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 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.