Written questions by Hanna.

When the Labour Market Evidence Group plans to visit Northern Ireland to consult local businesses.

The Labour Market Evidence Group (LMEG) is supporting the UK Government’s aim to rebalance UK labour market away from an over-reliance on international recruitment and towards domestic workers and ensuring that growth-driving sectors have access to the skilled workers they need now and into the future. LMEG has been established and is meeting regularly at working level with the first formal meeting of LMEG taking place on 29th July 2025. That meeting contained representatives from:the Industrial Strategy Advisory Councilthe Department for Work and PensionsSkills England and equivalent organisations in the Devolved Governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Irelandthe Migration Advisory CommitteeAt the first meeting LMEG members agreed a workplan in collaboration with Devolved Governments including Northern Ireland Executive. This workplan will support LMEG’s ambition, as set out in the Immigration White Paper, of working together to gather and share evidence about the state of the workforce, training levels and participation in the domestic labour market, including at Devolved Government and regional levels.

Communities and Local Government, what progress he has made on the Local Growth Fund for Northern Ireland.

Since the announcement at Spending Review of a new Local Growth Fund for Northern Ireland, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has initiated work with the Northern Ireland Office to design a new fund that will drive growth in Northern Ireland’s unique economy and improve the lives of local people. I am clear that this new funding should have a bespoke design for Northern Ireland, working in partnership with the NI Executive.

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the (a) Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 and (b) Articles (i) 42 and (ii) 43 of that Act on same-sex, non-married or civil partnered couples who both wish to included on their child’s birth certificate.

Section 42 and 43 of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 provide a framework of protection from disputes over legal parenthood. These provisions allow female couples who are married or in a civil partnership, or who have undertaken treatment in a United Kingdom licenced clinic, to both register as parents. Fertility treatment in an UK licenced clinic also offers important health screening protections and access for donor-conceived children to information about their genetic origins through the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority’s register.There are no current plans to review these provisions in the Act.

With reference to the White Paper entitled Restoring Control over the Immigration System of 12 May 2025, what assessment she has made of (a) levels of current migrant staffing and (b) the potential merits of increasing necessary staff supply in the health and social care system in Northern Ireland.

The Home Office does not monitor the staffing levels of specific sectors; this should be directed to the Northern Ireland’s Department of Health. It is open to the Health and Care sectors to use the options available to them; this includes international recruitment providing they meet the requirements of the relevant visa route, primarily the Health and Care visa. There are no limits on the number of staff that can be recruited under the Health and Care visa system providing the criteria are met. However, the Government is clear that the health and social care sector, alongside other sectors, needs to reduce its reliance on international recruitment and increase its staffing supply from the domestic workforce. We will continue to work with Governments across all parts of the United Kingdom.

With reference to the 10 year plan for the NHS, what steps he plans to take to ensure that equality of access to the NHS is retained for all.

The 10-Year Health Plan, along with associated policies and initiatives, details several measures to ensure equality of access to the NHS is retained for all. This includes:- Redirecting funds to deprived areas: Funding flows are being realigned towards areas with the highest health needs, targeting communities with disproportionate economic and health challenges.- Building Neighbourhood Health Centres: New "one-stop shop" health centres will be established in every community, starting with areas that have the lowest healthy life expectancy. These centres will provide integrated, multi-professional care closer to people's homes and will often be open for extended hours to improve convenience.- Addressing waiting list inequalities: The NHS now publishes waiting list data broken down by deprivation, ethnicity, age, and sex to identify and address unfair variations in waiting times.

Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the games publishing industry on the potential impact of remotely disabling and terminating video games on their responsibilities under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

The Government is aware of concerns relating to the continued access to video games, including licensed, online-only video games, and we appreciate the frustrations of players of some games that have been discontinued. The Government has spoken with the video games industry and has responded to a recent petition on this issue.There are no plans to amend existing consumer law on disabling video games. Those selling games must comply with existing requirements in consumer law, including the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (CRA) and Digital Markets Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCCA), giving clear advice to consumers. Video game sellers must not omit or hide material information, or provide it in an unclear, unintelligible, ambiguous or untimely manner.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of Israeli government plans to confine Palestinians to the Rafah area of Gaza.

We are appalled by Israeli Defence Minister Katz's proposal to move Gaza's population to Rafah. Palestinian territory must not be reduced. Civilians must be able to return to their communities. We need to move towards a ceasefire deal and open a pathway to lasting peace.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy to ensure that funding derived from Extended Producer Responsibility fees will be ringfenced to support local authorities to improve their recycling provision.

