Written questions by Campbell.

Pursuant to the Answer of 23 June 2025 to Question 59713 on Foreign Investment in UK: Northern Ireland, on what date he discussed filling the role of US Special Envoy to Northern Ireland with the US Administration and Congress.

Economic growth is the number one priority of the Government. That is why we are working closely with the Northern Ireland Executive to create a thriving, competitive and regionally balanced economy in Northern Ireland through increased investment, job creation, and higher living standards. I had a range of meetings during my visit to Washington in March, but the role of a US Special Envoy to Northern Ireland was not raised with me. There has not been such a position in every US Administration, and is a matter for which the US Administration is responsible.

Media and Sport, whether her Department has approved a funding application for Basement Films Company in the last 12 months.

No. DCMS does not directly approve individual funding applications for film and television content. Our partners, including the British Film Institute (BFI), are responsible for implementing specific funding programmes. The BFI has advised they have no record of funding being awarded to this production company.

Pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2025 to Question 57984 on Road Traffic Offences: Speed Limits, how many drivers undertook a second driver retraining course between 2019 and 2024.

The Home Office collects and publishes information on the number of speed limit offences that resulted in ‘driver retraining’, as part of its annual ‘Police Powers and Procedures: Roads policing’ statistical release.The latest data is available here Police powers and procedures: Roads policing, to December 2023 - GOV.UK and covers the calendar year ending December 2023.However, offences cannot be linked and data on how many drivers undertook a second driver retraining course is not held centrally.

How many cases are under consideration for potential prosecution in relation to travellers in Northern Ireland not having a valid electronic travel authorisation between 1 January and 1 June 2025.

Journeys from Ireland to the UK are within the Common Travel Area (CTA). As part of the CTA arrangements, the UK does not operate routine immigration controls of individuals arriving in the UK by air or sea from within the CTA, and no immigration checks are undertaken at the land border with Ireland.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will hold discussions with his counterpart in the UAE on the detention of Ryan Cornelius.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Ministers regularly raise consular cases with their foreign counterparts. The Foreign Secretary last discussed Ryan Cornelius' case with the UAE Foreign Minister in December 2024. The FCDO takes the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention's opinions seriously. While their recommendations are not legally binding, we will continue to highlight their concerns in discussions with UAE authorities. The FCDO are providing Mr Cornelius with consular assistance, and we take any reports of human rights violations, including coercion and poor prison conditions very seriously and, with the consent of Mr Cornelius, will raise any concerns with local authorities.

With reference to the National road traffic projections, published on 12 December 2022, when her Department plans to publish the next update of these projections.

The Department regularly reviews evidence and data on the drivers of travel demand and will publish an update in due course.

Pursuant to the Answer of 17 June 2025 to Question 59297 on Civil Servants, if she will make an assessment of the reasons for which the number of people employed in Northern Ireland is smaller than in England, Scotland and Wales.

The distribution across the United Kingdom, of Civil Servants employed as Government Social Researchers, is comparable to the distribution across the United Kingdom of the wider Civil Service. Excluding those on the Fast Stream programme, Government Social Researchers are all directly employed by Departments, Devolved Administrations, and other UK Civil Service organisations. They are recruited on the basis of demand from individual Departments, Devolved Administrations, and other UK Civil Service organisations, to employ Government Social Researchers. The regional distribution of the Civil Service reflects the diverse functions and geographic locations of government departments and agencies.

Pursuant to the Answer of 18 June 2025 to Question 59711 on UK Internal Trade, what progress his Department has made on removing additional obligations placed on GB based businesses supplying Northern Ireland.

I understand that some GB based businesses have faced changes as a result of the updated General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR). The Department has issued guidance for those who are selling to Northern Ireland, which we will continue to keep under review. We have engaged with businesses directly to ensure they understand their obligations arising from the GPSR, and to support them in trading freely across the entirety of the UK.The Government is committed to upholding its obligations under the Windsor Framework, and to protecting the UK internal market.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that the distribution of allocations from the Northern Ireland Life and Health Sciences Launchpad is equitable.

Innovate UK’s Launchpad programme is aimed at supporting clusters of SMEs and the most innovative businesses to progress their ideas toward commercialisation, contributing to local economic growth. Social equity and UK-wide impact are important features of the programme.The Health and Life Sciences Launchpad in Northern Ireland is run in partnership between Innovate UK and Invest NI. Funding has so far been offered to over forty-five projects, across digital health, biotech therapeutics and diagnostics and medical technologies disciplines. During the competition period, Innovate UK and Invest NI raised awareness across different areas through media channels and hosting several in-person sub-regional workshops.

How much and what proportion of the funding provided to the Investment Fund for Northern Ireland has been allocated to businesses in Northern Ireland.

The £70 million Investment Fund for Northern Ireland offers loans ranging from £25,000 to £2 million and equity investments up to £5 million. The fund covers the whole of Northern Ireland, including rural, coastal and urban areas. 100% of the fund is allocated to businesses in Northern Ireland. Of the £70 million total, around £18 million has been deployed to 35 businesses to date, leveraging around £12 million of additional private capital.

Whether she plans to review the progress made in the roll-out of the 10 year infrastructure strategy before the end of this Parliament.

Departments will be responsible for implementing the Strategy, with NISTA overseeing the implementation, and leading on subsequent refreshes of the Strategy every two years and the monitoring of progress against commitments. The Strategy is just the starting point, and government will continue to work with businesses, investors, workers, trade unions and regional and local leaders to drive up ambition and improve delivery.

