Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South and Mid Down)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the merits of establishing a the Cross-Departmental Advisory Group on Creative Education.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
As set out in the Government response to the Independent Review of Arts Council England, The Department for Education and Department for Culture, Media and Sport will work in partnership to ensure there is strategic alignment across government funded programmes, including the Arts Council, to support arts education and enrichment – both in schools and communities.
Our immediate priority is delivering curriculum reform and the National Centre for Arts and Music Education. The Government will consider the advisory group’s role and membership in due course. The advisory group will be designed to complement and add value to existing work on arts education and enrichment.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South and Mid Down)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with Trade Unions from the creative industries regarding skills shortages and workforce development needs.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The Creative Industries Sector Plan sets out the Government’s objective to build a resilient, skilled and diverse workforce fit for the future. To deliver this, we are working in partnership with the sector, including its trade unions, to create the conditions for sustained economic growth.
Recent discussions with trade unions have focused on the development of the Creative Industries Jobs Plan. The Jobs Plan will comprehensively set out the scale of the workforce challenge in the sector and how government, business and trade unions will work together to address this over the next three years.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South and Mid Down)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to end unethical and unnecessary animal testing.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office regulates the use of animals in science under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA). Animal testing that is unethical, unnecessary or not scientifically justified is not permitted. The use of animals is only permitted where the statutory requirements are met, where there is no validated non-animal alternative, and where the expected benefits justify the likely harms.
Every project licence application must undergo a rigorous harm-benefit analysis and scrutiny of how the principles of Replacement, Reduction and Refinement (the 3Rs) have been applied. Applications must also undergo ethical and scientific review by local Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Bodies before submission to the Regulator. The Regulator will not progress applications where the legal requirements are not met.
The Government has a long-term vision for a world where the use of animals in science is eliminated in all but exceptional circumstances. The Government’s published strategy, Replacing animals in science, is backed by £75 million in funding, and contains commitments to accelerate the development, validation and uptake of non-animal alternatives, including the creation of a UK Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South and Mid Down)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has had discussions with the Competition and Markets Authority on the potential merits of reviewing Apple and Googles app store control over mobile phone downloads, including whether alternative 'pay to download' structures could be made available for consumers and app developers.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
The CMA is currently taking forward work as part of its Strategic Market Status investigations into Apple and Google’s mobile ecosystems. As the UK’s independent competition authority, it is for the CMA to determine the scope of its investigations and any potential interventions.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South and Mid 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 her Department is taking to deliver a ban on the (a) breeding, (b) release and (c) killing of birds for sport.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government has no plans to ban the breeding, release or killing of birds for sport.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South and Mid Down)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much of their annual budget does the National Crime Agency spend on specifically investigating criminality in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
As a matter of longstanding policy the National Crime Agency does not providebreakdowns and estimates on the specific budget allocations by location.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South and Mid Down)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many meetings or requests for meetings she has had from the Northern Ireland Finance Minister on the the Northern Ireland draft budget since the start of the financial year.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
I lead HM Treasury’s engagement with the Northern Ireland Executive on matters relating to Northern Ireland’s public finances. I most recently met the Northern Ireland Finance Minister on 15 June 2026 and maintain regular engagement through the Finance: Interministerial Standing Committee (F:ISC).
HM Treasury officials remain in regular contact with Northern Ireland Executive on matters relating to Northern Ireland's finances.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South and Mid Down)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, has the Research, Information and Communications Unit within the Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism supported the Police Service of Northern Ireland in Policing Operations over the last 24 months.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
RICU conducts open source monitoring to highlight radicalisation risks. Its work supports the wider counter-terrorism system by providing analysis on terrorist and extremist use of propaganda and exploitation of the internet to inform the UK’s counter terrorism system. All activity complies with relevant legislation. RICU provides updates to a range of partners across HMG, including the Northern Ireland Office and national and regional Police forces.
RICU operates within the framework of Home Office governance, including ministerial accountability and established departmental oversight processes. Ministers have authorised RICU’s work since its establishment and receive its outputs as part of the Department’s wider counter-terrorism activity.
The team’s work is subject to appropriate internal assurance and external scrutiny, including by Parliament.