Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the differences in shipping tax between Northern Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Wight under the Emissions Trading Scheme.

Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

Reforms to the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) are agreed jointly by Ministers in all four nations who have equal decision-making power. We have consulted extensively on this since March 2022. Obligations under the scheme apply uniformly to all nations in the UK.

A 50% deduction has been applied for voyages in either direction between Northern Ireland and Great Britain. This will ensure parity and prevent distortions with routes between the island of Ireland and Great Britain, which are included under the EU ETS.

A limited exemption applies for ferries serving Scotland's islands and peninsulas given legal duties under the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his planned timetable is for publication of interim and final findings from the independent maternity services investigation.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

On the 26 February Baroness Amos published her interim report on the National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation, and the final report and recommendations will follow in Spring 2026.

The Government is also setting up a National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, chaired by my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. The taskforce will address the recommendations of the investigation by developing a new national action plan to drive improvements across maternity and neonatal care.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of fetal growth monitoring practices across NHS Trusts.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

To support the consistent delivery of evidence based best practice in regards to fetal growth monitoring, NHS England published the Saving Babies’ Lives Care Bundle Version 3.2 in April 2025.

The bundle covers six areas of clinical care, one of which is fetal growth monitoring. This includes early and ongoing fetal growth restriction risk assessment, risk-based surveillance, competent measurement and interpretation, and timely escalation through clear assessment and decision-making pathways, in line with the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists’ Green-top Guideline No. 31.

Implementation of the clinical standards within the bundle is supported through NHS Resolution’s Maternity Incentive Scheme, which provides a strong financial mechanism to encourage adoption and consistency.