Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with stakeholders on his Department's modelling of workforce numbers in the 10 Year Workforce Plan.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government will publish the 10 Year Workforce Plan in spring 2026. This plan will set out action to create a National Health Service workforce which is able to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. It is important we do this in a robust and joined up way. We are therefore engaging extensively with partners to ensure this plan delivers for staff and patients.
That engagement began well before the call for evidence was closed. In early November, ministers hosted an event with nearly one hundred representatives of partner organisations to hear views from across the health system.
Engagement is now continuing while we analyse the submissions to our call for evidence, including a roundtable with medical royal colleges on 14 January, which I chaired.
We have committed to publishing regular workforce planning. This will start with the 10-Year Workforce Plan, which will include updated workforce modelling and its underlying assumptions when published in spring 2026. The updated workforce modelling will be subject to independent scrutiny by our appointed external scrutiny panel.
Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to (a) monitor delivery of the Replacing Animals in Science strategy, (b) provide stable multi-year funding for its implementation, including UKCVAM, (c) publish milestones and progress updates, and (d) support regulatory changes to increase the uptake of non-animal methods, including delivery of the strategy’s 2026 commitments.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government’s strategy Replacing animals in science strategy is setting up governance structures, including a Ministerial board, to oversee progress and ensure momentum is maintained. £60m of ringfenced, multiyear funding has been provided to secure long-term investment for the strategy’s measures, including UKCVAM and the preclinical translational models hub, through the 2025 Spending Review. Transparent targets and milestones, alongside KPIs will be published starting in 2026. Current legislation requires alternatives to animals to be used wherever available, so there are no current plans to change legislation.
Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what response she has given to the US Administration's letter to her Department regarding trophy hunting.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is committed to banning the import of hunting trophies from species of conservation concern. We continue to engage constructively with a wide range of stakeholders, including other Governments, to understand different perspectives and ensure we can implement a robust ban.
Baroness Hayman met with a representative of the United States Government in July 2025 to discuss the UK Government’s proposed ban on the import of hunting trophies. There have been no further ministerial‑level discussions with the United States Government on this issue since this meeting.
Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what consideration he has given to ring-fencing any element of the Local Growth Fund allocation for Northern Ireland for community and voluntary sector services.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Northern Ireland Office; Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, and the Northern Ireland Executive have worked to provide community and voluntary sector organisations with the certainty they need to plan for this year.
The RDEL element of the Local Growth Fund in 2026/27 will be split between economic inactivity provision delivery partners and Go Succeed, in the same proportion to funding received in 2025/26 under the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. This was agreed between the UK Government and the Northern Ireland Executive.
The record £19.3bn settlement for the Spending Review period - as well as the £370m announced at the Budget - provides the Northern Ireland Executive with the means to provide additional funding to support the voluntary and community sector, should they wish to do so.
Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Northern Ireland Executive on re-profiling the Local Growth Fund allocation for Northern Ireland to increase the resource element.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Following the announcement of the Local Growth Fund in Northern Ireland at the Spending Review in June 2025, I have had regular engagement with the Secretary of State for Housing Communities and Local Government, as well as Ministers in the Northern Ireland Executive, as we continue to work in partnership on the design and delivery of the Fund.
Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he plans to make additional funding available to the Police Service of Northern Ireland to meet the costs arising from the 2023 data breach.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
It is for the Northern Ireland Executive to set a budget for Departments, and for the Minister for Justice to allocate funding to the Police Service of Northern Ireland. The Government is providing the Executive with a record settlement over the Spending Review period, averaging £19.3bn per year. This is the largest in the history of devolution.
On 17 December 2025, the Northern Ireland Executive committed to providing £119m to the Department of Justice to fund the costs of the data breach.
Concerns about the implications of costs associated with the data breach should be raised via the existing mechanisms in the Department of Justice and the Department of Finance.
Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of proposed EU (a) taxes and (b) charges on small packages entering the EU on Northern Ireland, including parcels sent within the United Kingdom internal market.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
We are aware of changes to the EU’s rules of low value imports and the announcement in December of its intention to introduce customs duty on these goods from 1 July 2026.
At Autumn Budget 2025, the Chancellor announced the removal of the UK's relief from customs duty on goods below £135 from March 2029 at the latest.
There is currently a consultation on these changes that closes on 6th March 2026.
We are committed to ensuring that the current facilitations available for parcels under the Windsor Framework continue to operate. This means that goods eligible to move under the UK Carrier Scheme and the UK Internal Market Scheme will continue to do so. These schemes are designed to protect goods moving within the UK internal market from incurring duty.
The benefits of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement will also continue to be available.
The Government continues to engage with industry and the EU to ensure any applicable arrangements are implemented correctly and to minimise any negative impacts on Northern Ireland consumers and businesses.
Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress her Department has made on proposals to prohibit the import into the UK of hunting trophies; and when she expects to bring forward legislation to implement such a prohibition.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is committed to banning the import of hunting trophies from species of conservation concern.
The department continues to engage with relevant stakeholders to ensure that we can implement a robust ban.
Timeframes for introducing legislation will be provided once the Parliamentary timetable for future sessions is determined.
Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking, bilaterally and with international partners, in response to reports of arbitrary detention, torture and executions of protesters in Iran; and whether she plans to make further designations under the Global Human Rights Sanctions Regulations 2020 in relation to individuals responsible.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the statement the Foreign Secretary made to the House on 13 January, and her responses to the questions raised in that debate.
Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations her Department has made to the Government of Syria on recent sectarian attacks on members of the Alawite minority in Homs.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Further to the answer given on 18 September to question 74583, I raised this issue with the Syrian Foreign Minister during his visit to London in November, and we continue to monitor the situation closely.