Whether Operation Gull is continuing to operate in Northern Ireland.

Operation Gull is informed by intelligence and is carried out in keeping with this principle.

Representing the House of Commons Commission, how many people have had their pass for the parliamentary estate withdrawn on security or serious misconduct grounds since 5 July 2024.

The House of Commons may suspend a Parliamentary pass temporarily pending the outcome of a criminal or disciplinary investigation. When an investigation is concluded and serious misconduct found against an individual, or a criminal conviction made involving a violent or sexual offence, then the individual’s pass is withdrawn. This response covers only passes that have been permanently withdrawn, as opposed to temporarily suspended.As the House of Commons is not the direct employer of all passholders, information about disciplinary investigations and grounds for dismissal will not automatically be passed to Parliament for all passholders. This response therefore covers only employees of the House of Commons and Joint Departments, former Members of the House of Commons, and Members of the House of Commons who have been convicted of a violent or sexual offence and subject to recall, and any additional cases where the relevant information is shared with the House of Commons Administration. Equivalent data for the House of Lords Administration has not been included as it is a separate organisation.The total number of passes withdrawn for security or serious misconduct since 5 July 2024 is five.

What assessment she has made of the effectiveness in reducing levels of (a) fraud and (b) error in benefit awards.

The Department’s Annual Report and Accounts (ARA) sets out DWP’s approach to reducing fraud and error in the benefit system. The 2023/24 ARA can be found here:ANNUAL REPORT & ACCOUNTS 2023-24 (publishing.service.gov.uk) and states that in 2023/24 DWP has estimated to have saved around £18 billion through preventative activity through frontline controls and detection by counter fraud teams. The 2024/25 ARA will be published shortly providing an up-to-date assessment including our progress in reducing the overall overpayment rate from 3.6% in 2023/24 to 3.3% in 2024/25, with the Universal Credit overpayment rate falling by 21% from 12.4% to 9.7% over the same period. The Department has committed to significant fraud, error and debt measures at Autumn Budget 2024 and Spring Statement 2025, which OBR has estimated will deliver an additional £9.6bn savings over the next five years.

How many new instances of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete in public buildings been identified since 1 January 2025.

The Cabinet Office does not maintain a central record of RAAC cases. Each department maintains its own data and progress on RAAC on an individual basis. Some departments publish information about buildings with RAAC which can be found on GOV.UK

With reference to the Spending Review, published on 11 June 2025, whether the funding allocated to Casement Park is a (a) grant or (b) loan; whether a payment will be made to the (i) Gaelic Athletic Association or any body associated it or (ii) the Northern Ireland Executive or any Department associated wth it; and whether the UK Government will require any subsequent repayments or returned profits from activities at the Stadium when completed.

The UK Government has provided £50m of Capital Financial Transactions funding to redevelop Casement Park. The UK Government will continue to work with the Northern Ireland Executive, however it is up to the Executive to design and implement the Financial Transaction. The Financial Transaction will be provided to the Executive on a net basis, it does not need to be repaid to the UK Government and the Executive can recycle any repayments indefinitely.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to announce a replacement to the Sustainable Farming Incentive programme by 22 July 2025.

Defra is working closely with farmers and industry stakeholders to design a future Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) offer that fairly and responsibly directs funding. Further details about the reformed SFI offer will be announced in summer 2025.

Pursuant to the Answer of 7 May 2025 to Question 48852 on Diabetes, what his planned timetable is for responding to the (a) research and (b) other recommendations made in the position statement by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition on the on the World Health Organization’s guideline on Non Sugar Sweeteners.

The Department welcomed the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN’s) statement on the World Health Organisation’s guideline on non-sugar sweeteners (NSS), published in April 2025.As a result of these recommendations, we are in the process of updating our consumer advice on the NHS.UK website, which will focus on the long-term goal to reduce both sugar and NSS intake, with NSS being a useful swap for sugar in the short-term.SACN’s recommendations to Government will be considered as part of our ongoing activities and in discussion with the Food Standards Agency; no timeline has been set.The Department encourages the research community and industry to take up SACN’s recommendations directed at them.

Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 16 June 2025 to Question 58921 on Innovate UK: Northern Ireland, how Innovate UK’s regional support advisors in Northern Ireland promote the availability of Innovation Funding Services in Northern Ireland to small firms that previously had no contact with Innovate UK.

Innovate UK actively promotes its products and services to Northern Ireland businesses to improve their access to innovation funding and resources and foster growth within the region’s innovation ecosystem. It does this through a variety of channels. These include Innovate Local events, joint webinars with Invest NI, and participation in Enterprise NI’s finance series. Innovate UK competitions are also promoted on nibusinessinfo.co.uk by Invest NI. The programmes they promote are an important source of support for businesses in Northern Ireland. For example, Innovate UK Business Growth has supported 339 businesses over three years, while the ‘New Innovators’ funding program, which is only available to businesses without prior Innovate UK engagement, has provided £1 million to 23 small and micro businesses since 2020.

Whether she plans to purchase (a) tower blocks and (b) former student accommodation to house asylum seekers in Northern Ireland.

Only individuals claiming asylum in Northern Ireland are accommodated there, and as such there are no plans to acquire additional dispersal accommodation to house a wider cohort of UK asylum seekers there. The Home Office continues to work with a range of stakeholders and consider a range of options to fulfil its statutory obligations, and deliver our commitment to reduce the overall cost of asylum accommodation, including ending the use of hotels by the end of this Parliament.