Claire Hanna

The Government stands by its view that the Windsor Framework is delivering practical benefits in Northern Ireland and we are committed to its implementation alongside protecting the UK internal market.

The Windsor Framework provides a wide range of support for business between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the Government will keep working with businesses and organisations like the Federation of Small Businesses as we move forward.

The Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement with the European Union, once agreed and implemented, will make it easier to move goods across the Irish Sea, so Northern Ireland can enjoy the same products as the rest of the UK.

As co-Chair of the Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee I regularly discuss the functioning of the Windsor Framework with my European Commission counterpart Maroš Šefčovič. At the recent UK-EU summit we announced a new SPS agreement that will facilitate the smooth flow of agrifood and plants from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, whilst protecting the facilitations available to businesses under the Windsor Framework. This achievement is a product of a closer partnership with the EU, which will unlock real improvements for businesses and consumers - alongside the recent switch on of new customs facilitations for freight and parcels so that goods can flow smoothly within the UK internal market.

The Review reflects the Government’s commitment to securing the broadest possible confidence of communities in Northern Ireland’s post-Brexit trading arrangements. The Government looks forward to considering Lord Murphy’s recommendations when the Review reports. In doing so, we will follow the duties contained within Schedule 6A Northern Ireland Act 1998 including in respect of engagement with the European Union.

The Government maintains a dialogue with the EU on matters of mutual interest. The updated General Product Safety Regulation largely formalises the reality of how businesses are already operating in the UK and the measures are therefore likely to have limited impact. Where businesses need to make changes, we expect that they will be adapting anyway in order to continue trading with the EU. We are keeping this matter under careful review and are supporting small and medium businesses through providing detailed guidance and via regular engagement to ensure we are enabling them to trade freely across the whole of the UK.

The UK government encourages regulators and industry bodies to engage with their counterparts in the Republic of Ireland to ensure professionals are able to practise in both jurisdictions. Independent UK regulators and industry bodies are responsible for agreeing recognition agreements with their overseas counterparts.

The Department for Business and Trade has not held discussions with the National Council for the Training of Journalists on establishing a mutual recognition of professional qualifications agreement with the Republic of Ireland.

The updated GPSR largely formalises the reality of how many businesses are already operating and the measures are therefore likely to have limited impact in practice. However, we understand that for some businesses, the regulation will require changes, and we take any concerns extremely seriously.

We have issued guidance, will keep this under review and continue to engage businesses directly to ensure we are supporting them to trade freely within the UK and with the EU. We have regular discussions with businesses and consumer representatives from across the UK to hear their concerns.

The Government is supporting SMEs to comply with the new General Product Safety Regulation. We have published guidance and have been engaging with businesses directly. We will keep the guidance under review and will continue to engage with businesses directly to monitor the situation and to ensure we are supporting them to trade freely across the whole of the UK.

The updated General Product Safety Regulation largely formalises the reality of how businesses are already operating in the UK and the measures are therefore likely to have limited impact. Where businesses need to make changes, we expect that they will be already adapting in order to continue trading with the EU. We will provide more guidance in this area shortly, will keep this under review and continue to engage businesses directly to ensure we are supporting them to trade freely across the whole of the UK.

When it comes to arms exports, this Government will uphold our international legal obligations, ensuring that international law is fully factored into decisions, in line with the UK's Strategic Export Licensing Criteria. The Foreign Secretary met with President Netanyahu in Israel on 14 July and pushed for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, the upholding of international law, and a rapid increase of aid into Gaza.

The Government will now review the advice available and come to a considered decision. The Government will update Parliament as appropriate once this decision has been made.

Energy policy is largely devolved to the Northern Ireland Executive (NIE). As such the Clean Power 2030 Advisory Commission is focused on decarbonisation of the power system in Great Britain. However, we are keen to share learnings from this process with colleagues in Northern Ireland and will work with them to this end as NIE produces its own plan to decarbonise the power sector, which will receive UK government support.

The Government is committed to supporting low-income households this winter, and we are continuing to deliver the Warm Home Discount which provides an annual £150 rebate off energy bills to eligible low-income households.

Last month, I met with energy suppliers to discuss the support we will provide to customers struggling with bills this winter, and my team and I will continue to work closely with suppliers in the weeks ahead. The Government expects energy suppliers to do everything they can to support consumers who are struggling with their bills.

