Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been convicted of offences connected with the use of illegal number plates on vehicles in the last four years.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The Ministry of Justice publishes data on convictions for a variety of offences including offences involving the use of illegal number plates on vehicles, in the Outcomes by Offences tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal justice statistics quarterly - GOV.UK.
The number of convictions related to the illegal use of vehicle number plates can be accessed by navigating to the ‘Overall Volumes’ tab and filtering the “HO offence code” drop down for:
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 15 December 2025 to WPQ 98745, how many (a) vehicle owners and (b) people on the Register of Number Plate Suppliers have been (i) charged, and (ii) convicted of offences connected with illegal number plates in the last four years.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) does not hold information about the number of vehicle keepers who have been convicted for number plate offences as enforcement of number plates offences is a matter for the police.
The DVLA does not have the relevant powers to take forward prosecutions of number plate suppliers. Such prosecutions are taken forward by the police and Trading Standards.
The DVLA’s enforcement officers work with the police and Trading Standards to carry out educational and compliance visits to registered number plate suppliers. Enforcement officers carry out inspections to check working practices and inspect number plates on the premises. Enforcement officers can also inspect records held, take copies and/or seize the records.
The DVLA’s enforcement officers carry out intelligence led enforcement activities to tackle a wide range of offences, actively working with partners to investigate potential offences. While the DVLA does not take forward prosecutions, its enforcement officers may attend court as an expert witness in any such proceedings.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will take steps with Invest NI and the Northern Ireland Executive to ensure that the trade deal between the UK and South Korea impacts all areas of the United Kingdom.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The FTA between the UK and the Republic of Korea will apply to all parts of the UK, including Northern Ireland. DBT have worked closely with the Devolved Governments throughout the negotiations. Digitised trade provisions and new rules of origin will benefit Northern Ireland by supporting easier export of products such as pharmaceuticals, a key export from Northern Ireland to the Republic of Korea.
DBT’s Free Trade Agreement Utilisation team will help businesses understand and benefit from the new UK-Republic of Korea FTA, working in partnership with businesses and their representatives from across the whole UK, including Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to recognise and support Kevin Sinfield CBE's fundraising for motor neurone disease.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We pay tribute to the outstanding work that Kevin Sinfield had done to raise money for motor neurone disease (MND) charities and raise awareness of the condition. It will truly make a huge difference to those living with MND and their loved ones. We welcome the recent opening of the new Rob Burrow Centre for MND in Leeds. Kevin Sinfield’s fundraising was instrumental to this centre being upbuilt.
The Government is investing in MND research across a range of areas, including an £8 million investment via the National Institute for Health and Care Research into the EXPERTS-ALS study, a pre-clinical study which is designed to accelerate the identification and testing of the most promising treatment candidates for treating amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, the most common form of MND.
The MND Translational Accelerator, supported by £6 million of Government funding, is connecting the UK Dementia Research Institute, the UK MND Research Institute, and Dementias Platform UK. Twelve projects have been funded through the Accelerator, with all aimed at speeding up the development of treatments for MND.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment has he made of the potential implications for his policies of the conclusions of the report by the Windsor Framework Independent Monitoring Panel, published on 5 December 2025, on Business friendly guidance on gov.uk.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Government considered the issues raised in the Independent Monitoring Panel’s report as part of its response to the Independent Review of the Windsor Framework. This includes a commitment to delivering an enhanced ‘one stop shop’ advice service for small businesses, beyond what is available on GOV.UK, and this is set out at Paragraph 50 of the Government’s response and thereafter. The Government’s response to the Review, and relevant issues raised in the Panel’s report, is available at:
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the viability over the next five years of existing banking hubs.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
Banking is changing, with many customers benefitting from the convenience and flexibility of managing their finances remotely. However, the Government understands the importance of face-to-face banking to communities and is committed to ensuring sufficient access for customers. The Government recognises the role that banking hubs play in supporting communities’ access to cash and basic banking services. In addition to traditional bank branches, the financial services industry is committed to rolling out 350 banking hubs across the UK by the end of this Parliament.
Banking hubs were developed by the financial services sector in the context of legislation to protect access to cash under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023. Banking hubs are delivered and funded by industry through Cash Access UK (CAUK), which oversees the rollout and operation of hubs. LINK, as the operator of the UK’s largest ATM network, assesses local access needs following a branch closure or a community request, and where additional services are required, CAUK provides a suitable shared solution, such as a deposit service or banking hub, for cash users in that community. The future viability of banking hubs depends on ongoing commercial agreements between participating banks and on consumer demand for in-person banking services.
The Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 gives the Financial Conduct Authority powers to ensure reasonable access to cash, and the Government continues to work closely with industry and regulators to monitor delivery.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the number of veterans living in Northern Ireland who are eligible for but have not yet applied to the Troubles Permanent Disablement Payment Scheme.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Troubles Permanent Disablement Payment Scheme was established by the Victims Payments Regulations Act 2020 and is run by the independent Victims Payment Board, administered by on behalf of the Northern Ireland Executive. Further information is available on https://www.nidirect.gov.uk
The deadline for applications has been extended by two years and will now close on 31 August 2026. The scheme continues to be promoted in Northen Ireland through the veterans’ support network.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an estimate of the number of domestic properties Mears Housing currently owns in Northern Ireland which were previously used for housing asylum seekers but are vacant as of 1 December 2025.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office does not hold this data.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps he is taking to ensure that the Connect Fund reaches communities that have previously had lower application rates for grant funding across Northern Ireland.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The £1m Connect Fund makes awards to strengthen civic ties between Northern Ireland and Great Britain across a range of sectors. I am encouraged by the high level of interest the Fund has received from community and voluntary groups to date. Early next year, a series of roadshows will be hosted across Northern Ireland, including areas with lower application rates, to advertise the Fund and support a broad geographical spread of applicants.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to WPQ 3948 Dated 9/9/2024, which areas in the nations and regions of the UK were events held to ensure that businesses become more aware of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Since September 2023 the Department for Business and Trade has attended or coordinated over 70 events (online or in-person) to ensure that UK businesses are aware of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). In person events have so far taken place in areas across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, and online events have been targeted at UK businesses based throughout the UK.