Asked by: Lord Stevens of Birmingham (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Baroness Merron on 24 November (HLWS1086), whether the Palliative Care and End of Life Care Modern Service Framework for England will (1) quantify the incremental funding needed to ensure the availability of comprehensive specialist palliative care across England, (2) include allocated funding to fully meet that need, and (3) guarantee that every person who is assessed to benefit from and chooses to receive comprehensive specialist palliative care will be legally entitled to it.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is developing a Palliative Care and End of Life Care Modern Service Framework for England. I refer the Noble Lord to the Written Ministerial Statement HLWS1086 I gave to the House on 24 November 2025.
Asked by: Lord Stevens of Birmingham (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Institute of Social Innovation and Impact at the University of Northampton The impact and value of school-based cadet forces in the UK, published in March, and whether they plan to increase the number of state schools with a Combined Cadet Force.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
We very much welcome the excellent research by the University of Northampton on the impact and value of school-based Cadet Forces in the UK, a study commissioned by the Ministry of Defence (MOD).
The report makes compelling reading for anyone interested in the development of young people. There are many useful insights in the report for school leaders to help support their efforts to seek wider opportunities for all their pupils – and breaking down barriers to opportunity is a core Government mission.
The report illustrates the positive impact that school-based Cadet Forces can have on the young people who join and shows how the ‘cadet experience’ can help them develop self-confidence, teamwork, leadership and resilience.
Given these and many other benefits, we want more young people to be able to become cadets. To this end we are currently reviewing how we can increase both the size and the offer of the Cadet Forces. This work is closely aligned with the Strategic Defence Review, and we have been engaging widely to consider how best to deliver these aims.
The joint MOD and Department for Education Cadet Expansion Programme has already seen a significant rise in the number of state schools with Combined Cadet Forces and we continue to invest in this growth.
Asked by: Lord Stevens of Birmingham (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government when before 1 April 2025 they will confirm whether mental health funding will increase as a share of overall NHS expenditure in 2025–26, as required under section 3(2) of the Health and Care Act 2022.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care will set out expectations for mental health funding, including the share of overall National Health Service expenditure in 2025/26, in due course, as required under section 3(2) of the Health and Care Act 2022.
Asked by: Lord Stevens of Birmingham (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Iraq about legislative proposals by some Shia parties to effectively legalise sex with nine-year-old girls.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK is analysing the proposed amendments to Iraq's Personal Status Law and its implications for women and children's rights, which we note have not yet been passed through the House of Representatives. As we continue to privately engage with a range of Iraqi interlocutors to discuss this, including the Government of Iraq, we are emphasising the importance of any amendments' compatibility with Iraq's international obligations.
Asked by: Lord Stevens of Birmingham (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government which scientific criteria they apply in deciding whether an educational institution can describe itself as a Health Sciences University; whether these criteria could apply to an institution teaching homeopathy and other alternative therapies; and which peer-reviewed research or externally-assessed teaching the Office for Students relied upon in deciding to allow the Anglo-European College of Chiropractic and University College of Osteopathy to rebrand themselves as the Health Sciences University.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
When a provider requests to change its name, a strict criteria and assessment process is followed. The provider will already have undergone considerable scrutiny when being awarded Degree Awarding Powers (DAPs), including input from quality experts, drawn from the sector, to test the provider against multiple criteria. Indefinite DAP’s status is the main eligibility test for providers to be able to go through the title process.
In this instance, the provider gained degree awarding powers in 2016 and so was able to apply for university title as per the rules set out in the Office for Students’ (OfS) ‘Regulatory advice 13: how to apply for university college and university title’, which is attached and also available at: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/publications/regulatory-advice-13-how-to-apply-for-university-college-and-university-title/#:~:text=and%20university%20title-,Regulatory%20advice%2013%3A%20How%20to%20apply%20for%20university%20college%20and,as%20part%20of%20their%20name.
The department and the OfS were notified in September 2023 regarding the provider changing its name. When considering the proposed new name for a provider, the OfS must have due regard to the need to avoid names that are, or may be, confusing. In addition, in the instance of the newly named Health Sciences University, the OfS operated an open consultation on the proposed name. This ran from 22 February 2024 to 21 March 2024, and determined the regulator's final decision. The OfS approach is set out in their case report ‘Approval of proposed new name for AECC University College - Office for Students’, which is attached and can also be found at: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/publications/approval-of-proposed-new-name-for-aecc-university-college/.
In addition to the OfS process, regulations brought into force under the Companies Act 2006 means that the department has responsibility for confirming that it has no objection to the use of the sensitive word ‘university’ in a business name. The OfS published approval of the proposed new name from ‘AECC University College' to 'Health Sciences University’ in July 2024. The department then considered the request from the provider to change its name to ‘Health Sciences University’ and was satisfied that the use of the word ‘university’ was appropriate in this context. The department had no objection to the use of the term ‘university’ in the proposed business name ‘Health Sciences University’ and issued the provider with a non-objection letter on 18 July 2024.
During this consultation the OfS did not receive any responses questioning the merit of the subject area(s) of the provider.
Asked by: Lord Stevens of Birmingham (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of the Gambia concerning new legislation which would decriminalise female genital mutilation.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Lord Chamberlain (HM Household)
The UK Government, alongside our international partners, continues to have frank and open conversations with The Gambian Government, including the President and other Ministers, about the Bill to repeal the ban on FGM. On 19 March, the Foreign Secretary issued a tweet reinforcing the UK Government's position that FGM is harmful and should be illegal, and the Minister for Development and Africa spoke to the President about the repercussions of any vote in favour of FGM once again being permitted in The Gambia.
Asked by: Lord Stevens of Birmingham (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Lord Markham on 21 March (HLWS366), whether NHS England and integrated care board aggregate NHS mental health expenditure would still be expected to increase as a share of their total expenditure in 2024–25 compared with 2023–24 if "non-recurrent" expenditure is not excluded from the baseline calculation; and if not, whether they will itemise and quantify expected "non-recurrent" expenditure in both years.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
The following table shows the spend on mental health in 2024/25 and 2023/24, the total National Health Service mandate, and the spend on mental health as a percentage of the mandate:
| 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
Total NHS mandate | £173,300,000,000 | £179,300,000,000 |
Mental health spend | £13,900,000,000 | £14,800,000,000 |
As a percentage of the mandate | 8% | 8.2% |
Source: NHS England.
Asked by: Lord Stevens of Birmingham (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government when before 1 April they will confirm whether NHS mental health funding will increase as a share of overall NHS expenditure in 2024/25, as required by section 3(2) of the Health and Care Act 2022.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
Information on mental health funding within the National Health Service will be made available once NHS planning guidance is published.
Asked by: Lord Stevens of Birmingham (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the International Committee of the Red Cross concerning securing access to Israeli hostages being held in Gaza.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Since October 7, the UK government has been working with relevant partners across the region, including the International Committee of the Red Cross, to help secure the release of hostages and better understand their status, including working to gain information on proof of life and access to medical professionals. As the Foreign Secretary has said, we need a humanitarian pause now to allow for the release of hostages.
Asked by: Lord Stevens of Birmingham (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much development assistance they have provided to South Africa over the past 10 years.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Lord Chamberlain (HM Household)
The UK's development assistance to South Africa promotes a strategic partnership with a focus on shared priorities including economic development, climate change, gender equality and strengthening health systems. South Africa still faces major development challenges - particularly around poverty, inequality and unemployment - and remains eligible to receive donor assistance. Since 2014 the UK has provided South Africa with £267,928,979 in development assistance as our relationship has evolved from one of aid to one of mutual co-operation and strategic partnerships.