Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to EU countries regarding inaccuracies in their operation of the EU Entry/Exit System and the impact on British citizens intending to travel to the EU.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Management of Entry/Exit System records is a matter for the EU.
We are aware that a small number of travellers may have been affected by incorrect registrations. The Government has raised the issue of incorrect registrations and inaccurate records with the European Commission and member states.
Passengers who are concerned they may have an incorrect record can find further information and contact details on the European Commission’s ‘Travel to Europe’ website.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in light of representations from nuclear test veterans involved in intelligence gathering of foreign nations' atmospheric nuclear tests, what progress they have made in extending the eligibility criteria for the Nuclear Test Medal to include those from 543 Squadron and 27 Squadron who recovered, washed, decontaminated, and maintained aircraft involved in nuclear cloud sampling operations between 1966 and 1980.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Nuclear Test Medal (NTM) eligibility has been broadened to include UK personnel who deployed in support of United States atmospheric nuclear tests, and UK personnel who were deployed from the UK in support of operations to monitor atmospheric nuclear tests conducted by France and China up to 1974 and 1980 respectively.
Ministry of Defence officials will continue to keep the eligibility criteria under review to ensure that they are as comprehensive and inclusive as they can be given the current boundaries. There are no current plans to expand the criteria to include personnel who did not deploy from the UK in support of either UK or other nations atmospheric testing.
Any formal proposal for the expansion of the NTM eligibility criteria would need to be endorsed by the Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals (HD Committee) and approved by His Majesty The King.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Wood of Anfield on 2 October (HL3675), whether it is customary for them to confer with the relatives of a victim of war regarding the circumstances of the death in advance of an autopsy.
Answered by Lord Wood of Anfield - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
UK consular officials routinely share information related to a British nationals' death overseas with their next of kin. The consular service has no direct role in post mortem processes. A funeral director in the country where the death took place can also do this.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with the UK egg industry about the merits of existing egg-sexing technologies for ending the culling of male chicks.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government has regular discussions with the egg industry on a range of animal health and welfare issues. The industry recently provided an update on work trialling ovo sexing equipment in a non-commercial capacity and this Government will continue to discuss this issue with them.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what communication, if any, they had with the parents of Andrew Bagshaw following his death in January 2023, and ahead of the autopsy report.
Answered by Lord Wood of Anfield - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Noble Lord to the answer provided on 14 May 2025 in response to Question HL6994. Which for ease has been reproduced below:
The Office of the Prosecutor General in Ukraine has already recorded over 160,000 allegations of war crimes committed since Russia's barbaric invasion in February 2022. The majority of these will be investigated by Ukraine and where appropriate tried in Ukrainian courts. The UK has provided over £11.3 million in funding to support Ukraine's domestic accountability efforts to ensure allegations of war crimes can be fully and fairly investigated, by independent, effective, and robust legal mechanisms. Investigations into the deaths of Andrew Bagshaw and Chris Parry are a matter for the Ukrainian authorities, and we would respond to any requests for UK support through the usual judicial co-operation channels. It would not be appropriate to comment on any such requests or cooperation. FCDO officials have been in contact with both men’s families, but for GDPR reasons it wouldn’t be appropriate to provide a running commentary on this.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the autopsy reports regarding the deaths of Andrew Bagshaw and Christopher Parry in Ukraine in January 2023; and what steps they are taking to further investigate their deaths.
Answered by Lord Wood of Anfield - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Noble Lord to the answer provided on 14 May 2025 in response to Question HL6994. Which for ease has been reproduced below:
The Office of the Prosecutor General in Ukraine has already recorded over 160,000 allegations of war crimes committed since Russia's barbaric invasion in February 2022. The majority of these will be investigated by Ukraine and where appropriate tried in Ukrainian courts. The UK has provided over £11.3 million in funding to support Ukraine's domestic accountability efforts to ensure allegations of war crimes can be fully and fairly investigated, by independent, effective, and robust legal mechanisms. Investigations into the deaths of Andrew Bagshaw and Chris Parry are a matter for the Ukrainian authorities, and we would respond to any requests for UK support through the usual judicial co-operation channels. It would not be appropriate to comment on any such requests or cooperation. FCDO officials have been in contact with both men’s families, but for GDPR reasons it wouldn’t be appropriate to provide a running commentary on this.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - 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 16 September (HL3142), what steps they are taking to promote blood donation in communities of African or Caribbean heritage given the prevalence of sickle cell disease among these groups.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is responsible for blood services in England and is delivering a range of initiatives to increase blood donation in African or Caribbean heritage communities. These include:
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what personnel are eligible to be awarded the Nuclear Test Medal.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The full eligibility criteria for the Nuclear Test Medal are available in the attached.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have an official definition of the term "British nuclear test veteran"; if so, whether that definition includes British service personnel who were officially deployed to monitor foreign atmospheric nuclear tests after 1966, including personnel of RAF 543 Squadron and RAF 27 Squadron; and if not, whether they plan to establish and publish such a definition before determining the scope or membership of any future inquiry or tribunal concerning nuclear test veterans.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
There is no official definition of the term British nuclear test veteran. Existing processes, including the eligibility criteria for the Nuclear Test Medal, are considered sufficient for determining qualifying service for the relevant purpose. We have, however, taken a significant step in broadening recognition through the medal scheme by extending eligibility to all UK personnel who directly supported American atmospheric nuclear tests during the 1950s and 1960s, as well as those deployed from the UK to support the monitoring of French and Chinese atmospheric tests.
To date, nearly 6,000 veterans, or their next of kin where the veteran is deceased, have received the Nuclear Test Medal in recognition of their service. For further information on the criteria, please visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nuclear-test-medal-eligibility-criteria
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the official definition of the term British nuclear test veteran; whether that definition includes British service personnel who were officially deployed to monitor foreign atmospheric nuclear tests after 1966; and, if they are not included in the definition, whether they will establish and publish such a definition ahead of determining the scope or membership of any future inquiry or tribunal concerning nuclear test veterans.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
There is no official definition of the term British nuclear test veteran. Existing processes, including the eligibility criteria for the Nuclear Test Medal, are considered sufficient for determining qualifying service for the relevant purpose. We have, however, taken a significant step in broadening recognition through the medal scheme by extending eligibility to all UK personnel who directly supported American atmospheric nuclear tests during the 1950s and 1960s, as well as those deployed from the UK to support the monitoring of French and Chinese atmospheric tests.
To date, nearly 6,000 veterans, or their next of kin where the veteran is deceased, have received the Nuclear Test Medal in recognition of their service. For further information on the criteria, please visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nuclear-test-medal-eligibility-criteria