Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the announcement on marriage reform by the Northern Ireland Department of Finance on 1 July affects legal recognition for humanist marriages in England and Wales.

Answered by Lord Bellamy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

Since marriage is a devolved matter, any decisions regarding humanist marriages in Northern Ireland will not impact marriage laws in England and Wales.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Law Commission review Celebrating Marriage: A New Weddings Law, published on 19 July, which has called for legal recognition for humanist marriages.

Answered by Lord Bellamy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Law Commission report published on 19 July 2022 did not consider the question of whether non-religious belief organisations, including Humanists, should be able to conduct legally binding weddings. The report contains 57 recommendations for legislative reform .

We must now take the time to consider the Law Commission’s recommendations fully. As has been set out in Parliament, marriage will always be one of our most important institutions, and we have a duty to consider the implications of any changes to the law in this area very carefully, including balancing the needs and interests of all groups. We will publish a response to the report in due course

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of non-religious pastoral care in the armed forces of the Kingdoms of Norway, Belgium, and the Netherlands; and whether they will consider introducing a similar model in the UK.

Answered by Baroness Goldie

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has a diverse population, including personnel with a range of beliefs and faith, and those who have no religion. Military Chaplains are selected and trained primarily because of their ability to show empathy to all Service personnel. They are professionally qualified to provide pastoral care to everyone, regardless of faith, world philosophy or status and will provide or facilitate spiritual support to personnel and their families as requested. Service personnel who do not wish to talk to a Chaplain for faith/belief/philosophical reasons are encouraged to seek spiritual support from a variety of alternative sources, which can be facilitated by the Chaplain. This includes their Chain of Command, through the Services' professional social workers, medical staff, welfare staff. Mutual support is also available via the various staff networks, including the Humanist and Non Religious in Defence (HAND) Network.

The MOD is aware that the Armed Forces of Norway, Belgium and the Netherlands employ humanist pastoral carers (or similar). We are working to create and sustain an environment where everyone feels respected and able to achieve their full potential. We have recently concluded a review of the provision of non-religious pastoral support for our Armed Forces and are currently considering the recommendations of that review and how best we can support all our people.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they consider religious chaplains qualified to offer pastoral support to non-religious armed forces personnel; and if so, why.

Answered by Baroness Goldie

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has a diverse population, including personnel with a range of beliefs and faith, and those who have no religion. Military Chaplains are selected and trained primarily because of their ability to show empathy to all Service personnel. They are professionally qualified to provide pastoral care to everyone, regardless of faith, world philosophy or status and will provide or facilitate spiritual support to personnel and their families as requested. Service personnel who do not wish to talk to a Chaplain for faith/belief/philosophical reasons are encouraged to seek spiritual support from a variety of alternative sources, which can be facilitated by the Chaplain. This includes their Chain of Command, through the Services' professional social workers, medical staff, welfare staff. Mutual support is also available via the various staff networks, including the Humanist and Non Religious in Defence (HAND) Network.

The MOD is aware that the Armed Forces of Norway, Belgium and the Netherlands employ humanist pastoral carers (or similar). We are working to create and sustain an environment where everyone feels respected and able to achieve their full potential. We have recently concluded a review of the provision of non-religious pastoral support for our Armed Forces and are currently considering the recommendations of that review and how best we can support all our people.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to raise awareness of common eye conditions that affect elderly people, such as geographic atrophy, among clinicians and patients.

Answered by Lord Kamall

Regulated healthcare professionals are required to maintain their clinical knowledge through continued professional learning as part of their registration to practice.

In 2022, NHS England has developed 28 eye care related videos for patients, which include information on age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma and cataracts. These videos are shared by clinicians with patients, including the elderly and some have been promoted on social media.

NHS England provides online resources for clinicians and commissioners of eye care services through the Future NHS Eye Care Hub. The National Health Service also provides online information on a range of eye care conditions for patients and their carers, including age-related macular degeneration. The Department also participates in National Eye Health Week, to promote the importance of good eye health, the need for regular sight tests and the availability of free NHS sight tests for eligible groups, including those aged 60 years old and over

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase NHS capacity to deliver intravitreal injections to accommodate the prospective, novel treatment of geographic atrophy.

Answered by Lord Kamall

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is currently supporting clinical trials for a number of medicines relating to geographic atrophy, including intravitreal injections. It will review the quality, safety and efficacy of these products should the manufacturers apply for licenses.

All new licensed medicines are subsequently appraised by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and guidance issued to the National Health Service. In the absence of NICE’s guidance, local commissioners should consider the available evidence when determining funding for new treatments and the capacity of the local NHS to deliver the service.

Found: ADY0209 - Assisted dying/assisted suicide Lord Low of Dalston Written Evidence

Found: ADY0209 - Assisted dying/assisted suicide Lord Low of Dalston Written Evidence

Found: Membership The Members of the Liaison Committee are: Lord Bradley Lord Low of Dalston Lord Davies of

Found: Membership The Members of the Liaison Committee are: Lord Bradley Lord Low of Dalston Lord Davies of

Found: Davies of Oldham; Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town; Earl Howe; Lo rd Judge; Lord Lang of Monkton; Lord

Found: Lord Low of Dalston McFall of Alc luith, L. ( Chair) Smith of Hindhea d, L. Tyler, L.

Found: Lord Low of Dalston McFall of Alcluith, L. (Cha ir) Smith of Hindhead, L. Tyler, L.

Found: Membership The Members of the Liaison Committee are: Lord Bradley Lord Low of Dalston Lord Davies of

Found: Membership The Members of the Liaison Committee are: Lord Bradley Lord Low of Dalston Lord Davies of

Found: Judge No relevant interests to declare Lord Lang of Monkton No relevant interests to declare Lord

Found: Membership The Members of the Liaison Committee are: Lord Bradley Lord Low of Dalston Lord Davies of

Found: Membership The Members of the Liaison Committee are: Lord Bradley Lord Low of Dalston Lord Davies of

Found: Impairment: Older People 02 Aug 2022 | Written questions | Answered | House of Lords | HL1971 Asked by: Lord