those posing a risk of harm to themselves or others.In each case, inclusion on a watchlist must be justified and authorised, and must pass the tests of necessity, proportionality and use for a policing purpose.
On 4th December the Government launched a consultation on a new legal framework for law enforcement use of biometrics, facial recognition and similar technologies. During the consultation we want to hear views on when and how biometrics, facial recognition and similar technologies should be used, and what safeguards and oversight are needed.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many yellow card reports of aphantasia (Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities code 10090610) the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency received in each year since 2021; and what medications those reports were linked to.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is responsible for ensuring medicines, medical devices, and blood components for transfusion meet applicable standards of safety, quality, and efficacy. The MHRA rigorously assesses available data, including from the Yellow Card scheme, and seeks advice from the Commission on Human Medicines, the MHRA’s independent advisory committee, where appropriate, to inform regulatory decisions, including amending the product information.
The MHRA has received a total of eight United Kingdom reports through the Yellow Card scheme associated with the reaction term aphantasia, from 1 January 2021 up to and including 12 December 2025. The following table shows a yearly breakdown of reports associated with aphantasia received from 1 January 2021 up to and including 12 December 2025:
Year | Number of reports |
2024 | 3 |
2025 | 5 |
Total | 8 |
In addition, the following table shows a yearly breakdown of reports received by substance associated with aphantasia from 1 January 2021 up to and including 12 December 2025:
| Year | |
Substance group name | 2024 | 2025 |
ARIPIPRAZOLE |
| 1 |
ESCITALOPRAM | 1 | 2 |
FINASTERIDE | 2 |
|
SERTRALINE |
| 1 |
VENLAFAXINE |
| 1 |
VORTIOXETINE |
| 1 |
Please note that each report may list more than one suspect drug. Therefore, the total number of reports received cannot be accurately derived from the figures presented in the above table.
It is important to note that anyone can report to the MHRA’s Yellow Card scheme and the recording of these reports in the Yellow Card database does not necessarily mean that the adverse reactions have been caused by the suspect drug. Many factors must be considered in assessing causal relationships, including temporal association, the possible contribution of concomitant medication, and the underlying disease. We encourage reporters to report suspected adverse reaction reports. The reporter does not have to be sure of a causal association between the drug and the reactions, as a suspicion will suffice.
The number of reports received cannot be used as a basis for determining the incidence of a reaction, as neither the total number of reactions occurring, nor the number of patients using the drug, is known.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what operational and legal actions the Government and Crown Prosecution Service will take to ensure that high-profile national security prosecutions do not fail for similar procedural reasons as the China spy case.
Answered by Baroness Levitt - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
National security is of the utmost importance to this Government.
On 16 October 2025, the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy launched a formal inquiry into the issues surrounding the case to which this question refers. On 3 December 2025, the Joint Committee published its report on Espionage cases and the Official Secrets Acts. The Government is carefully considering the Joint Committee’s conclusions and recommendations and will respond in due course.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether anyone in the Prime Minister's Office advised against proceeding in the China spy case for diplomatic reasons, and if so, what that advice was.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Director of Public Prosecutions took an independent decision to not proceed with the case as the evidential bar was not met. There was no political interference or direction in the provision of evidence.
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 December (HL12276), how many Yellow Card reports of tinnitus (Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities code 10043882), broken down by the medications to which they were linked, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency received in each year since 2014.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is responsible for ensuring medicines, medical devices, and blood components for transfusion meet applicable standards of safety, quality, and efficacy. The MHRA rigorously assesses available data, including from the Yellow Card scheme, and seeks advice from the Commission on Human Medicines, the MHRA’s independent advisory committee, where appropriate, to inform regulatory decisions, including amending the product information.
The MHRA has received a total of 11,348 United Kingdom reports through the Yellow Card scheme associated with reaction term tinnitus, including worsening of tinnitus, from 1 January 2014 up to and including 27 November 2025. The table in the document attached provides a yearly breakdown of reports associated with tinnitus. It also provides a yearly breakdown of reports received by the substance associated with tinnitus. Please note that each report may list more than one suspect drug. Therefore, the total number of reports received cannot be accurately derived from the figures presented in the table in the attached document. The following table shows a yearly breakdown of reports associated with tinnitus received from 1 January 2014 up to and including 27 November 2025:
Year | Number of reports |
2014 | 147 |
2015 | 164 |
2016 | 230 |
2017 | 206 |
2018 | 197 |
2019 | 205 |
2020 | 212 |
2021 | 7,208 |
2022 | 1,248 |
2023 | 578 |
2024 | 495 |
2025 | 458 |
Total | 11,348 |
It is important to note that anyone can report to the MHRA’s Yellow Card scheme and the recording of these reports in the Yellow Card database does not necessarily mean that the adverse reactions have been caused by the suspect drug. Many factors must be considered in assessing causal relationships, including temporal association, the possible contribution of concomitant medication, and the underlying disease. We encourage reporters to report suspected adverse reaction reports, and the reporter does not have to be sure of a causal association between the drug and the reactions, as a suspicion will suffice.
The number of reports received cannot be used as a basis for determining the incidence of a reaction, as neither the total number of reactions occurring, nor the number of patients using the drug, is known.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Mass Atrocity Prevention Hub is operational.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Noble Lord to the answer of 2 December to question HL12019.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government why a Joint Analysis of Conflict and Stability report on Sudan has not been commissioned.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
As I told the Noble Lord in my answer to Question HL11438, regular and ongoing analysis of the situation in Sudan is taking place across government, with support from external experts, to inform the UK's policy-making, and as such, there has been no requirement to commission a separate analysis of the type he describes.
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 reports that references to genocide were removed from a risk assessment of Sudan.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
Ministers in the current Government are not in a position to comment on the preparation of assessments under a previous administration, but I would note that official spokespeople for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office have rejected the reports to which the Noble Lord refers, and explained that the UK only makes formal determinations of genocide based on the judgement of a competent court, after consideration of all the evidence available, in the context of a credible judicial process.
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 preliminary warnings of atrocity crimes in Darfur.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
Ministers in the current Government are not in a position to comment on the preparation of assessments under a previous administration, but I would note that official spokespeople for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office have rejected the reports to which the Noble Lord refers, and explained that the UK only makes formal determinations of genocide based on the judgement of a competent court, after consideration of all the evidence available, in the context of a credible judicial process.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what action they intend to take in response to reports of drone attacks by the Sudanese army on civilians and children in the Nuba Mountains; and whether they will provide direct humanitarian assistance to the affected community.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Noble Lord to my statement on Sudan on 19 November, Official Report, vol. 850, cols. 884-887 (https://hansard.parliament.uk/lords/2025-11-19/debates/AF154555-6D0E-4F4A-B2DF-A9F4CB2F391B/GazaAndSudan), and my remarks in the House of Lords debate on 27 November, Official Report, vol. 850, cols. 1465-1468 (https://hansard.parliament.uk/lords/2025-11-27/debates/81C37BE5-A832-4CC1-A83A-A73FD1937E8C/Sudan). I will provide further updates to the House in due course, including on international efforts to end the fighting, and on the progress we are making to reach all the people and regions currently in desperate need of humanitarian support.