Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps he is taking to replace the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023.

Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

I introduced the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill on 14 October – a significant step in fulfilling our commitment to repeal and replace the Legacy Act.

The Bill received its Second Reading yesterday, and I look forward to continued debate and scrutiny as it progresses through Parliament.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of poultry and egg imports from Ukraine on the UK market following the extension of tariff free access in February 2024.

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

Under our Free Trade Agreement with Ukraine, tariffs on all goods are temporarily removed until March 2029, except for poultry and eggs, where the liberalisation is due to end on 31 March 2026.

Ukrainian imports of poultry and eggs currently constitute a small proportion of the UK’s total imports of these products. We consistently consider the views of industry and impact of imports on the UK market from all countries, including from Ukraine. We will continue to take these views into account as part of our policy development process.

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 reducing the number of police community support officers in Cheshire on levels of crime in that area.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government’s Safer Streets Mission sets a clear expectation for policing to deliver safer communities and improved public confidence. An effective, well-supported police service is central to achieving this.

Based on their £3,009,490 allocation from the Neighbourhood Policing Grant, Cheshire Police is projected to grow by 48 FTE neighbourhood police officers in 2025-26.

It is for Chief Constables and directly elected PCCs, and Mayors with PCC functions, to make operational decisions based on their local knowledge and experience. This includes how best to allocate the resources at their disposal to provide an effective service to local communities.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessments she has made of trends in the levels of recruitment and retention in Cheshire Police; and how many officers have (a) left and (b) joined the force since July 2024.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

Forces are expected to manage their recruitment and retention activities to ensure that they meet officer headcount targets linked to funding arrangements set out in the Police Funding Settlement.

Data on joiners and leavers is published annually in July, including data for the previous year to 31 March. For the last full year that data is available (April 2024 to March 2025) Cheshire Police saw an increase in joiners of 17.1% (178 full time equivalents) alongside an increase in leavers of 4.5% (7 full time equivalents).

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to ensure that policing capacity is maintained in areas experiencing (a) increased community demand and (b) a reduction in policing numbers.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government is committed to ensuring police forces are supported to tackle crime effectively. As part of our mission to deliver safer streets, we will restore neighbourhood policing and support forces to rebuild relationships with their local communities.

The 2025-26 final police funding settlement provided funding of up to £19.6 billion for the policing system in England and Wales. This is an overall increase of up to £1.2 billion when compared to the 2024-25 settlement.

This includes a total of up to £376.8 million specifically to support forces to achieve officer headcounts set out in the Police Funding Settlement and £200m to kick start the growth in neighbourhood policing personnel.

It is for Chief Constables and directly elected PCCs, and Mayors with PCC functions, to make operational decisions based on their local knowledge and experience. This includes how best to allocate the resources at their disposal to provide an effective service to local communities.

Crohn’s and Colitis Awareness Week 2025

Found: South and Finsbury) (Chair) Fleur Anderson MP (Labour,Putney) Alex Ballinger (Labour; Halesowen) Aphra Brandreth

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Emily Thornberry (Chair); Fleur Anderson; Aphra Brandreth; Phil Brickell