Written questions by Hanna.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of increasing (a) Statutory Maternity Pay, (b) Maternity Allowance and (c) Shared Parental Pay to 62.5 per cent of the weekly National Living Wage by 2028.

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.

How many families subject to no recourse to public funds in Northern Ireland (a) are in receipt of Healthy Start and (b) have had their application for Healthy Start rejected.

The Department transferred the Healthy Start Extension Scheme to the NHS Business Services Authority at the beginning of April 2025.Since April 2025, and as of the 11 June 2025, there are no families in Northern Ireland subject to no recourse to public funds who are in receipt of the Healthy Start Extension Scheme, or who have had an application rejected.The Department does not hold data on the number of rejected applications prior to the NHS Business Services Authority taking over the running of the extension scheme in April 2025.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Israeli government on the prevention of aid entering Gaza from the sea.

The Government of Israel has halted the entry of all goods and supplies into Gaza for over four months. We have repeatedly called on the Government of Israel to abide by its obligations under International Humanitarian Law to ensure full, rapid, safe and unhindered provision of humanitarian assistance to the population in Gaza.We are clear, the only way to meet the desperate needs of the Gazan people at the speed and scale is via full use of overland routes. The Foreign Secretary reiterated this in his recent calls with Israeli Foreign Minister Sa'ar.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on Deirdre Murphy from Swansea following her arrest on 31 May 2025.

Our embassy in Tel Aviv is aware of the situation. We understand that Ms Murphy is being supported by the Irish Embassy. She has not been in touch with the British Embassy, but our consular team remain on hand to provide any support to Ms Murphy if required.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will publish the Shawcross report into compensation for UK victims of Gaddafi-sponsored IRA terrorism.

The UK Government has profound sympathy for UK victims of Qadhafi-sponsored Irish Republican Army terrorism and indeed for all victims of the Troubles. The Shawcross Report was commissioned by the previous government as an internal report drawing on a series of private and confidential conversations. We will keep decisions on publication regarding the Shawcross Report under review.

How many eVisa errors remain unresolved.

The information requested is not currently available from published statistics, and the relevant data could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

How many eVisa errors were reported using the online portal in the last six months.

The information requested is not currently available from published statistics, and the relevant data could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

With reference to her Department's Green Paper entitled Pathways to Work, published on 18 May 2025, what estimate she has made of the number of claimants currently in receipt of contributory Employment and Support Allowance who would transfer to the proposed unemployment insurance.

The Department is currently consulting on a proposed Unemployment Insurance. The consultation closes on 30 June 2025. No decisions have yet been made about transitioning existing claimants of NS ESA and NS JSA to the proposed Unemployment Insurance and therefore an estimate cannot be provided at this stage. However, a further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months. Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper has been published here ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper’(opens in a new tab). Latest data as of November 2025 shows that there are 750,000 claimants for contributory ESA.

What recent discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on the redevelopment of Casement Park.

I am continuing to engage with all partners involved in the Executive-led Casement Park redevelopment, including the Northern Ireland Executive and the GAA, to assess the options available regarding the project.

What the total value is of contracts awarded to outside providers for the provision of the Making Tax Digital programme.

The MTD Programme’s current external supplier expenditure to date totals approximately £0.4 billion. MTD for VAT is expected to bring in over £4 billion in tax revenue by reducing error in VAT returns, whilst MTD for Income Tax is expected to bring in an additional £1.95 billion additional tax revenue by 2029 to 2030.

What estimate her Department has made of the number of (a) deaf and (b) disabled people who will be affected by proposed Personal Independence Payment changes in Northern Ireland.

PIP is administered in Northern Ireland by the Department for Communities (DfC). DfC is responsible for producing analysis on how the planned reforms will impact claimants in Northern Ireland.

With reference to paragraph 264 of the White Paper entitled Restoring Control over the Immigration System, CP 1326, published on 12 May 2025, whether her Department has undertaken an impact assessment in relation to its proposals to increase the standard qualifying period for settlement to ten years.

We will be consulting on the earned settlement scheme later this year and further details on the proposed scheme will be provided at that time.

With reference to her Department's Green Paper entitled Pathways to Work, published on 18 May 2025, what estimate has she made of the potential impact of her Department's Green Paper entitled Pathways to Work, published on 18 May 2025, on the number of claimants who will have their housing benefit cut because they have at least one spare room in Northern Ireland in each of the next five years.

PIP is administered in Northern Ireland by the Department for Communities (DfC). DfC is responsible for producing analysis on how the planned reforms will impact claimants in Northern Ireland.

What assessment HMRC has made of the potential impact of quarterly reporting on smaller businesses.

Quarterly updates required under Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax are not the same as full tax returns. They are simple summaries of income and expenses. Software will automatically draw data from a taxpayer’s digital records so where these records are up to date, updates will be quick and easy to submit.Quarterly updates help to reduce the risk of error by moving record-keeping closer to real time. With this data already captured in software, preparing the end-of-year return should also be easier, as the information needed is already available. Quarterly updates can also provide estimates of tax liability and nudging and prompts to support users to get their tax right.HMRC has an established model for estimating the impacts that result from MTD. The latest published assessment is available at:Extension of Making Tax Digital for Income Tax Self Assessment to sole traders and landlords - GOV.UKMTD for VAT is already helping businesses to increase their productivity, with most users surveyed reporting benefits including time savings and greater accuracy.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of reports of shots fired towards (a) UK, (b) Irish and (c) EU diplomats while visiting the West Bank.

The events in Jenin on 21 May were unacceptable. We are clear that diplomats must be allowed to do their jobs and civilians must always be protected. Israel must launch a full investigation and those responsible held accountable. I have spoken to our diplomats affected and our position has been made clear to the Israeli Ambassador to the UK.

How many (a) British and (b) Irish citizens emigrated from Northern Ireland in 2024.

The Home Office does not hold this information.

If he will have discussions with his EU counterparts to improve the functioning of the Windsor Framework.

As co-Chair of the Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee I regularly discuss the functioning of the Windsor Framework with my European Commission counterpart Maroš Šefčovič. At the recent UK-EU summit we announced a new SPS agreement that will facilitate the smooth flow of agrifood and plants from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, whilst protecting the facilitations available to businesses under the Windsor Framework. This achievement is a product of a closer partnership with the EU, which will unlock real improvements for businesses and consumers - alongside the recent switch on of new customs facilitations for freight and parcels so that goods can flow smoothly within the UK internal market.

If he will take steps to ensure that the findings of the Independent Review of the Windsor Framework are considered during UK-EU negotiations.

The Review reflects the Government’s commitment to securing the broadest possible confidence of communities in Northern Ireland’s post-Brexit trading arrangements. The Government looks forward to considering Lord Murphy’s recommendations when the Review reports. In doing so, we will follow the duties contained within Schedule 6A Northern Ireland Act 1998 including in respect of engagement with the European Union.

What discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Health Minister on establishing a public inquiry into issues around cervical screening in the Southern Health Trust.

I recognise the serious concerns regarding cervical screening services in Northern Ireland. However, this is a devolved matter and responsibility rests with the Northern Ireland Department of Health. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State and I liaise regularly with the NI Minister of Health and have raised cervical screening issues following a meeting with victims and relatives of cervical screening errors. We will take the next opportunity to ask what steps are being taken to ensure that women in Northern Ireland are receiving the care they need.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what his Department's definition of genocide is.

As a State Party to the Genocide Convention, we adopt the definition of genocide as set out in Article II of the Genocide Convention.