For the 2024/25 Cyber Local pilot, regional steering groups were established to review expressions of interest from potential applicants. The Northern Ireland steering group comprised individuals from industry, academia, and the NI Executive, and was responsible for ensuring that proposals met a local need and did not duplicate existing interventions. Endorsement from the steering group was a prerequisite for accessing a Cyber Local grant via Innovate UK.

As of April 2025, the way that Devolved Administrations (DAs) receive funding for cyber security has changed. Previously ringfenced cyber budgets will be absorbed into departmental baselines and provided directly to DAs in their overall HM Treasury settlement.

The revised funding arrangements further support DAs, including the Northern Ireland Executive, to make their own choices about how to champion the cyber sector in each part of the UK. DSIT will continue to engage with the Northern Ireland Executive on how to assist the cyber sector, including through the Cyber Local programme.

DSIT continues to support the successful cyber ecosystem in Northern Ireland with key investments such as the Cyber AI Hub programme at Queen’s University Belfast.

As of April 2025, the way that Devolved Administrations (DAs) receive funding for cyber security has changed. Previously ringfenced cyber budgets will be absorbed into departmental baselines and provided directly to DAs in their overall HM Treasury settlement.

The revised funding arrangements further support DAs, including the Northern Ireland Executive, to make their own choices about how to champion the cyber sector in each part of the UK. DSIT will continue to engage with the Northern Ireland Executive on how to assist the cyber sector, including through the Cyber Local programme.

DSIT continues to support the successful cyber ecosystem in Northern Ireland with key investments such as the Cyber AI Hub programme at Queen’s University Belfast.

The Government introduced SI 2024/1124 following a public consultation and careful consideration of the views and evidence submitted thereto. The effect of the SI is to largely maintain the effect of the law as it formerly applied (Option 0 in the consultation), except for limited changes, most of which are made to allow the UK to comply with its international obligations. Revoking this SI and adopting any of the other options considered at consultation would risk costs and disruption for the UK’s creative industries, as set out in the Government’s response to the consultation.

As we set out in our Creative Industries Sector Plan, the Government wants a healthy and mixed TV ecology. This includes public service broadcasters providing an engine room of creativity whilst our independent production sector continues to create more intellectual property and British content that can be exported globally.

Ofcom, as the independent media regulator, is responsible for the guidance to public service broadcasters on commissioning codes of practice and has consulted on their proposals and will be carefully considering all of the responses they have received.

Ministers and officials regularly meet stakeholders to discuss a range of issues which affect media organisations and journalists. Officials in my department would be pleased to meet with Media Strong.

The Government is not currently taking specific steps to support mental health services in journalism. However, we are taking steps to strengthen our national, regional and local press, which includes action aimed at supporting journalists.

I also chair the National Committee for the Safety of Journalists, together with the Minister for Safeguarding and Violence against Women and Girls. It brings together representatives from government, journalism, policing, prosecution services and civil society to make sure that journalists in the UK are able to operate free from threats and violence. Its National Action Plan for the Safety of Journalists sets out how the safety of journalists in the UK can be protected.

Ministers and officials regularly meet stakeholders to discuss a range of issues which affect media organisations and journalists. Officials in my department would be pleased to meet with Media Strong.

The Government is not currently taking specific steps to support mental health services in journalism. However, we are taking steps to strengthen our national, regional and local press, which includes action aimed at supporting journalists.

I also chair the National Committee for the Safety of Journalists, together with the Minister for Safeguarding and Violence against Women and Girls. It brings together representatives from government, journalism, policing, prosecution services and civil society to make sure that journalists in the UK are able to operate free from threats and violence. Its National Action Plan for the Safety of Journalists sets out how the safety of journalists in the UK can be protected.

An answer was provided to the Hon Member on 22nd April. I apologise for the delay.

The BBC is operationally and editorially independent of the Government, and decisions on how it discharges its obligations, such as its changes to its BBC Sounds service, are a matter for the BBC. The Government has therefore not assessed the potential impact of the BBC’s changes to its BBC Sounds service. The BBC has announced its own decision to delay the blocking of BBC Sounds outside of the UK while working on plans to continue to make other BBC stations available to listeners outside the UK.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) meets regularly with representatives of the BBC on a range of matters, including how it engages listeners both in the UK and internationally.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

Investment in childcare provision is an essential part of the government’s 10 Year Strategy, which is why it sets out an investment of almost £370 million to deliver tens of thousands of new early education and childcare places by opening or expanding school-based nurseries in England. School-based nurseries are a key part of this government’s Opportunity Mission, delivering on our Plan for Change by expanding the high-quality early education across England that supports children’s lifelong learning and success.

