Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much revenue was raised through business rates from charities operating commercial premises in the North East Combined Authority in 2024/25.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

As Local Authorities are not required to report the business rates revenue they raise from different types of properties, the Government does not hold this data.

More broadly, properties that are wholly or mainly used for a charitable purpose benefit from 80% business rates relief. Local Authorities can, at their discretion, top this up to 100% relief from business rates.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will have discussions with motor manufacturers on levels of headlight beam intensity while driving when dark.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

In response to public concerns raised about glare from vehicle headlamps an international glare prevention taskforce has been established at the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. UK officials and vehicle manufacturers representatives are actively involved in the work of the group which is looking at potential measures to reduce the occurrence of headlamp glare.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to WPQ 112574 dated 11 February 2026 on the Youth Guarantee Trailblazers scheme, when does he expect to be able to reply.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Parliamentary Question 112574 was answered on 3 March. I apologise for the delay in responding.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2026 to Question 109971 on Science Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum: Northern Ireland, what indicative dates for re-commencing online sales to Northern Ireland residents were discussed.

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

The Victoria and Albert Museum have indicated that they are aiming to resume online sales to Northern Ireland by the end of the financial year 2026/27. The Science Museum Group has not yet shared a target date, but is exploring options to re-open ecommerce sales in Northern Ireland.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 17 July 2025 to 67306, what proportion of NWF's portfolio outside of London and the South-East is located in (a) the rest of England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

The National Wealth Fund (NWF) identifies investment opportunities across the UK and has dedicated directors in each of the four nations to support its view of markets across the country.

Information on the geographic spread of NWF investments can be found in their 2025 Impact Report available on their website.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment has been made of the potential impact of courts using Community Orders under the Sentencing Framework on re-offending rates in the last two years.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The reoffending rates for adults with an index disposal of a community order was 36.4% in 2022/23 and 38.0% in 2023/24. The data can be found in the latest proven reoffending statistics release, in the annual tables here, in table C1a.

Studies have found that short custodial sentences of less than 12 months were associated with higher reoffending rates (approximately 4 percentage points higher) than when court orders of any length had been given (which includes both community orders and suspended sentence orders).

However, it is essential that community punishment works. The Sentencing Act 2026 includes a range of measures to make community punishment tougher. These include banning offenders from attending pubs, bars and clubs, as well as public events such as sports and concerts. The courts will also be able to prohibit an offender from driving as a punishment regardless of the offence they have committed. We have also introduced new tough restriction zones which will restrict offenders to a specific geographical area. These will be electronically monitored and are intended to serve not just as a punishment, but as an important tool to protect victims.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many ships in UK waters suspected of being associated with the movement of Russian oil have been monitored in the last four years; and what steps her Department took in each instance.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The UK Government monitors all vessels in UK waters which are of interest to the safety of mariners, the marine environment and the UK’s national security.

Since October 2024, the Department for Transport’s Voluntary Insurance Reporting Mechanism has challenged over 700 suspected shadow fleet vessels with unknown insurance, a significant portion of the shadow fleet, to provide their insurance as they transit the English Channel.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office have sanctioned over 500 shadow fleet vessels, which prohibits these vessels from entering UK ports, and signals to the global maritime community that these vessels are dangerous and should not be interacted with.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people were entitled to (a) old style and (b) new style State Pensions in Northern Ireland as of December 2025; and what was the average annual payment paid to each recipient.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Department for Work and Pensions does not hold complete information on State Pension entitlement and payments in Northern Ireland, as the majority are administered by the Department for Communities in Northern Ireland under the devolution settlement.

The Department holds information on the number of people in receipt of the State Pension, including payments, but not on the number of people with entitlement.

The number of people in receipt of State Pension payments administered by DWP to people resident in Northern Ireland is estimated to be a) 229 for pre-2016 State Pension and b) 279 for new State Pension. The average weekly payment for these people is estimated to be £183.15 overall, a) £178.69 for pre-2016 State Pension and b) £186.85 for new State Pension. These are based on latest figures for the quarter ending August 2025. Source: DWP Stat-Xplore.

