Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Children's Hospice Grant will continue in 2026–27.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Funding arrangements for 2026/27 will be confirmed in due course. The Government wants a society where every child receives high-quality, compassionate care from diagnosis through to the end of life.
Whilst the majority of palliative care and end of life care is provided by National Health Service staff and services, we recognise the important contribution that children and young people’s hospices make in their care and support for babies, children, and young people with life-threatening and life-limiting conditions, as well as to their families.
NHS England has provided £26 million in revenue funding for children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26, through what was, until recently, known as the Children and Young People’s Hospice Grant.
Additionally, we are also supporting both the child and adult hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for 2024/25 and 2025/26, to ensure that eligible hospices throughout England have the best physical environment for care.
In February, the Minister of State for Care met with key palliative care and end of life care and hospice stakeholders, in a roundtable format, with a focus on long-term sector sustainability within the context of the 10-Year Health Plan.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage on 30 May (HL7622), whether the public inquiry into the planning application for the a Chinese Embassy looked in detail at the layout, range, and vulnerability of nearby critical communication networks, their key hubs, or significant data centres.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
An independent Inspector held a public inquiry into the proposals, at which interested parties were able to put forward evidence and representations. All material planning considerations will be taken into account in reaching a decision on this case.
All Inquiry documents for this case are publicly available on Tower Hamlets website here [https://towerhamlets.app.box.com/s/68q9lv6thn0w29gt98y5godmes0rizmn].
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that the Chinese ambassador to Mauritius expects Mauritius to join China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
It is for Mauritius to comment on its national approach and foreign policy. The UK will take a consistent and pragmatic approach to China's role in Africa - we will cooperate where we can, compete where we have different interests, and challenge where we must.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether cadets in the three cadet forces are allowed to attend any function where alcohol is served for adults.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Cadets may be allowed to attend functions where alcohol is served for adults. Alcohol should not be served at events where cadets are present ‘at the table’, for example at a formal dinner. However, if cadets attend in another capacity, such as stair lining, serving of alcohol would be permitted to adults. There is a strict no-drinking policy for cadets or Cadet Force Adult Volunteers on duty.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government why Sea Cadets are not allowed to be issued with drill firearms for parade training.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Marine Society and Sea Cadets (MSSC) is an independent charity responsible for the Sea Cadets and therefore operates in a different but albeit collaborative manner from the other Royal Navy Cadet Forces. The MSSC is formally sponsored by the Ministry of Defence via a Grant in Aid from the Royal Navy. Therefore, the equipment provided for Sea Cadets is a matter for MSSC to best determine within extant resources.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of the presence of two anchors from the former HMS Prince of Wales among the metal looted from the wreck and currently held in Malaysia.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Malaysian authorities have primacy over the investigation into the illegal salvage of HMS Prince of Wales. As these investigations are ongoing, it would be inappropriate to comment on the alleged perpetrators at this stage, or speculate on the future preservation of the artefacts, including any metal recovered, until they have concluded.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are aware of any plans for the disposal of metal illegally looted from the wreck of the former HMS Prince of Wales currently held in Malaysia.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Malaysian authorities have primacy over the investigation into the illegal salvage of HMS Prince of Wales. As these investigations are ongoing, it would be inappropriate to comment on the alleged perpetrators at this stage, or speculate on the future preservation of the artefacts, including any metal recovered, until they have concluded.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the men responsible for looting the wreck of the former HMS Prince of Wales have been released from Malaysian custody.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Malaysian authorities have primacy over the investigation into the illegal salvage of HMS Prince of Wales. As these investigations are ongoing, it would be inappropriate to comment on the alleged perpetrators at this stage, or speculate on the future preservation of the artefacts, including any metal recovered, until they have concluded.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what action they have taken to recover metal illegally looted from the wreck of the former HMS Prince of Wales.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Malaysian authorities have primacy over the investigation into the illegal salvage of HMS Prince of Wales. As these investigations are ongoing, it would be inappropriate to comment on the alleged perpetrators at this stage, or speculate on the future preservation of the artefacts, including any metal recovered, until they have concluded.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether any ships of the HMS Prince of Wales task group currently en route to the Far East will visit Malaysia or Singapore.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
While the exact details of Operation Highmast cannot be released to preserve operational security, I can confirm that port visits to Malaysia and Singapore are part of the deployment.