We have instructed PackUK to exercise its existing powers within the pEPR regulations to ensure local authorities in England only receive pEPR funds that are spent on household packaging, waste management, and recycling. When local authority payments are confirmed in July, PackUK will write directly to all English local authority chief executives setting this out. If a local authority does not spend the funds as specified, PackUK will use its regulatory powers to deduct funds accordingly for the following year’s payment.

We have instructed PackUK to exercise its existing powers within the pEPR regulations to ensure local authorities in England only receive pEPR funds that are spent on household packaging, waste management, and recycling. When local authority payments are confirmed in July, PackUK will write directly to all English local authority chief executives setting this out. If a local authority does not spend the funds as specified, PackUK will use its regulatory powers to deduct funds accordingly for the following year’s payment.

The Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for drinks containers in England is industry-led, funded by producers and delivered by producers and retailers collectively through the Deposit Management Organisation. Most international schemes follow this model.

The appointment of UK Deposit Management Organisation Ltd (UK DMO) was made by the UK Government in May 2025 as the operator of the Deposit Return Scheme in England.

DRS costs are the responsibility of UK DMO.

Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging (pEPR) is intended to make producers responsible for the costs of managing their packaging, incentivising them to use less packaging and make the packaging they do use more sustainable.

The key pEPR obligations include paying local authority disposal costs for the management of packaging collected from households and public information campaigns, in addition to scheme administration and regulator fees. pEPR also includes a recycling obligation, which requires producers to obtain PRNs, based on the amount of packaging they have placed on the market, from accredited reprocessors and exporters. The cost of PRNs is intended to support the actual recycling of the collected packaging waste.

Combined, pEPR disposal fees and the cost of PRNs support the collection, sorting and reprocessing of packaging, as well as the costs of disposing of packaging which is not recycled.

A full explanation of how the pEPR system will operate can be found the Explanatory Memorandum published alongside the Producer Responsibility (Packaging and Packaging Wate) Regulations which were laid in Parliament on the 24^th October The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) Regulations 2024 - Draft Explanatory Memorandum.

We intend to publish a National Action Plan in due course that reflects the Government’s priority to minimise the risks and impact of pesticides on human health and the environment and facilitate sustainable use.

Officials from this Department regularly meet with their counterparts from the other parts of the UK, including the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland, to compare notes on how each is approaching a wide range of active travel issues. The Department’s officials would be happy to explore this topic with their counterparts in the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland, but in practice nearly all of the ways of improving access to cycles for those people in Northern Ireland who are unable to use the cycle to work scheme would be devolved matters for the Northern Ireland government.

The Cycle to Work Scheme is a salary sacrifice scheme and any changes to it would be a matter for His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs. The Department continues to have conversations with HMRC regarding the scheme, but has had no such discussions with the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland.

The UK ferry market predominantly operates on a private sector, commercial basis without government support or intervention. As such decisions on increased services is a matter for the relevant operators, and we note that there are multiple routing options for ferry access between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The Government is considering options to decarbonise the domestic maritime sector which - alongside the expansion of the UK ETS to domestic maritime from 2026, will deliver more sustainable travel options between GB and NI.

The Northern Ireland rail network is fully devolved, operated by Translink and provided grant capital from Department for infrastructure.

Accessible air travel is a key priority, and everyone should be able to fly with ease and dignity. Government is committed to working closely with industry and stakeholders to make progress in improving aviation accessibility.

The Social Security Administration Act 1992 requires the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to review State pension and benefit rates each year to see if they have retained their value in relation to the general level of prices or earnings. Where the relevant rates have not retained their value, legislation provides that the Secretary of State is required to, or in some instances may, up-rate their value. Following this review, some rates are increased in line with statutory minima, and others are increased subject to the Secretary of State’s discretion.

