Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Baroness Chapman of Darlington on 17 December 2025 (HL12793) and 5 January (HL13110), and with reference to paragraph 223 of the Guide to Parliamentary Work and paragraph 1.6(d) of the Ministerial Code, what is the public interest basis in terms similar to those in the Freedom of Information Act 2000 for neither confirming or denying whether Lord Mandelson has received a severance payment in relation to his role as Ambassador to the USA.

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

It has been the normal practice under successive governments, including the one in which the Noble Lord served, for the details of individual severance payments received by ministers to be disclosed on a named basis in departmental annual reports, but for payments made to senior officials, special advisers and other employees to be disclosed anonymously.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Baroness Chapman of Darlington on 17 December 2025 (HL12793) and 5 January (HL13110), and the Written Answer by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on 18 December 2025 (HC97798), whether Lord Mandelson left the his role as UK Ambassador to the USA (1) for gross misconduct justifying summary dismissal, (2) on the grounds of efficiency, (3) as a result of disciplinary proceedings in circumstances where summary dismissal is not justified, (4) during the probation period, (5) on medical grounds, (6) on other compulsory grounds, or (7) in exceptional circumstances.

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

It has been the normal practice under successive governments, including the one in which the Noble Lord served, for the details of individual severance payments received by ministers to be disclosed on a named basis in departmental annual reports, but for payments made to senior officials, special advisers and other employees to be disclosed anonymously.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether exit payments paid to departing Ambassadors and Heads of Mission are published in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's annual reports and accounts (1) by both name and amount, or (2) anonymised by grade and amount.

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

It has been the normal practice under successive governments, including the one in which the Noble Lord served, for the details of individual severance payments received by ministers to be disclosed on a named basis in departmental annual reports, but for payments made to senior officials, special advisers and other employees to be disclosed anonymously.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 16 December 2025 (HL12632), what is the public interest rationale for not disclosing information that is not routinely published to Parliament about public spending on the Downing Street flats.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

I refer the Noble Lord to the answer of 16 December 2025, Official Report, PQ HL12632.

PQ HL12632 Lord Jackson of Peterborough: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by the Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office on 4 November (HC85501) and Lord True on 23 April 2021 (HL14191), and with regard to paragraph 1.6(d) of the Ministerial Code, what is the public interest argument for not releasing details to Parliament of public spending on the Downing Street flats.

Cabinet Office response: As was the case under successive administrations, an itemised list is not routinely published. Total expenditure from the Prime Minister’s allowance on their official residence is disclosed in the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how much the Cabinet Office has spent at Berry Bros. & Rudd since 4 July 2024 through Government Procurement Card spending transactions under £500 that are not listed on gov.uk.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

I refer the Noble Lord to the answer of 25 November 2025, Official Report, PQ HC91376.

PQ 91376 Mike Wood: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much his Department has spent via Berry Bros Ltd since 4 July 2024.

Cabinet Office response, on 25 Nov: All relevant spending is available in the Cabinet Office’s government procurement card transparency return for March 2025 which can be found on gov.uk

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what correspondence the Prime Minister's office has had with Greta Thunberg since 4 July 2024.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

I refer the Noble Lord to the answer of 23 July 2025, Official Report, PQ HL9556:

PQ HL9556 Lord Jackson of Peterborough: To ask His Majesty's Government what correspondence the Prime Minister’s Office has had with Greta Thunberg since 4 July 2024. HL9556

Cabinet Office response: It is not routine to publish correspondence between the Prime Minister and any individual

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Attorney General has recused himself from providing legal advice on the International Court of Justice's arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu; and what declarations of interest, if any, have been made by the Attorney General about past representations about Israel.

Answered by Lord Hermer - Attorney General

The Law Officers’ Convention applies to advice which may or may not have been given by, or requested of, the Law Officers. It can be found at paragraph 21.27 of Erskine May:

“By long-standing convention, observed by successive Governments, the fact of, and substance of advice from, the law officers of the Crown is not disclosed outside government. This convention is referred to in paragraph [5.14] of the Ministerial Code [updated on 6 November 2024]. The purpose of this convention is to enable the Government to obtain frank and full legal advice in confidence.”

Indicating whether or not the Law Officers have recused themselves from a particular matter would itself breach the Law Officers’ Convention.

However, the Attorney General’s Office has a rigorous process for identifying and dealing with conflicts and potential conflicts that arise from Law Officers’ former practice. As part of that process, the AGO adopts a cautious and beyond reproach threshold to any conflicts or potential conflicts. These arrangements are long-standing and part of a standard practice that has applied across successive Administrations.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether (1) the Attorney General's Office, and (2) the Government Legal Department, received a free portrait of the King as part of His Majesty The King’s Portrait Scheme.