We have instructed PackUK to exercise its existing powers within the pEPR regulations to ensure local authorities in England only receive pEPR funds that are spent on household packaging, waste management, and recycling. When local authority payments are confirmed in July, PackUK will write directly to all English local authority chief executives setting this out. If a local authority does not spend the funds as specified, PackUK will use its regulatory powers to deduct funds accordingly for the following year’s payment.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to take to ensure that local authorities use funding from the Extended Producer Responsibility scheme to improve recycling provision.

We have instructed PackUK to exercise its existing powers within the pEPR regulations to ensure local authorities in England only receive pEPR funds that are spent on household packaging, waste management, and recycling. When local authority payments are confirmed in July, PackUK will write directly to all English local authority chief executives setting this out. If a local authority does not spend the funds as specified, PackUK will use its regulatory powers to deduct funds accordingly for the following year’s payment.

Food and Rural Affairs, what his Department's planned timetable is for publishing the set-up costs for the Deposit Return Scheme.

The Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for drinks containers in England is industry-led, funded by producers and delivered by producers and retailers collectively through the Deposit Management Organisation. Most international schemes follow this model. The appointment of UK Deposit Management Organisation Ltd (UK DMO) was made by the UK Government in May 2025 as the operator of the Deposit Return Scheme in England. DRS costs are the responsibility of UK DMO.

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of Ofcom’s proposals to remove the prohibitions on (a) matching rights and (b) bundling.

As we set out in our Creative Industries Sector Plan, the Government wants a healthy and mixed TV ecology. This includes public service broadcasters providing an engine room of creativity whilst our independent production sector continues to create more intellectual property and British content that can be exported globally. Ofcom, as the independent media regulator, is responsible for the guidance to public service broadcasters on commissioning codes of practice and has consulted on their proposals and will be carefully considering all of the responses they have received.

Media and Sport, if will meet with Media Strong.

Ministers and officials regularly meet stakeholders to discuss a range of issues which affect media organisations and journalists. Officials in my department would be pleased to meet with Media Strong.The Government is not currently taking specific steps to support mental health services in journalism. However, we are taking steps to strengthen our national, regional and local press, which includes action aimed at supporting journalists.I also chair the National Committee for the Safety of Journalists, together with the Minister for Safeguarding and Violence against Women and Girls. It brings together representatives from government, journalism, policing, prosecution services and civil society to make sure that journalists in the UK are able to operate free from threats and violence. Its National Action Plan for the Safety of Journalists sets out how the safety of journalists in the UK can be protected.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support mental health services in journalism.

Ministers and officials regularly meet stakeholders to discuss a range of issues which affect media organisations and journalists. Officials in my department would be pleased to meet with Media Strong.The Government is not currently taking specific steps to support mental health services in journalism. However, we are taking steps to strengthen our national, regional and local press, which includes action aimed at supporting journalists.I also chair the National Committee for the Safety of Journalists, together with the Minister for Safeguarding and Violence against Women and Girls. It brings together representatives from government, journalism, policing, prosecution services and civil society to make sure that journalists in the UK are able to operate free from threats and violence. Its National Action Plan for the Safety of Journalists sets out how the safety of journalists in the UK can be protected.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for its policies of the Federation of Small Businesses Northern Ireland's report entitled Windsor Framework realities - barriers to trade in the UK internal market, published in June 2025.

The Government stands by its view that the Windsor Framework is delivering practical benefits in Northern Ireland and we are committed to its implementation alongside protecting the UK internal market. The Windsor Framework provides a wide range of support for business between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the Government will keep working with businesses and organisations like the Federation of Small Businesses as we move forward. The Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement with the European Union, once agreed and implemented, will make it easier to move goods across the Irish Sea, so Northern Ireland can enjoy the same products as the rest of the UK.

If she will make it her policy to uprate (a) inflation-linked benefits and (b) tax credits for the 2026–27 financial year in line with the consumer prices index rate of inflation for September.

