Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce rates of suicide.

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

We have committed to tackling suicide, as one of the biggest killers in this country. As part of this, the 8,500 new mental health staff we will recruit will be specially trained to support people at risk, to reduce the lives lost to suicide.

The Suicide Prevention Strategy for England, published in September 2023, identifies a number of groups for tailored or targeted action at a national level, and we are exploring opportunities to go further.

79 organisations have been allocated funding between 2023 and 2025, through the £10 million Suicide Prevention Grant Fund, and are delivering a broad and diverse range of activities that will prevent suicides and save lives.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many government reviews they have initiated since the 2024 general election; and what is their estimated cost.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Government regularly reviews its work to ensure that it is delivering the best outcomes for the people of the United Kingdom, and that its policies continue to represent the best value for the taxpayer. Individual departments are responsible for publishing any information on public reviews, consultations and investigations on gov.uk, although there will always be internal work in government departments which we would not ordinarily or routinely publish.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to build a strong relationship with the Trump administration in the United States of America.

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

The Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary look forward to working with President Trump and the new Administration, to continue our shared mission to ensure the prosperity and security of our two great nations. The Prime Minister spoke to President Trump on 26 January and congratulated him on his inauguration. The two leaders stressed the importance of the close and warm ties between the UK and the US and agreed to meet in-person in the near future. The Foreign Secretary spoke to Secretary Rubio on 27 January. They both welcomed the opportunity for the UK and the US to work together to address shared challenges, including the situation in the Middle East, Russia's illegal war in Ukraine, the challenges posed by China and the need for Indo-Pacific security. The pair said they looked forward to working together and to meeting in person soon.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce knife crime among young people.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

Halving knife crime over the next decade is a key part of the Government's Safer Streets mission and we are taking a range of steps to realise this ambition and keep young people safe.

We have already implemented the ban on zombie-style knives and zombie-style machetes approved by Parliament in April. The ban came in to force on 24 September 2024 and it is now illegal to sell or own these weapons. We are now going further, and on 13 November we launched a consultation on a ban of ninja swords, which has recently concluded.

We also know that more needs to be done to tackle the sale of knives online which is why last October, the Home Secretary commissioned Commander Stephen Clayman, as the National Police Chiefs' Council lead for knife crime, to carry out a full review into the online sale and delivery of knives. The report was received at the end of January and will be published imminently, but as a first step the Home Secretary has announced that the Government intends to strengthen age verification controls and checks for all online sellers of knives at the point of purchase and on delivery, to prevent lethal blades from ending up in the wrong hands.

We have set up a Knife-Enabled Robbery Taskforce, which brings together Ministers, Chief Constables and others working across criminal justice to take immediate action to tackle the fastest rising type of knife crime.

And finally, we have also created a new Young Futures programme, which will include the establishment of Young Futures Prevention Partnerships across England and Wales, bringing partners together to intervene earlier to stop young people being drawn into crime. It is vital we have a system that can identify and support those young people who need it most.

These are just some of the first steps we are taking to tackle the scourge of serious youth violence on our streets.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve treatments for Lyme disease.

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

The Department commissioned four reviews on Lyme disease, published by the Evidence for Policy and Practice Information group in December 2017. These reviews were undertaken alongside reviews conducted by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, who developed definitive advice on the treatment, testing, and diagnosis of Lyme disease in April 2018.

If recognised promptly and treated with a full course of appropriate antibiotics, acute Lyme disease will usually resolve without further complications. Further information on the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease is available on the GOV.UK website.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to engage with the farming community in relation to the reform of agricultural property relief for Inheritance Tax.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

We actively engage with representatives from the farming industry through regular meetings and discussions, ensuring we listen to their views, understand their concerns, and take their feedback into account. The reforms to Agricultural and Business Property Relief will mean three quarters of estates will continue to pay no inheritance tax at all, while the remaining quarter will pay half the inheritance tax that most people pay, and payments can be spread over 10 years, interest-free. We are also investing £5 billion into farming over the next two years, the largest amount for sustainable food production in our country’s history, and are going further with reforms to boost profits for farmers by backing British produce and reforming planning rules on farms to support food production.