Written questions by Hanna.

What his timetable is for the publication of guidance to Great Britain based businesses trading in Northern Ireland on the General Product Safety Regulations 2025 .

The updated General Product Safety Regulation largely formalises the reality of how businesses are already operating in the UK and the measures are therefore likely to have limited impact. Where businesses need to make changes, we expect that they will be already adapting in order to continue trading with the EU. We will provide more guidance in this area shortly, will keep this under review and continue to engage businesses directly to ensure we are supporting them to trade freely across the whole of the UK.

Whether she has had recent discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive on the potential merits of implementing a bespoke visa for for the horticulture sector in Northern Ireland.

There have been no discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive on the potential merits of implementing a bespoke visa for the horticulture sector in Northern Ireland. The UK operates a national immigration system, covering all areas of the country. This includes the Seasonal Worker route, which specifically enables the UK horticulture sector, including those in Northern Ireland, to recruit seasonal workers.

If he will make it his policy that any future Northern Ireland troubles legacy proposals will have capacity to deal with murders that took place after 10th April 1998.

Investigating suspected criminal activity that took place following the Good Friday Agreement is the responsibility of the relevant police force.The Government is committed to repeal and replace the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy & Reconciliation) Act 2023. As part of this process, I have said that the Government will bring forward a remedial order under the Human Rights Act to ensure that the Independent Commission for Reconciliation & Information Recovery established by the Act is fully human rights compliant.As part of this process, I am undertaking a period of consultation, including with the Northern Ireland parties, to discuss a pragmatic way forward that can both comply with human rights and command public confidence. I look forward to discussing any specific proposals that might help achieve this.

Food and Rural Affairs, when the updated National Action Plan on the Sustainable Use of Pesticides will be published.

We intend to publish a National Action Plan in due course that reflects the Government’s priority to minimise the risks and impact of pesticides on human health and the environment and facilitate sustainable use.

With reference to the Hughes report published by the Patient Safety Commissioner on 7 February 2024, if he will take steps to introduce a compensation scheme which is open to (a) all UK and (b) Northern Ireland patients affected by sodium valproate.

The Government is carefully considering the valuable work done by the Patient Safety Commissioner and the resulting Hughes Report, which set out options for redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh. We will be providing an update to the Patient Safety Commissioner’s report at the earliest opportunity. Although the Hughes Report and its recommendations only cover patients harmed in England, the Government recognises that any response will likely have implications for the whole of the United Kingdom, and so we will engage with the devolved administrations on the Hughes Report.Healthcare in Northern Ireland is a devolved matter and, as such, it is respectfully requested that the question on introducing a compensation scheme for individuals harmed by sodium valproate in Northern Ireland be redirected to the Justice Minister for Northern Ireland or the Minister for Health for Northern Ireland, to be handled at a devolved level.

What progress her Department has made on the review of the impact of the Electronic Travel Authorisation policy in Northern Ireland.

The Government keeps the operation of the ETA scheme under constant review, including its impact within Northern Ireland, and my changes to the scheme will be announced in the normal way.

How many applications for funding from the UK Infrastructure Bank for schemes in Northern Ireland were (a) awarded and (b) rejected.

The National Wealth Fund (NWF), formerly the UK Infrastructure Bank, has committed funding to three transactions that have benefited Northern Ireland (NI) with a total of £71m invested to date. Two of these deals are debt investments in the digital sector, supporting Fibrus and Netomnia, and the other is a guarantee deal for retrofitting social housing with Barclays. Due to commercial confidentiality, the NWF does not disclose details of deals that were not completed. However, it has a robust process in place to assess the suitability of deal enquires in line with its strategy. Further details on how NWF assess deals and additionality can be found in their Strategic Plan, and details on deals signed can be found in their Factsheets.

Whether she has made a comparative assessment of (a) boarding departments in state schools in England and (b) grant aided schools in Northern Ireland, in the context of the introduction of VAT on independent schools.

On 29 July, the Government announced that, as of 1 January 2025, all education services and vocational training provided by a private school in the UK for a charge will be subject to VAT at the standard rate of 20 per cent. This will also apply to boarding services provided by private schools. Boarding at state schools is provided to parents at cost and is closely related to the supply of state education. The government therefore believes it is right that state boarding should continue to be exempt. To ensure consistency in the VAT treatment of schools across the UK, as set out in the draft legislation published in July, where a school charges for the full-time education of children of compulsory school age and/or full-time education suitable for the requirements of 16-19 year olds, it will be within scope of this policy. All education, vocational training and boarding services provided by schools within scope of this policy will be subject to 20% VAT from January 2025. This is in line with the principles set out in the technical note published in July. The draft legislation and technical note can be found online here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vat-on-private-school-fees-removing-the-charitable-rates-relief-for-private-schools HM Treasury have been engaging closely with the Northern Ireland Executive to understand how different schools in Northern Ireland will be impacted by this policy.

With reference to her Department's guidance entitled Offshore well boat workers: Immigration Rules concession 2022, updated on 24 January 2024, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of extending that concession to other business sectors.

Concessionary arrangements outside of the immigration rules are put in place where exceptional circumstances are demonstrated. They are always time limited and reviewed regularly. There are no plans to extend the existing concession beyond its original parameters.

If she will take steps to include support for home owners struggling with mortgage commitments in the Budget.

