Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions have been held with the Government of the Irish Republic on what increases in co-operation are required to deal with the numbers of Russian shadow fleet vessels operating in British and Irish territorial waters.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
Deterring and disrupting the Russian shadow fleet is a priority for the UK, and we are working closely with our allies and partners to do so.
Earlier this year the Secretary of State for Defence and the Irish Minister for Defence signed the refreshed UK-Ireland Memorandum of Understanding.
Under this Memorandum of Understanding, the UK Armed Forces and the Irish Defence Forces will strengthen their maritime security cooperation to develop improved response mechanisms to maritime security incidents in British and Irish territorial waters.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Pursuant to WPQ 118152, on how many occasions were Border Force personnel involved in dealing with the more than five hundred sanctioned shadow fleet vessels.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Border Force is a law enforcement command within the Home Office. We secure the UK border by carrying out immigration and customs controls for people and goods entering the UK.
Maritime teams in the Home Office maintain a permanent presence around the UK as part of its maritime border security. This involves the deployment of Cutters, Coastal Patrol Vessels and other maritime assets.
The vessels are regularly out on proactive patrol, but we do not comment on specific operational deployments or operations.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when she expects the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe to publish a timeline for measures to be implemented by car manufacturers to help reduce the occurrence of headlamp glare.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much expenditure has been incurred on the Ajax programme since the decision was taken to pause it in 2025.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence has paid £46 million, in line with contractual obligations, for the Ajax programme between 23 November 2025 and 14 January 2026.
It is not possible to release a breakdown of these payments as this information is considered commercially sensitive.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to WPQ 109064 dated 2 February 2026, when does he expect to be able to reply.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
I responded to the hon. Member on 20 April 2026.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many instances of breaches of the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme have resulted in prosecutions.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The FIRS scheme went live on 01 July last year. We will be publishing an annual report setting out, among other things, the number of registrations, the number of information notices issued, the number of persons charged with an offence and the number of persons convicted of an offence. The first report will be published as soon as practicable after 30 June 2026.
Providing information outside of that publication schedule about any live cases or prosecutions risks revealing information not intended to be made public and undermining any enforcement action.
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 investigate trends in the number of applications for asylum from people from (a) Pakistan and (b) Bangladesh who are falsely claiming to be gay and in fear for their lives if returned to their home country.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
Where we encounter abuse of the asylum system, we take action. Protection status will be revoked where evidence emerges that it was obtained by deception.
All asylum and human rights claims, including those raised by Pakistan and Bangladesh nationals on grounds of sexuality or gender identity are carefully considered on their individual merits in accordance with our international obligations. Our guidance for considering asylum claims is available on GOV.UK at: Assessing credibility and refugee status: caseworker guidance - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
A decision maker will not accept that someone is gay simply because they claim to be so. Such declarations constitute the starting point in the consideration process and are subject to probing at interview and a proper assessment of the facts and circumstances.
Each individual assessment is made against the background of relevant case law and the latest available country of origin information. Our assessment of the situation of a given group in a given country is set out in the relevant country policy and information note, which is available on GOV.UK at: www.gov.uk/government/collections/country-policy-and-information-notes.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many Credit Union Movement representative groups in Northern Ireland responded to the call for evidence on Credit Union Common Bond Reform proposals.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
On 18 March, the government announced plans to reform the credit union common bond in Great Britain. Full details of the government’s plans have been published in a call for evidence response available on GOV.UK.
The call for evidence only sought views on the common bond for credit unions in England, Wales, and Scotland. This is because responsibility for credit unions in Northern Ireland is a devolved matter for the Northern Ireland Executive. The Northern Ireland Executive launched its own consultation in 2025 to gather views on proposed reforms to modernise and strengthen the credit union sector in Northern Ireland.
The government is a strong supporter of the mutual sector, including credit unions, and is working to support its growth in line with the manifesto commitment to double the size of the co‑operative and mutual sector. In line with devolution arrangements, this includes legislating for reforms in Great Britain while continuing to engage with the Northern Ireland Executive on credit union policy in 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, what steps he is taking to (a) fund research into and (b) help reduce the number of live births with at least one congenital condition.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department, through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), commissions a range of research to improve neonatal health outcomes.
For example, The NIHR recently funded a project which investigated whether artificial intelligence (AI) could help to identify heart conditions in babies, before birth. The study found that AI assistance in the routine foetal anomaly ultrasound scan results in significant time savings, and a reduction in sonographer cognitive load, without a reduction in diagnostic performance.
In addition, the NIHR is currently funding a £2.68 million study to improve maternal and infant outcomes in pregnant women with epilepsy through early identification of women and their babies at risk of complications and ensuring timely specialist epilepsy input with evidence-based information on the risks-benefits of their treatment. This study will therefore assess the longer-term effects of newer anti-epileptic drugs on children’s development to inform pregnant women and promote safe anti-epileptic drug use.
The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including research on congenital conditions.
The 10-Year Health Plan addresses common causes of congenital anomalies including plans to address smoking, end the obesity epidemic, and tackle harmful alcohol consumption. The 10-Year Health Plan is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/10-year-health-plan-for-england-fit-for-the-future
The plan includes proposals for universal newborn genomic testing, subject to evidence from the Generation Study. This study is assessing the use of whole genome sequencing to screen 100,000 newborns for over 200 rare genetic conditions, with more than 15,000 families enrolled so far. Sequencing will complete by summer 2027, after which the findings will be evaluated and considered by the UK National Screening Committee. Subject to evidence and funding, genomic testing could be available to all newborns by 2035. The Saving Babies’ Lives Care Bundle includes evidence-based interventions to address common causes of congenital anomalies such as smoking, fetal growth restriction, preterm birth, and management of diabetes in pregnancy. Further information on the bundle is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/saving-babies-lives-version-3-2/
In addition, from December 2026, non-wholemeal wheat flour will be fortified with folic acid. It is estimated that this will reduce neural tube defect rates by approximately 20% in the United Kingdom. Further information is available at the following link:
https://www.food.gov.uk/safety-hygiene/folic-acid
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of new artificial intelligence models on the risk of financial market manipulation.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government’s ambition is to make the UK a global leader in AI. Encouraging safe adoption is an essential part of realising that ambition. We will continue to work closely with regulators and industry to ensure innovation proceeds safely and responsibly and that any risks to financial markets are identified and mitigated.
In particular, the Bank of England’s Financial Policy Committee (FPC) is responsible for identifying, monitoring and taking action to remove or reduce systemic risks to the UK financial system. The FPC’s April 2025 Financial Stability in Focus publication set out potential risks to financial stability that could result from increasing AI use, including in relation to market manipulation, and their response to these.