Written questions by Campbell.

Whether she plans plans to review the Legal Aid regulations where (a) assistance has been received for a case and (b) several appeals are lodged with legal aid assistance to prevent the release of information via Freedom of Information legislation about the cost of such assistance.

Legal aid for proceedings within England and Wales is subject to the provisions of the Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO) and regulations made under that Act. The legislation places restrictions on the scope of services funded and the eligibility criteria which need to be satisfied before legal aid is granted.Civil legal aid services relating to an appeal arising from or relating to a decision to release information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 are not within the scope of funded services. Legal aid may be available as exceptional case funding where failure to provide legal aid would breach or risk breaching an individual’s human rights or other enforceable legal rights. There are no plans to review the scope of legal aid in this area.Applications for legal aid, including that provided as exceptional case funding, are subject to a merits test. This helps ensure that public funding is used responsibly and not spent on cases that are unlikely to succeed or are repeated without new grounds.

What steps he is taking to reduce the number of deaths from late diagnosis of prostate cancer.

The Department remains committed to diagnosing all cancer types earlier, including prostate cancer. We recognise that there is more to be done to ensure that patients have timely access to diagnosis and treatment.To combat late diagnosis, the Government is investing £16 million towards the Prostate Cancer UK-led TRANSFORM screening trial, which is seeking to find ways to catch prostate cancer in men as early as possible.The Department will publish a National Cancer Plan which will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients in England, as well as speeding up diagnosis and treatment, and ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology. The overarching goal is to drive up this country’s cancer survival rates and provide a National Health Service that is there when you need it.

What estimate he has made of the number of new jobs created in Northern Ireland as a result of increased defence spending.

Northern Ireland plays a crucial role in the defence of the United Kingdom, with a defence industrial base that is at the forefront of advanced manufacturing and our enduring support to Ukraine. For example, in March 2025 we announced a £1.5 billion contract for Lightweight Multirole Missiles to Ukraine, which will create 200 direct jobs in Northern Ireland with more expected to be created in the supply chain. The UK Government will set out in the Defence Industrial Strategy how we will make defence an engine for growth, ensuring that our defence spending boosts prosperity, jobs and security for working people across all the nations and regions of the UK, including in Northern Ireland.

What information his Department holds on the number of children recommended to have annual eye tests who have not done so in each of the past five years.

Free National Health Service sight tests are widely available for children under 16 years old and under 19 years old in full time education. It is recommended that all children under 16 years old should have an annual sight test. Sight tests for children under seven years old with binocular vision anomaly or corrected refractive error and children over seven and under 16 years old with binocular vision anomaly or rapidly progressing myopia are recommended every six months.Although data on the number of NHS sight tests is collected, it is not routinely broken down to be able to identify the numbers of sight tests provided to children. We are therefore unable to estimate the number of children who have not had a sight test.

Food and Rural Affairs, what his plans are for future import of (a) animals and (b) animal meat products from Germany, in the context of the outbreak of foot and mouth disease in that country.

The import restrictions brought in as a result of the outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease in Germany were lifted on 14 May 2025. However, other import restrictions are in place linked to other disease outbreaks in the EU. These restrictions mean that live animal imports are not possible, for example, from bluetongue affected countries including Germany. Furthermore, restrictions on personal imports of many meat and dairy products are in place from the whole of the EU. A full list of restrictions on imports from the EU is available here and is kept constantly up to date to assist traders and the public: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/imports-and-exports-of-animals-and-animal-products-topical-issues.

Pursuant to the Answers of 23 June 2025, 30 June 2025 and 7 July 2025 to Questions 60413, 61747 and 63990 on Asylum: Northern Ireland, whether she plans to purchase (a) tower blocks and (b) student accommodation solely to house people already living in Northern Ireland and claiming asylum not the wider cohort living elsewhere.

I refer the Hon Member to the Answer he received on 23 June 2025 to UIN 60413.

Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 16 June 2025 to Question 58921 on Innovate UK: Northern Ireland, how many companies were awarded contracts for Innovation grants in Northern Ireland in 2024.

In 2024, 3 Contracts for Innovation (CfI) grants were awarded by Innovate UK to companies in Northern Ireland, totalling just over £2 million.The majority of CfI competitions in Northern Ireland are organised and delivered by other public bodies; for which Innovate UK do not hold data.

Innovation and Technology, how many grant assistance programmes are run in partnership between Innovate UK and Invest NI for Companies based in Northern Ireland.

Innovate UK and Invest NI co-fund the Knowledge Transfer Partnership scheme, which partners businesses with graduates. Approximately 450 projects have been successfully completed in Northern Ireland since 2003.More widely, Invest NI is part of the Innovate UK Business Growth Delivery Programme. Although not a grant assistance programme, this programme has supported 339 businesses in Northern Ireland in the last 3 years.

What estimate he has made of the number of people with dementia in (a) 2025 and (b) 2029.

No specific estimate has been made for the number of people with dementia in 2029.The Dementia Surveillance Factsheet estimates that, in May 2025, there were 740,640 people aged 65 years old and over estimated to have dementia in England. Of these, 485,653 have been formally diagnosed.This factsheet uses Primary Care Dementia Data, which replaced the Recorded Dementia Diagnosis data in October 2022.

Pursuant to the Answer of 30 June 2025 to Question 62537 on Crown Estate: Northern Ireland, for what reason the rent income received from public authorities in Northern Ireland was higher in 2020 than any of the dates listed.

