Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government is taking to address additional (a) costs and (b) administration faced by small businesses in Northern Ireland as a result of the Irish Sea border; and whether he plans to support local businesses to access supplies from the rest of the UK.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and the Government will ensure the interests of small businesses are embedded into our Industrial and Trade Strategies, as part of a comprehensive approach to delivering on our economic growth mission. The Windsor Framework established a broad set of arrangements to support Great Britain-based businesses to move goods to Northern Ireland, including to small businesses based in Northern Ireland.

The Northern Ireland Retail Movement Scheme reduces checks and administrative burdens on retail agrifood movements. The Northern Ireland Plant Health Label scheme removes unnecessary costs and enables previously prohibited goods to enter Northern Ireland. The first stage of the UK internal market scheme was implemented in 2023, and ensures thousands of businesses can move goods without being subject to customs duties. The Government works closely with industry stakeholders and trade associations on the implementation of these arrangements and will continue to do so.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in the Democratic Republic of Congo on the closure of churches.

Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Foreign Secretary spoke with President Tshisekedi on 2 February to express his deep concern about the events unfolding in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and call for urgent de-escalation. The UK has a long-standing commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights, including Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB). We use our position at the UN, G7 and other multilateral fora to advocate for the protection of all vulnerable communities in conflict, including religious minorities. We recognise that when FoRB is respected, communities can build trust and understanding, which in turn supports mutual prosperity and peace.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to ensure the National Careers Service is fully inclusive for disabled people.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The National Careers Service provides free, up to date, impartial information, advice and guidance on careers, skills and the labour market in England, helping customers make informed choices about their career options.

Adults with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are one of the priority groups for the service and can access in-depth tailored support, drawing on localised labour market information, including face-to-face support from community-based careers advisers, information and advice through webchat, telephone helpline and website.

Prime contractors delivering community-based support are required to comply with all relevant legislation and must develop strategies to encourage people from identified priority groups, including those with learning difficulties or disabilities, to use the community-based service and ensure they meet the specific needs of these customers.

The National Careers Service website provides education advice and job support for people with SEND and content is accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018. The education advice is available here: https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/careers-advice/education-advice-disabled-special-educational-needs. The job support is available here: https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/careers-advice/career-and-job-support-for-people-with-a-disability/.

As outlined in the Get Britain Working White Paper, Jobcentre Plus will be brought together with the National Careers Service in England, to create a new Jobs and Careers Service, transforming the experience for all users.

Part of the digital offer of the new service will include exploring how assistive technology can be used to aid in the accessibility and inclusiveness of the service.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his EU counterparts on potential restrictions on (a) Hallow and (b) other religious apps.

Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK remains strongly committed to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all abroad. It is our firm opinion that no one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe in. We continue to champion the right to FoRB, whilst promoting tolerance and mutual respect, through our engagement in multilateral fora, including through our position at the UN and Article 18 Alliance.

The development and use of religious apps presents both opportunities and risks for the enjoyment of human rights, including FoRB. It is important that we champion the positive potential of technology, whilst taking action to mitigate risks. We do this by working with international partners and through multilateral fora including the UN and regional organisations.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if her Department will publish the rationale for cancelling or delaying certain council elections scheduled for May 2025; what assessment she has made of the potential impact of this decision on local democratic representation; and what steps she is taking to ensure transparency and accountability in the electoral process during local government reorganisation.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

On 16 December I wrote to leaders of all two-tier councils and of neighbouring unitary authorities, explaining that government would only postpone elections where it will help deliver both reorganisation and devolution to the most ambitious timeframe. I carefully considered each request, along with all relevant information including the representations we received, according to the criteria in that letter. The bar for agreeing to these requests is very high. My letter has been published and is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-government-reorganisation-letter-to-two-tier-areas; my statement to the House of 5 February provides more detail and is available here: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2025-02-05/hcws418

We will work with areas where elections have been postponed to move to elections to new ‘shadow’ unitary councils as soon as possible as is the usual arrangement in the process of local government reorganisation. Elections to shadow councils are subject to the same requirements, including for transparency and accountability, as those to established councils.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with his (a) Cabinet colleagues and (b) international counterparts on the potential deployment of UK troops in support of potential international peacekeeping operations in Ukraine; and what assessment he has made of whether such a deployment would be consistent with the UK’s foreign and defence policy.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The Secretary of State regularly holds discussions with his Cabinet colleagues and international counterparts on the war in Ukraine and how we can continue to best support Ukraine going forward. On 2 March, the Prime Minister chaired the Leaders Meeting on Ukraine, hosting counterparts from across Europe including Türkiye, the NATO Secretary General and the Presidents of the EU Commission, EU Council and Canada, to discuss our support for Ukraine.

