Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times the Defending Democracy Taskforce met in Northern Ireland between January 2025 and June 2025.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)
Meetings of the Taskforce are attended by Ministers and senior officials from multiple government departments, and have to date, all taken place in secure government premises within the Whitehall estate. These meetings, that I chair in my role as Security Minister, are complemented by official led meetings with Devolved Governments including Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 23 June 2025 to Question 60413 on Asylum: Northern Ireland, whether her Department plans to purchase (a) tower blocks and (b) student accommodation to house those people claiming asylum in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the Answer he received on 23 June 2025 to UIN 60413.
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, if she will make an estimate of the annual cost of State Pension payments to people resident in Northern Ireland in 2024.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The annual cost of State Pension payments administered by DWP to people resident in Northern Ireland is estimated to be around £4.34 million in 2024. This is based on latest figures for the quarter ending November 2024. Source: DWP Stat-Xplore.
This figure reflects State Pension payments made by DWP to people living in Northern Ireland and does not include any State Pension payments administered under the devolution settlement by the Department for Communities in Northern Ireland.
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, pursuant to the Answer of 24 June 2025 to Question 61122 on Life Sciences: Northern Ireland, if he will hold discussions with Innovate UK on ensuring the Launchpad programme supports clusters of SMEs beyond the Greater Belfast area.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Health and Life Sciences Launchpad is already supporting clusters beyond the Greater Belfast area. For example, in Coleraine, it is funding EOSDX, which is developing an AI-driven, non-invasive structural biomarker test for breast cancer diagnosis. In Derry City and Strabane, it is funding ActionSense’s development of an innovative rehabilitation project aimed at transforming stroke recovery. And in Craigavon, it is supporting e-Clear to develop a dementia training platform. More information on funded projects is available at https://www.ukri.org/publications/innovate-uk-funded-projects-since-2004/. Innovate UK and the Launchpad Cluster Management Organisation HIRANI will continue to support stakeholders across Northern Ireland to drive innovation led growth.
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 meet with the Federation of Small Businesses Northern Ireland to discuss its report entitled, Windsor Framework Realities: Barriers to Trade in the UK Internal Market, published on 24 June 2025.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
I discussed the findings of the report at the recent East West Council which was attended by members of Intertrade UK. There is a wide range of support available for businesses using the schemes under the Windsor Framework. The Government remains committed to realising its benefits alongside protecting the UK internal market. As we do so, we will continue to work closely with Northern Ireland businesses and representative organisations like the Federation of Small Businesses.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information her Department holds on the annual rent paid by public authorities in Northern Ireland to the Crown Estate in each year between (a) 2014 and (b) 2024.
Answered by Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The table shows Crown Estate rent income received from public authorities in Northern Ireland. This uses a broad definition of public authority which captures any organisations considered by The Crown Estate to be responsible for public money.
2014 | 217,736.84 |
2015 | 262,345.54 |
2016 | 262,430.36 |
2017 | 261,275.19 |
2018 | 272,004.52 |
2019 | 265,668.97 |
2020 | 458,805.48 |
2021 | 319,659.65 |
2022 | 326,046.47 |
2023 | 352,876.81 |
2024 | 382,650.18 |
Grand total | 3,381,500.01 |
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many reports of threats have been made to the internal Journalist Safety Group in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
I commend the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) on the progress they have made to address journalist safety in Northern Ireland. They have created an internal Journalist Safety Group and appointed two Journalist Safety Officers. Since 2022, the PSNI Journalist Safety Group has recorded 46 occasions where a journalist has brought a concern to PSNI.
A free, independent media is a cornerstone of our democracy. It is vital that journalists are able to continue their work without the fear of attack or threat. The National Action Plan for the Safety of Journalists sets out the approach to increase the safety of journalists.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what funding he plans to provide for the National Institute for Health and Care Research Brain Tumour Research Consortium by 2029.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Brain Tumour Research Consortium was established in December 2024 to bring together researchers from a range of different disciplines and institutions, with the aim of driving scientific advancements in how we prevent, detect, manage, and treat brain tumours in both adults and children. The NIHR is working closely with the consortium to support the development of high-quality funding proposals.
The consortium is in the process of collaboratively developing its programme of work, which will be submitted to the NIHR for independent peer review by 31 July 2025. There is no set funding window for their proposal, which we hope will be ambitious in scope and potential impact.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question
To ask the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, representing the House of Commons Commission, whether any new instances of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete have been identified on the Parliamentary estate since 1 January 2025.
Answered by Nick Smith
As part of continued surveys and monitoring, RAAC planks have been discovered in the floor structure of the Upper Committee Corridor North. This is in addition to the RAAC previously identified in this area. An assessment of the condition of these planks by structural engineers has been instructed, in line with best practice guidance from the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE), starting in July.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to his Department's publication entitled The UK’s modern industrial strategy, published on 23 June 2025, whether the strategy will provide additional funding to the Plan for Neighbourhoods.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Industrial Strategy is a 10-year plan to back our strengths and realise Britain’s potential. Through the Industrial Strategy we are targeting investment towards our eight-growth driving sectors, creating new opportunities so British workers can upskill and fill vacancies and supporting businesses to scale up. The industrial Strategy identifies and accelerates the highest-potential opportunities in these sectors, tackling investment barriers and unleashing the potential of clusters across the country.
The £1.5bn Plan for Neighbourhoods will deliver up to £20million of funding and support over the next decade into 75 communities across the UK, laying the foundations to kickstart local growth and drive-up living standards. The Industrial Strategy does not provide direct funding to the Plan for Neighbourhoods but complements it with a package of measures to boost regional growth.