Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Collins of Highbury on 5 June (HL6901), whether any minister was informed of the gift of a sports club to the Royal Navy from the King of Bahrain, and if so, which minister and on what date; and whether any minister approved this gift, and if so, which minister and on what date.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We can confirm the Secretary of State for Defence was notified in 2021, of the generous offer for a sports facility to the Royal Navy by His Majesty the King of Bahrain and gave approval. The facility was completed earlier this year in 2025 and remains under full UK operational control and is used solely for the welfare of UK service personnel stationed in Bahrain.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Collins of Highbury on 5 June (HL6901), what specific criteria were applied, and by whom, to ensure that the gift of a sports club to the Royal Navy from the King of Bahrain did not compromise British independence in the region.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This Government takes the safeguarding of UK operational independence and sovereign interests extremely seriously. In the case of the sports facility generously gifted by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa to the Royal Navy, the Ministry of Defence fully considered the offer and found no cause of concern. The facility is located within the UK Naval Support Facility in Bahrain and remains under full UK operational control. It is intended solely for the welfare and morale of UK service personnel stationed in the region.
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 4 June (HL8130), what is the reason for the delay in publishing the next annual LeDeR report seven months later relative to the previous annual report.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We expect the report will be published shortly, and the delay has been due to practical data issues.
NHS England commissions Kings College London and its partners to analyse data from Learning from Lives and Deaths, reviews about people with a learning disability and autistic people (LeDeR). The LeDeR report is published by Kings College London, who are currently working on the next report, and will publish it soon. The last report was published in November 2023, a copy of which has been placed in the Library due to the size of the document.
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 20 May (HL7198), whether they have carried out an impact assessment of reducing staff costs by 50 per cent for NHS England, including on the regional impacts; and if not, when an impact assessment will be carried out and published.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Work is progressing at pace to develop the design and operating model for the new integrated organisation, and to plan for the smooth transfer of people, functions, and responsibilities
It is only right that with such significant reform, we commit to carefully assessing and understanding the potential impacts, as is due process. These ongoing assessments will inform our programme as appropriate.
The Government is committed to transparency and will consider how best to ensure that the public and parliamentarians are informed of the outcomes.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the annual health check for people with a learning disability at their GP practice will continue to be a priority healthcare assessment for the rest of this Parliament.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends that general practitioners (GPs) should offer an annual health check to all adults, children and young people with a learning disability. The Government expects integrated care boards (ICBs) and health professionals to have due regard to NICE guidelines when making commissioning decisions. NHS Operational Planning Guidance for 2025/26 requires ICBs to report on the number of people on the quality outcome framework learning disability register aged 14 years old and over who receive an annual health check during the quarter.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they will publish the Learning from lives and deaths – people with a learning disability and autistic people (LeDeR) annual report that has been handed over to NHS England.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England commissions Kings College London and its partners to analyse data from the Learning from Lives and Deaths - people with a learning disability and autistic people (LeDeR) reports. The annual LeDeR report is published by Kings College London, who are currently working on the next annual report, and NHS England has advised that they will publish this shortly. The last report was published in November 2023 and is available on the King’s College London website.
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 impact on the operational independence and security of UK sovereign interests of accepting gifts from host governments in Gulf states, including the recent sports complex gifted to the Royal Navy by the King of Bahrain.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
His Majesty's Government recognises the importance of ensuring the operational independence and security of sovereign interests, including when operating in partnership with allied nations.
The sports complex is the generous gift of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa and the Bahrain Royal Family to the UK for its ongoing commitment to the security of the region. And it is intended to support the welfare and morale of UK personnel stationed at the UK Naval Support Facility in Bahrain, enabling year round access for service personnel.
The UK and Bahrain maintain a longstanding defence relationship, due to our shared interests in regional security and stability.
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 reports of intimidation and targeting of the family of Sheikh Ali Salman and individuals who visit his home by Bahrain’s Criminal Investigation Directorate; and whether this will impact the technical support and assistance they provide to that body.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We have made no assessment of the referenced allegation. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has previously raised the case of Ali Salman with the Bahraini Government, as well as with the independent oversight bodies.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to make representations to the government of Bahrain in the light of reports of medical neglect of Abduljalil al-Singace by Bahraini authorities; and whether they plan to endorse calls for his immediate release.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We continue to follow and discuss the case of Abduljalil al-Singace with the Bahraini Government, as well as with the independent oversight bodies, where appropriate. 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 Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what criteria they will use in reducing staff costs by 50 per cent for NHS England; and how this methodology was established with regard to local and regional outcomes.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Ministers and senior Department officials are working with the new executive team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to jointly lead the formation of a new joint centre.
At this stage, while we are scoping the transformation programme, it is too early to share details of any programmes to reduce staff costs, but we are looking closely at areas of duplication between NHS England and the Department. The reductions will be achieved through a mix of efficiencies, removing duplication between the Department and NHS England and stopping functions at the centre that will support our aim of empowering the frontline.
The Government is committed to transparency and will consider how best to ensure the public and parliamentarians are informed.