Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what checks have been carried out in the last twelve months on student loans awarded to people enrolling at UK Universities whose country of origin was Romania.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

To qualify for support, applicants must provide the Student Loans Company (SLC) with evidence of their eligibility. This includes evidence of their identity, immigration status and ordinary residence.

SLC have robust procedures in place to check student finance eligibility, including data-sharing with the Home Office and HM Passport Office. When required, the SLC will contact the Home Office to confirm an applicant’s immigration status and ordinary residence.

SLC makes payments of loans to students on courses at higher education providers (HEPs) and HEPs in England must be registered with the Office for Students (OfS) before students are eligible to access funding. SLC monitors applications for student finance and works with the department and the OfS to protect public money.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the creation of fake operatives posing as remote workers by North Korea.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Secretary of State has not had any discussions with the Home Secretary on this issue.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps are being taken to help increase gas storage capacity.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The UK benefits from diverse gas supply sources, including North Sea production, pipeline imports from Europe, three LNG terminals, and eight storage facilities. This limits our reliance on any one type of infrastructure - in winter 24/25, gas storage was used to provide ~8% of the total gas used by GB. We are confident this diverse portfolio will continue to meet the country’s energy needs.

However, the Government does recognise that the energy transition may change future infrastructure requirements. We recently consulted on options to safeguard gas security of supply, including measures to encourage investment in additional storage capacity if needed. A response will follow in due course.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will consider the potential merits of excluding hybrids cars from the Vehicle Excise Duty Expensive Car Supplement (a) after three years from the date of first registration and (b) when their resale value falls below £28,000.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The ECS applies to new petrol/diesel and hybrid cars with a list price of £40,000 or more, while as announced at Budget 2025, from 1 April 2026 the ECS will apply to new zero-emission cars with a list price of £50,000 or more which are first registered on or after 1 April 2025. The additional charge was introduced so that those who can afford to access the most expensive cars make a fair contribution.

The Government continues to view the Expensive Car Supplement (ECS) as a suitable way of distinguishing the more luxury end of the new car market. Although average list prices of cars have increased since the ECS was introduced, nearly two-thirds of petrol, diesel and hybrid vehicles still fall below the £40,000 threshold.

The Government annually reviews the rates and thresholds of taxes and reliefs, including Vehicle Excise Duty and the ECS, to ensure that they are appropriate and reflect the current state of the economy.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate he has made of the percentages of homes in each Northern Ireland constituency that rely on oil central heating.

Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The 2021 Census in Northern Ireland carried out by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) provides estimates of the number of homes in each Northern Ireland parliamentary constituency that use oil central heating.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2026 to Question 120605 on Northern Ireland Executive, if he will hold discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive about funding of Ulster University campus locations at (i) Coleraine and (ii) Belfast following the E-DATA project announcement.

Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

While the funding and strategic oversight of the higher education sector are devolved matters for the Northern Ireland Executive, the UK Government remains committed to the delivery of the Derry/Londonderry and Strabane City Region City Deal.

Through this City Deal, the UK Government is investing £105 million to support regional growth, which includes funding for the School of Medicine at Ulster University’s Magee Campus. We will continue to work with the Northern Ireland Executive and other partners on the progression of this City Deal and the PEACEPLUS programme to ensure these investments benefit the wider region.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he expects to answer written correspondence from the Hon. Member for East Londonderry dated 23rd January 2026 regarding Expanded Trainee and Apprenticeship Opportunities Linked to Future Towns Funding.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

As part of the Pride in Place Programme, the Derry-Londonderry board and Coleraine Future Town board are receiving dedicated support from the Communities Delivery Unit within the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. My officials are in regular contact with both boards and would be happy to answer any queries. The hon. Member can expect to receive a response to his correspondence very shortly

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 23 March 2026 to Question 121703 on Fuel Oil: Northern Ireland, if he make an estimate of the number of homes in each Northern Ireland constituency that currently rely on oil central heating, given the continuing situation in the Middle East.

Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to him on 23 March 2026 to Question UIN 121703 which provides the most recent data for the number of homes that use central heating oil in each Northern Ireland parliamentary constituency.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether Irish legal action in Europe against the UK on legacy matters was discussed at the meeting between the UK and the Irish Governments on 12 March 2026.

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

I refer the Hon Member to the read-out of the meeting between the Prime Minister and the Taoiseach, available on gov.uk.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who she has had discussions with in the Northern Ireland Executive on the Credit Union Common Bond Reform Call for Evidence Response.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The call for evidence response on credit union common bond reform in Great Britain was published on 18 March 2026. The call for evidence itself ran from November 2024 to March 2025 and was open to all to submit responses. As credit union policy is devolved to Northern Ireland, the measures announced in the government’s response apply only to Great Britain.

HM Treasury has kept the Northern Ireland Executive informed. The government has written to ministers in the Northern Ireland Executive to notify them of the legislative changes being taken forward in Great Britain. Treasury officials also engaged with counterparts in the Northern Ireland Executive during the call for evidence, and this engagement is continuing following publication of the response.

These reforms will modernise the common bond framework, support the growth of the credit union sector, and help ensure that it can continue to deliver positive outcomes for members and communities across Great Britain.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had recent discussions with the BBC on the impartiality of the BBC World Service.

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

The BBC is editorially and operationally independent. The BBC World Service is bound by the same requirements of impartiality and accuracy as all other parts of the BBC, as set out in the organisation's editorial guidelines, available here: https://www.bbc.com/editorialguidelines/guidelines/

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has held with the Metropolitan Police on the advisability of allowing the proposed Al Quds parade to take place in London on March 15, in the context of the current security situation in the Middle East.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Sir Mark Rowley, wrote to the Home Secretary on 9 March requesting her consent to an order under section 13 of the Public Order Act 1986 to prohibit processions and counter-processions in relation to Al Quds Day.

The Home Secretary approved the order, to prevent serious public disorder. The Government’s foremost duty is the protection of its citizens, and this includes ensuring the safety of participants at the protest and counter-protests, as well as the wider public.

A decision to prohibit protests under section 13 of the Public Order Act 1986 is exceptional. This power is used rarely and only where the legal threshold is met. The Metropolitan Police were clear that imposing conditions would not be sufficient to manage the risks in this case.

The decision reflects the unique circumstances this year, including the scale of the planned march, multiple counter-protests, and heightened tensions linked to events in the Middle East.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he expects to announce the Partnership Contingent Decision route in connection with the Civil Service Pension Scheme.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Cabinet Office awarded the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme to Capita in November 2023 under the previous government.

The CSPS launched the Contingent Decision process for members who opted out of the scheme in July 2025. However, the process for members who switched to the Partnership pension scheme involves additional complexity, requiring the reconciliation of contributions between defined contribution and defined benefit arrangements. Planning is underway to define the process and timeline, and we aim to open the process later in 2026.

Airbag safety in vehicles

Women and heart disease

Anniversary of the formation of the Ulster Defence Regiment

Back-to-back Masters champion, Grand Slam winner and six time Major champion

Found: Gregory Campbell (DUP) asked the government how the proposed charge would affect drivers in Northern