Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the introduction of telemedicine for first-trimester abortions on the number of criminal prosecutions in the last five years.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government has not made an assessment on the connection between the number of prosecutions for unlawful abortions and the availability of telemedicine for early medical abortion. As with other matters of conscience, abortion is an issue on which the Government adopts a neutral stance. Parliament decides the circumstances under which abortion can legally be undertaken.

In 2022, Parliament voted to amend the Abortion Act 1967 to allow eligible women in England and Wales to take one or both pills for early medical abortion up to 10 weeks at home, following a consultation with a clinician either in person, by telephone or by electronic means. The Department works closely with NHS England, the Care Quality Commission, and abortion providers to ensure that abortions are provided safely, in accordance with the legal framework set by the Abortion Act 1967.

Abortion continues to be a very safe procedure for which major complications are rare at all gestations. The evidence-base for home use of early medical abortion pills has been assessed by leading statutory and professional organisations and it is recognised to be a safe procedure in evidence-based guidance, including the World Health Organisation’s abortion care guideline, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists 2022 report on best practice in abortion care and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence clinical guidelines on abortion care.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps HM Treasury is taking to increase enforcement of financial sanctions and prevent terrorist financing in Northern Ireland.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

HMT undertakes an evidence-based approach to ensure that counter-terrorism sanctions are used in a timely and effective manner in support of national security and to prevent terrorism, including addressing terrorist financing risks.

HMT assesses every instance of reported non-compliance with financial sanctions, working in collaboration with law enforcement partners where necessary, and takes action in all cases where we conclude a breach has occurred.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the total expenditure has been on the upkeep and maintenance of Stormont House since the Northern Ireland Office vacated the building in 2022; and what future plans his Department has for the use or disposition of the property.

Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

Stormont House is owned and managed by the Northern Ireland Executive. Consequently, the Northern Ireland Office has incurred no expenditure on the building's upkeep or maintenance since vacating the premises in 2022.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions her Department has had with her Azerbaijani counterpart on reports of harassment of religious leaders, including instances of torture and sexual assault; and what steps she is taking to promote religious freedom in the country.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK is committed to standing up for Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) globally. No one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe in. We will work to uphold the right to FoRB through our position at the UN, G7 and other multilateral fora and in our bilateral work. We regularly raise human rights obligations and commitments with the Azerbaijani authorities.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with international counterparts on the protection of religious minorities in Syria.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Further to the answer given on 18 September to question 74583, I again raised this with the Syrian Foreign Minister during his visit to London in November.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps she is taking with international counterparts to ensure the protection of Alawite women and girls in Syria in the context of recent reports of abduction.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Further to the answer given on 18 September to question 74583, I again raised this with the Syrian Foreign Minister during his visit to London in November.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what measures her Department has put in place to protect historic places of worship.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Department offers support for the protection and preservation of historic places of worship through the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, which in January 2025 was extended for a further year to March 2026 with a £23 million budget. This scheme allows religious organisations to reclaim the VAT costs of eligible repairs and renovations, recognising the vital heritage and community role of these sites.

Furthermore, DCMS arm's length bodies provide additional funding. The National Lottery Heritage Fund is committing around £100 million between 2023 and 2026 to help secure the future of places of worship across the UK. This includes £15 million dedicated to large-scale projects aimed at enhancing the heritage sector's sustainability and security. A further £85 million is expected to be awarded through National Lottery Heritage Grants over the next three years to improve the condition of places of worship and help develop the necessary skills for their future preservation.

In exceptional circumstances, some listed places of worship may also be eligible for Heritage at Risk funding provided by Historic England. In addition, the Department funded a Heritage At Risk Capital Fund in 2025/26 and of 37 projects awarded funding, 4 were places of worship receiving £1,387,842 in total.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the National Wealth Fund has plans to fund projects in Northern Ireland.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that rural areas in Northern Ireland have equitable access to 5G and next-generation broadband.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The government wants all areas of the UK, including rural areas in Northern Ireland, to benefit from reliable and high-quality mobile coverage, and this is reflected in our ambition for all populated areas of the UK to have higher quality standalone 5G by 2030.

My department continues to work closely with the mobile network operators to deliver on this ambition, ensuring the investment committed by operators delivers benefits to such communities, including by removing barriers to deployment where they exist and it is practical to do so.

