Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been detected as not having a valid Electronic Travel Authorisation in Northern Ireland since January 2025.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

Electronic Travel Authorisations (ETAs) were introduced in October 2023 to enhance our ability to screen travellers upstream, and stop those who pose a threat from travelling to the UK. They were more recently expanded to eligible non-European nationals (in November 2024) and European nationals (on 5 March this year). Data on the number of people not holding an ETA in Northern Ireland is unavailable. The Home Office will provide regular updates in the months and years ahead on how the ETA requirement is being implemented and enforced.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 7 April 2025 to Question 43027 on Electric Vehicles: Charging Points, how many public charging devices for electric vehicles there were per head of population in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales, and (d) Northern Ireland as of 1 January 2025.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The below table shows public electric vehicle charging devices per 100,000 of the population in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as of 1 January 2025.

Data on public electric vehicle charging devices in the UK, held by the Department for Transport, are sourced from the electric vehicle charging platform Zapmap. Charging devices not recorded on Zapmap are not included and the true number of charging devices may be slightly higher than recorded in these figures.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he expects the Prostate Cancer UK-led Transform screening trial to reach any conclusions on future detection of the condition.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Research is crucial in tackling cancer, which is why the Department invests £1.6 billion each year in research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), with cancer as the largest area of spend, at over £133 million in 2023/24, reflecting its high priority. The NIHR funds research and research infrastructure, which supports patients and the public to participate in high-quality research, including clinical research on prostate cancer.

These investments are pivotal towards efforts to improve cancer prevention, treatment, and outcomes. The TRANSFORM trial is an important example of this. On 19 November, the Government and Prostate Cancer UK (PCUK) announced the £42 million TRANSFORM screening trial, to find the best way to screen men for prostate cancer in order to find it before it becomes advanced and harder to treat. PCUK is leading the development of the trial, with the Government contributing £16 million through the Department.

The first recruits to the trial are currently being invited to take part in the study, and the first point at which we will see significant new evidence will be approximately three years after the trial begins. The PCUK website outlines the interim points over the course of the TRANSFORM trial when findings will be shared, with further information available at the following link:

https://prostatecanceruk.org/research/transform-trial

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many Child Trust Funds past their maturity date have not been claimed.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/annual-savings-statistics-2024

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 4 April 2025 to Question 42420 on Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976, on how many occasions in the last five years have people who had animals being kept in domestic settings been found to be in breach of the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

This information may be held at local level by local authorities, but it is not information Defra collects or holds centrally.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 3 April 2025 to Question 42419 on Foreign Investment in the UK: Northern Ireland, how many employees are specifically working with Invest NI to help promote investment (a) before and (b) during the Open Golf Championship at Royal Portrush in July 2025.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Promoting investment into Northern Ireland is a key priority for investment staff across the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) and Office for Investment, including the dedicated team of 10 based in Belfast (DBT NI). At present no dedicated member of staff is working specifically on The Open Golf Championship at Royal Portrush in July 2025, but staff are working on wider promotion of investment into Northern Ireland on an ongoing basis that seeks to take advantage of the focus that events like The Open can provide. DBT NI continues to work collaboratively with Invest Northern Ireland on a range of events and initiatives throughout the year.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will meet with representatives of the banking sector to discuss end of month payday payments.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government was concerned to hear of the issues impacting customers of several UK banks earlier this year, particularly given these coinciding with end-of-month payment cycles, but understands that services were quickly restored.

Engagement with specific firms is a matter for the sector’s regulators, including the Bank of England, Prudential Regulation Authority and Financial Conduct Authority, who will continue to monitor the firms and the impact of the issues.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to replace the Sustainable Farming Incentive in this financial year.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

We will provide further details about the reformed SFI in summer 2025.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of sugar additives in soft drinks on the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in young people.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Scientific risk assessments and United Kingdom dietary recommendations are based on robust independent risk assessments by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN).

The SACN has not carried out an assessment of the potential impact of sugar additives in soft drinks on the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in young people. However, the SACN has considered the risk of sugar consumption and non-sugar sweetener (NSS) consumption on health outcomes, including the risk of type 2 diabetes.

In 2015, the SACN published its report on Carbohydrates and Health and recommended that “the consumption of sugars-sweetened beverages should be minimised in children and adults”. With respect to type 2 diabetes, the SACN noted that “a greater risk is associated with a higher intake of sugars-sweetened beverages”.

With respect to children and adolescents, the SACN noted that “consumption of sugars-sweetened beverages, as compared with non-calorically sweetened beverages, results in greater weight gain and increases in body mass index”. Energy intakes that consistently exceed requirements lead to weight gain and obesity in the long term.

On 2 April 2025, the SACN published its position statement on the World Health Organization’s guideline on NSS’. The SACN concluded that the evidence of the risk to health, including of type 2 diabetes, from consuming NSS’ is inconsistent. The SACN made a precautionary recommendation that the intake of NSS’ be minimised. With greater certainty of the impact of sugars on health, including type 2 diabetes, the SACN recommended that “swapping sugars for NSS may help reduce sugar intake from foods and drinks, and so reduce energy intake, at least in the short term. The long-term goal is to limit both sugar and NSS intake”.

The SACN made a number of research recommendations and other recommendations to the Government.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will review the criteria required to be met for the proposed introduction of banking hubs.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government continues to work closely with industry to roll out 350 banking hubs across the UK. The UK banking sector has committed to deliver these hubs by the end of this Parliament. Over 220 hubs have been announced so far.

Any decisions on changes to LINK’s independent assessment criteria are a matter for LINK, the financial services sector, and the Financial Conduct Authority, which oversees the access to cash regime.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when he plans to announce a replacement for the Advanced Nuclear Fund.

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

Any announcements regarding funding for advanced nuclear power will be made in due course after the announcement of the Spending Review.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he plans to take to increase the numbers of Army Cadets.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Leeds North West (Katie White) on 9 April 2025 to Question 43391.

Northern Ireland's golfing legacy and the Open Championship

Centenary of the death of William Ferguson Massey

Behaviour Code Seminar attendance publication

Nurses Day 2025

Publication of the Police Ombudsman’s Report on the Kingsmill Massacre

World Asthma Day 2025

Grand Central Station, Belfast

Comments made by Kneecap

Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke Stress Awareness Month

Incitement of violence against political representatives

Supreme Court ruling on legal definition of a woman

Found: called_NC3 Jim Allister Gavin Robinson Sammy Wilson Jim Shannon Alex Easton Robin Swann Mr Gregory Campbell