Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton

In its manifesto, the Government promised to bring about an immediate reform by removing the right of hereditary peers to sit and vote in the House of Lords.

The Government has now introduced legislation to implement this reform. This is a first step in taking forward the Government's commitments to wider reform of the House of Lords, including the introduction of a retirement age, a new participation requirement, changes to the appointments process, as well as establishing an alternative second chamber that is more representative of the regions and nations of the UK.

The Children and Young People’s Cancer Taskforce was paused so that ministers could assess the work of the taskforce so far and determine how it fitted into the Government’s priorities for the Department. Although the taskforce has been paused, the work carried out to date has been valuable, and remains important to the Department's work. We are committed to progressing work in this area, and are in the process of considering next steps for taking forward the taskforce's work and leadership.

We are committed to helping the NHS diagnose cancer on time, diagnose it earlier and treat it faster so that more patients survive this horrible set of diseases. We are also committed to improving patients’ experience across the system. This includes children and young people cancer and their families.

The Department is currently reviewing the work of the Children and Young People’s Cancer Taskforce and are in the process of considering next steps for taking forward the Taskforce's work.

In Minister of State Stephen Doughty's 27 October statement he made clear his support for the findings of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights' election monitoring mission preliminary report on Georgia's election. That report notes that the election day itself was well-organised and administered in an orderly environment. However, it also highlighted a range of concerns, including frequent breaches of voter secrecy, procedural inconsistencies, as well as reports of intimidation and pressure on voters that negatively impacted public trust in the process. Allegations of irregularities must be investigated thoroughly and independently.

There are currently no plans for Ministers to visit Diego Garcia. The UK's Chief Negotiator, Harriet Mathews, and members of the UK's negotiating team visited the British Indian Ocean Territory in June 2024. Ministerial travel plans are not routinely published in advance of official Government visits.

Former FCDO Minister Sir James Duddridge visited the British Indian Ocean Territory in November 2015 and Former MoD Minister Lord Lancaster visited between September and October 2019.

There will be no additional restrictions on the £2.9 billion increase in funding for the next financial year. The allocation of funding for financial year 2025-26 has yet to take place.

The Government has confirmed that it will not increase council tax referendum principles above the current 3% core council tax principle and the 2% principle for the adult social care precept, in line with the OBR forecasting. This is a continuation of the previous government’s policy. Further details will be set out at the local government finance settlement.