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, 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.
Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
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.
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, 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.
Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
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.
Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
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.
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 discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the development of a roadmap for phasing out animal testing.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government is committed to supporting the uptake and development of alternative methods to the use of animals in science. We are currently engaging with partners from sectors with interests in animal science as to how we will take this commitment forward, including the publishing of a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods. This has included discussions between ministers from DSIT, the Home Office and Defra. We expect to publish this strategy later this year.
Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help reduce inequalities in SEND funding between local authorities.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.
This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.
Following the 2024 Autumn Budget, the department is providing an increase of £1 billion for high needs budgets in England in the 2025/26 financial year, bringing total high needs funding for children and young people with complex SEND to £11.9 billion.
The department is keeping the high needs funding arrangements under review as we progress wider SEND reforms.
Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to help ensure access to banking services in North Down constituency; and if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the planned closure of the Halifax branch in Bangor, North Down.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government understands the importance of face-to-face banking to communities and high streets in North Down and across the UK, and is committed to championing sufficient access for all as a priority. This is why the Government is working closely with banks to roll out 350 banking hubs, which will provide individuals and businesses up and down the country with critical cash and banking services.
FCA guidance expects firms to carefully consider the impact of planned branch closures on their customers’ everyday banking and cash access needs and put in place alternatives where reasonable. This seeks to ensure that branch closures are implemented in a way that treats customers fairly.
Alternative options to access everyday banking services can be via telephone banking, through digital means such as mobile or online banking and via the Post Office. The Post Office Banking Framework allows personal and business customers to withdraw and deposit cash, check their balance, pay bills and cash cheques at 11,500 Post Office branches across the UK.
Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to (a) help tackle the disparity between house prices and average earnings and (b) ensure that affordable housing is accessible to (i) first-time buyers and (ii) low-income families.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government’s Plan for Change includes an ambitious milestone of delivering 1.5 million safe and decent homes in this Parliament. We are also committed to delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation. This government will work in partnership with councils, housing associations and the wider sector to build their capacity and ensure we hit our ambitious target to build the homes Britain needs.
At the Budget on 30 October, the Chancellor announced a cash injection of £500 million to the Affordable Homes Programme. This is due to deliver up to 5,000 additional affordable homes, with bidding already open to local authorities and other registered providers of social housing.
We will set out details of new investment to succeed the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme at the Spending Review. This new investment will deliver a mix of homes for sub-market rent and homeownership, with a particular focus on delivering homes for Social Rent.
The affordability challenges facing prospective first-time buyers mean that too many people are now locked out of homeownership. In addition to increasing the supply of homes of all tenures, the government has committed to introducing a permanent, comprehensive mortgage guarantee scheme to support those first-time buyers who struggle to save for a large deposit.
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 steps his Department is taking to protect blue carbon habitats from human activities.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In England, we have established a comprehensive network of 181 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), which cover the majority of our saltmarsh and seagrass habitats. While blue carbon habitats may not always be an explicitly designated feature, MPA protection may still yield benefits.
Our focus is now on ensuring that these MPAs are effectively protected to allow the designated features to achieve favourable condition. Three Highly Protected Marine Area (HPMAs) designations in English waters came into force in summer 2023. Two of the three designated sites, Allonby Bay and North East of Farnes Deep, contain blue carbon habitats.
Defra set up the UK Blue Carbon Evidence Partnership in partnership with DESNZ and the Devolved Administrations to address evidence gaps around these important habitats. We are funding a multi-year research project to increase our understanding of UK seabed sediment carbon storage and sequestration, the impact of human activities and to model potential management interventions. Initial outputs from this work were published in January 2025.