The Social Security Administration Act 1992 requires the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to review State pension and benefit rates each year to see if they have retained their value in relation to the general level of prices or earnings. Where the relevant rates have not retained their value, legislation provides that the Secretary of State is required to, or in some instances may, up-rate their value. Following this review, some rates are increased in line with statutory minima, and others are increased subject to the Secretary of State’s discretion. The new and basic State Pensions, and the Standard Minimum Guarantee in Pension Credit (which replaced tax credits for most people above State Pension age on 5 April 2025). must be increased at least in line with the growth in earnings. In practice, the new and basic State Pensions are subject to our commitment for this Parliament to the triple lock of the highest of earnings growth, the increase in prices, or 2.5% Additional-needs disability benefits such as Personal Independence Payment, Carer’s Allowance, and Additional Pension must be increased at least in line with the increase in prices. By convention, the measure used for this is the increase in the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) in the year to September. For the rates of most other benefits, including Universal Credit (which replaced tax credits for people below State Pension age on 5 April 2025), once the Secretary of State has concluded her review of the increase in the general level of prices, she may decide to increase them. The Office for Budgetary Responsibility currently assumes that she will do so in line with the increase in CPI in the year to September. However, the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill has been introduced into Parliament and subject to parliamentary approval, this will alter the standard parameters of Secretary of State's annual review.

With reference to the document entitled UK Infrastructure: A 10 Year Strategy, CP 1344, published on 19 June 2025, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of childcare provision on the delivery of that strategy.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.Investment in childcare provision is an essential part of the government’s 10 Year Strategy, which is why it sets out an investment of almost £370 million to deliver tens of thousands of new early education and childcare places by opening or expanding school-based nurseries in England. School-based nurseries are a key part of this government’s Opportunity Mission, delivering on our Plan for Change by expanding the high-quality early education across England that supports children’s lifelong learning and success.

With reference to the document entitled UK Infrastructure: A 10 Year Strategy, CP 1344, published on 19 June 2025, if he will publish the Barnett consequential for Northern Ireland for each new item of funding announced in that strategy.

The Barnett formula is applied when departmental budgets change – not when departments announce how they are spending their budgets. When changes to UK Government departments’ budgets were confirmed at Spending Review 2025 on 11 June, the Barnett formula was applied in the usual way, providing Barnett consequentials to the Northern Ireland Executive. The devolved governments are receiving the largest Spending Review settlements, in real terms, since devolution in 1998.The published Block Grant Transparency document provides a detailed breakdown of how the block grants are calculated and the next version will be published in due course.

With reference to the report by Maternity Action, entitled Pushed into Poverty, published in May 2025, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the recommendation on £7.99 million model costing for maternity allowance to be treated as earned income by Universal Credit on women in low income jobs.

No assessment is planned. Universal Credit treats Maternity Allowance in the same way as legacy means-tested benefits, such as Income Support or Income Based Jobseeker’s Allowance, in that it is taken fully into account. Whilst we keep all policies under review, we have no plans to review how Maternity Allowance is taken into account in UC. Maternity pay is primarily designed as a health and safety provision for pregnant working women. We want new mothers to be able to take time away from work in the later stages of their pregnancy and following childbirth, if they wish, for their own health and wellbeing.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of treating Maternity Allowance as earned income for the purposes of calculating Universal Credit.

No assessment is planned. Universal Credit treats Maternity Allowance in the same way as legacy means-tested benefits, such as Income Support or Income Based Jobseeker’s Allowance, in that it is taken fully into account. Whilst we keep all policies under review, we have no plans to review how Maternity Allowance is taken into account in UC. Maternity pay is primarily designed as a health and safety provision for pregnant working women. We want new mothers to be able to take time away from work in the later stages of their pregnancy and following childbirth, if they wish, for their own health and wellbeing.

What long-term plans her Department has to increase levels of (a) maternity, (b) paternity and (c) parental pay in line with the National Living Wage.

Government spends approximately £3 billion a year on parental payments. When considering calls to increase the level of maternity benefits generally, those must be balanced against limited resources as well as being mindful of the burden on employers, the needs of parents and could not be made without consultation with businesses and other stakeholders. Further, any changes would need to take account of economic circumstances and affordability for taxpayers. The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions is required by law to undertake an annual review of benefits and State Pensions, including Statutory Maternity Pay and Maternity Allowance. This is based on a review of trends in prices and earnings growth in the preceding year. From April 2025, the rate for Statutory Maternity Pay and Maternity Allowance increased by September 2024's CPI figure of 1.7%, from £184.03 to £187.18 per week. Maternity and other types of Parental Pay are intended to provide a measure of financial security to support parents whilst they are away from the workplace; they are not a replacement of earnings. We know that the parental leave system needs improvement. In the Plan to Make Work Pay the government committed to a Review of the parental leave system to ensure that it best supports working families. Planning work is already underway across Government. The review provides us with an opportunity to consider the current framework of parental leave entitlements and how they should operate as a holistic system to improve the support available for working families. We will also take the opportunity to establish a set of objectives for the parental leave system, which reflect the needs of GB’s modern economy. This has been lacking in recent years as the framework of entitlements has evolved over time.