Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether his Department has been involved in discussions regarding the future ownership, management or financing of Northern Ireland public services or infrastructure by the Irish Government or its agencies.

Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

The Northern Ireland Office has not participated in any discussions regarding the future ownership, management, or financing of Northern Ireland’s public services, including infrastructure by the Irish Government or any of its agencies.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether HM Treasury is considering proposals to transfer Northern Ireland public assets to any entity based in the Republic of Ireland.

Answered by James Murray - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care

HM Treasury has not participated in any recent discussions regarding the future ownership, management, or financing of Northern Ireland’s public services, including infrastructure, by the Irish Government or any of its agencies.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of Vehicle Excise Duty changes on motorists in areas experiencing significant road maintenance issues, including potholes.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Consolidated Fund receives the proceeds of VED along with most other tax revenues to support public services and investment in infrastructure, including vehicle infrastructure and road maintenance.

To support motorists, by 2029/30, the government has committed over £2 billion annually for local authorities to repair, renew and fix potholes on their roads – doubling funding since coming into office.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent assessment he has made of the impact of rising domestic heating oil prices on households in Northern Ireland, where approximately 68% of homes rely on heating oil; and whether he plans to introduce targeted financial support for those households.

Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Prime Minister has been clear his number one domestic priority is helping families with the cost-of-living. To that end, the Government has announced £53 million for low-income families, who heat their homes with oil to help tackle surging prices.

In Northern Ireland, £17 million has been allocated, acknowledging the high levels of usage of heating oil there. The Northern Ireland Executive will have responsibility for the dispersal of these funds.

The Government is also working with the Northern Ireland Executive to ensure that consumer protections are fit for purpose for Northern Irish households, who are particularly reliant on heating oil.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to investigate reports of individuals submitting fraudulent claims in support of visa or asylum applications; and whether she plans to review visas granted in cases where claims relating to sexual orientation have been made from countries assessed as presenting a higher risk of fraudulent applications.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Home Office does not tolerate abuse of the immigration and asylum system and where we encounter such abuse, we take action. Protection status can and will be revoked where evidence emerges that it was obtained by deception.

If someone has concerns that a specific asylum claim may have been made fraudulently, these can be reported here: Report an immigration or border crime - GOV.UK. Any such reports will be fully investigated.

Furthermore, claiming asylum on the grounds of sexual orientation does not automatically result in a grant of asylum or other form of leave. All asylum and human rights claims, including those raised on grounds of sexual orientation are carefully considered on their individual merits in accordance with our international obligations. Our guidance for considering asylum claims is available on GOV.UK at: Assessing credibility and refugee status: caseworker guidance - GOV.UK.

A decision maker will not accept a person’s claimed sexual orientation at face value, such declarations constitute the starting point in the consideration process and are subject to probing at interview and a proper assessment of the facts and circumstances.

Each individual assessment is made against the background of relevant case law and the latest available country of origin information. Our assessment of the situation of a given group in a given country is set out in the relevant country policy and information note, which is available on GOV.UK at: www.gov.uk/government/collections/country-policy-and-information-notes.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Prime Minister had discussions with the Irish Government on the potential transfer of ownership or control of public assets in Northern Ireland to the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund.

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

The Prime Minister met the Taoiseach on March 13. A readout of discussions between the Prime Minister and the Taoiseach are made available on gov.uk.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland regarding the potential impact of an increase in fuel costs on the agricultural sector in Northern Ireland; and whether she is considering targeted support measures for farmers.

Answered by James Murray - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care

The Government is actively monitoring the increase in fuel costs across the whole of the UK, including in Northern Ireland, and any impacts on our food and farming sectors.

The Government has already announced that the 5p fuel duty cut will be extended until September.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of a reduced rate of VAT for businesses in Northern Ireland on economic growth and competitiveness; and whether her Department has considered piloting such a measure in Northern Ireland.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

VAT operates on a UK-wide basis and is a broad-based tax on consumption with the 20 per cent standard rate applying to most goods and services. VAT is the UK’s second largest tax, forecast to raise £180 billion in 2025/26.

Tax breaks reduce the revenue available for vital public services and must represent value for money for the taxpayer.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many consignments moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland are declared as at risk of onward movement to the EU; and what estimate she has made of the proportion of those consignments that subsequently move into the Republic of Ireland.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the impact of the (a) administrative burden and (b) associated costs of the “at risk” criteria on small and medium-sized enterprises moving goods from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government remains committed to the smooth flow of goods from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.

The Government has set out the Internal Market Guarantee that 80% of the value of freight will move under the UK internal market system. On 5 November, the Independent Monitoring Panel reported that the Internal Market Guarantee had been exceeded for its first monitoring period, with 96% of the value moved under the UK internal market system.

HMRC provides substantial support with guidance, engagement and other education for businesses of all sizes which do move goods at risk. The Trader Support Service is free for all businesses to use and can facilitate all goods movements between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Boston Marathon and Aaron Beggs’ act of sportsmanship

50th anniversary of Bangor Ladies Choir

Government response to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman report on communication of changes to women’s state pension age

Attempted Belfast beheading

Cervical screening

Energy Conservation

Campbell College’s rugby and football double

Ban trophy hunting imports

Energy Conservation

Health and Social Care

Mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence law

100th anniversary of the birth of Queen Elizabeth II

100th anniversary of the birth of Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II