Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the (a) Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 and (b) Articles (i) 42 and (ii) 43 of that Act on same-sex, non-married or civil partnered couples who both wish to included on their child’s birth certificate.

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

Section 42 and 43 of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 provide a framework of protection from disputes over legal parenthood. These provisions allow female couples who are married or in a civil partnership, or who have undertaken treatment in a United Kingdom licenced clinic, to both register as parents. Fertility treatment in an UK licenced clinic also offers important health screening protections and access for donor-conceived children to information about their genetic origins through the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority’s register.

There are no current plans to review these provisions in the Act.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the 10 year plan for the NHS, what steps he plans to take to ensure that equality of access to the NHS is retained for all.

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

The 10-Year Health Plan, along with associated policies and initiatives, details several measures to ensure equality of access to the NHS is retained for all. This includes:

- Redirecting funds to deprived areas: Funding flows are being realigned towards areas with the highest health needs, targeting communities with disproportionate economic and health challenges.

- Building Neighbourhood Health Centres: New "one-stop shop" health centres will be established in every community, starting with areas that have the lowest healthy life expectancy. These centres will provide integrated, multi-professional care closer to people's homes and will often be open for extended hours to improve convenience.

- Addressing waiting list inequalities: The NHS now publishes waiting list data broken down by deprivation, ethnicity, age, and sex to identify and address unfair variations in waiting times.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the White Paper entitled Restoring Control over the Immigration System of 12 May 2025, what assessment she has made of (a) levels of current migrant staffing and (b) the potential merits of increasing necessary staff supply in the health and social care system in Northern Ireland.

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

The Home Office does not monitor the staffing levels of specific sectors; this should be directed to the Northern Ireland’s Department of Health.

It is open to the Health and Care sectors to use the options available to them; this includes international recruitment providing they meet the requirements of the relevant visa route, primarily the Health and Care visa. There are no limits on the number of staff that can be recruited under the Health and Care visa system providing the criteria are met. However, the Government is clear that the health and social care sector, alongside other sectors, needs to reduce its reliance on international recruitment and increase its staffing supply from the domestic workforce.

We will continue to work with Governments across all parts of the United Kingdom.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what progress he has made on the Local Growth Fund for Northern Ireland.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Since the announcement at Spending Review of a new Local Growth Fund for Northern Ireland, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has initiated work with the Northern Ireland Office to design a new fund that will drive growth in Northern Ireland’s unique economy and improve the lives of local people. I am clear that this new funding should have a bespoke design for Northern Ireland, working in partnership with the NI Executive.

Sanctions on Israel and International Court of Justice findings

Naloxone

Found: Q214 Claire Hanna: It is in the disclosure MOU.

Found: In her letter to each of the members of this Committee, dated 19 August 2025, Claire Hanna MP urged the

Found: Congress Tulip Siddiq MP, Christine Jardine MP, Caroline Lucas MP, Philippa Whitford MP and Claire Hanna

Submit Evidence (by 7 Nov 2025)

2026 marks 25 years since the establishment of the PSNI following the recommendations of the Patten review on policing. This inquiry will examine how far the objectives and aspirations of the Patten review have been realised, and explore the key challenges facing policing and security in Northern Ireland today—particularly in areas that remain under UK Government co-ordination and funding. Read our call for evidence [here] for more detail about the inquiry and how to contribute your views.