Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of the trade of Northern Ireland is with (1) the rest of the UK, (2) the Republic of Ireland, (3) the rest of the EU, and (4) the rest of the world, and how those percentages compare to 2016.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The latest available data from the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) provides the following estimates for the percentage of Northern Ireland’s trade by destination:
Trade Partner | Industry Sector | 2016 value of NI trade (£m) and proportion of total NI trade | 2023 value of NI trade (£m) and proportion of total NI trade |
Great Britain | All industries | 26,712.73 (62%) | 33,325.48 (56%) |
Ireland | All industries | 5,571.31 (13%) | 12,412.28 (29%) |
Rest of the Europe Union (EU excluding Ireland) | All industries | 4,327.24 (10%) | 6,082.86 (14%) |
Rest of the World (all countries outside the UK and EU) | All industries | 6,307.29 (15%) | 8,136.56 (19%) |
Source: Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA), Last updated 11/12/2024, NISRA website, NIETS Trade in Goods and Services, https://data.nisra.gov.uk/table/NIETS02. Accessed on: 24/10/2025
The Government is committed to the UK internal market and looks forward to receiving the report of the Independent Monitoring Panel shortly. This panel exists to provide vital independent oversight and assurance over the flows of goods within the UK internal market system.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what processes are in place to monitor diversion in supply chains for goods going to Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The latest available data from the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) provides the following estimates for the percentage of Northern Ireland’s trade by destination:
Trade Partner | Industry Sector | 2016 value of NI trade (£m) and proportion of total NI trade | 2023 value of NI trade (£m) and proportion of total NI trade |
Great Britain | All industries | 26,712.73 (62%) | 33,325.48 (56%) |
Ireland | All industries | 5,571.31 (13%) | 12,412.28 (29%) |
Rest of the Europe Union (EU excluding Ireland) | All industries | 4,327.24 (10%) | 6,082.86 (14%) |
Rest of the World (all countries outside the UK and EU) | All industries | 6,307.29 (15%) | 8,136.56 (19%) |
Source: Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA), Last updated 11/12/2024, NISRA website, NIETS Trade in Goods and Services, https://data.nisra.gov.uk/table/NIETS02. Accessed on: 24/10/2025
The Government is committed to the UK internal market and looks forward to receiving the report of the Independent Monitoring Panel shortly. This panel exists to provide vital independent oversight and assurance over the flows of goods within the UK internal market system.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to investigate and report on how the failures in process which led to the collapse of the trial of Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh occurred.
Answered by Lord Hermer - Attorney General
On 7 October 2025, the Crown Prosecution Service applied to appeal to the High Court by way of case stated, challenging the Chief Magistrate’s interpretation of the law. As these remain active proceedings, you will understand that it would be inappropriate for me to comment further.
It makes sense to await the final resolution of the case before conducting any sort of post-mortem and that also avoids any risk of prejudicing any future proceedings.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the devolved administrations about the roll-out of NHS Online throughout the UK.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
In September 2025, we announced an “online hospital”, NHS Online, which will give people on certain pathways the choice of getting the specialist care they need from their home. The first patients will be able to use the service from 2027. NHS England is developing the online hospital for England but ministers proactively welcome discussions on expanding the capabilities further with the devolved administrations.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the new NHS Online service will be available to all UK citizens.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
In September 2025, we announced an “online hospital”, NHS Online, which will give people on certain pathways the choice of getting the specialist care they need from their home. The first patients will be able to use the service from 2027. NHS England is developing the online hospital for England but ministers proactively welcome discussions on expanding the capabilities further with the devolved administrations.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to roll out a national screening programme for prostate cancer.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) reviewed the evidence for prostate cancer screening in 2020 and recommended against it due to the insufficient reliability of the best available test, the prostate specific antigen test, and harms from treatment.
The UK NSC is currently undertaking a new evidence review of prostate cancer screening at both a population level and for targeted high-risk groups such as black men and men with a family history of prostate cancer. We anticipate a public consultation on the findings of this review later this year and a recommendation by the UK NSC in the first quarter of next year.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to reform the system and provision of education, health and care plans for pupils.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.
This government inherited a special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system that has been failing to meet the needs of children and families for far too long. As part of the government’s Plan for Change, we are determined to make changes which will restore the trust of parents and ensure that children and young people with SEND, including those with education, health and care (EHC) plans, can achieve and thrive in their education.
The department is thinking about how we protect effective support for children, but make accessing support less bureaucratic and adversarial, and how we intervene earlier. There will always be a legal right to additional support for children and young people with SEND. Any changes we make in future will improve support for children and parents, stop parents from having to fight for support, and protect provision which is currently in place.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government which countries are currently banned from sending military personnel to the Royal College of Defence Studies.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Any decision to provide professional military education or training to a partner nation is made on a case-by-case basis and is underpinned by a robust assessment as to the benefits, risks, and compliance with international human rights law. In the interests of national security and upholding trust and confidentiality in our international partnerships, it is not appropriate for the Government to comment on the provision of training to individual countries.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Hayman of Ullock on 11 September (HL10233), whether they aim to have legislation as a result of a sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement with the EU fully implemented and taking effect in 2027.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As stated in the response to HL10233, the Government’s aim is to conclude negotiations and have legislative arrangements in place no later than 2027. We will update Parliament when an implementation plan has been agreed with the EU.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether children and guardians who are brought to the UK from Gaza for specialist medical treatment will be on temporary visas for the duration of their medical treatment.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As part of the Gaza medical operation, two groups of children and their immediate families have arrived in the United Kingdom. We are unable to confirm at this point how long the process will run for, nor the numbers of children who will be evacuated.
Patients and their immediate family members will have leave to stay in the UK for up to two years, irrespective of how long their treatment lasts, with access to the National Health Service, housing, and other services. Should these individuals wish to remain in the UK after they have arrived beyond the initial 24 months, they can apply for further permission to stay under existing routes within the Immigration Rules.
The Government is working closely with the local authorities in the areas where evacuees are likely to be hosted to make sure that those coming to the UK receive the help they need during their stay in the UK. We expect children will be treated in a small group of NHS trusts across the four nations of the UK.
These patients and their families have suffered an unimaginable ordeal and their privacy is paramount. For this reason, the Government will not be providing further details about their treatment or whereabouts to protect patient confidentiality and their personal safety.