Decisions on the membership and UK representatives of G20 engagement groups are not for the Government to make; they should be decided by the groups themselves.

Decisions on the membership and UK representatives of G20 engagement groups are not for the Government to make; they should be decided by the groups themselves.

Decisions on the membership and UK representatives of G20 engagement groups are not for the Government to make; they should be decided by the groups themselves.

Honours are awarded by The Sovereign following a recommendation from one of ten independent Honours Committees, comprising a majority of independent members who are experts in their relevant sector. Honours are given to reward outstanding service in a given field or area and are awarded entirely on merit. As part of the nomination process, we try to minimise the risk that prospective candidates have behaved in ways likely to bring the system into disrepute by carrying out probity checks with a number of government departments before names are submitted for approval.

A recipient who has been deemed to have brought the honours system into disrepute can have their award forfeited. Full criteria for forfeiture and the Forfeiture Committee’s contact details are available on gov.uk.

The UK’s uncodified constitution has evolved over time and is made up of conventions, statutes, judicial decisions, principles and practices. It is the Government’s view that one of the strengths of our constitution is its flexibility and ability to evolve in response to changing circumstances. The Government therefore has no plans to introduce a codified constitution.

There are no plans to review the role and voting rights of the Lords Spiritual in the House of Lords.

The Government has set out an ambitious programme of House of Lords reform in its manifesto, including a commitment to replace the House of Lords with an alternative second chamber that is more representative of the regions and nations. The Government will consult on proposals for an alternative second chamber, seeking the input of the British public on how politics can best serve them.

The Prime Minister plans to attend COP30.

I am grateful to Sir Brian Langstaff for his constructive Additional Report. We share his ambition to ensure that fair compensation is provided to every person that is eligible without delay.

On 21st July, I delivered an oral statement to the House confirming the Government’s approach to responding to the further report. You can find more information here: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/infected-blood-inquiry-additional-report-oral-statement-to-parliament

In late October, the Infected Blood Compensation Authority began contacting the first group of people so that they could begin making their compensation claims. As of 12th December, 10 people have been offered compensation totalling over £13 million. The first few people have accepted their offers and the first payments have now been made. Between now and January, the Authority will reach out to more people so that they can begin making their compensation claims. The Authority is aiming to reach around 250 claims in early 2025 and continue ramping up payments from there. At the October Budget the Government committed £11.8 billion of funding for the compensation scheme. The individual payments build on the more than £1 billion which victims have received so far in interim payments.

We will work to reset the relationship with our European friends to strengthen ties, secure a broad-based security pact and tackle barriers to trade.

We have no plans for an EU-wide youth mobility scheme and there will be no return to freedom of movement.