Answered by Lord Hermer - Attorney General

In 2024 Public Bodies, including Government departments were able to request a free portrait of the King, for display in the department.

The Attorney General’s Office received a portrait through the Cabinet Office’s scheme. The Government Legal Department did not receive a portrait.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask His Majesty's Government what correspondence the Law Officers have had with Greta Thunberg since 4 July 2024.

Answered by Lord Hermer - Attorney General

The Law Officers have not had any such correspondence.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Baroness Levitt on 22 December 2025 (HL12744) and the then Prime Minister on 20 March 2024 (HC18492), whether the Attorney General considers (1) the European Court of Human Rights, and (2) the International Criminal Court, to be foreign courts.

Answered by Lord Hermer - Attorney General

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and International Criminal Court (ICC) are international courts based respectively in France and the Netherlands. The UK is a State Party to both the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and the Rome Statute, the international treaties which established the ECtHR and ICC respectively. It is also a founding member of both instruments.

The Human Rights Act 1998 and the International Criminal Court Act 2001 give effect to the UK's obligations under the ECHR and Rome Statute. We respect the independence of both courts.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with London North Eastern Railway about the December 2025 timetable changes and its impact on the experience of passengers travelling to and from Peterborough and Kings Cross in the peak morning travel period.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

The Department is aware of local concerns regarding Peterborough-London services in the morning peak, following the December 2025 timetable change. Following continued collaboration between the Department for Transport and LNER, and informed by passenger feedback, I am pleased to confirm that an additional LNER fast train to London Kings Cross will stop at Peterborough at 0743.

Question

To ask The Leader of the House when she expects a Written Answer to be given to the question asked by Lord Jackson of Peterborough on 3 December 2025 (HL12630).

Answered by Baroness Smith of Basildon - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal

I regret that the question for written answer HL12630 remains unanswered by the Cabinet Office. My officials have reminded the department that a response is overdue and they have apologised for the delay. I have been assured that a response will be issued as soon as possible.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 16 December 2025 (HL12682), whether restrictions have been placed on the Prime Minister's chief of staff speaking to the media.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

I refer the Noble Lord to my answer of 16 December 2025, Official Report, PQ HL12682.

PQ HL12682 Lord Jackson of Peterborough: To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to paragraph 3 of the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers, published in September 2024, whether the Prime Minister's chief of staff has been authorised by the Prime Minister to represent the views of the Prime Minister to the media. HL12682

Cabinet Office response: All special advisers are bound by the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers. The Code of Conduct for Special Advisers sets out special advisers obligations with regards to the media.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask His Majesty's Government why the Attorney General fast-tracked the prosecution of Lucy Connolly in August 2024; and what reference he made to the Code for Crown Prosecutors to support that decision.

Answered by Lord Hermer - Attorney General

There were a number of similar prosecutions at the time which were responded to in the same manner and timeline. Between 9 and 14 August, the AG responded to 14 other applications for consent in similar matters. 11 of those had a decision within 24 hours, a similar timescale to that in which consent to prosecute was granted in respect of Lucy Connolly.

Certain offences require Law Officer consent to prosecute, and inciting racial hatred is one such offence. The Attorney General provided consent to the DPP to prosecute for this case under the Public Order Act 1986.

When providing consent, the Law Officers must be satisfied that the evidential test and the public interest test of the Code for Crown Prosecutors are met. This case and all similar cases were considered by reference to the test in the usual way.

When applying for consent, the CPS will independently provide an indication of proposed timescales for consent to be in place, and wherever possible the AGO will work to those.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many British citizens or former British citizens who are (1) male, (2) female, and (3) minors under 18 years old, have been repatriated from (a) Al-Roj, and (2) Al-Hawl, detention camps in Syria to the UK in the past 12 months; and what were the grounds for those repatriations.

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

I refer the Noble Lord to the answer provided in the House of Commons on 6 February 2025 in response to Question 27530, which - for ease of reference - is reproduced below:

"Our priority remains to ensure the safety and security of the UK. We will continue to do whatever is necessary to protect the UK from those who pose a threat to our security.

"All requests for consular assistance from Syria are considered on a case-by-case basis, taking into account all relevant circumstances including, but not limited to, national security."

As a long-standing rule, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office does not comment on individual cases, or on the number or type of cases.

Found: “Lord Jackson of Peterborough: To ask His Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by the