This Government recognises that many households have been faced with higher mortgage rates in recent years. That is why we are committed to delivering economic stability to grow the economy and keep taxes, inflation and mortgage rates as low as possible. The pricing of mortgages is a commercial decision for lenders in which the Government does not intervene. However, there are significant measures in place to protect vulnerable mortgage borrowers. Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules require lenders to engage individually with their customers who are struggling or who are worried about their payments, and the Mortgage Charter also remains in place providing additional flexibilities to help customers manage their mortgage payments over a short period.

If she will review the Government's policy on uprating the State Pension for people living overseas.

There are no plans to review the policy on up-rating the UK State Pensions Overseas. UK State Pensions are payable worldwide, without regard to nationality, and are only uprated abroad where there is a legal requirement to do so, for example in countries with which we have a reciprocal agreement that provides for up-rating. The policy on the uprating of UK State Pensions paid overseas is a longstanding one.

What his planned timetable is for resuming inquests relating to the troubles in Northern Ireland that ended when the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 came into force; and whether those referred from the Attorney General will receive an inquest.

The Government has made clear its intention to propose measures that allow legacy inquests previously halted by the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy & Reconciliation) Act 2023 to proceed, should that be the preference of the victims’s families. A number of inquests were referred to the coroners’ service by the Attorney General for Northern Ireland shortly before the Act came into force. I am considering the approach to these as part of my ongoing consultation process with interested parties. I want to make progress as swiftly as possible. As I set out in my Written Ministerial Statement of 7 October, the Government is now carefully considering its next steps following the Northern Ireland Court of Appeal’s judgment in light of the additional declarations of incompatibility made by the Court of Appeal. At the same time, the Government will continue to explore measures to strengthen the ICRIR to ensure that it is both human rights compliant and able to command support from across communities in Northern Ireland.

Food and Rural Affairs, what progress his Department has made on introducing a ban on single use vapes.

We are reviewing the current proposals to restrict the sale and supply of single use vapes and will outline next steps as soon as possible.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his Israeli counterpart on implementing an immediate ceasefire in (a) Lebanon and (b) Gaza.

A resolution to this conflict has been a priority since day one of this government - the Foreign Secretary has visited Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories twice and the Prime Minister has spoken to both PM Netanyahu and President Abbas. We were the first G7 country to call for the implementation of an immediate ceasefire between Lebanese Hizballah and Israel on 19 September. The Foreign Secretary spoke with Israeli Foreign Minister Katz on 2 October, and we continue to work in lockstep with our allies to de-escalate the situation and urge all parties to end this cycle of violence.

With reference to the oral evidence provided by the Minister for Pensions to the Work and Pensions Committee on defined benefit pension schemes on 10 January 2024, Session 2023-24, HC 144, what plans she has to review the (a) indexation, (b) 90% compensation cap and (c) potential merits of other changes to the Pension Protection Fund; and whether she plans to consult on potential changes to that Fund during this Parliament.

I have heard about the problems experienced by Defined Benefit pension scheme members adjusting to an income in retirement which may be less than they were expecting following the insolvency of their employer. I recognise the importance of these issues for members and will consider this further in the coming months. Pension Protection Fund compensation payments based on benefits accrued on or after 6 April 1997 are increased in line with the Consumer Price Index, capped at 2.5 per cent. Before 6 April 1997, there was no general statutory requirement for defined benefit pensions to be increased when in payment, apart from any Guaranteed Minimum Pension element earned on or after 6 April 1988. There is no cap to Pension Protection Fund compensation. Compensation is calculated at the date of employer insolvency and, at that date, is initially either 100 per cent of their accrued pension benefits for members over their scheme's normal pension age or 90 per cent of their accrued pension benefits for members below their scheme’s normal pension age.

Media and Sport, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of developing a unique IP address for Northern Ireland residents to prevent geo blocking of Irish sports coverage from Ireland.

The Government recognises the importance of residents of Northern Ireland being able to access coverage of important sporting and other cultural events that are relevant to communities across the island of Ireland.While decisions on the coverage of sporting events are for rights holders and broadcasters to make independent of their respective Governments, we would encourage sports rights holders and relevant broadcasters to have in place suitable arrangements to ensure Northern Ireland residents can continue to access sports coverage from Ireland.Given the cross-border nature of the concerns raised, I have also asked my officials to discuss these issues with their counterparts in the Irish Government.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will (a) hold discussions with the (Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in the Northern Ireland Executive on the potential impact of levels of (i) investment by the Irish Government and (ii) access to labour (A) from the EU and (B) through a bespoke visa on the mushroom sector in Northern Ireland and (b) make an assessment with the Secretary of State for Home Affairs of the potential merits of introducing a bespoke visa to encourage more agricultural workers into Northern Ireland's mushroom sector.

This Government is serious about revitalising the relationship between UK and Devolved Governments and partnering to deliver economic growth and stability. The Seasonal Workers visa route is a bespoke visa currently available for workers outside of the UK to come and work for up to six months in the horticulture sector, and in the run up to Christmas for the poultry sector. The horticulture sector includes both edible and ornamental horticulture, which covers the mushroom sector in Northern Ireland. The number of seasonal worker visas available for horticulture in 2024 is 45,000, with an additional 2,000 for the poultry sector. The same allocation was available in 2023 and comfortably met the sector’s needs. The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) review of the Seasonal Worker visa was published in July. It recommended the continuation of the visa route because of the sector’s unique, highly seasonal and short-term labour requirements and important role in ensuring our food security. The Government will be responding to the MAC this autumn. Alongside migrant workers arriving through the Seasonal Worker visa route, food and farming businesses can also draw on EU nationals living in the UK with settled or pre-settled status to meet their seasonal worker needs. I speak regularly to my counterparts in the Northern Ireland Executive on shared priorities.