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.
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 human remains being held alongside the metal looted from the wreck of the former HMS Prince of Wales.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence has not received any information to suggest any human remains have been found.
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 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 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 Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government when the final investment decision for the Sizewell C plant will be made, and when the results of the small modular reactor competition will be announced.
Answered by Baroness Curran - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
As confirmed at the Autum Budget, both the equity and debt raise processes are in their final stages. A final decision on whether to proceed with the project will be made at the Spending Review.
Great British Nuclear is driving forward its small modular reactor competition for UK deployment. Following a period of detailed negotiation, bidders have submitted final tenders, which Great British Nuclear is evaluating. Final decisions will be taken shortly.
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 whether they will consult the intelligence agencies, in particular the National Cyber Security Centre, about security issues for the planning application for a new site for the embassy of China.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
I refer the noble Lord to the answer given to Question UIN HL5338 on 11 March 2025.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the environmental impact in the Turks and Caicos Islands of the explosions of SpaceX rockets in January and March.
Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Following the Starship 7 failure in January, the Government supported the Government of the Turks and Caicos Islands. This support included the development of plans to restore the state of the Turks and Caicos Islands coastal and marine environment to a condition pre-flight 7.
The Government has not conducted a formal environmental impact assessment. Environmental policy is a devolved matter for UK Overseas Territory governments.
The Government continues to support the Government of the Turks and Caicos Islands on the local response to the Starship 7 incident.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Mauritius regarding conservation and restoration of seabird islands in the Chagos Archipelago, including regarding eradication of rats and vegetation management, as part of negotiations over the islands.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Diego Garcia base agreement will be supported by an enhanced partnership between the UK and Mauritius on conservation. This partnership will prioritise high conservation standards, with the UK supporting Mauritius' ambitions to establish a Marine Protected Area (MPA) that protects the globally significant ecosystems in the Chagos Archipelago.