Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 27 January (HL13589), what was the rationale for removing the former Duke of York from the Roll of the Peerage and not Lord Mandelson.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was removed from the Roll of the Peerage on 5 November 2025 and his title is no longer used officially. The Government supports this decision taken by His Majesty The King.
The Prime Minister has been clear that Peter Mandelson should not be a member of the House of Lords or use the title. Bespoke legislation is currently required to remove a peerage but the Prime Minister has announced that the Government will create a mechanism to remove peerages from disgraced peers; this work is continuing.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made with the government of Mali about reports of Christians facing systematic persecution and being targeted with intimidation, discrimination and violence.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK continues to champion Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all, including countries where Christians face persecution or discrimination because of their faith. Last July, the UK's Special Envoy for FoRB, David Smith MP, set out the Government's new strategy on FoRB, providing a framework for engagement with other countries, and describing the links between the protection of FoRB and other goals including the prevention of conflict. As part of this strategy, the UK continues to champion FoRB on the international stage, including through our position in the United Nations and the Article 18 Alliance.
Specifically on Mali, I refer the Noble Lord to the answer that the Minister for the Middle East and North Africa gave on 22 August 2025 to Question HC68011, provided below for ease of reference:
The UK strongly condemns attacks on religious minorities in Mali. We have consistently called on all actors in Mali to respect human rights and adhere to international human rights law. For example, at the April 2025 Security Council briefing on the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel, the UK expressed concern at the human rights abuses committed in the Sahel and called on the UN to lead the way in emphasising the importance of international humanitarian law. Through the Magna Carta Fund, the UK has also promoted ancient Malian texts enshrining progressive values such as religious tolerance. This has helped to underline that such values have local roots and undermine the notion that human rights are a Western import.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the percentage of abortions in which women (1) deliberately, and (2) accidentally, misreport the date of their last menstrual period; and how they have incorporated that estimate into the implementation of allowing the prescription of abortion pills by telemedicine.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department collects information on abortions via the HSA4 abortion notification form, which does not hold this information.
The prescription of mifepristone and misoprostol for abortions is controlled by the Abortion Act 1967 and Human Medicines Regulations 2012. During the consultation, women are informed that their abortion medication has been prescribed for their use only and that it cannot be given to anyone else. In line with the Department’s required standard operating procedures for the approval of independent sector places for termination of pregnancy in England, all providers must ensure women are given information about how to dispose of, or return, the abortion pills if they are not used.
Before an early medical abortion can be undertaken at home, women are given the choice to have either an in-person consultation or a virtual consultation. However, if there is any uncertainty about the gestation of the pregnancy, the medical practitioner would ask the woman to attend an in-person appointment to enable them to form an opinion that the pregnancy will not have exceeded ten weeks at the time the first abortion pill is taken.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities report on complications from abortions in England 2017 to 2021, published on 23 November 2023, whether they have conducted further research on the impact of using data from Hospital Episode Statistics on reported abortion complication rates; and how this compares with using figures from the Abortion Notification System.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has not undertaken any further research or analysis on the impact of using data from Hospital Episode Statistics compared with the Abortion Notification System since the report into the comparison of complication rates using these data sources was published in 2023.
The Department has not committed to updating or repeating this analysis and the publication will remain as a one‑off report until further notice.