These figures do not reflect State Pension payments administered under the devolution settlement by the Department for Communities in Northern Ireland. The Department for Communities in Northern Ireland publish Benefit Statistics Summaries, with latest data to quarter ending November 2025, at the following link: https://www.communities-ni.gov.uk/publications/benefits-statistics-summary-publication-accredited-official-statistics-november-2025

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) basic rate and (b) higher rate tax payers there were in December (i) 2021 and (ii) 2025.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

This information is not available on a monthly basis and figures for December cannot be provided.

The number of individuals in the Income Tax rate bands, Basic and Higher rate, for tax years 2021 to 2022 and 2025 to 2026 is published in HMRC’s accredited official statistics. Updated forecasts are published in the OBR’s March 2026 Economic and fiscal outlook.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/685a6bb541d77db4f68eb0c4/Collated_Income_Tax_liabilities_statistics_tables_-_2.1_to_2.6.ods

https://obr.uk/download/march-2026-economic-and-fiscal-outlook-detailed-forecast-tables-receipts/?tmstv=1772796009

Projected estimates for the 2025 to 2026 tax year in HMRC's statistics are based upon the 2022 to 2023 Survey of Personal Incomes using economic assumptions consistent with the OBR’s March 2025 Economic and Fiscal Outlook.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she will have discussions with the United Nations on the potential merits of reviewing the role of international diplomacy and soft power following recent events in the Middle East, Pakistan and Afghanistan, and Ukraine.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK remains a steadfast supporter of the United Nations. As the world continues to grapple with rising levels of conflict and instability, the work of the United Nations remains as vital as ever. The UK remains committed to working with our partners and allies at the UN, including through our permanent membership of the UN Security Council, to promote social progress and to support international peace and security.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 9 March 2026 to Question 117246 on Science Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum: Northern Ireland, if she will ensure that Departmental officials hold urgent discussions with the directors of the Science Museum Group and the Victoria and Albert Museum to resume online sales to Northern Ireland.

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

Officials have engaged with the senior leadership of the V&A and the Science Museum Group in recent weeks on this issue. Both museums are exploring options to resume deliveries to Northern Ireland.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many UK military bases in the Middle East were subjected to attack from Iranian missiles between Saturday 28 February and Saturday 7 March 2026; and how many personnel were (a) severely injured and (b) killed.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

A drone strike on RAF Akrotiri resulted in no injuries or deaths. There have been no other strikes against UK military bases in the region.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he has taken to ensure that air to air re-fuelling movements are not discovered on insecure aviation messaging systems.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

We continually assess and utilise the appropriate means of communication to maintain operational security.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that best practices deployed by the National Centre for Violence Against Women and Girls and Public Protection are shared with the devolved Administrations.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The National Centre for Violence Against Women and Girls and Public Protection (NCVPP) plays an important role in supporting police forces to improve their response to violence against women and girls (VAWG). The Centre works closely with all 43 forces across England and Wales to highlight examples of effective practice and to help to promote consistent, high‑quality standards in policing, including by hosting national learning and practice‑sharing events.

We recognise that there is value in ensuring that learning and innovative best practice can be shared across the UK. The NCVPP has already begun initial engagement with respective devolved partners, including the Police Service of Northern Ireland, to understand approaches to VAWG and public protection, including police training. We will continue to encourage the NCVPP to consider how it engages with partners such as Police Scotland and the Police Service of Northern Ireland as its work develops, identifying where sharing emerging insights and good practice would be appropriate, while remaining mindful of the different operating environments and responsibilities across jurisdictions.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether improvements in prison management arising from the Managing Women in Crisis Working Group have been shared with devolved justice departments in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

Improvements in prison management arising from the Managing Women in Crisis Working Group have not yet been shared more widely, but H M Prison & Probation Service will shortly be publishing its 12-month progress report to H M Inspectorate of Prison’s thematic report ‘Time to Care: What helps women cope in prison’, setting out the measures it has put in place.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he has had discussions with the Northern Ireland Justice Minister on possible changes to classifications and statutory sentencing in drugs misuse policy.

Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

I have not had any such discussions.

Drug classification and the supporting legal framework remains a reserved power, primarily managed through the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. This is the responsibility of the Home Office.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment has been made of the potential impact of Palantir's involvement with surveillance on the protection of data of UK citizens.

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

Palantir has no role in the surveillance of United Kingdom (UK) citizens on behalf of the Ministry of Defence (MOD). All UK Defence data remains sovereign and under Ministry of Defence control.

