Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he plans to take to help encourage private sector investment in Northern Ireland.

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

The UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy sets out our key policies to drive growth and investment in every region across the UK. In addition to a range of sector initiatives, Northern Ireland will receive £30 million through the Local Innovation Partnerships Fund to drive transformative innovation in the Belfast and Derry/Londonderry corridor. We will also continue to work with the Northern Ireland Executive to establish the Enhanced Investment Zone. The Regional Investment Summit, taking place in October 2025 will showcase our regional economies and drive investment across the entirety of the UK.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will have discussions with representatives of Londonderry Port on its viability as a national maritime defence asset.

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

Foyle Port remains an important regional logistics hub for the Royal Navy. Foyle Port is able to provide the logistical requirements necessary for ships on operational taskings.

The Royal Navy undertakes routine discussions with Foyle Port regarding the planning of ship visits for replenishment.

As stated within the Strategic Defence Review, the Home Defence Programme will work with the private-sector to ensure Defence has ready access to private-sector infrastructure for operations.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he expects to receive the report of the latest review of prostate cancer diagnosis from from the UK National Screening Committee.

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

The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) received two evidence review reports about screening for prostate cancer and is considering them alongside experts. Subject to no further revisions being required, a public consultation will start this calendar year. This will run for three months as usual, and the UK NSC will then make a recommendation on prostate cancer screening. Once the recommendation is made, ministers will consider whether to accept it or not.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will have discussions with Invest Northern Ireland and the Minister for the Economy of Northern Ireland on inward investment opportunities following the golf Open Championship at Royal Portrush Golf Club in July 2025.

Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

I continue to take every opportunity to promote investment into Northern Ireland, following the success of the golf Open Championship, and regularly engage with the Northern Ireland Executive and its relevant bodies to support a thriving, competitive and regionally balanced economy in Northern Ireland through increased investment and job creation to boost living standards.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will have discussions with the US Consulate General in Belfast on how (a) heritage and (b) community groups in Northern Ireland can commemorate the 250th anniversary of the USA.

Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

The UK Government is keen to collaborate and provide support for work to celebrate the 250th anniversary of US Independence.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to help increase the number of people employed by the Government Social Research Profession in Northern Ireland.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

All Civil Servants employed as Government Social Researchers are directly employed by Departments, Devolved Administrations, and other UK Civil Service organisations. They are not centrally managed or centrally employed by HM Treasury.

HM Treasury has no specific plans to increase the number of Government Social Researchers employed by HM Treasury and located in Northern Ireland.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will have discussions with representative bodies of car manufacturers on the extent of the recall of Citroën cars in connection with potential airbag problems.

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

The Secretary of State recently wrote to Stellantis to express serious concerns about the customer impact of the stop-drive recall currently affecting Citroën and DS Automobiles cars in the United Kingdom. That correspondence urged Stellantis to take immediate steps to:

• Improve the effectiveness of their customer support, and that they make effective their commitments for ensuring that all affected owners – especially those with urgent mobility needs – are provided with viable alternatives, whether through courtesy cars, financial compensation, or at-home repair services

• Prioritise vulnerable customers who rely on their vehicles for essential travel – such as key workers, carers, and individuals with disabilities

• Enhance transparency by clearly communicating the timelines for resolution, and the alternative transport or compensation provisions that are in place.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many employees of the National Employment Savings Trust will be paid more than £160,000 in the current financial year.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

Nest is a Public Corporation which operates independently of Government. However, they have provided the following narrative:

At the start of the 2025/26 financial year, there were 25 employees on roll with a full-time equivalent salary above £160,000 per annum at the National Employment Savings Trust Corporation.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been (a) arrested, (b) charged and (c) convicted as a result of Operation Gull in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.

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

To maintain the highest standards of accuracy, the Home Office prefers to refer to published data, as this has been subject to rigorous quality assurance under National Statistics protocols prior to publication. Information about arrests, charges and convictions as a result of Operation Gull is not available in our published data.

