Asked by: Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether withdrawing from the Ottawa Treaty would have any benefit in meeting recommendation 42 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025 "to increase lethality ten-fold".
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction (also known as the Ottawa Convention) continues to play an important role in protecting civilians from harm caused by anti-personnel landmines. As a State Party to the Ottawa Convention, the UK’s commitment to it remains unwavering.
The UK’s ambition in the Strategic Defence Review to double and then triple the UK Army’s fighting power reflects a fundamental transformation in how the Army prepares for and conducts warfare. This is not simply about increasing firepower or platform numbers — it’s about reimagining how we fight.
Asked by: Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question
To ask the Leader of the House when she expects a Written Answer to be given to the three questions asked by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton on 5 June (HL8180, HL8181 and HL8182).
Answered by Baroness Smith of Basildon - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
The question was answered by the Department for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office 26 June 2025. I apologise for the delay.
Asked by: Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the extent to which the unique relationship between Nepal and UK through the brigade of Gurkhas is taken into consideration when allocating bilateral support to Nepal.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK is a longstanding partner to Nepal and we have a broad and diverse cooperation. This includes Gurkhas in the British Army who make an outstanding contribution to the UK as well as UK Official Development Assistance (ODA). UK ODA is allocated by financial year. In financial year 2023-24, £28.3 million of ODA was allocated for bilateral programming in Nepal, and for year 2024-25, £60.2 million was allocated. We will publish final 2025/26 Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) ODA programme allocations in the FCDO Annual Report & Accounts this summer. Over the coming months, we will work through detailed decisions on how the ODA budget will be used from 2026/27, informed by internal and external consultation and impact assessments, ahead of publishing indicative multi-year allocations in the autumn.
Asked by: Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much bilateral aid has been allocated to Nepal since 2023, broken down by year.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK is a longstanding partner to Nepal and we have a broad and diverse cooperation. This includes Gurkhas in the British Army who make an outstanding contribution to the UK as well as UK Official Development Assistance (ODA). UK ODA is allocated by financial year. In financial year 2023-24, £28.3 million of ODA was allocated for bilateral programming in Nepal, and for year 2024-25, £60.2 million was allocated. We will publish final 2025/26 Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) ODA programme allocations in the FCDO Annual Report & Accounts this summer. Over the coming months, we will work through detailed decisions on how the ODA budget will be used from 2026/27, informed by internal and external consultation and impact assessments, ahead of publishing indicative multi-year allocations in the autumn.
Asked by: Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much bilateral aid will be allocated to Nepal for the next three financial years.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK is a longstanding partner to Nepal and we have a broad and diverse cooperation. This includes Gurkhas in the British Army who make an outstanding contribution to the UK as well as UK Official Development Assistance (ODA). UK ODA is allocated by financial year. In financial year 2023-24, £28.3 million of ODA was allocated for bilateral programming in Nepal, and for year 2024-25, £60.2 million was allocated. We will publish final 2025/26 Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) ODA programme allocations in the FCDO Annual Report & Accounts this summer. Over the coming months, we will work through detailed decisions on how the ODA budget will be used from 2026/27, informed by internal and external consultation and impact assessments, ahead of publishing indicative multi-year allocations in the autumn.
Asked by: Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the announcement by Poland, Finland, Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia that they intend to withdraw from the Ottawa Treaty banning anti-personnel mines; and whether they intend to consider withdrawal as well.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
His Majesty’s Government (HMG) has noted that Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland have stated their intention to withdraw from the Ottawa Convention. The UK acknowledges and shares concerns about the security environment in the region as a result of Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. We also acknowledge that it is the sovereign right of those countries to make this decision. The UK will work to mitigate impacts on vital arms control and disarmament norms, while continuing to engage bilaterally on the actions States plan to take.
The Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction (also known as the Ottawa Convention) continues to play an important role in protecting civilians from harm caused by anti-personnel landmines. As a State Party to the Ottawa Convention, the UK’s commitment to it remains unwavering. We continue to encourage countries to join the Ottawa Convention, subscribe to its provisions; and discourage States from using anti-personnel landmines.
HMG continues to publicly express its commitment to the Ottawa Convention, most recently by Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Baroness Chapman, at a House of Lords debate on Landmines and Cluster Munitions on 3 April 2025 (Official Report vol 845, column 425).
Asked by: Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton (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 the 9 April (HL6179), how many non-civil servants are employed by the Cabinet Office on zero-hours contracts as at 1 April.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Non-Civil Servants are not employed by the Cabinet Office. Where non-Civil Servants are required, they are engaged via routes other than employment contracts such as contracts for Contingent Labour via a third-party agency. While the Cabinet Office also makes a number of public appointments and direct ministerial appointments, the individuals appointed to such roles are public office holders and not employees.
Cabinet Office has 423 Contingent Labour workers on zero hour contracts as at 28 April 2025 via the contract Cabinet Office has with Alexander Mann Solutions Ltd.
The Cabinet Office uses zero hours contracts to selectively manage temporary demand. To end exploitative zero hours contracts, under the government’s plans to Make Work Pay legislation will be brought in to give workers on zero hours contracts and workers with a ‘low’ number of guaranteed hours, who regularly work more than these hours, the ability to move to guaranteed hours contracts which reflect the hours they regularly work over a 12-week reference period.
Asked by: Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question
To ask the Leader of the House when she expects a Written Answer to be given to the question asked by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton on 26 March (HL6184).
Answered by Baroness Smith of Basildon - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
The question was answered by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 6 May 2025. I apologise for the delay.
Asked by: Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government on which dates since 2016 the Advisory Military Sub Committee has met.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Advisory Military Sub-Committee (AMSC) is a sub-committee of the Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals (the “HD Committee”) which provides advice to The Sovereign on honours and medals. Following the independent review of medallic recognition by Sir John Holmes in 2012, the AMSC met later in 2012 and 2013. It was then reconstituted in 2019 and has since met on the following dates:
Further information about the work of the AMSC, including Terms of Reference and a summary of past recommendations can be found at the following website: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/advisory-military-sub-committee
Asked by: Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether minutes of Advisory Military Sub-Committee meetings are kept.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
I can confirm that minutes of Advisory Military Sub-Committee meetings are kept.