Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South and Mid Down)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the Labour Market Evidence Group plans to visit Northern Ireland to consult local businesses.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Labour Market Evidence Group (LMEG) is supporting the UK Government’s aim to rebalance UK labour market away from an over-reliance on international recruitment and towards domestic workers and ensuring that growth-driving sectors have access to the skilled workers they need now and into the future. LMEG has been established and is meeting regularly at working level with the first formal meeting of LMEG taking place on 29th July 2025. That meeting contained representatives from:
At the first meeting LMEG members agreed a workplan in collaboration with Devolved Governments including Northern Ireland Executive. This workplan will support LMEG’s ambition, as set out in the Immigration White Paper, of working together to gather and share evidence about the state of the workforce, training levels and participation in the domestic labour market, including at Devolved Government and regional levels.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South and Mid Down)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding has been allocated to football clubs through the Grassroots Football Facilities Investment Fund in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government has committed to invest £3 million in Northern Ireland through the Multi Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme in 2025/26 to build and upgrade pitches and facilities.
Between 2021/22 and 2024/25, a total of £6,592,966 was allocated to football clubs in Northern Ireland through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme.
Successful applicants to the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme are published on gov.uk and are regularly updated: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/multi-sport-grassroots-facilities-programme-projects-2021-to-2025. The most recent project list for Northern Ireland can be found here.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South and Mid Down)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of extending VAT energy-saving materials (ESM) relief to all domestic retrofit projects which include ESMs where other works are undertaken as part of the same project.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
This Government is committed to improving the quality and sustainability of our housing stock, through improvements such as low carbon heating, insulation, solar panels, and batteries. This will be vital to making the UK more energy resilient and meeting our 2050 Net Zero commitment.
Installations of qualifying energy-saving materials (ESMs) in residential accommodation and buildings used solely for a charitable purpose benefit from a temporary VAT zero rate until March 2027, after which they will revert to the reduced rate of VAT at five per cent.
VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. This includes most construction works. Tax breaks reduce the revenue available for vital public services and must represent value for money for the taxpayer. Exceptions to the standard rate have always been limited and balanced against affordability considerations.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South and Mid Down)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what progress he has made on the Local Growth Fund for Northern Ireland.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Since the announcement at Spending Review of a new Local Growth Fund for Northern Ireland, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has initiated work with the Northern Ireland Office to design a new fund that will drive growth in Northern Ireland’s unique economy and improve the lives of local people. I am clear that this new funding should have a bespoke design for Northern Ireland, working in partnership with the NI Executive.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South and Mid Down)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the White Paper entitled Restoring Control over the Immigration System of 12 May 2025, what assessment she has made of (a) levels of current migrant staffing and (b) the potential merits of increasing necessary staff supply in the health and social care system in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Home Office does not monitor the staffing levels of specific sectors; this should be directed to the Northern Ireland’s Department of Health.
It is open to the Health and Care sectors to use the options available to them; this includes international recruitment providing they meet the requirements of the relevant visa route, primarily the Health and Care visa. There are no limits on the number of staff that can be recruited under the Health and Care visa system providing the criteria are met. However, the Government is clear that the health and social care sector, alongside other sectors, needs to reduce its reliance on international recruitment and increase its staffing supply from the domestic workforce.
We will continue to work with Governments across all parts of the United Kingdom.