Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Leong on 15 September (HL2978) regarding animal experiments, how they intend to measure progress their objective, set out in the Replacing animals in science strategy (November 2025), of increasing and sustaining investment in animal replacement methods, if funding for such methods is not separately identified across Government; and whether they plan to establish a cross-government baseline against which future investment in human-specific research methods and technologies can be assessed.
Answered by Lord Leong - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
Progress in delivering the objectives of the strategy will be measured against a set of KPIs developed in consultation with delivery partners. A KPI framework covering the strategy's commitments will be published later this year.
While a unified reporting format that captures investments made through all relevant government departments and regulatory bodies is not yet available, individual delivery partners are developing and refining their reporting methodologies.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the total amount of funding provided across all Government departments for scientific research involving the use of live animals.
Answered by Lord Leong - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
His Majesty’s Government has not made an estimate of the total amount of funding provided across all Government departments for scientific research involving the use of live animals. Public funding for research involving animals is provided through a range of organisations and programmes that support broader scientific and medical research objectives. These organisations and programmes have different data collection and reporting systems in place, and therefore this information cannot be consistently identified across Government.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the total amount of funding provided across all Government departments for scientific research involving human-specific research methods and technologies.
Answered by Lord Leong - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
His Majesty’s Government has not made an estimate of the total amount of funding provided across all Government departments for scientific research involving human-specific research methods and technologies. UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) invests in a range of research that supports human-specific approaches, including organ-on-a-chip technologies, cell-based assays, functional genomics and computer modelling. These activities are generally categorised within broader research programmes, and funding for human-specific research methods is not separately identified across Government.
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 issue national guidance to NHS organisations on the procurement and use of licensed and unlicensed products for perioperative skin preparation.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Skin antisepsis products approved for use in the United Kingdom by the National Health Service are outlined in the British National Formulary. Guidance on skin antisepsis and surgical site infections is outlined by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Further joint guidance from the Royal College of Surgeons and Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency covers the importance of using medicinally licensed products for perioperative skin preparation.
Adverse events associated with the use of specific medicines and devices in the UK are monitored and recorded via the yellow card scheme. This scheme would apply in the event of adverse events associated with use of an unlicensed product.
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 steps they are taking to monitor patient outcomes and adverse events associated with unlicensed perioperative skin preparation products including their potential impact on surgical site infections and wider NHS costs.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Skin antisepsis products approved for use in the United Kingdom by the National Health Service are outlined in the British National Formulary. Guidance on skin antisepsis and surgical site infections is outlined by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Further joint guidance from the Royal College of Surgeons and Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency covers the importance of using medicinally licensed products for perioperative skin preparation.
Adverse events associated with the use of specific medicines and devices in the UK are monitored and recorded via the yellow card scheme. This scheme would apply in the event of adverse events associated with use of an unlicensed product.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had, if any, with the EU to ensure that Northern Ireland can benefit from cuts to VAT in fuel, energy, or other utilities bills on the same basis as the rest of the UK.
Answered by Lord Pitt-Watson - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
I refer the Noble Lord to the answer given on 5th August 2026 to UIN HL2396.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government why the Prevent programme is not applicable to Northern Ireland; and what plans they have to extend it to there.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Prevent is part of CONTEST, the UK’s counter-terrorism strategy, which aims to reduce the risk from terrorism to the UK, its citizens and interests overseas. CONTEST addresses all forms of terrorism affecting the UK, except Northern Ireland-related terrorism (NIRT) in Northern Ireland, which is the responsibility of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland given the particular security context in Northern Ireland.
The Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2015 placed Prevent on a statutory footing across Great Britain, and the Government keeps all aspects of counter-terrorism policy under review and continues to work closely with partners across the UK, including in Northern Ireland, to manage the threat from terrorism and support public safety.
Most recently, Youth Diversion Orders (YDOs), introduced in the Crime & Policing Bill, will offer a new counter-terrorism tool for police to manage the risks posed by young people involved in terrorism-related activity, including online. The new legislation will apply across the whole of the UK. Furthermore, alongside the Online Safety Act, the Home Office works to influence industry partners to increase action to tackle online content used to radicalise, recruit and incite terrorism by providing threat assessment, insight and support.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what differences, if any, there are between duty-free allowances between the Netherlands and Northern Ireland and between the Netherlands and the rest of the UK.
Answered by Lord Pitt-Watson - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
There are no duty free allowances between any member state of the EU and Northern Ireland. Travellers can bring in for their personal use an unlimited quantity of goods from any EU member state into Northern Ireland without paying UK duties and taxes on arrival.
For goods brought into Great Britain from a member state of the EU by a traveller for their personal use, duty free allowances apply.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government why duty-free allowances between the Netherlands and Northern Ireland differ from duty-free allowances between the rest of the EU and Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Pitt-Watson - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Duty free allowances do not apply for travellers from the EU arriving in Northern Ireland. The enforcement controls required at the border to facilitate such allowances would run counter to the shared ambitions of the UK and the EU set out in the Windsor Framework and the principle of the frictionless movement of people and goods between Northern Ireland and Ireland.
Travellers from the Netherlands to Northern Ireland are not treated differently to travellers arriving in Northern Ireland from any other member state.
Travellers can bring in for their personal use an unlimited quantity of goods from any EU member state into Northern Ireland without paying UK duties and taxes on arrival.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government why there is a change in duty free allowances between the Netherlands and Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Pitt-Watson - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
There have been no changes to duty free allowances between the Netherlands and Northern Ireland.