Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress her Department has made on the agreed actions in the Motor Insurance Taskforce: Final Report and Actions, published in December 2025.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The taskforce worked across government, bringing together departments and independent regulators to understand the complexities of the market and to agree a set of actions. Government departments and regulators are acting to address the broader factors that contribute to the cost of claims, such as vehicle theft and the cost of repairs.
With regards to the work of my Department, on 7 January 2026 we published our new Road Safety Strategy, setting out our vision for a safer future on our roads for all. As part of the Road Safety Strategy, we have launched a consultation on reforms to motoring offences, including lowering the drink drive limit in England and Wales and introducing tougher penalties for driving without insurance or without a licence.
Furthermore, the Government has confirmed a record £7.3 billion investment into local highways maintenance over the next four years, bringing annual funding for local authorities to repair and renew their roads and fix potholes to over £2 billion annually by 2029/30.
In addition to increasing the available funding, the Department has confirmed allocations for the next four years, providing greater funding certainty to local authorities. This enables them to better plan ahead and move away from expensive, short-term repairs and to instead invest in proactive and preventative maintenance so that roads can be fixed properly and kept in good condition for longer, preventing potholes from forming in the first place.
Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress her Department has made on the agreed actions in the Motor Insurance Taskforce: Final Report and Actions, published in December 2025.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The final report of the cross-government Motor Insurance Taskforce sets out the actions being taken by government, regulators and industry to help reduce premium costs. Departments, regulators and industry are now taking forward the relevant actions.
Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reason Northern Ireland has been allocated £17 million of the £53 million home heating oil support package announced on 16 March 2026; and if she will publish the methodology used to determine that figure.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The government has acted quickly to provide timely, targeted support to low-income households struggling with the rising price of heating oils, based on the latest census data.
This means the funding is distributed in line with where the most vulnerable oil-heated homes are concentrated. It is for the Northern Ireland Executive to allocate the funding in Northern Ireland as they see fit.
Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of whether the current ownership structure of Royal Mail is compatible with the effective delivery of the Universal Service Obligation.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The universal service obligation is a statutory requirement placed on the designated universal service provider and applies irrespective of the company’s ownership structure.
Royal Mail has been a fully independent business since its privatisation was completed in 2015.
It is for Ofcom, as the independent regulator, to determine whether regulatory or enforcement action is required to ensure the effective delivery of the universal service.
Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions he has had with Royal Mail on its planned timeline for publishing the improvement plan requested by Ofcom.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Royal Mail has publicly committed to publishing a detailed deployment and quality of service improvement plan as soon as possible after its discussions with the Communication Workers Union conclude.
Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions his Department has had with Ofcom on whether additional regulatory powers are required to enforce Royal Mail’s Universal Service Obligation.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Ministers have regular discussions with Ofcom. The government does not have a role in Ofcom’s individual regulatory decisions.
I met Ofcom on 11 March. They confirmed that they are monitoring Quality of Service data closely and will take regulatory action, if required, to hold Royal Mail to account for improving Quality of Service standards once agreement has been reached between Royal Mail and the Communication Workers Union on implementation of Universal Service Obligation reforms.
Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if his Department will review the effectiveness of the Fireworks Regulations 2004 to help prevent the antisocial use of fireworks.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
There has been no assessment of the effectiveness of the Fireworks Regulations 2004 on preventing anti-social use of fireworks or the potential impact of fireworks noise on the welfare of pets or vulnerable adults.
I recognise that people hold a range of views on this issue. On 19th January, MPs debated two e-petitions relating to the sale and noise of fireworks respectively. As the Minister responsible, I will ensure that all evidence gathered, including views from the debate, and experiences shared by members of the public, are fully considered. I can assure you that public safety, the impact on people, animals and property, will remain central to this work.
Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of fireworks noise on the welfare of (a) pets and (b) vulnerable adults.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
There has been no assessment of the effectiveness of the Fireworks Regulations 2004 on preventing anti-social use of fireworks or the potential impact of fireworks noise on the welfare of pets or vulnerable adults.
I recognise that people hold a range of views on this issue. On 19th January, MPs debated two e-petitions relating to the sale and noise of fireworks respectively. As the Minister responsible, I will ensure that all evidence gathered, including views from the debate, and experiences shared by members of the public, are fully considered. I can assure you that public safety, the impact on people, animals and property, will remain central to this work.
Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's open consultation on Earned Settlement, due to close on 12 February 2026, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing transitional arrangements for migrants who entered the Skilled Worker route under previous rules with a legitimate expectation of settlement.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The earned settlement model, proposed in ‘A Fairer Pathway to Settlement’, has been subject to a public consultation which ran until 12 February 2026.
The consultation seeks views on whether there should be transitional arrangements for those already on a pathway to settlement. Transitional arrangements refer to temporary measures or rules put in place to manage the shift from one system, or policy framework, to another. Details of the earned settlement model, including any transitional arrangements for those already in the UK, will be finalised following thd consultation.
The final model will also be subject to economic and equality impact assessments, which we have committed to publish in due course.
Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what Barnett consequentials arise for Northern Ireland as a result of the £10 million per year funding announced to cover travel costs for children and young people with cancer in England.
Answered by Ashley Dalton
The Department knows that the cost of travel is an important issue for many young cancer patients and their families across the United Kingdom.
Through the National Cancer Plan, the Government is committing up to £10 million a year to a new fund open to all children and young people in England with cancer and their families regardless of income, to support them with the cost of travelling to and from Principal Treatment Centres. This commitment sits alongside wider action to transform cancer care for children and young people.
Health is predominately devolved. Devolved administrations receive funding through the Barnett Formula, and it is ultimately for them to allocate, prioritise, and manage their budgets. However, the Department does work closely with our counterparts in the devolved governments to share expertise and identify new opportunities to improve health and social care delivery across the UK.