Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Libya about recent attacks on Christian communities, including kidnapping and murder, and what steps they are taking to ensure religious freedom is promoted in that country.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)

I am deeply concerned about the scale of violations of Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) globally, including in Libya. The recent sentencing of individuals for exercising their right to freedom of thought is particularly troubling. No one should live in fear because of their beliefs. The UK urges Libyan authorities to uphold due process and fair trial standards for all. We continue to support the UN-facilitated process for an inclusive political settlement and engage Libyan authorities and international partners to promote human rights. We also raise FoRB concerns through the UN, G7, and Article 18 Alliance.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many children from Gaza they are supporting to receive specialist medical treatment in regional Middle Eastern locations.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)

On 1st September, the former Foreign Secretary announced an additional £15 million of aid and medical care for Gaza and the region. In July, we pledged £7.5 million of additional support for UK-Med to operate two field hospitals. UK Med have treated over 600,000 Gazans in field hospitals in Gaza over the course of the conflict. We have also provided £3 million to World Health Organization (WHO) Egypt over the conflict, including £1 million announced on 1 August to assist the Egyptian health system, including to treat Palestinians medically evacuated from Gaza.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that major national historical events such as the Battle of Britain are given sufficient weight in the national curriculum.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The history curriculum provides a flexible framework that allows schools and teachers to select which topics they teach across the key stages. It does not set out how subjects, or topics within them, should be taught, giving teachers the freedom to use their knowledge and expertise to decide how and what specific topics they teach their pupils.

Significant national historical events, such as the Battle of Britain, can already be taught within the history curriculum across the three key stages. At key stage 1, the topic of World War II and the Battle of Britain can be taught within the statutory theme of ‘changes within living memory’. At key stage 2, schools may teach ‘a significant turning point in British history, for example, the first railways or the Battle of Britain’ as a non-statutory example within the statutory theme ‘a study of an aspect or theme in British history that extends pupils’ chronological knowledge beyond 1066’. At key stage 3, students are expected to study ‘challenges for Britain, Europe and the wider world 1901 to the present day’. In addition to the statutory requirement of studying the Holocaust, schools may choose to explore other major national historical events, including those linked to the First and Second World Wars.

The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, chaired by Becky Francis CBE. The Review wants to ensure a rich, broad, inclusive and innovative curriculum that readies young people for life and work. The Review Group published its interim report in March 2025 and will publish its final report, with recommendations, this autumn. The interim report is accessible in the attached document.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to the project 'In vivo taste assessment of pharmaceutical compounds and formulations' in Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986: Non-technical summaries for project licences granted April – June 2025, published on 11 July, what assessment they have made of carrying out that project with consenting volunteers to test small, non-harmful amount of a drug formulation to gain detailed feedback on palatability.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office ensures, in all licences, that if alternative strategies can provide sufficient information to achieve the outcomes sought then animals are not licensed for use.

The gold standard for experiments using substances which are intended for human consumption is human subjects. However, at the early stages of the drug development process toxicological data in humans are often extremely limited or non-existent, which limits the use of human panels due to ethical and/or safety reasons. In this specific licence the aversiveness test is intended for substances in the early stages of drug development and can be critical for patient compliance. The rat Brief-Access Taste Aversion (BATA) test is, in the absence of a fully effective functioning e-tongue, the only current operative test to allow the assessment of the taste acceptance of oral medicines in the early stage of drug development where there is no known safety data.

The Government is committed to working towards a vision of phasing out the use of animals in science. The Government will publish a strategy that describes how it will accelerate the development and uptake of alternative methods to animal research and testing later this year.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to the project 'Molecular architecture, function and dysfunction of the blood brain barrier' in Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986: Non-technical summaries for project licences granted April – June 2025, published on 11 July, why a licence was granted for that project when human cell-based models of the blood brain barrier are available; and what assessment they have made of how the licence complies with the section 2A of that Act that requires scientifically satisfactory non-animal methods to be used where possible.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office ensures all licences are fully compliant with all sections of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. In this specific licence, the blood brain barrier is a complex and dynamic multicellular structure. In vitro (non-animal) models cannot fully replicate the interactions in this environment that are possible in a living organism. The project also looks at dysfunction which is difficult to simulate in vitro, especially when looking at certain diseases. Whilst cell-based models exist and are becoming more advanced they are not, in this case, an acceptable model and so would not be a viable alternative. The project will explore the use of brain cells, induced pluripotent stem cells and organoids during the study which will contribute to the potential 3Rs benefits (Replacement, Reduction and Refinement) in this field.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of illegal migrants they will return under the returns agreement with France by the end of 2025.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

Returns to France under the UK-France returns agreement commenced on 18 September 2025.

