Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether there will be regular monitoring of the National Payments Vision during the remainder of this Parliament.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The National Payments Vision sets out the Government’s ambition for a trusted, world-leading payments ecosystem based on next-generation technology, where consumers and businesses have a choice of payment methods to meet their needs.

HM Treasury continues to guide implementation of the National Payments Vision through its chairing of the Payments Vision Delivery Committee.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what has been the change in the number of interventions under the National Security and Investment Act 2021, in acquisitions of entities and assets in, or linked to, the UK that may pose national security risks in the past three years.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government publishes information on the operation of the National Security and Investment (NSI) Act 2021 in its annual reports. The most recent report, covering the 2025/26 reporting period, can be found on GOV.UK (National Security and Investment Act - Annual Reports), accompanied by a spreadsheet which covers data for previous reporting periods. It shows that the Government made 9 final orders in 2025/26, 17 final orders in 2024/25 and 5 final orders in 2023/24.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, when does he expect to receive the first report from the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery.

Answered by Sarah Owen - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Northern Ireland Office)

The Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery has indicated that it will soon produce its first report and expects a steady flow of reports thereafter.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with the National Farmers Union on the continuation of Brazilian beef imports from September 2026.

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

Ministers and officials have regular discussions with the National Farmers Union on a range of topics, including the continuation of Brazilian beef imports.

Question

To ask the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, representing the House of Commons Commission, by what date in November 2026 will the essential maintenance that has been underway in T Block be completed and access restored.

Answered by Nick Smith

The Commission is expecting completion of the essential maintenance works affecting T-Block during November 2026. It is not currently possible to confirm a specific date for restoration of access, as completion remains dependent on the outcome of ongoing design reviews, survey findings and any further asbestos remediation requirements. Members will be kept informed as the programme progresses.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of parents entitled to an enhanced State Pension as a result of Home Responsibilities Protection but yet to apply.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

Statistics on HMRC and DWP's Legal Entitlements and Administrative Practice exercise to correct historical errors involving Home Responsibilities Protection can be found here: Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP) State Pension underpayments: LEAP exercise to 31 March 2025.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what has been the annual change in tax paid by individuals on savings interest in (a) 2022/23, (b) 2023/24, (c) 2024/25 and (d) 2025/26.

Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General

Estimates of the tax liabilities on savings income are available as part of Table 2.6 of the annually published Accredit official statistics:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6a5a4cab24d4d0ad06d946d5/Table_2.6_Income_Tax_liabilities_by_marginal_rate_of_Income_Tax.ods

Tax year 2022-23 and years prior are available as a historic table in that same publication:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6a548feb1228eb26a4cab7d9/Table_2.6a_-_Historic.ods

The 2023-23 and 2023-24 figures are based on HMRC’s Survey of Personal Incomes (SPI) outturn data. Data for 2024-25 and onwards are projections based on the 2023-24 SPI, projected in line with economic assumptions consistent with the Office for Budget Responsibility’s March 2026 Economic and Fiscal Outlook.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate she has made of the number of people aged 75 and over who have phoned the free bowel cancer screening helpline in each of the last three years.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Further to the answer provided to the Hon Member on 22 January 2026 which covers years 2023 and 2024 in response to Question 106495, 123,479 people aged 75 years old and over requested a bowel cancer test kit in the calendar year 2025. Of these, 97% completed the screening test.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has taken steps to establish whether illegal stun batons were used on 3 July 2026 at a protest at the Chinese Embassy in London.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security) (Jointly with the Cabinet Office)

The Metropolitan Police has confirmed that their investigation continues as officers review evidence, including video footage supplied by witnesses. It would therefore be inappropriate to comment further at this time

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to WPQ 907630 dated 3rd February 2026, on what date did legislative provision making it an offence to arrive in the UK without an Electronic Travel Authorisation commence.

Answered by Jo White - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

There has been no legislative provision enacted for this. Thus, I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 03 February to Question UIN 907630.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many buses does she expect to be built in the UK under the 10-year bus procurement process.

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

The Department does not hold the information requested.

At the final meeting of the UK Bus Manufacturing Expert Panel in March 2026, Mayoral Combined Authorities (MCAs) agreed a set of commitments. These included applying a minimum 10% social value weighting in all future bus procurement exercises. This means that, when procuring buses, MCAs will consider the positive impact that a manufacturer has on society, the environment, and local communities as part of their decision-making process.

It was also agreed that the 10-year zero-emission bus order pipeline will be reviewed and updated regularly to provide a forward view of expected demand, helping UK bus manufacturers to plan effectively and compete for future orders.

