Written questions by Easton.

Whether the Civil Society Covenant will have a role in the implementation of the National Year of Reading.

The National Year of Reading is a UK-wide campaign to address the steep decline in reading enjoyment amongst children, young people and adults. It is a department initiative, in collaboration with our delivery partner, the National Literacy Trust, who are leading the delivery of the campaign.The National Year of Reading is operating as a collective impact campaign, allowing multiple partners from a range of sectors to participate, including schools, libraries, publishers, booksellers, media companies, retailers, and charities. It supports the Civil Society Covenant’s aims to build effective partnerships across the breadth of civil society and government, working together to tackle the deep-seated challenges of our time.Tackling the long-term decline in reading for pleasure requires cross-sector support across the UK, as encompassed by the Go All In campaign which encourages everyone to get involved. The year includes a major physical and online marketing campaign, as well as exciting events, webinars, resources, and activities in communities, libraries, schools and early years settings across the UK throughout the year.

What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to promote equality and inclusion as part of the National Year of Reading.

The National Year of Reading is a UK-wide campaign designed to tackle the steep decline in reading enjoyment amongst children, young people and adults, and to engage new audiences in reading. It aims to make lasting change to the nation’s reading habits and is for everyone, including adults, children, families and communities, reflecting that the decline in reading enjoyment affects all sectors of society. However, there will be a targeted focus on certain priority groups: boys aged 10 to16, parents from disadvantaged communities, and early years children.‘Go All In’ is a fully inclusive campaign, encouraging people to read about whatever interests them, through any genre and all mediums of reading, from physical books, to comics, to e-readers. The campaign includes support from a diverse range of authors, celebrities and content creators representing a range of different ages, backgrounds and cultures from communities across the UK. The campaign will reach communities across the UK through schools, libraries, businesses and local partners. Libraries, as free to access community hubs, will play a central role in supporting participation and helping people of all ages and from all sectors of society to develop a lasting love of reading.

Media and Sport, whether Young Futures Hubs will have a role in the implementation of the National Year of Reading.

The National Year of Reading is a Department for Education initiative, in collaboration with the National Literacy Trust. Young Futures Hubs will bring together services to improve access to opportunities and support for young people at community level, promoting positive outcomes and enabling them to thrive. Local Authorities participating in the programme will co-design the services in each hub alongside young people in the community to ensure it meets local needs. Young Futures Hubs are just one part of delivering support within a much wider youth landscape, and will work closely with core services and wider initiatives spanning youth, education, employment, social care, mental health, youth justice and policing.

What plans the department has to support the National Year of Reading in Northern Ireland.

I recently hosted the East West Council in Belfast where the Minister for Early Years noted the significant collaboration between all four nations of the UK to support the National Year of Reading. Education is a devolved matter and is the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Executive. Decisions about the National Year of Reading in Northern Ireland are for the Northern Ireland Education Minister. This Government remains committed to working with partners across the United Kingdom to collaborate to share best practices and I look forward to seeing how this great initiative progresses throughout the year.

How many administrative letters to individuals under the on-the-runs scheme were issued broken down by year.

This information is publicly available at Appendix 4: Chronology of The Report of the Hallet Review: An Independent Review into the On the Runs Administrative Scheme, which can be found here.

What discussions he has had with stakeholders on his Department's modelling of workforce numbers in the 10 Year Workforce Plan.

The Government will publish the 10 Year Workforce Plan in spring 2026. This plan will set out action to create a National Health Service workforce which is able to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. It is important we do this in a robust and joined up way. We are therefore engaging extensively with partners to ensure this plan delivers for staff and patients.That engagement began well before the call for evidence was closed. In early November, ministers hosted an event with nearly one hundred representatives of partner organisations to hear views from across the health system.Engagement is now continuing while we analyse the submissions to our call for evidence, including a roundtable with medical royal colleges on 14 January, which I chaired.We have committed to publishing regular workforce planning. This will start with the 10-Year Workforce Plan, which will include updated workforce modelling and its underlying assumptions when published in spring 2026. The updated workforce modelling will be subject to independent scrutiny by our appointed external scrutiny panel.

Food and Rural Affairs, what response she has given to the US Administration's letter to her Department regarding trophy hunting.

The Government is committed to banning the import of hunting trophies from species of conservation concern. We continue to engage constructively with a wide range of stakeholders, including other Governments, to understand different perspectives and ensure we can implement a robust ban. Baroness Hayman met with a representative of the United States Government in July 2025 to discuss the UK Government’s proposed ban on the import of hunting trophies. There have been no further ministerial‑level discussions with the United States Government on this issue since this meeting.

What consideration he has given to ring-fencing any element of the Local Growth Fund allocation for Northern Ireland for community and voluntary sector services.

The Northern Ireland Office; Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, and the Northern Ireland Executive have worked to provide community and voluntary sector organisations with the certainty they need to plan for this year. The RDEL element of the Local Growth Fund in 2026/27 will be split between economic inactivity provision delivery partners and Go Succeed, in the same proportion to funding received in 2025/26 under the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. This was agreed between the UK Government and the Northern Ireland Executive. The record £19.3bn settlement for the Spending Review period - as well as the £370m announced at the Budget - provides the Northern Ireland Executive with the means to provide additional funding to support the voluntary and community sector, should they wish to do so.

What discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Northern Ireland Executive on re-profiling the Local Growth Fund allocation for Northern Ireland to increase the resource element.