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 Multi-Specialty Recruitment Assessment process on UK residents seeking GP employment compared to overseas applicants.

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

No specific assessment has been made. The UK National Recruitment Board, which oversees specialty training on behalf of the four United Kingdom health departments, has governance processes which determine whether the Multi-Specialty Recruitment Assessment is used by a specialty in their selection processes, and how.

NHS England will consider the future shape and delivery model for selection assessments beyond 2027.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his planned timetable is for amending the General Medical Council’s regulatory framework.

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

The Government is committed to modernising the regulatory frameworks for all healthcare professionals in the United Kingdom.

As a first step, we aim to consult on secondary legislation to modernise the General Medical Council’s regulatory framework shortly and to lay this legislation before Parliament this year.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many Young Futures Hubs will be fully functional by the end of 2026.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The first eight early adopter Young Futures Hubs are due to be fully operational before April 2026, and the Government aims for a total of 50 hubs to be operational by March 2029.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what has been the change in the number of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza cases between January 2021 and January 2026.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The number of confirmed Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) cases in Great Britain for each calendar year between January 2021 and January 2026 is shown in the following table.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children were born with rare diseases as identified by the National Congenital Anomaly and Rare Disease Registration Service in each of the last ten years.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The National Congenital Condition and Rare Disease Registration Service (NCARDRS), part of the National Disease Registration Service (NDRS), was established in 2015 and collects data on individuals with congenital and rare conditions in England. There are over 7,000 known rare diseases, many of which present after birth rather than at delivery, and for this reason the NDRS does not produce an annual count of ‘children born with rare diseases’.

The NDRS does publish official statistics on the birth prevalence of congenital conditions for England, the vast majority of which are rare diseases, with further information available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/ncardrs-congenital-anomaly-statistics-annual-data/ncardrs-congenital-condition-statistics-report-2022

The following table shows NDRS reported national data for England on the number of children born with rare diseases as identified by the NCARDRS for the past five years, covering births between 2018 to 2022:

Although the reported live birth prevalence of congenital conditions appears to increase over time, this pattern is most likely due to continued improvements in national dataflows, case ascertainment, and completeness as the NCARDRS matures, rather than a genuine rise in the underlying prevalence of these conditions.

The NDRS also publishes prevalence estimates for certain rare conditions where data completeness permits, with further information available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/ndrs/data/data-outputs/rare-condition-registration-statistics

We are continuing to expand and standardise national rare disease registration in England through the introduction of the national Rare Disease Data Set, which is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/ndrs/data/data-sets/rdds

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the change in the bowel screening age to 50 on rates of diagnosis of prostate cancer.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

This Government is committed to improving cancer screening services in line with the National Cancer Plan and as part of the 10-Year Health Plan’s shift from treatment to prevention. The Department has not made an assessment of the potential impact of lowering bowel cancer screening age to 50 years old on prostate cancer diagnoses as these are two separate conditions.

The Government is advised on all screening matters by the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), an independent scientific advisory committee which is made up of leading medical and screening experts. Where the Committee is confident that to offer screening provides more good than harm, they recommend a screening programme.

The National Health Service’s bowel screening programme in England was recently extended from people aged between 60 and 74 years old to those aged between 50 and 74 years old. This aligns with the evidence of where the screening programme can do the most good with the least harm caused. Harm can include increased anxiety, misdiagnosis, over diagnosis, where unnecessary and invasive follow up tests are offered, or unnecessary treatment.

Bowel cancer screening uses home tests called the Faecal Immunochemical Test (FIT). FIT test was introduced into the bowel screening pathway with a sensitivity threshold of 120 micrograms per gram. The screening programme is currently in the process of improving the FIT sensitivity by moving it to 80 micrograms per gram. This will be rolled out gradually by 2028, to ensure colonoscopy capacity required is available.

When FIT80 is fully rolled out, an additional 700 bowel cancers and 2000 pre-cancerous polyps will be detected per year.

Museum online sales to Northern Ireland

European Remembrance Day for Victims of Terrorism (No. 2)

75th anniversary of Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster

Oil prices and the cost of living

Found: There is also Helen Maguire, my colleague Gregory Campbell and the independent Ayoub Khan, who sits