Our published national data on enforcement activity is available at the following link and includes data on detected irregular arrivals to the UK: Immigration system statistics, year ending June 2025 - GOV.UK

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant the Answer of 2 September to Question 69743 on Universal Credit: Expenditure, whether she has had discussions with the OBR on the sustainability of the forecasted levels of expenditure on Universal Credit payments by the end of the current Parliament.

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

This Government is committed to a social security system which raises employment and living standards by supporting and incentivising people into work and to work more, reduces poverty by supporting people at times of higher cost and dependency, and promotes fairness and controls overall spending to ensure the long-term sustainability of the system for future generations. The Government’s welfare cap rule also helps ensure the long-term sustainability of the welfare system. A new welfare cap covering the current parliament was introduced at Autumn Budget 2024.

The financial sustainability of the benefit system, including Universal Credit, is considered in the round as part of the forecasts for annually managed expenditure which are produced twice yearly as part of the Office for Budget Responsibility forecast process.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department is taking fiscal steps to help support the growth of the mutual and co-operative sector.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government has announced multiple measures to unlock the full potential of the mutual sector, including in a package announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer at Mansion House 2024.

The package included funding for the Law Commission to complete independent reviews of the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014 and the Friendly Societies Acts 1974 and 1992. These reviews will put forward recommendations to develop a more modern and supportive legislative environment for the mutuals registered under the relevant Acts. The Government will carefully consider the findings of the Law Commission reviews to understand whether reform of the legislation is needed to ensure these businesses are supported to grow and succeed into the future.

The package also contained non-fiscal measures to support the growth of the sector. This included a call for evidence on potential reform to the credit union common bond in Great Britain, responses to which are now being considered. The government also asked the Prudential Regulatory Authority and Financial Conduct Authority to produce a report on the current mutuals landscape by the end of 2025 and welcomed the establishment of the Mutual and Co-operative Sector Business Council. Finally, the government committed to progressing further amendments to the Building Societies Act 1986 following two statutory instruments being laid in October 2024, creating a more supportive legislative environment for building societies.

HM Treasury is currently progressing these measures. Together, they reinforce the government’s commitment to support the mutual and co-operative sector.

Please note that co-operatives and credit unions policy are devolved to the Northern Ireland Executive.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she expects to receive the report from the Payments Vision Delivery Committee before the Conference recess.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

At the Mansion House event in July 2025, the Payments Vision Delivery Committee set out a new model for the design and delivery of the next generation of retail payments infrastructure in the UK. The Committee’s publication can be found here: Payments Vision Delivery Committee Update - GOV.UK

Under the new model, the Committee will set the strategy for retail payments infrastructure in line with the ambitions of the government’s National Payments Vision, and this strategy will be translated into design by the new Retail Payments Infrastructure Board. The Board will be chaired by the Bank of England and will have broad representation from across the ecosystem. A new industry-owned and industry-led Delivery Company will be responsible for procuring and funding the new infrastructure, overseen by the Board.

The Committee will publish its strategy this autumn and the Bank of England is working at pace to establish the new Board with a view to its first meeting taking place in October.

The Committee will also publish the Payments Forward Plan by end-2025, including a sequenced plan of future initiatives and a recommended monitoring approach.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 7 July 2025 to Question 63282 on Business: Cybercrime, what steps the National Cyber Security Centre is taking to tackle those incidents of cyber crime.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) works closely with Law Enforcement partners to respond to cyber crime. The NCSC also provides a range of services and guidance to help organisations defend against cyber incidents. These include the Early Warning service that shares threat intelligence of precursor indicators of ransomware.

Additionally, the NCSC regularly publishes advice and guidance on the mitigations that organisations can implement to help prevent them becoming a victim of cyber crime (https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/collection/top-tips-for-staying-secure-online/). For example, the Cyber Essentials scheme is recommended as the minimum standard of cyber security for all organisations (https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/cyberessentials/overview). Organisations are 92 per cent less likely to make a claim on their cyber insurance if they have implemented the five controls outlined in Cyber Essentials.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 19 June 2025 to Question 59984 on Fire Prevention, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the response to wildfires during summer 2025.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Each fire and rescue authority is required to plan for the foreseeable risks in its local area (including wildfire), through the Community Risk Management Plan (CRMP) - having regard to the views of other key local responders.

