Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress he has made on delivering the UK five-year action plan for antimicrobial resistance 2024 to 2029.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Following publication of the 2024 to 2029 UK AMR National Action Plan in May 2024, the Department is preparing the first annual report, summarising the progress made to date.
The organisations responsible for delivery provide regular updates to the Department, and the appropriate governance structures ensure that delivery is kept on track and that progress is being made on the national action plan’s commitments and targets, alongside managing programme risks.
The Department has also commissioned an evaluation of the 2024 to 2029 UK AMR National Action Plan, which will assess the implementation of antimicrobial resistance policy, provide evidence on the effectiveness of the national action plan, and inform future antimicrobial resistance policy development and implementation.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department has taken to tackle the sale of (a) illegal and (b) unregulated vaping products to children and young people.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will strengthen enforcement and crack down on rogue retailers selling illegal and unregulated vape products to children and young people. The bill introduces new £200 fixed penalty notices in England and Wales for certain tobacco and vape offences, including underage sales, enables the introduction of a retail licensing scheme in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and enables the introduction of a new registration scheme for tobacco, vape, and nicotine products sold in the United Kingdom’s market.
The Government is investing £10 million of new funding in 2025/26 into Trading Standards, to support the enforcement of illicit and underage tobacco and vape sales in England, and to support the implementation of the measures in the bill. This funding is being used to boost the Trading Standards workforce by recruiting approximately 80 new apprentices. The new funding will also support the storage and recycling of seized illicit vapes, the additional work to identify and seize illicit vape consignments at ports, and the training of Trading Standards officers on the new single use vapes ban.
The devolved administrations will need to fund the delivery of the devolved measures in the bill for their nations. The Barnett formula will apply in the usual way, and it is for the devolved administrations to allocate their funding in devolved areas as they see fit.
The introduction of a new Vaping Products Duty in October 2026 will provide civil and criminal powers to HM Revenue and Customs, in order to assess for duty and seize products and equipment used to produce or transport illicit vape products.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his Department's policies of research presented to the Scottish Government on Ultra High Frequency electronic identification technology in livestock.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is aware of research papers published by Scot EID and have gathered further evidence through our own research and extensive engagement with farmers and industry.
Defra and the Welsh Government commissioned Harper Adams University to conduct an independent study of the two types of EID technology. This found fewer challenges associated with low frequency than ultra-high frequency technology. The findings of this study have now been published and can be found on Defra Science Search pages.
Defra officials and the devolved Governments are working to deliver robust traceability across the UK. This is to ensure we are in line with the UK Internal Markets Act (2020) and can trade with the EU and internationally.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies on whether electronic identification technology for animals will be used in England and Wales of requirements to use low frequency electronic identification technology for animals in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra officials and the devolved Governments are working to deliver robust traceability across the UK and to ensure we are in line with the UK Internal Markets Act (2020) and can trade with the EU and internationally.
On 2 June, Defra announced its decision to use Low Frequency electronic identification technology for cattle in England.
Under the Windsor Framework, should Northern Ireland introduce electronic ID for cattle, it will be required to use the same Low Frequency technology in line with EU requirements.
Wales are yet to decide on which technology to implement.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Scottish Government’s decision to use Ultra High Frequency electronic identification technology for animals on trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Farming policy is a devolved matter. The Government has not conducted a formal assessment on the impact of the Scottish Government’s decision. Defra officials are working closely with the devolved Governments to ensure compliance with the UK internal markets Act (2020).
In the recent UK-EU joint statement, the government committed to building on the stable foundation of the Windsor Framework, and the Trade and Cooperation Agreement to further reduce barriers to trade.
Moving goods between GB and NI will be easier, reducing the need for paperwork and checks due to the removal of SPS and other requirements.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what funding her Department is providing to (a) churches and (b) faith-based charities in the context of trends in the level of (i) energy costs and (ii) donations.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
We know this is a difficult time for the civil society sector; cost of living pressures are leading to increased demand for many organisations, alongside their higher running costs.
Over the last year, my department has been delivering the VCSE Energy Efficiency Scheme, which is a £25.5 million fund to support voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations across England to save money on energy bills. The fund was designed to help groups with rising energy costs and was targeted at those delivering key frontline services. Recipients of the fund have included over 40 churches and faith-based organisations.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the Scottish government’s decision to use ultra high frequency electronic identification technology for animals on trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Answered by Ian Murray - Secretary of State for Scotland
I am aware of the Scottish Government’s decision to adopt ultra-high frequency electronic identification technology for animals, and the Government is committed to understanding its potential implications for trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
We will continue to engage with all relevant stakeholders to ensure that any developments are closely monitored and that robust livestock traceability is maintained across the UK.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether his Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of the research presented to the Scottish government on ultra high frequency electronic identification technology in livestock.
Answered by Ian Murray - Secretary of State for Scotland
Farming policy is a devolved matter, and the Government has not formally assessed the impact of the Scottish Government's decision. Defra officials are working closely with devolved administrations to ensure compliance with the UK Internal Markets Act (2020).
In the recent UK-EU joint statement, the Government committed to building on the Windsor Framework and the Trade and Cooperation Agreement to reduce trade barriers.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers are being housed in Houses in Multiple Occupation in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)
Data, published quarterly, on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, including accommodation type, can be found within the Asy_D11 tab of our most recent statistics release. The data can also be broken down by local authority. Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK.
In terms of the accommodation of asylum seekers in Northern Ireland, it remains the case that only those claiming asylum in Northern Ireland are accommodated there.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made with Cabinet colleagues of the UK’s capability to respond to (a) hybrid and (b) cyber threats.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence works closely with Government partners to monitor, understand and respond to cyber and hybrid threats to the UK from hostile states.
The Strategic Defence Review 2025 underscores the UK's commitment to responding to cyber and hybrid threats, establishing the Cyber and Electromagnetic Command to ensure a coherent and consistent approach to force development, force generation and operations in the domain. We are enhancing integration across Defence and wider Government, as well as with allies, partners, and industry to respond to these threats effectively.