This is a pilot that we want to expand and therefore the numbers will vary. We will not go into the operational details as this would provide criminal smuggling gangs with information that they may use to continue to their vile trade.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect flights returning illegal migrants to France to commence under their returns agreement.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

Returns to France under the UK-France returns agreement commenced on 18 September 2025.

This is a pilot that we want to expand and therefore the numbers will vary. We will not go into the operational details as this would provide criminal smuggling gangs with information that they may use to continue to their vile trade.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government why military personnel from (1) China, and (2) Qatar, are not banned from attending the Royal College of Defence Studies.

Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The provision of professional military education or training to a foreign military is dependent on a number of factors, including the nature of our partnerships and course availability, and is kept under regular review. Any decision is made on a case-by-case basis and is underpinned by a robust assessment as to the benefits, risks, and compliance with international human rights law.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether children and guardians who are brought to the UK from Gaza for specialist medical treatment will be on temporary visas for the duration of their medical treatment.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

As part of the Gaza medical operation, two groups of children and their immediate families have arrived in the United Kingdom. We are unable to confirm at this point how long the process will run for, nor the numbers of children who will be evacuated.

Patients and their immediate family members will have leave to stay in the UK for up to two years, irrespective of how long their treatment lasts, with access to the National Health Service, housing, and other services. Should these individuals wish to remain in the UK after they have arrived beyond the initial 24 months, they can apply for further permission to stay under existing routes within the Immigration Rules.

The Government is working closely with the local authorities in the areas where evacuees are likely to be hosted to make sure that those coming to the UK receive the help they need during their stay in the UK. We expect children will be treated in a small group of NHS trusts across the four nations of the UK.

These patients and their families have suffered an unimaginable ordeal and their privacy is paramount. For this reason, the Government will not be providing further details about their treatment or whereabouts to protect patient confidentiality and their personal safety.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of children from Gaza who will be brought to each devolved nation in the UK for specialist medical treatment.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

As part of the Gaza medical operation, two groups of children and their immediate families have arrived in the United Kingdom. We are unable to confirm at this point how long the process will run for, nor the numbers of children who will be evacuated.

Patients and their immediate family members will have leave to stay in the UK for up to two years, irrespective of how long their treatment lasts, with access to the National Health Service, housing, and other services. Should these individuals wish to remain in the UK after they have arrived beyond the initial 24 months, they can apply for further permission to stay under existing routes within the Immigration Rules.

The Government is working closely with the local authorities in the areas where evacuees are likely to be hosted to make sure that those coming to the UK receive the help they need during their stay in the UK. We expect children will be treated in a small group of NHS trusts across the four nations of the UK.

These patients and their families have suffered an unimaginable ordeal and their privacy is paramount. For this reason, the Government will not be providing further details about their treatment or whereabouts to protect patient confidentiality and their personal safety.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of children from Gaza who will be brought to the UK for specialist medical treatment.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

As part of the Gaza medical operation, two groups of children and their immediate families have arrived in the United Kingdom. We are unable to confirm at this point how long the process will run for, nor the numbers of children who will be evacuated.

Patients and their immediate family members will have leave to stay in the UK for up to two years, irrespective of how long their treatment lasts, with access to the National Health Service, housing, and other services. Should these individuals wish to remain in the UK after they have arrived beyond the initial 24 months, they can apply for further permission to stay under existing routes within the Immigration Rules.

The Government is working closely with the local authorities in the areas where evacuees are likely to be hosted to make sure that those coming to the UK receive the help they need during their stay in the UK. We expect children will be treated in a small group of NHS trusts across the four nations of the UK.

These patients and their families have suffered an unimaginable ordeal and their privacy is paramount. For this reason, the Government will not be providing further details about their treatment or whereabouts to protect patient confidentiality and their personal safety.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Hayman of Ullock on 11 September (HL10233), whether they aim to have legislation as a result of a sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement with the EU fully implemented and taking effect in 2027.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

As stated in the response to HL10233, the Government’s aim is to conclude negotiations and have legislative arrangements in place no later than 2027. We will update Parliament when an implementation plan has been agreed with the EU.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government which countries are currently banned from sending military personnel to the Royal College of Defence Studies.

Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Any decision to provide professional military education or training to a partner nation is made on a case-by-case basis and is underpinned by a robust assessment as to the benefits, risks, and compliance with international human rights law. In the interests of national security and upholding trust and confidentiality in our international partnerships, it is not appropriate for the Government to comment on the provision of training to individual countries.