Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government which cancer networks have been told by commissioners that their funding will be cut next financial year; and what is the percentage cut to their budgets.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government has committed significant investment to improving cancer care with a focus on reducing waiting times for diagnosis and treatment. This includes approximately £1.5 billion capital funding in 2025/26 for new surgical hubs and diagnostic scanners, creating capacity for over 30,000 more procedures and 1.25 million diagnostic tests. Furthermore, we have already hit our pledge early to deliver over two million more elective care appointments.
We are ensuring patients get care faster by halving the number of targets in Operational Planning Guidance and by transferring a higher proportion of funding than ever before directly to local systems with minimised ringfencing. These steps allow local leaders maximum flexibility to plan better and more efficient services.
To deliver on our priorities to diagnose and treat cancer faster, Service Development Funding will be rolled into rolled into core allocations. This means the total allocation for Cancer Alliances in 2025/26 is £379 million compared to £419 million in 2024/25, a reduction of approximately 9% as funding is transferred to different priorities. Further information is available on the revenue finance and contracting guidance for 2025/26 on NHS England’s website.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Bahrain about the detention of Ali al-Hajee.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
We are aware of the arrest of Ali Al-Hajee on 28 February 2025 and subsequent release. When appropriate, including in instances where there are allegations of Human Rights infringements, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office follows and discusses individual cases with the Bahraini Government and with the independent oversight bodies, which have been established to deal with such matters.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 14 February (HL4607), how much of the capital allocated to each hospital to be built has been allocated in this funding round; and what are the provisional amounts allocated to each hospital in future rounds.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Funding has been agreed with HM Treasury to cover 2025/26. For 2025/26, we have approved and issued £233 million of funding to trusts. Funding beyond this will be agreed in the Spending Review in spring 2025.
Funding is issued subject to the approval of a business case. These are submitted at different stages for separate elements of a scheme. At the start of a scheme such business cases would be for enabling works, including, for example, site clearance or a land purchase, and are relatively small. Fees are also allocated to Trusts to develop plans and business cases. However, most of the funding for individual schemes in the New Hospital Programme will be subject to the approval of a Full Business Case as set out in HMT Green Book and is usual for large infrastructure projects.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill on 18 February (HL4719), whether they were (1) part of the Manchester Task Force, or (2) consulted by them, with regards to the withdrawal of the direct Sheffield to Manchester Airport train; and if so, whether they supported the decision.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Manchester Task Force (MTF) began meeting in February 2020, made up of Department for Transport, Network Rail, train operators, Rail North Partnership, Transport for the North and Transport for Greater Manchester. Through gathering evidence, developing options and publicly consulting, the task force identified a range of short and long-term actions to improve the performance of the railway in Manchester/across the North and support future growth in passengers.
The task force identified the Sheffield-Manchester Airport service, which reversed at Manchester Piccadilly, consuming two train paths in each direction, as one of the worst performing, with a significant impact on delays across the network.
The new timetable developed by MTF has delivered improvements in reliability of around 30 per cent, and the task force concept is now being used to resolve issues on the East Coast main line. As new infrastructure is realised and longer trains allow for a greater capacity with less congestion, we will look at services that could be reintroduced, possibly including direct services from Sheffield to the Airport, although there could be other towns and cities making a case for their pre-2022 direct connections to be restored as well.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Barran on 23 February 2024 (HL6145), what progress they have made on the education sector certification scheme, and what is its current status.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
The department launched the ‘Data protection in schools’ project, formerly known as the education privacy assurance scheme (EPAS), in autumn 2022. The department’s primary focus is to educate schools and enable them to understand their data protection responsibilities, with the view to improving children’s safety and privacy.
The department is currently awaiting the outcome of an Information Commissioner’s Office audit into educational technology providers, and a subsequent code of practice, before determining whether any additional measures, including certification, should be implemented.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in relation to section 63 of the Mental Health Act 1983, whether investigations ancillary to compulsory treatment (for example blood tests to determine precise or safe dosing for permitted compulsory treatment under section 63) are permitted as part of the overall compulsory treatment permitted under that section.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Section 63 of the Mental Health Act 1983 provides that the consent of patients falling within that part of the Act is not required for medical treatment for mental disorder, where the treatment is given by the patient’s approved clinician, or under their direction. Exceptions to this are where the treatment falls under the special procedures set out in sections 57, 58 and 58A. Medical treatment for mental disorder, mentioned under section 63, may include treatment of physical conditions where it is intended to alleviate or prevent a worsening of symptoms or a manifestation of the mental disorder. For example, a blood test for an antipsychotic drug, or where the treatment is otherwise part of, or ancillary to, treatment for mental disorder.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the award of Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order to King Hamad of Bahrain was proposed by the Government.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Awards in the Royal Victorian Order are made personally by The King. With advice from His Majesty's Government, The King invested King Hamad of Bahrain with his Honorary Knighthood at Windsor Castle on 11 November 2024 in the year of his Silver Jubilee.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to secure the release of imprisoned human rights defenders and political activists in Bahrain; and what discussions they have had with Bahrain, if any, about the cases of (1) Abduljalil Al-Singace, (2) Hasan Mushaima, and (3) Sheikh Ali Salman.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
We continue to follow and discuss the cases of Abduljalil Al Singace, Hasan Mushaima and Sheikh Ali Salman with the Bahraini Government, as well as with the independent oversight bodies, where appropriate.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the statement by Vice-President of the European Commission, Kaja Kallas, concerning the ongoing imprisonment of Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja in Bahrain; and whether they plan to endorse calls for his unconditional release.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK continues to follow and discuss the case of Abdulhadi al-Khawaja with the Bahraini Government. The UK remains committed to supporting reforms in Bahrain and to encouraging the government to meet its human rights commitments.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of recent reports of human rights abuses in Bahrain’s Jau Prison, including arbitrary solitary confinement, physical assaults, and the prolonged use of shackles causing injury; what representations they have made to the government of Bahrain regarding these alleged violations; and what assessment they have made of the role played by Brigadier Abdulsalam Al Oraifi, the Director General of Reformation and Rehabilitation in Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK maintains a dialogue with Bahrain on issues including detention and prison conditions at Jau. We encourage individuals alleging concerns about treatment in detention to report them to Bahrain's independent oversight bodies, which are established to deal with such matters.