Asked by: Lord Wills (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government when the name of the successful candidate for the Independent Public Advocate role will be announced.
Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government is committed to placing victims at the heart of processes that follow a major incident, which is why we are establishing the Independent Public Advocate. We are on track for the successful candidate to take up their position in the Summer.
The public appointment campaign to appoint the Standing Advocate of the IPA was launched on 24 September 2024 and is nearing completion. Interviews concluded on 14 February, and we will announce the preferred candidate shortly.
As this public appointment is made by Ministers and regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments, the recruitment process must comply with the Governance Code on Public Appointments.
The candidate will be subject to a pre-appointment scrutiny hearing by the Justice Select Committee.
Asked by: Lord Wills (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government when the successful candidate for the Independent Public Advocate role will take up their position.
Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government is committed to placing victims at the heart of processes that follow a major incident, which is why we are establishing the Independent Public Advocate. We are on track for the successful candidate to take up their position in the Summer.
The public appointment campaign to appoint the Standing Advocate of the IPA was launched on 24 September 2024 and is nearing completion. Interviews concluded on 14 February, and we will announce the preferred candidate shortly.
As this public appointment is made by Ministers and regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments, the recruitment process must comply with the Governance Code on Public Appointments.
The candidate will be subject to a pre-appointment scrutiny hearing by the Justice Select Committee.
Asked by: Lord Wills (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government when the interviews for Independent Public Advocate concluded.
Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government is committed to placing victims at the heart of processes that follow a major incident, which is why we are establishing the Independent Public Advocate. We are on track for the successful candidate to take up their position in the Summer.
The public appointment campaign to appoint the Standing Advocate of the IPA was launched on 24 September 2024 and is nearing completion. Interviews concluded on 14 February, and we will announce the preferred candidate shortly.
As this public appointment is made by Ministers and regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments, the recruitment process must comply with the Governance Code on Public Appointments.
The candidate will be subject to a pre-appointment scrutiny hearing by the Justice Select Committee.
Asked by: Lord Wills (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what data they used to estimate the potential commercial benefits of implementing the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra economists, with oversight by the Chief Economist, compiled the Department’s De Minimis Assessment of the impacts of The Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Regulations 2025. The assessment was based on published independent market research and academic studies, and reports by economic institutions.
This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only.
Asked by: Lord Wills (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in the Delegated Legislation Committee on 31 March (HC Deb col 7), what assessment they have made of the potential impact of the precision breeding of animals and birds on (1) animal welfare, (2) disease risk management and (3) the risk to consumers if precision bred animals are sold commercially.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The regulatory measures in the Precision Breeding Act are designed to safeguard animal welfare and ensure that the health and welfare of relevant animals (defined as vertebrates) will not be adversely affected by any trait that results from precision breeding. We are considering the requirements for this regulatory framework and have commissioned three research projects from Scotland's Rural College to support this.
The scientific advice is that precision bred organisms pose no greater risk to the environment or health than traditionally bred organisms. This advice is consistent across scientific sources and is supported by expert advisory committees and institutions, such as the European Food Safety Authority.
There are provisions in the Precision Breeding Act to introduce regulations to ensure that food and feed from precision bred organisms is safe.
Asked by: Lord Wills (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of care packages handed back by care agencies in each of the past three years which have been distributed (1) privately, and (2) by public authorities, broken down by region.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
A limited amount of information on care packages handed back by home care agencies has been collected by the Department since September 2022. We have recently reviewed how this information is gathered and are starting to gather more detailed information. However, we are unable to publish the data as the majority is supplied on a voluntary basis, and is therefore not representative.
Asked by: Lord Wills (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what their estimate is of the percentage of total care packages funded by public authorities that have handed back in each of the past three years, broken down by region.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
A limited amount of information on care packages handed back by home care agencies has been collected by the Department since September 2022. We have recently reviewed how this information is gathered and are starting to gather more detailed information. However, we are unable to publish the data as the majority is supplied on a voluntary basis, and is therefore not representative.
Asked by: Lord Wills (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what their estimate is of the percentage of total care packages funded privately that have handed back in each of the past three years, broken down by region.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
A limited amount of information on care packages handed back by home care agencies has been collected by the Department since September 2022. We have recently reviewed how this information is gathered and are starting to gather more detailed information. However, we are unable to publish the data as the majority is supplied on a voluntary basis, and is therefore not representative.
Asked by: Lord Wills (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of care packages that have been handed back by care agencies in each of the past three years, broken down by region.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
A limited amount of information on care packages handed back by home care agencies has been collected by the Department since September 2022. We have recently reviewed how this information is gathered and are starting to gather more detailed information. However, we are unable to publish the data as the majority is supplied on a voluntary basis, and is therefore not representative.
Asked by: Lord Wills (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to implement the findings of the Independent review of forensic pathology by Glenn Taylor, published on 11 September 2024; and whether they will introduce a statutory code of conduct for forensic pathology to ensure the dignity of victims is preserved.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Family members rightly expect that the pathology taken in respect of their loved ones will be explained to them and their questions answered, and the report made clear that more needs to be done on engagement and support for families.
Following the publication of the report "The Patronising Disposition of Unaccountable Power: Independent Review of Forensic Pathology", my Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department confirmed that the Government accepts the six recommended points of action as I reported in my statement of 11 September 2024.
Officials are now working at pace on an action plan to respond in detail to those recommended points of action including updating some existing detailed guidance for pathologists which is now out for stakeholder consultation. This work will be completed in in the summer of this year and will include advice on any statutory measures which Ministers will consider carefully. The Government will report back in due course with our response to the recommendations.