The higher rental income received from public authorities in Northern Ireland in 2020, compared to the years listed in the response to Question 62537, was due to a one-off backdated rent payment. Specifically, in 2020, a backdated rent invoice was issued covering the period from 1 January 2000 to 5 April 2020. This resulted in a significant uplift in reported income for that year.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing Enhanced Combination Orders for more offences.

Enhanced Combination Orders are a disposal available in Northern Ireland. They are not available in England and Wales. Justice is devolved to Northern Ireland. In England and Wales, as part of a community order, the Sentencing Framework gives courts the flexibility to choose and balance a range of requirements such as unpaid work and treatment, with the intention of punishing the offender, providing reparation to the community, and addressing any rehabilitative needs which may otherwise increase the likelihood of reoffending.

With reference to the Answer of 1 July 2025 to Question 62940 on Occupational Money Purchase Schemes, what steps she is taking to encourage awareness of collective defined contribution schemes by (a) employers and (b) employees.

My officials and I have been engaging extensively with a range of stakeholders to produce the legislative framework needed to accommodate whole-life CDC schemes with multiple unconnected employers, including with numerous employers. Regulations to implement this will be brought forward in the autumn. We have ensured that the Money and Pensions Service’s MoneyHelper guidance, which is available to any member of the public, provides information on CDC schemes. The Government has also published ‘Workplace pensions: a roadmap’ which sets out plans to support the growth of CDC provision.

Pursuant to the Answer of 30 June 2025 to Question 62540 on Journalism: Northern Ireland, if he will hold discussions with the Justice Minister in the Northern Ireland Executive on the number and proportion of cases that resulted in files being forwarded to the Prosecution Service for consideration.

Responsibility for policing and justice in Northern Ireland, excluding national security matters, was devolved in 2010. Nevertheless, I hold regular meetings with the Northern Ireland Minister of Justice to discuss areas of mutual interest and concern. The UK Government is committed to media freedom and ensuring the safety of journalists, and to bringing to justice those responsible for crimes against journalists.

When she expects to receive the conclusions of the Payment Vision Delivery Committee.

The National Payments Vision, published in November 2024, set out the government’s ambition for a trusted, world-leading payments ecosystem delivered on next generation technology, where consumers and businesses have a choice of payment methods to meet their needs. To drive forward the activities required to achieve this, the government established the Payments Vision Delivery Committee – a senior cross-authority group, chaired by HM Treasury and comprising senior representatives of the Bank of England, FCA and PSR. The Committee is supported by the Vision Engagement Group including over 30 representatives from across the sector. The Committee will shortly update on its first deliverable to set out an approach for the development and delivery of the UK’s retail payments infrastructure needs and the required governance and funding model to achieve it. It will also publish the Payments Forward Plan by end-2025, including a sequenced plan of future initiatives, and a recommended monitoring approach.

Pursuant to the Answer of 26 June 2025 to Question 62538 on State Retirement Pensions: Northern Ireland, what the total cost to the public purse was of all payments of the State Pension in Northern Ireland in 2024.

The Department for Work and Pensions does not hold complete information on State Pension payments in Northern Ireland, as some of these are administered by the Department for Communities in Northern Ireland. The annual cost of State Pension payments administered by DWP to people resident in Northern Ireland is estimated to be around £4.34 million in 2024. This is based on latest figures for the quarter ending November 2024. Source: DWP Stat-Xplore. This figure reflects State Pension payments made by DWP to people living in Northern Ireland and does not include any State Pension payments administered under the devolution settlement by the Department for Communities in Northern Ireland.

What steps is he taking to support national campaigns which (a) raise awareness of glaucoma and (b) encourage regular eye tests for preventable sight loss conditions.

The Department seeks to support national campaigns where possible, such as national eye health week. The NHS.UK website provides information about glaucoma and the importance of regular sight tests whilst also providing information about entitlement to free National Health Service sight tests.

Pursuant to the Answers of 30 June to Questions 60413 and 61747 on Asylum: Northern Ireland, whether she plans to purchase (a) tower blocks and (b) student accommodation to house people claiming asylum in Northern Ireland.

I refer the Hon Member to the Answer he received on 23 June 2025 to UIN 60413.

Food and Rural Affairs, what data his Department holds on the change in the quantity of sheep meat imports from Ireland between 2022 and 2024.

Data held by the UK Government shows the net mass (kg) of sheep meat moving from Ireland to Great Britain dropped from 9.4kt in 2022 to 6.9kt in 2024. This data is published at: Overseas trade data table.

If he will hold discussions with the First Minister of Northern Ireland on the potential impact of her attendance at IRA commemorative events on inter-community relationships in Northern Ireland.

I speak regularly with Northern Ireland’s Ministers and Party Leaders on a variety of issues. The attendance of Northern Ireland’s political representatives at commemorative events is a matter for the political parties to decide themselves.

Pursuant to the Answer of 30 June 2025 to Question 61724 on Defending Democracy Taskforce: Northern Ireland, whether she plans to hold meetings in Northern Ireland in 2025.

Meetings of the Taskforce are attended by Ministers and senior officials from multiple Government departments and have to date taken place in secure Government premises within the Whitehall estate.There are currently no plans for the Taskforce to meet in Northern Ireland. However, meetings of the Taskforce are complemented by official led engagement with Devolved Governments including Northern Ireland.