Following the announcement of the Local Growth Fund in Northern Ireland at the Spending Review in June 2025, I have had regular engagement with the Secretary of State for Housing Communities and Local Government, as well as Ministers in the Northern Ireland Executive, as we continue to work in partnership on the design and delivery of the Fund.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to (a) monitor delivery of the Replacing Animals in Science strategy, (b) provide stable multi-year funding for its implementation, including UKCVAM, (c) publish milestones and progress updates, and (d) support regulatory changes to increase the uptake of non-animal methods, including delivery of the strategy’s 2026 commitments.

The Government’s strategy Replacing animals in science strategy is setting up governance structures, including a Ministerial board, to oversee progress and ensure momentum is maintained. £60m of ringfenced, multiyear funding has been provided to secure long-term investment for the strategy’s measures, including UKCVAM and the preclinical translational models hub, through the 2025 Spending Review. Transparent targets and milestones, alongside KPIs will be published starting in 2026. Current legislation requires alternatives to animals to be used wherever available, so there are no current plans to change legislation.

Whether he plans to make additional funding available to the Police Service of Northern Ireland to meet the costs arising from the 2023 data breach.

It is for the Northern Ireland Executive to set a budget for Departments, and for the Minister for Justice to allocate funding to the Police Service of Northern Ireland. The Government is providing the Executive with a record settlement over the Spending Review period, averaging £19.3bn per year. This is the largest in the history of devolution.On 17 December 2025, the Northern Ireland Executive committed to providing £119m to the Department of Justice to fund the costs of the data breach.Concerns about the implications of costs associated with the data breach should be raised via the existing mechanisms in the Department of Justice and the Department of Finance.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of proposed EU (a) taxes and (b) charges on small packages entering the EU on Northern Ireland, including parcels sent within the United Kingdom internal market.

We are aware of changes to the EU’s rules of low value imports and the announcement in December of its intention to introduce customs duty on these goods from 1 July 2026. At Autumn Budget 2025, the Chancellor announced the removal of the UK's relief from customs duty on goods below £135 from March 2029 at the latest. There is currently a consultation on these changes that closes on 6th March 2026. We are committed to ensuring that the current facilitations available for parcels under the Windsor Framework continue to operate. This means that goods eligible to move under the UK Carrier Scheme and the UK Internal Market Scheme will continue to do so. These schemes are designed to protect goods moving within the UK internal market from incurring duty. The benefits of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement will also continue to be available. The Government continues to engage with industry and the EU to ensure any applicable arrangements are implemented correctly and to minimise any negative impacts on Northern Ireland consumers and businesses.

Food and Rural Affairs, what progress her Department has made on proposals to prohibit the import into the UK of hunting trophies; and when she expects to bring forward legislation to implement such a prohibition.

The Government is committed to banning the import of hunting trophies from species of conservation concern. The department continues to engage with relevant stakeholders to ensure that we can implement a robust ban. Timeframes for introducing legislation will be provided once the Parliamentary timetable for future sessions is determined.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking, bilaterally and with international partners, in response to reports of arbitrary detention, torture and executions of protesters in Iran; and whether she plans to make further designations under the Global Human Rights Sanctions Regulations 2020 in relation to individuals responsible.

I refer the Hon Member to the statement the Foreign Secretary made to the House on 13 January, and her responses to the questions raised in that debate.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations her Department has made to the Government of Syria on protecting the rights of religious minorities, such as Christian Orthodox people, Protestants and Catholics.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer given on 18 September 2025 to Question 74583.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations her Department has made to the Government of Syria on recent sectarian attacks on members of the Alawite minority in Homs.

Further to the answer given on 18 September to question 74583, I raised this issue with the Syrian Foreign Minister during his visit to London in November, and we continue to monitor the situation closely.

How many applications have been (a) received, (b) awarded and (c) refused under the Troubles Permanent Disablement Payment Scheme; and in how many refused cases the applicant was in receipt of an occupational injury award, including (i) Civil Service Injury Benefit and (ii) an equivalent injury pension.

The Troubles Permanent Disablement Payment Scheme is a devolved matter and is run by the Victims’ Payments Board on behalf of the Northern Ireland Executive. Statistics on applications are publicly available on the Victims’ Payments Board’s website.

When she expects the independent inquiry into grooming gangs to commence taking evidence; and what steps she is taking to support cross-Government cooperation with the inquiry.

On 9 December 2025 the Home Secretary announced Baroness Anne Longfield as Chair of the Independent Inquiry into Grooming Gangs, alongside panellists Zoë Billingham CBE and Eleanor Kelly CBE. She also published the draft Terms of Reference, which she has asked the Chair to consult on. The final version will be published by 31 March 2026, after which the inquiry will formally commence. Under the Inquiries Act 2005, the conduct and procedure of the inquiry are a matter for the Chair.The Home Secretary has been clear that the inquiry will act without fear or favour, identifying individual, institutional and systemic failure, inadequate organisational responses, and failures of leadership. The government is fully committed to supporting the Inquiry.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of procuring residential accommodation for asylum seekers in Northern Ireland on (a) the availability of and (b) waiting times for social housing.

Accommodation for people seeking asylum in Northern Ireland is procured by Home Office Asylum Accommodation and Support Contract providers from the private rented sector and does not draw on social housing stock. Northern Ireland is not part of the Full Dispersal arrangements, so only those who claim asylum in Northern Ireland are accommodated there. On that basis, the Department does not assess a direct impact on either the availability of, or waiting times for, social housing.

Whether her Department holds information on whether accommodation providers or subcontractors have used third-party agencies to purchase residential properties in Northern Ireland intended for use in accommodating asylum seekers.

Home Office accommodation Providers procure accommodation on behalf of the Home Office for use as asylum accommodation, this can be either via purchasing or letting accommodation available on the property market and they work with a range of landlords and agents to do so.