The UK is ready and willing to contribute to security guarantees to Ukraine by putting our own troops on the ground if necessary.

We are not going to get into any further details at this stage and our focus is on ensuring Ukraine is in as strong a position as possible. When, how and on what terms this war comes to an end can only be decided by negotiations with Ukraine at the heart of them.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to negotiate a veterinary agreement with the European Union to ensure the continued supply of veterinary medicines to Northern Ireland beyond December 2025; and what alternative solutions are being considered to mitigate potential supply chain disruptions.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Maintaining availability of veterinary medicines to Northern Ireland after the end of 2025 is a priority. This Government continues to progress work on this issue as quickly as possible and we continue to engage with industry to understand their intentions for supply after the grace period and what alternative products could be available. The Government has seen positive signs that the size of the issue is reducing, as businesses are making changes to their operations. The Veterinary Medicines Working Group, including experts, industry representatives and elected representatives, has also been re-established to advise the Government on this matter.

The Government is committed to resetting our EU relationship, including by seeking to negotiate an SPS agreement. We have been clear that an SPS agreement could boost trade and deliver significant benefits on both sides. We will not be providing a running commentary on discussions with the EU and it is too early to comment on what may be in scope of an agreement.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking with his international counterparts to (a) protect and (b) promote the freedom of religion or belief in Iran.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK remains strongly committed to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB). We are championing the right to FoRB and promoting tolerance and mutual respect through our engagement in multilateral fora, our bilateral work, and our programme funding.

We condemn Iran's restrictions against FoRB. We were proud to help deliver the Iran Human Rights resolution, adopted by the UN Third Committee in November 2024, which called on Iran to cease monitoring individuals on account of their religious identity and to ensure rights are upheld. We will continue to raise the issue directly with the Iranian government, including through our Ambassador in Tehran.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will make a comparative assessment of the cost to the public purse for (a) inquiries and (b) legal proceedings relating to (i) the deaths of four men following the use of lethal force in County Tyrone in February 1992 and (ii) other lethal incidents involving the IRA from the same period.

Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

The cost of public inquiries will differ according to the scope of each Inquiry. The cost of legal proceedings will also differ substantially according to the scope of each case. It is not therefore possible to provide an accurate comparative assessment of the cost to the public purse of those respective undertakings.

The Northern Ireland Office’s spend on legal costs is included within our Annual Report and Accounts, although we do not differentiate between legal costs we incur and costs we pay to claimants’ lawyers. Costs for public inquiries are published by the Inquiries themselves.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Palestine refugee visa scheme on (a) social cohesion, (b) public services and (c) immigration levels; and what steps she is taking to ensure that the scheme is implemented in a way that balances (i) humanitarian responsibilities and (ii) the need to maintain community stability.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

Any application for a UK visa will be assessed against the requirements of the Immigration Rules and our suitability requirements. Consideration will be given to compelling, compassionate and exceptional circumstances raised and may be taken into account where certain requirements are not met.

Victoria Cross medals at the Imperial War Museum

Linfield FC and the Irish Premier League

Injury on Duty Award Scheme

Wellbeing of home educated children

Renaming Heathrow Airport after Queen Elizabeth II

Coroner’s finding on SAS soldiers

Found: NHS: Finance 21 January 2025 | UIN 23657 Asked by: Alex Easton To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer

Found: REPORT STAGE Thursday 6 March 2025 2 _NC3 Jim Allister Gavin Robinson Sammy Wilson Jim Shannon Alex Easton

Found: REPORT STAGE Wednesday 5 March 2025 2 _NC3 Jim Allister Gavin Robinson Sammy Wilson Jim Shannon Alex Easton

Found: REPORT STAGE Tuesday 4 March 2025 2 _NC3 Jim Allister Gavin Robinson Sammy Wilson Jim Shannon Alex Easton

Found: STAGE Wednesday 26 February 2025 2 _NC3 Jim Allister Gavin Robinson Sammy Wilson Jim Shannon Alex Easton

Found: STAGE Tuesday 25 February 2025 2 _NC3 Jim Allister Gavin Robinson Sammy Wilson Jim Shannon Alex Easton

Found: REPORT STAGE Friday 21 February 2025 2 _NC3 Jim Allister Gavin Robinson Sammy Wilson Jim Shannon Alex Easton

Found: STAGE Thursday 20 February 2025 2 _NC3 Jim Allister Gavin Robinson Sammy Wilson Jim Shannon Alex Easton

Found: STAGE Thursday 13 February 2025 2 _NC3 Jim Allister Gavin Robinson Sammy Wilson Jim Shannon Alex Easton