Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will hold discussions with the Metropolitan Police on the potential merits of investigating an incident at 12.55pm on 25 February 2026 at Parliament Square where protestors allegedly chanted death to the IDF.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

Where the activity of protestors breaks the law, the police have the Government’s backing to use their powers that they need to respond.

It would not be appropriate for Ministers to intervene in those operational decisions, but we continue to work closely with policing to ensure they have the right capabilities and support in place to keep the public safe and uphold the law.

The Home Secretary launched an independent review of public order and hate crime legislation on 5 October 2025 led by Lord Ken Macdonald of River Glaven KC. The review will ensure police powers remain fit for purpose, are used consistently, and strike the right balance between protecting the public and upholding the right to lawful protest.  It is expected to report in the spring.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if she will hold discussions with Capita on payments to existing and retired Civil Servants.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Thank you for your question. The Minister for the Cabinet Office has met with the Capita CEO on this issue. Cabinet Office officials also have been and remain in daily contact with Capita to progress the recovery plan, and keep Ministers informed of progress regularly.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to respond to WPQ 107963 tabled on 23 January 2025.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

A response has been issued here 107963.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will hold discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive on the funding implications of the Rail Project Prioritisation Strategy announced in December 2025.

Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

Strong transport connections are vital to strengthen links between communities and allow business to grow. I welcome the publication of the Rail Project Priorisation Strategy in December. Improved infrastructure in Northern Ireland will help support the Executive’s plans for economic growth and enable people to get to where they need to be.

As transport, including railways, are devolved it is for the Northern Ireland Executive to determine their infrastructure investment priorities, within the record funding settlement for Northern Ireland announced by the Chancellor at the spending review.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he plans to announce an outcome of the consultation on the provision of statutory paid leave and job protection for parents of critically ill children by the summer recess.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

As set out in the terms of reference for the review of employment rights for unpaid carers, the government plans to consult this year. The consultation response will be published during the final phase of the review. This will be between autumn 2026 and winter 2026/27.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to Question 112100 answered on 23 February 2026, if he will provide a breakdown of the numbers approved in both (a) 2024 and (b) 2025.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Secretary of State for Business and Trade approved 67 grant awards for the Music Export Growth Scheme in 2024 and 59 grant awards in 2025.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will hold discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive on how best practice across the UK can be utilised to help with green blue algae problems in Lough Neagh.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Baroness Hayman visited Lough Neagh with Defra officials and Minister Muir in March 2025, to see first-hand some of the shared challenges. Subsequently at the November 2025 meeting of the Interministerial Group for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Ministers from across the UK, including the Northern Ireland Executive, discussed water quality issues and how to share best practice. Ministers agreed to establish an officials’ group to enhance the sharing of research data and behavioural change evidence to support policy making and delivery across the UK.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will hold discussions with the boards of (a) Londonderry and (b) Coleraine Future Towns funds on the expansion of those funds.

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

The government’s flagship Pride in Place Programme will provide up to £20 million each to 284 places over the next decade, including Derry~Londonderry and Coleraine.

In Northern Ireland, other UK Government Investment programmes are also coming into delivery, or expected imminently, supporting growth including £150 million for the Northern Ireland Enhanced Investment Zone and ongoing delivery of c£600 million UKG funding for City and Growth Deals.

The UK Government has delivered the largest real-terms settlements since devolution in 1998. On average, £92.5 billion per year will be provided to the devolved administrations between 2026-27 and 2028-29. This includes, £19.3 billion per year on average for the Northern Ireland Executive.

As part of the Pride in Place Programme, the boards in Derry~Londonderry and Coleraine are receiving dedicated support from the Communities Delivery Unit in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, as well as the Northern Ireland Executive’s Department for Communities. They will work with other departments to identify support for the boards, as they develop and deliver their local plans.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions he has had with InterTrade UK on the support his Department is able to provide on the (a) operations and (b) objectives of that body.

Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

I engage regularly with Intertrade UK, most recently when I met its Chair Baroness Foster in January at the East-West Council in Belfast, where I heard an update on Intertrade UK’s work to date and its future plans.

The Northern Ireland Office provides secretariat support for Intertrade UK, as set out in its terms of reference, which are publicly available alongside the group’s work programme here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/intertrade-uk-terms-of-reference-and-work-programme

At last year’s Autumn Budget, the Government allocated £2.25 million over the next three years to Intertrade UK to support implementation of its published work programme. This formed part of a wider £16.6m package to strengthen trade within the UK internal market.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how best practice in the roll out of fracture liaison services in England is being shared with the devolved institutions.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions her Department has had with (a) supermarkets and (b) other retailers on the potential impact of the closure of the Movement Assistance Scheme on those businesses.

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

The Movement Assistance Scheme (MAS) was always intended to be time limited. It was originally scheduled to close in December 2023. The decision to extend MAS until June 2025 was made public on 10th October 2023 and there was never a suggestion it would extend beyond this date. However, the Department remains committed to ensuring the smooth flow of trade within the UK internal market, as demonstrated by the ongoing support for traders moving goods to Northern Ireland and the work to reach an SPS agreement with the EU.

Last year, retailers and trade representative bodies were reminded that the scheme was closing as planned and large retailers were offered 1:1 meetings.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Border Force employees were routinely employed at (a) Belfast, (b) Larne, (c) Foyle, and (d) Warrenpoint ports during 2025.

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

It is longstanding Home Office policy to not disclose port‑specific staffing information, as to do so could prejudice our law enforcement capabilities. Border Force operates a flexible resourcing model, regularly assessing operational needs and deploying staff dynamically in response to passenger volumes and security requirements.