Regarding next-generation broadband access, Project Stratum received £199 million of UK government funding and delivered gigabit-capable broadband to almost 81,100 premises in Northern Ireland. This project, delivered by Fibrus, completed delivery in June 2025.

The Northern Ireland Department for the Economy (DfE) is currently undertaking a Project Gigabit procurement to help fill remaining gaps in gigabit broadband coverage predominantly targeting rural and hard to reach areas.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many times drones have been recorded delivering (a) weapons and (b) drugs into prisons in each of the last three years.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

We publish the number of drone incidents in England and Wales in the HMPPS Annual Digest, please see table 6_1 in the Finds tables. The latest issue covers the 12-month period to March 2025, with a time series of drone incidents starting from the 12-months to March 2021.

Any increase in reported drone incidents should not be interpreted as an increase in incursions; it may reflect more focused reporting. Drone incidents should not be interpreted as definitive evidence of the delivery of weapons and drugs into prisons, as they include all incidents where a drone is sighted. Data specific to deliveries of illicit items cannot be disclosed for security reasons.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what support her Department provides to small and medium-sized enterprises in Northern Ireland to improve their cybersecurity resilience.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Improving the cyber security of our nation’s small and medium-sized enterprises is critical to the resilience of our wider economy. We recognise many SMEs lack the resources to invest in their cyber security. As such, the government has developed a wide range of free tools, guidance and training to help SMEs implement cyber security measures, including the recently launched Cyber Action Toolkit which provides SMEs with tailored advice.

NCSC-certified Cyber Advisors are available to provide advice and guidance on commercial terms, including in Northern Ireland, and SMEs are eligible for a free 30- minute consultation. Additionally, the government’s Cyber Essentials scheme helps all organisations, including SMEs, implement critical cyber security controls, protecting them from most common cyber attacks. We recently completed a funding programme across the UK, which included supporting 170 organisations in Northern Ireland to get certified to the scheme.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of AI technologies on early cancer detection.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology invests in cancer research via UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), and the Department of Health and Social Care via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). UKRI and NIHR support research which explores the impact of AI on cancer diagnosis, including the NIHR £11 million Edith trial (using AI to assist radiologists in breast cancer screening). AI presents significant opportunities for improving outcomes and diagnosis for cancer patients and driving faster triage of patients with suspected symptoms. Evaluations of the impact of AI on cancer diagnosis are ongoing.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to expand opportunities for defence-related apprenticeships in Northern Ireland.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

As part of the Defence Industrial Strategy, we announced a £182 million skills package that includes initiatives which will support apprentices in the defence sector in Northern Ireland. We will work with the Northern Ireland Executive, industry and other key stakeholders to ensure we maximise such support.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to promote Northern Ireland’s economic and cultural interests through UK embassies overseas.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is committed to ensuring the Devolved Governments' economic and cultural interests are promoted internationally. Invest Northern Ireland officials are co-located in a number of FCDO overseas posts, and across the world our missions work to promote Northern Ireland, and the UK as a whole. This includes supporting Northern Ireland Ministers when they travel overseas.

As part of a series of new Heads of Mission Roadshows to UK countries and regions, our High Commissioner to Singapore visited Northern Ireland in September 2025 to advance opportunities for Singaporean foreign direct investment in Northern Ireland. The most recent Soft Power Council Meeting was also held in Belfast in October. This was a key forum for the FCDO, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Devolved Governments and stakeholders in Northern Ireland to come together and create a unified strategy that can leverage the UK's cultural offer internationally.

I was delighted to host representatives of Northern Ireland creative industries at the recent Western Balkans summit at Hillsborough Castle, and to showcase the best of Northern Ireland to visiting Foreign Ministers and officials.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will meet with the National Churches Trust regarding support for the protection of historic places of worship.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

DCMS recognises the value and expertise of the National Churches Trust in supporting the protection of historic places of worship.

Baroness Twycross, the Minister for Heritage, is open to meeting with the National Churches Trust. The Department has engaged in various meetings with representatives of the sector, including the National Churches Trust, throughout the year, and the Minister looks forward to continuing this important dialogue.

Acquittal of Shaun O’Sullivan, free speech and religious freedom

Wrightbus CEO

Treatment of the Darlington nurses

Irish Sea herring quotas

Houses of Parliament Shop deliveries to Northern Ireland

Welfare benefits for foreign nationals

Anniversary of the murder of Ken Smyth and Daniel McCormick