Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many and what proportion of eligible households in Belfast South and Mid Down, West Belfast, North Belfast and East Belfast constituencies are availing of the Tax Free Childcare scheme.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps he has taken with Cabinet colleagues in response to reports of suppliers in Great Britain ceasing trade with businesses based in Northern Ireland.

Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

The Government continues to take practical action to protect and facilitate trade across the UK internal market. At Budget 2025, the Government announced £16.6 million to strengthen the UK internal market, including funding for an enhanced ‘one stop shop’ regulatory support service and a dedicated budget for Intertrade UK, the non-statutory advisory body established under Safeguarding the Union to help boost trade across the UK. On a wide range of regulatory areas, the Government has been taking action to account for the views of industry and smooth flows of trade within the UK market, including in pharmaceuticals, toy safety, and the labelling of chemicals.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what guidance he has provided to businesses in Great Britain on the Windsor Framework and Northern Ireland's access to the UK internal market.

Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

Extensive guidance is available on GOV.UK for businesses moving goods under the Windsor Framework, alongside support from the Trader Support Service.

At Autumn Budget 2025, the Government announced £16.6 million to strengthen the UK internal market and help boost trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. This will include a comprehensive ‘one stop shop’ regulatory support service that will provide additional guidance beyond what is currently available on GOV.UK, supporting businesses in Great Britain to trade with Northern Ireland and take advantage of the facilitations made available under the Windsor Framework.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the UK becoming a signatory to the Fossil Fuels Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Answered by Katie White - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The UK has not endorsed the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, but we will keep the potential for such initiatives under review. We are committed to working with all alliances where our interests align in delivering the outcomes of the Paris Agreement.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to ensure that its legal obligations under the Good Friday Agreement are met when discussing Article 3 of the ECHR with European counterparts.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

This Government is committed to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and the Good Friday Agreement (GFA). We are working with international partners to modernise the application of the ECHR, ensuring it remains effective in addressing challenges like illegal migration and cross-border crime. In any such discussions we are mindful of our wider legal obligations, including under the GFA.

On Article 3 of the ECHR, we are seeking to address the application of the prohibition on inhuman or degrading treatment in expulsion and extradition cases, for example where it blocks removal because of prison conditions or access to healthcare abroad. This is entirely consistent with our obligations under the GFA.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Northern Ireland Executive has the ability to create an energy support scheme for users of home heating oil with funding from the UK government, announced in the Autumn budget.

Answered by James Murray - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care

Spending classed as Annually Managed Expenditure will be provided to Northern Ireland to develop a comparable scheme to that developed in GB.

It is for the Northern Ireland Executive to decide how they would like to deliver a comparable offer. The UK Government is ready to review the business case once it has been submitted by the Northern Ireland Executive.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent steps she has taken on assigning funding and renewing the national contract for the UK Youth Parliament for the 2026-2028 mandate.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

DCMS has confirmed funding the UK Youth Parliament for the next financial year 2026-2027 and will be working with the National Youth Agency to deliver the programme with partners and young people. Over the coming months, DCMS will be working with young people to deliver against the ambitions of the National Youth Strategy and create more opportunities for youth empowerment and democracy.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had with Capita on ensuring that no redundancies result from the awarding of the Synergy contract to that company.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Synergy is replacing out of date technology systems and processes that cost us time to use and maintain – time that could be better spent serving people who rely on our services. It will free up employee time for higher value work delivering outcomes for the taxpayer. The work Capita will carry out under the Synergy Business Process Services (BPS) contract is activity not currently delivered by Civil Servants, because BPS is already outsourced to another supplier.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he conducted an assessment of the decision to award Capita the Synergy contract prior to that contract being awarded.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Synergy programme awarded its Business Processing Services contract after a robust process, conducted in line with Government procurement regulations. Its priority is to ensure continuity of service and value for public money.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, with reference to page four of the document entitled The Legacy of the Troubles: A Joint Framework between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of Ireland, published on 19 September 2025, what plans his Department has to consult with the public before delivering any statements of acknowledgement.

Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

The Joint Framework acknowledges the important role that statements of acknowledgement can play in addressing past harms and facilitating societal reconciliation, and states that the UK and Irish governments will take the lead in considering such statements. The Framework also highlights the importance of statements of acknowledgement being forthcoming from others.

The Government will engage widely with victims, survivors and others affected by the Troubles as we take forward this and our other commitments under the Framework.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what support is available to Northern Ireland through Great British Energy.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Great British Energy (GBE) will operate in Northern Ireland (NI) as part of its commitment to deliver in all four nations of the UK. In line with its Strategic Plan, GBE will be taking forward the appropriate opportunities in Northern Ireland across all its activities. This includes onshore, offshore, local and supply chain.

GBE committed £1.62 million for community and public sector renewable projects in Northern Ireland. On 10 December, we announced that this funding will help Further Education Colleges to benefit from clean energy, through installation of Solar PV at a number of sites.

GBE are continuing to work with partners in Northern Ireland to inform the development of products and services, with further details to be processed later in the year as part of their LPP product portfolio.

