Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government which public body holds the current cash equivalent transfer value of the pension scheme established under the Pensions Increase (Pension Scheme for Keir Starmer QC) Regulations 2013; and which public body holds details on the individual benefits of that scheme available to the scheme's member.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Information about this Pension Scheme, including a calculation of the cash equivalent transfer value, was included in the Crown Prosecution Service's annual report and accounts for 2013-14. The Pension Scheme is managed by the Cabinet Office, and details of individual benefits are held by Capita, the Scheme Administrator (the cash equivalent transfer value is calculated only when required). There has been no change to the policy under the last Administration not to publish information about civil servants' individual pensions apart from in the remuneration reports contained in departmental annual reports and accounts.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to the Explanatory Memorandum on European Commission Work programme for 2026, published on 17 November, what assessment they have made of the impact the "Buy European Food" campaign will have on the export of UK foods, and how that campaign complies with EU–UK treaties.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK and the EU are each other’s largest agrifood trade partners. In 2024, 57% (£14.1bn) of UK agri-food exports were to EU countries and 72% (£45.5bn) of UK agri-food imports were from EU countries. This trade is critical to the UK economy and food security.
The government is negotiating a Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement to make agrifood trade with our biggest market cheaper and easier, cutting costs and red tape for British producers and retailers.
The GREAT food and drink campaign, led by Defra, has been successfully promoting UK food and drink exports products globally under UK government’s GREAT Campaign brand since 2017.
The department awaits further details of the EU’s “Buy European Food” campaign, expected in 2026.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by the Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office on 4 November (HC85501) and Lord True on 23 April 2021 (HL14191), and with regard to paragraph 1.6(d) of the Ministerial Code, what is the public interest argument for not releasing details to Parliament of public spending on the Downing Street flats.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
As was the case under successive administrations, an itemised list is not routinely published. Total expenditure from the Prime Minister’s allowance on their official residence is disclosed in the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to paragraph 3 of the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers, published in September 2024, whether the Prime Minister's chief of staff has been authorised by the Prime Minister to represent the views of the Prime Minister to the media.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
All special advisers are bound by the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers. The Code of Conduct for Special Advisers sets out special adviser's obligations with regards to the media.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the government of China or its planning agents have submitted the full unredacted internal drawings for the proposed Chinese embassy.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Planning Inspector's Report was received by the Department on 10 June.
Following careful analysis of the report, the Secretary of State referred back to parties on a number of matters, including the redacted drawings, on 6 August. The reference back process is on-going.
Full reasons for the decision and a list of post-inquiry representations will be set out in the final decision letter.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on Monday 1 December (HC Deb col 666), what discussions the Permanent Secretary to the Treasury has had with special advisers about leaks or premature media reporting relating to the Budget 2025.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
As the Chief Secretary to the Treasury said to the House of Commons on the 1 and 3 December, the Treasury puts the utmost weight on Budget security.
The Permanent Secretary engages with special advisers and Ministers throughout the Budget process.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Uzbekistan about the imprisonment of Alisher Tursunov, and what diplomatic steps they are taking to secure his release.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK is committed to standing up for Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) globally. No one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe in. Our Embassy in Tashkent regularly raises human rights with the Uzbek authorities and maintains a dialogue with local human rights groups. In Uzbekistan's most recent UN Universal Periodic Review, the UK raised concerns over FoRB amongst other human rights issues and continues to consider when is most impactful and appropriate to raise individual cases.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent diplomatic discussions they have had with the government of Tunisia about the arrest of Mustapha Djemali and Abderrazek Krimi, and what steps they are taking to ensure their release.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
Our Embassy in Tunis has closely followed the case of Mustapha Djemali and Abderrazek Krimi since their arrest in May 2024. We have raised the case with Tunisian authorities, including at senior levels, and participated in trial observation alongside other Diplomatic missions. Both individuals were released on suspended sentences on 24 November given time served, after being found guilty of assisting migrants to enter and remain in Tunisia. We continue to engage with Tunisia and international partners on the protection of civil society and human rights.
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 answer by Baroness Merron on 12 November (HL Deb col 252), what specific reasons she has for saying that "the evidence base for telemedical medicine is sound".
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Abortions are generally very safe, and most women will not experience any complications. The evidence-base for home use of early medical abortion pills has been assessed by leading statutory and professional organisations and it is recognised to be a safe procedure in evidence-based guidance, including the World Health Organisation’s abortion care guideline, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists 2022 report on best practice in abortion care, and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s clinical guidelines on abortion care.
The Abortion Notification System (ANS) collects information on complications that occur up until the time of discharge for all abortions, and where the medicine was administered for medical abortions. Since 2015, there has been a marginal downward trend in complication rates reported in the ANS. In 2022, complications were reported in only 0.12% of abortions.
The Department continues to work with NHS England, the Care Quality Commission, and abortion providers to ensure that women have safe and timely access to abortion services as decided by Parliament.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to publish an updated version of the Department for Health and Social Care guidance on completing the EMA1 abortion form or similar certificate to reflect any potential uncertainty in the opinion of the medical practitioner as to the patients’ gestation period where an in-person consultation has not taken place.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department keeps guidance on completing the EMA1 abortion form under review. There are currently no plans to update the guidance.
The medical practitioner terminating the pregnancy is required to form an opinion in good faith that the gestation of the pregnancy will be below 10 weeks at the time the first pill is taken. This opinion can be formed either during a teleconsultation, or an in-person appointment.
Pregnancy duration can be assessed from the first day of the last menstrual period (LMP). Advice from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists is clear that most women can determine the duration of their pregnancy with reasonable accuracy by LMP alone.
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 10 weeks at the time the first abortion pill is taken. If she does not attend in-person when requested, the terminating practitioner would not be able to form an opinion in good faith that the pregnancy is below 10 weeks gestation, and therefore would not be able to prescribe abortion pills for home use.