The new and basic State Pensions, and the Standard Minimum Guarantee in Pension Credit (which replaced tax credits for most people above State Pension age on 5 April 2025). must be increased at least in line with the growth in earnings. In practice, the new and basic State Pensions are subject to our commitment for this Parliament to the triple lock of the highest of earnings growth, the increase in prices, or 2.5%

Additional-needs disability benefits such as Personal Independence Payment, Carer’s Allowance, and Additional Pension must be increased at least in line with the increase in prices. By convention, the measure used for this is the increase in the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) in the year to September.

For the rates of most other benefits, including Universal Credit (which replaced tax credits for people below State Pension age on 5 April 2025), once the Secretary of State has concluded her review of the increase in the general level of prices, she may decide to increase them. The Office for Budgetary Responsibility currently assumes that she will do so in line with the increase in CPI in the year to September. However, the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill has been introduced into Parliament and subject to parliamentary approval, this will alter the standard parameters of Secretary of State's annual review.

No assessment is planned.

Universal Credit treats Maternity Allowance in the same way as legacy means-tested benefits, such as Income Support or Income Based Jobseeker’s Allowance, in that it is taken fully into account. Whilst we keep all policies under review, we have no plans to review how Maternity Allowance is taken into account in UC.

Maternity pay is primarily designed as a health and safety provision for pregnant working women. We want new mothers to be able to take time away from work in the later stages of their pregnancy and following childbirth, if they wish, for their own health and wellbeing.

No assessment is planned.

Universal Credit treats Maternity Allowance in the same way as legacy means-tested benefits, such as Income Support or Income Based Jobseeker’s Allowance, in that it is taken fully into account. Whilst we keep all policies under review, we have no plans to review how Maternity Allowance is taken into account in UC.

Maternity pay is primarily designed as a health and safety provision for pregnant working women. We want new mothers to be able to take time away from work in the later stages of their pregnancy and following childbirth, if they wish, for their own health and wellbeing.

Government spends approximately £3 billion a year on parental payments. When considering calls to increase the level of maternity benefits generally, those must be balanced against limited resources as well as being mindful of the burden on employers, the needs of parents and could not be made without consultation with businesses and other stakeholders. Further, any changes would need to take account of economic circumstances and affordability for taxpayers.

The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions is required by law to undertake an annual review of benefits and State Pensions, including Statutory Maternity Pay and Maternity Allowance. This is based on a review of trends in prices and earnings growth in the preceding year.

From April 2025, the rate for Statutory Maternity Pay and Maternity Allowance increased by September 2024's CPI figure of 1.7%, from £184.03 to £187.18 per week.

Maternity and other types of Parental Pay are intended to provide a measure of financial security to support parents whilst they are away from the workplace; they are not a replacement of earnings.

We know that the parental leave system needs improvement. In the Plan to Make Work Pay the government committed to a Review of the parental leave system to ensure that it best supports working families. Planning work is already underway across Government.

The review provides us with an opportunity to consider the current framework of parental leave entitlements and how they should operate as a holistic system to improve the support available for working families.

We will also take the opportunity to establish a set of objectives for the parental leave system, which reflect the needs of GB’s modern economy. This has been lacking in recent years as the framework of entitlements has evolved over time.

Government spends approximately £3 billion a year on parental payments. When considering calls to increase the level of maternity benefits generally, those must be balanced against limited resources as well as being mindful of the burden on employers, the needs of parents and could not be made without consultation with businesses and other stakeholders. Further, any changes would need to take account of economic circumstances and affordability for taxpayers.

The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions is required by law to undertake an annual review of benefits and State Pensions, including Statutory Maternity Pay and Maternity Allowance. This is based on a review of trends in prices and earnings growth in the preceding year.

From April 2025, the rate for Statutory Maternity Pay and Maternity Allowance increased by September 2024's CPI figure of 1.7%, from £184.03 to £187.18 per week.

Maternity and other types of Parental Pay are intended to provide a measure of financial security to support parents whilst they are away from the workplace; they are not a replacement of earnings.

We know that the parental leave system needs improvement. In the Plan to Make Work Pay the government committed to a Review of the parental leave system to ensure that it best supports working families. Planning work is already underway across Government.

The review provides us with an opportunity to consider the current framework of parental leave entitlements and how they should operate as a holistic system to improve the support available for working families.

We will also take the opportunity to establish a set of objectives for the parental leave system, which reflect the needs of GB’s modern economy. This has been lacking in recent years as the framework of entitlements has evolved over time.