Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Department of Health and Social Care on 6 September (HC2283), why they have paused the work of the Child and Young Person Cancer Task force.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Children and Young People’s Cancer Taskforce was paused so that ministers could assess the work of the taskforce so far and determine how it fitted into the Government’s priorities for the Department. Although the taskforce has been paused, the work carried out to date has been valuable, and remains important to the Department's work. We are committed to progressing work in this area, and are in the process of considering next steps for taking forward the taskforce's work and leadership.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government why in their proposals to reform the eligible membership of the House of Lords they have not included consideration of the bishops.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

In its manifesto, the Government promised to bring about an immediate reform by removing the right of hereditary peers to sit and vote in the House of Lords.

The Government has now introduced legislation to implement this reform. This is a first step in taking forward the Government's commitments to wider reform of the House of Lords, including the introduction of a retirement age, a new participation requirement, changes to the appointments process, as well as establishing an alternative second chamber that is more representative of the regions and nations of the UK.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what activities they have carried out to support Child Cancer Awareness Month.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

We are committed to helping the NHS diagnose cancer on time, diagnose it earlier and treat it faster so that more patients survive this horrible set of diseases. We are also committed to improving patients’ experience across the system. This includes children and young people cancer and their families.

The Department is currently reviewing the work of the Children and Young People’s Cancer Taskforce and are in the process of considering next steps for taking forward the Taskforce's work.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Chapman of Darlington on 14 October (HL1256), what plans they have for a ministerial visit to Diego Garcia before legislation relating to the sovereignty of the Chagos Islands is introduced to Parliament.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

There are currently no plans for Ministers to visit Diego Garcia. The UK's Chief Negotiator, Harriet Mathews, and members of the UK's negotiating team visited the British Indian Ocean Territory in June 2024. Ministerial travel plans are not routinely published in advance of official Government visits.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what were all the ministerial visits to Diego Garcia (British Indian Ocean Territory) since 1 January 2015.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Former FCDO Minister Sir James Duddridge visited the British Indian Ocean Territory in November 2015 and Former MoD Minister Lord Lancaster visited between September and October 2019.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the recent election in Georgia was free and fair.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

In Minister of State Stephen Doughty's 27 October statement he made clear his support for the findings of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights' election monitoring mission preliminary report on Georgia's election. That report notes that the election day itself was well-organised and administered in an orderly environment. However, it also highlighted a range of concerns, including frequent breaches of voter secrecy, procedural inconsistencies, as well as reports of intimidation and pressure on voters that negatively impacted public trust in the process. Allegations of irregularities must be investigated thoroughly and independently.