As the lead government department for wildfire, the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) maintains regular engagement with other government departments including the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) and Cabinet Office on this national risk. This is alongside the department’s work with national bodies including the National Fire Chiefs Council and England and Wales Wildfire Forum to monitor and review sector led improvements and mitigations.

Since 2024 the Government has funded a National Resilience Wildfire Advisor to assess what additional wildfire national capabilities might be needed to increase resilience to the wildfire risk and to ensure coordination of approaches across the sector.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to help increase participation among the 18 – 25 age group in forthcoming elections.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government is committed to encouraging participation in our democracy, as set out in our manifesto. We recognise the importance of engaging young people in the democratic process and are taking active steps to address this.

We are actively developing proposals to deliver this manifesto commitment, and are collaborating closely with the Electoral Commission, local authorities, think tanks, academics, and civil society organisations. Our work is focused on identifying the attitudinal barriers that prevent young people from participating in elections, and exploring effective interventions to overcome these challenges.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will have discussions with the Director General of the BBC on increasing locally (a) produced and (b) sourced (i) radio and (ii) television output.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Under its current Charter, the BBC has an obligation to ‘reflect, represent and serve the diverse communities of all of the United Kingdom’s nations and regions’. Ofcom sets specific obligations for the BBC on programme making in the nations and regions including requiring that at least 50% of network TV programme hours and production spend must be made outside the M25, and 30% of relevant radio spend outside the M25. The BBC is operationally and editorially independent of the Government in determining how it meets its obligations, and it is subsequently for the independent regulator Ofcom to hold the BBC to account in meeting those obligations. BBC reporting shows it is consistently meeting or exceeding these quotas.

The Secretary of State does not have specific plans to discuss this issue with the Director General. However, as part of the next Charter Review, the Government will engage with the BBC and others to consider how to ensure the BBC truly represents and delivers for every person in this country including to be more ambitious in growing our world-leading TV sector outside of London and the South East, and to commission content in every part of the country.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate his Department has made of the number of jobs that have been created in the small business sector in Northern Ireland in the period since the inception of the Investment Fund for Northern Ireland.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The £70million Investment Fund for Northern Ireland has been open for applications since November 2023. From inception to May 2025, a total of £18million has been lent or invested in 35 businesses in Northern Ireland; this investment has also led to the crowding in of an additional £12million in private sector funding.

It is not possible at this early stage to estimate the number of jobs that have been created as a result. The benefits generated by the fund for the Northern Ireland economy, including additional Gross Value Added and jobs created, will be assessed by independent evaluations of the fund, likely to take place in 2026 at the earliest.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the effectiveness of the NHS England Help Us Help You campaign on cancer symptom awareness.

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

The Department and NHS England recognise the importance of directly targeting awareness campaigns at areas that we know will make a difference, to increase awareness of cancer symptoms and encourage people to get checked.

NHS England runs Help Us Help You campaigns to increase knowledge of cancer symptoms and to address the barriers to acting on them, to encourage people to come forward as soon as possible to see their general practitioner. The campaigns are evaluated in line with best practice, considering media metrics, campaign awareness, understanding and intention to act, along with analysis of operational data.

The most recent phases of Help Us Help You, which ran between January and March 2025, saw increases in symptom knowledge and intention to act. NHS England is undertaking operational data analysis, with early data showing an increase in cancer diagnosis at the same time as campaign activity. The campaigns focus on a range of symptoms, as well as encouraging body awareness to help people spot symptoms across a wide range of cancers at an earlier point.

500th anniversary of William Tyndale translating the Bible into English

Charlie Kirk

Ricky Hatton MBE

Role of the Irish Government during the Troubles and legacy accountability

Fourth anniversary of the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan

125th anniversary of Ards Football Club

Young farmers' organisations across the United Kingdom

Air Ambulance Week 2025