As part of the Common Travel Area (CTA) arrangements, the UK does not operate routine immigration controls on individuals arriving in the UK by air or sea from within the CTA, and no immigration checks are undertaken at the land border with Ireland. The UK does, however, operate intelligence‑led operational activity on CTA routes—away from the land border. If an individual is suspected to be unlawfully in the UK, their biometrics may be checked in order to ascertain their identity and status.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, when she plans to publish the outcome of the Artificial Intelligence regulatory approach discussions with the Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The UK is committed to a proportionate AI regulatory approach which is grounded in science and supports growth and innovation.

The European Council has published its proposal for a decision to apply the EU AI Act to a limited extent in Northern Ireland under Article 13(4) of the Windsor Framework. The Act would only apply following an agreement at a Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee, which will be subject to the mechanisms in Schedule 6B to the Northern Ireland Act 1998.

The UK Government is assessing the proposal and will continue to engage closely with the EU on it. Joint statements on previous Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee meetings can be found on gov.uk.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment has been made of a recent report from COELIAC UK indicating that sufferers spend in excess of a third more on food purchases than the average consumer.

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

The Government recognises the increased costs incurred by people with coeliac disease because they must buy gluten-free options, which are often more expensive.

The current position in England that gluten-free bread and mixes can be provided to coeliac patients on NHS prescription, based on a shared decision between prescriber and patient, while being mindful of local and national guidance. However, local Integrated Care Boards can restrict or end the prescribing of gluten-free food locally as they retain the right to make prescribing policies meeting the needs of their local population within allocated resources.

Food prices depend on a range of factors including import prices, domestic agricultural prices, domestic labour and manufacturing costs, and exchange rates. Defra regularly engages with supermarkets and producers on a range of food supply matters. However, it is not for Government to set retail food prices or to comment on day-to-day commercial decisions taken by businesses.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Northern Ireland element of the Defence Growth Deal on (a) jobs and (b) private sector investment in areas beyond Greater Belfast.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Northern Ireland Defence Growth Deal will combine defence and wider Government investment to support companies across a number of sub-sectors that are key for defence and align with Defence’s strategic priorities. The Deal will harness NI’s defence and dual-use strengths, driving innovation and increasing competitiveness. It is anticipated to attract significant private sector investment and support hundreds of jobs across Northern Ireland.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what funding has been allocated in the next financial year to assist research into prosopagnosia.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department invests over £1.6 billion each year on research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

No funding for the next financial year has allocated specifically to prosopagnosia. However, the NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including prosopagnosia. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.

https://www.nihr.ac.uk/get-involved/suggest-a-research-topic

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to Questions 112100 and 115340, what was the breakdown in each of the years specified in Northern Ireland.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

None in 2024 and 4 in 2025.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the impact of the Statement of Strategic Priorities for the National Wealth Fund in March 2025 on Northern Ireland.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

The Strategic Plan sets out the National Wealth Fund’s ambition to accelerate place-based investment across all four nations of the UK. It has a dedicated director based in Northern Ireland, and opened a Belfast office in December 2024.

The National Wealth Fund is already investing in Northern Ireland, for example in rural broadband development

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she review the overall objectives of the Local Transport Grant to ensure that manufacturers of zero emission buses across the whole of the UK can benefit.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department keeps the objectives and operation of all its local transport funding streams under regular review to ensure they support decarbonisation, growth and improved passenger outcomes. Our wider zero emission bus policy is designed to stimulate demand across the UK, with bus operators and local transport authorities transitioning fleets and creating opportunities for domestic manufacturers.

Question

To ask the hon. Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, how many listed churches have been demolished in each of the last five years.

Answered by Marsha De Cordova

The Church Commissioners can only answer questions about the buildings in the care of the Church of England. Of the 16,000 church buildings in its care, over 12,000 are listed.

Demolition of a church is a last resort and happens very rarely, and only after all other options have been considered. Over the last five years, only one listed church building has been demolished, and consent has been granted for the demolition of one further case, which is yet to be implemented. In both cases, the churches had significant structural flaws arising from their construction or defects in their building materials, making repair impossible or too costly. In both cases, alternative provision has been and continues to be made for the worshipping community.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what changes have been introduced to postgraduate medical education as a result of the review published in October 2025.

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

Phase 1 of the Medical Training Review identified key challenges and areas for improvement across postgraduate medical training, alongside what currently works well. Bottlenecks in postgraduate medical training were identified as a continuing concern for resident doctors and medical graduates. The Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act 2026, which became an Act of Parliament on 5 March 2026, seeks to address these bottlenecks and prioritises United Kingdom medical graduates for foundation training and UK graduates and other doctors with significant experience working in the National Health Service for specialty training.

Phase 2 of the Medical Training Review is already underway and will involve working with a wide range of stakeholders across the UK to design a package of reform.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what analysis his Department has undertaken on the reasons for increases in the numbers of successful applications for Universal Credit in the last three years.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

People moving from old legacy benefits onto Universal Credit – almost four in every five – account for the vast majority of the increase over the past year. This is a transition we inherited from the previous government, alongside a system that writes people off

We are fixing this. We've already legislated to remove incentives that discourage work, and have redeployed 1,000 work coaches to support thousands of sick and disabled people who were previously left without contact for years.

Alongside this, there has been an increase in the working age population, as a result of population growth and a rising state pension age, as well as an increase in the proportion of the working age population in receipt of incapacity benefits (including ESA and those on the UC Health Journey) over this period.

The latest Universal Credit (UC) statistics published on 17 February 2026 now include a breakdown of those who received a migration notice and have moved from legacy benefits to UC as part of the Move to UC programme, and can be found at

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/universal-credit-statistics-29-april-2013-to-8-january-2026

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