Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South and Mid Down)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science 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.
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, what assessment she has made of her Department's ability to deliver an automatic release process for HMRC-allocated accounts for unclaimed monies from Child Trust funds.
Answered by Rachel Blake
The Government is aware of proposals for the automatic release of funds in unclaimed matured Child Trust Fund (CTF) accounts, where the account was opened by HMRC. These savings belong to the account holders and are held by private sector providers. The Government does not have the authority to access or transfer these funds.
The Government is committed to reuniting young people with their CTFs. HMRC works with providers, industry representatives and others to raise awareness and help individuals trace their accounts, including through targeted communications and a free GOV.UK tracing service.
The Government has also established a dedicated Taskforce to address unclaimed matured CTF accounts and improve outcomes for account holders. This brings together Government and industry to strengthen tracing activity, increase engagement, and support access to funds.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South and Mid Down)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, in relation to the Infected Blood Compensation Authority, whether the estates of a deceased affected person who died prior to 21 May 2024 will be eligible to make a claim for compensation.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds
No, estates of a deceased affected person who died prior to 21 May 2024 will not be eligible to make a claim on behalf of the estate. In its July 2025 Additional Report, the Inquiry recommended that the compensation scheme be amended so that the estate of a deceased affected person will be eligible to claim compensation where an affected person passed away between 21 May 2024 and 31 March 2029. This is to acknowledge that the passage of time in delivering payments to the affected community since the Compensation Scheme was announced has left some at a disadvantage.
Following the Inquiry’s recommendation, we have amended the scheme so that the estate of a deceased affected person is now eligible to claim compensation where an affected person passed away between 21 May 2024 and 31 March 2031. This date range is a further two years than the date range recommended by the Inquiry.