On 11 December, GBE launched a £300m supply chain fund for offshore wind and networks. All areas of the UK will be eligible for funding, meaning projects may be located anywhere in the UK, including in Northern Ireland, subject to Windsor Framework considerations.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will publish a breakdown of support for renewable energy in Northern Ireland from the UK Government.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Responsibility for policy and financial support for renewable energy in Northern Ireland is largely devolved. The principal UK‑wide mechanism supporting renewable electricity in Northern Ireland has been the Northern Ireland Renewables Obligation (NIRO), administered by Ofgem as part of the wider Renewables Obligation framework. NIRO support is funded through electricity suppliers rather than direct Exchequer spending, and therefore does not constitute a single, ring‑fenced UK Government funding allocation.

Information on accredited installations, certificates issued and scheme costs is published annually by Ofgem. Decisions on new support schemes for renewable energy in Northern Ireland rest with the Northern Ireland Executive.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what factors were considered by her Department when launching the Ukrainian Visa Schemes; and whether this Department has made a similar assessment for any other state specific visa scheme.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

In response to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, the Government set up three generous Ukraine schemes at pace; the Ukraine Family Scheme, Homes for Ukraine Scheme and the Ukraine Extension Scheme. The Government’s priority in setting up the schemes was to get Ukrainians to safety as quickly as possible.

The Ukraine Schemes were developed in close consultation with Ukrainian leaders and the diaspora community. We will continue to work closely together to ensure any changes are as accessible as possible for eligible Ukrainians and their families.

In any humanitarian situation, the UK must carefully consider its approach in response. Any decision to implement a bespoke visa scheme would need to consider a range of factors, including assessing the unique crisis and relevant impacts on security, compliance and returns.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of including Palestinians within the Refugee Resettlement scheme.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

In the Restoring Order and Control statement, published in November 2025, the Government committed to transforming its approach to safe and legal routes. This included the creation of a named sponsorship scheme and capped routes for refugee and displaced students to come to the UK to study or for work.

Work is underway to deliver the new routes. Further details, including who will be eligible for the new routes, will be set out in due course.

The UK Resettlement Scheme is not currently taking new referrals. We are working through the role of the UKRS in the future landscape of safe and legal routes.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department is using the Belfast International airport to support military operations targeting Iran.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

Neither Belfast International Airport nor Aldergrove Flying Station, that shares runways with the airport, have been used by the British Military to support the UK's approach in relation to Iran, which is focused on de-escalation, regional stability, and the protection of UK personnel and regional allies.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what safeguard assessments have been put in place to prevent AI profiling of demographics while investigating fraud, as a result of the Quantexa deal.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

HMRC applies robust data protection, ethical, legal and security frameworks to any use of artificial intelligence across all its activities, including in areas such as fraud investigation and any technology it employs. These tools are used to support HMRC’s ability to understand and better serve customers effectively across tax and excise regimes, using the data it lawfully holds.

HMRC collects only the data necessary for the administration of the tax system and does not routinely collect demographic or protected characteristics data.
HMRC’s approach to assurance is ongoing rather than one-off. Our use of

Quantexa and any inbuilt AI is subject to close monitoring and evaluation throughout the lifecycle to ensure compliance with legal, data protection requirements and alignment with HMRC’s ethical standards and operational objectives.

Government response to Israel’s actions in the West Bank and Gaza

Redress for people impacted by surgical mesh, sodium valproate and Primodos

Draft Code of Practice on Services, public functions and associations

78 years of the Palestinian Nakba

Interception of Global Sumud Flotilla vessels in international waters

National Emergency Briefing

Cervical screening

US sanctions on Cuba

Hillsborough Law

Israel’s treatment of Palestinian prisoners

Israeli death penalty law and military courts

King's Guard's ceremonial bearskin caps

Glasgow 850 Interfaith Sponsored Walk

Decoupling the price of gas from electricity

Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules (No. 2)

New US sanctions on Cuba

Campbell College’s rugby and football double

Found: Labour; Gower) (Chair) Chris Bloore (Labour; Redditch) Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance; Lagan Valley) Claire Hanna

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Tonia Antoniazzi (Chair); Chris Bloore; Sorcha Eastwood; Claire Hanna

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Tonia Antoniazzi (Chair); Chris Bloore; Sorcha Eastwood; Claire Hanna

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Tonia Antoniazzi (Chair); Chris Bloore; Sorcha Eastwood; Claire Hanna

Found: Labour; Gower) (Chair) Chris Bloore (Labour; Redditch) Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance; Lagan Valley) Claire Hanna

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Tonia Antoniazzi (Chair); Chris Bloore; Claire Hanna; Simon Hoare

Reconciliation remains central to the vision of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, whose multi‑party negotiators affirmed that lasting peace in Northern Ireland depended not only on strong political structures but on honouring those who suffered “the tragedies of the past” by “dedicating ourselves to the achievement of reconciliation, tolerance, and mutual trust, and to the protection and vindication of the human rights of all. (The Belfast Agreement - GOV.UK, p.1)