We will continue to engage with and work alongside the industry to support a competitive UK bus manufacturing sector.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will he hold discussions with his counterparts in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales on making the Access NHS App Services available across the UK.

Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The NHS App is a service developed and managed by NHS England for use within the National Health Service in England. Health is a devolved matter, and the devolved administrations of Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales are responsible for decisions relating to the delivery of healthcare services, including digital health services and platforms, in their respective nations.

While officials may occasionally engage with counterparts in the devolved administrations on digital health issues where appropriate, there are no formal discussions taking place on making NHS App services available across the United Kingdom.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much has been paid to the French government for help in dealing with small boat crossings in each of the last five years.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)

The UK and France maintain a longstanding relationship on tackling illegal migration at our shared border. Joint work with France has prevented more than 48,000 crossing attempts since the last general election. The UK and France have reached agreement on a deal covering the financial years 2026/27 to 2028/29 (New UK-France agreement to reduce illegal crossings - GOV.UK) which aims to increase the number of personnel deployed by 53% and provide a significant increase in technological and intelligence resources to strengthen operations.

Over the past five years, the UK has provided the following funding to France to support our joint work to tackle small boat crossings:

*Includes accrued funding not yet transferred to France.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many people used the Northern Ireland Pet Travel Scheme in the twelve months between June 2025 and 2026.

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

Users of the Northern Ireland Pet Travel Scheme made 15,141 journeys from Great Britain to Northern Ireland using a Pet Travel Document, covering 11,690 individual pets, from 4 June 2025 (the date the Scheme launched) to 3 June 2026.

The Scheme removes the need for health treatments or animal health certificates for those travelling from Great Britain to Northern Ireland with their pet or assistance dog.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what steps he is taking to encourage applicants from Northern Ireland to apply for assistance from the Music Export Growth Scheme in this financial year.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

My department publishes details of the Music Export Grant Scheme (MEGS) on the government’s ‘Find a Grant’ site, Home - Find a grant and we work with UK music partners to promote the scheme to music businesses across the UK, including Northern Ireland.

In MEGS funding round 25, which ran from May to August 2026 and the current funding round 26, for which applications closed on 7 September 2026, we received just one application from a Northern Ireland-based applicant out of 143 applications from both funding rounds. The next MEGS funding round 27 is scheduled to open in February 2027.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 7 September 2026 to WPQ 26501, when legislative provision will be enacted making it an offence to arrive in the UK without Electronic Travel Authorisation.

Answered by Jo White - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

We have now begun enforcement of the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) requirement. Since 25 February 2026 eligible visitors without an ETA will not be able to board their transport and cannot legally travel to the UK. Further enforcement measures, including commencement of the offence of arriving in the UK without an ETA remain under review.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, which programme partners are involved in the National Quantum Strategy over the next five years.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

In March 2026, the Government launched the next phase of the national quantum programme, announcing up to £2bn to accelerate quantum technology development and adoption.

Programme delivery depends on partners including the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), Innovate UK, Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), National Quantum Computing Centre (NQCC) and National Physical Laboratory (NPL), and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). They provide the expertise, infrastructure and capability needed to realise the UK’s quantum ambitions and deliver economic and societal benefits.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will hold discussions with his counterpart in the Netherlands regarding the experience there in dealing with the number of younger people who are not in education, employment of training and any relevance it may have in the UK.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

With over around one million young people not in education, employment and training, this Government will not leave an entire generation of young people behind. The Government is investing an additional £2.5 billion over the next three years by 2029 into the Youth Guarantee and the Growth and Skills Levy.

This investment will support almost one million young people and create up to 500,000 opportunities to earn and learn, including through expanded network of Youth Hubs, earlier intensive support in Jobs Centres through a new Youth Guarantee Gateway, additional work experience and training opportunities, a £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant and £2,000 apprenticeship hiring payment for employers, and a fully funded six month job for long-term unemployed 18–24-year-olds.

We also recognise the crisis of participation that Alan Milburn has so clearly laid out in his interim report. We are using its findings to continue to build our reforms and look forward to final recommendations in the Autumn.

The Department regularly engages with international partners to share best practice. In June, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State visited the Netherlands to learn more about how it has maintained a low youth NEET rate through discussions with employers, stakeholders and Dutch government counterparts.

100th anniversary of Limavady Baptist Church

Welcoming environment in Northern Ireland

Independent cafes and coffee shops

90th anniversary of the Bangor Missionary Convention

Battle of Britain Day 2026

25th anniversary of 9-11 attacks

32 members of the Prison Service who lost their lives in the line of duty

Deaths of PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough

30 years of SAT-7's ministry