Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 3 April (HL3297), which ambassadors have accepted offers of gifts or hospitality to attended F1 races in the last three years in Gulf States as recorded through management assurance processes; which races they attended; and who offered the gift and hospitality.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

As the answer to Question HL3297 made clear, all FCDO Staff are expected to maintain the highest standards of propriety and regularity at all times in line with the Civil Service Code and Diplomatic Service Code. It is recognised across HMG that, for example, the exchange of gifts and hospitality have long been an important part of building relations, particularly overseas. The motorsport industry provides significant economic opportunities for the UK, generating over £10 billion in revenue each year, and UK Ambassadors to Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have regularly attended F1 events as part of their official duties. Offers of gifts or hospitality to FCDO officials are recorded and regularly audited under our management assurance processes.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what planning estimate they have made for the number of people who have arrived by irregular routes and need to be accommodated in the UK because they have not been sent to a safe third country or returned home, for the end of each month from April to December 2024.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Home Office routinely publishes information on a quarterly basis, including on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, all irregular modes of entry into the UK, and the level of returns.

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask His Majesty's Government how they intend to monitor progress on the implementation of the 28 recommendations in the Tees Valley Review; and whether they intend to make their findings public.

Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)

On 7 March, the Secretary of State responded to the Mayor’s initial response to the independent review, acknowledging that the Authority is working collaboratively to engage with the recommendations from the review and working out how best to implement them, and requesting a further report in six months’ time.

When the Mayor’s further response is received, we will issue a Government response as soon as possible.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many full-time equivalent established posts there were in the Civil Service dealing with immigration issues related to the Rwanda scheme at (1) 30 September 2023, (2) 31 December 2023, and (3) 31 March 2024; and how many of these posts were filled on these dates.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Home Office publishes its accounts each year which sets out the FTE working in each of its systems, including on matters relating to Migration and Borders.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 30 April (HL3810), where the register detailing which ambassadors have accepted offers of gifts or hospitality to attend F1 races in the last three years in each of the Gulf States can be accessed; and whether the register identifies which races they attended, and who offered the gift and hospitality.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Registers for gifts and hospitality are held locally at each FCDO Embassy. These registers are not publicly released.

The FCDO expects all members of staff to maintain the highest standards of propriety and regularity at all times in line with the Civil Service Code and the Diplomatic Service Code.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to establishing a sovereign wealth fund, funded by surpluses generated from the commercial value of the use of NHS data sets, calculated at £5 billion per annum.

Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government recognises the potential value that NHS data sets can generate and is committed to ensuring that the NHS realises a fair share of any value arising from data partnerships. To this end, the NHS's Value Sharing Framework outlines guiding principles to support this objective.

However, the Government has no plans to create a sovereign wealth fund predicated on the sale of access to NHS data. Rather, we continue to carefully explore the most effective ways to derive value from the use of health data for research purposes. This exploration is conducted with a focus on ensuring fair value for the NHS and upholding public trust.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government who funded the recent trip of the Minister for the Armed Forces, Leo Docherty MP, to Bahrain; and, insofar as sponsorship was provided by the government of Bahrain, what this sponsorship covered.

Answered by Earl of Minto - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

I can confirm that this visit was funded only through HMG, there was no funding or sponsorship from Bahrain.

Found: Apologies were received from Vanessa Davies, Baroness Kidron and Lord Scriven.