Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
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 have discussions with the the Northern Ireland Executive on ensuring that the economic impact of the Northern Ireland Enhanced Investment Zone extends beyond the Greater Belfast area.
Answered by Nesil Caliskan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I am pleased that the UK Government has worked closely with the Northern Ireland Executive to co-develop the Northern Ireland Enhanced Investment Zone to invest £150 million over the next 10 years to unlock around 1,000 jobs.
Recognising the strengths of Northern Ireland’s economy, the programme is designed on an “all-Northern Ireland” basis to support the Executive’s objective of regional balance. Identifying sectoral strengths and growth opportunities within and beyond the Greater Belfast Area. I was delighted that we announced our first investment in May to support advanced manufacturing skills in Lurgan, County Armagh.
We will continue to work in partnership with the Northern Ireland Executive throughout the delivery of the programme.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will set out the benefits derived from the UK-German Strategic Science and Technology Partnership to date.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The UK‑Germany Strategic Science and Technology Partnership was launched alongside the Kensington Treaty in July 2025 to accelerate the development of transformative technologies through closer UK-Germany collaboration. Early outcomes include £6 million joint funding for quantum research and development, investment in applied photonics research in Glasgow to help businesses bring new products to market, and an AI partnership between centres in Edinburgh and Stuttgart to speed up AI adoption in industry and the public sector.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of recent reports of inadequate future personal pension provision; and what further steps he is taking to help increase personal pension contributions.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Ensuring current and future pensioners have adequate retirement income is a key priority for this Government.
Despite the success of Automatic Enrolment in transforming workplace retirement saving with over 23 million employees participating in 2024, we know that 45% of working-age adults are not actively saving into a pension.
That is why the government is taking action to reform the pensions landscape. The Pension Schemes Act 2026 received Royal Assent in April and will play a huge role in strengthening the private pensions market, providing better outcomes for pension savers and supporting UK growth.
We have also revived the Pensions Commission, to explore how to improve retirement outcomes for future generations. The Commission published their interim report on 19 May 2026, setting out areas of focus on the longer-term challenges around retirement adequacy, especially for those at the greatest risk of undersaving. The Government will set out its plans following the Pensions Commission’s final report, which is due in early 2027.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what share of the UK's energy requirement does he estimate will be met through Advanced Modular Reactors by 2036.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
HMG believes advanced nuclear technologies, including Advanced Modular Reactors (AMRs), could play an important role as a low-carbon energy source that would support a secure, affordable decarbonised energy system. AMRs have the potential to be less capital expensive to build than traditional nuclear power plants, because of their smaller size, factory-based modular build, and greater flexibility in deployment. We are actively progressing the deployment of advanced nuclear projects through a clear policy framework, including both Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and Advanced Modular Reactors (AMRs). The newly published Framework lays out pathways for privately led advanced nuclear projects to be brought forward in the UK.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to hold discussions with the new Director General of the BBC on (a) transparency and (b) impartiality in BBC reporting both domestically and internationally.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The BBC is a vital national institution, and as such, Ministers and Senior Officials regularly meet with BBC leadership to discuss a range of issues. The Secretary of State had an introductory meeting with Matt Brittin on 15 April 2026 where they discussed a range of issues regarding the future success of the BBC.
The Charter Review, officially launched on 16 December 2025, will ensure the BBC continues to deliver the high standards of reporting that the public expect of a national broadcaster and that it is suitably transparent to the public and to Parliament.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will hold discussions with the Treasury on the potential merits of providing additional funding for the Connect Fund for the 2027-2029 period
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Connect Fund has achieved significant success, as evidenced by its oversubscription in every funding round held to date. Consequently, a total of 46 projects were supported through Rounds 1 and 2.
To address this sustained demand, the Northern Ireland Office has approved two additional funding rounds: Round 3 (FY 27/28) with an allocation of £500,000, and Round 4 (FY 28/29) with an increased allocation of £1,000,000.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps have been taken to assist UK citizens who are currently in, or have recently visited Kenya regarding the spread of Ebola.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
In relation to risks to the UK public, I refer the Hon Member to my statement to the House on 21 May (HCWS60), but I would also stress that there have been no confirmed cases in Kenya arising from the current Ebola outbreak. The Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office travel advice page for Kenya has been updated to refer to health screening measures in Kenya.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people took their own lives in each year between 2015 and 2025 where the primary cause was addiction to gambling.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 1st June is attached.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of overseas aid on the provision of clean drinking water in Sub-Saharan Africa in the last five years.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It is estimated that access to safely managed water services in Sub-Saharan Africa increased from 30 per cent in 2020 to 32 per cent in 2024, supported by overseas development assistance from the UK, other individual countries, and multilateral organisations, as well as the vital work of many NGOs.
At the same time, the population in sub-Saharan Africa increased from 1,094 billion to 1,391 billion. This means that an estimated 117 million additional people gained access to safely managed drinking water services over this period.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he expects to receive the report on personal pension savings from the Pensions Commission.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Pensions Commission published their interim report on 19 May outlining the challenges in the pensions system. The report is publicly available on gov.uk alongside a supporting evidence pack. The Commission will set out its policy recommendations to address these challenges in a final report in early 2027.