Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether there will be an option for company directors to (a) defer or (b) opt out of enrolment of the digital ID system.
Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
There will be no requirement to enrol in Digital ID.
Employers will be required to conduct digital right to work checks by the end of this Parliament.
There is a requirement upon directors and individuals with significant control over companies to prove their identity with Companies House under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023. This is currently voluntary but will be mandatory from 18 November 2025.
This requirement is not connected to the introduction of the Digital ID.
Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether (a) exemptions of (b) alternative arrangements for the digital ID system will be offered to people resident in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
We will design this system to ensure everyone who has a right to live and work in any part of the UK can do so easily and securely.
We have already prioritised meetings with senior figures in Northern Ireland and the Irish Government to ensure any new systems work for people on both sides of the border in line with the Good Friday Agreement and Common Travel Area.
Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential impact the digital ID system on (a) business operations, (b) online security and (c) personal privacy in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The government will launch a public consultation on the design of the new digital ID, and have already started to engage with a range of expert organisations. Stakeholder and public views, including those in feedback to future consultation, will inform ongoing policy development and assessments of impacts.
We will design this system to help ensure everyone who has a right to live and work in any part of the UK can do so more easily and securely. We will ensure our commitments in the Good Friday Agreement, the Windsor Framework and the Common Travel Area are respected.
People’s privacy and data will be protected using the most advanced security and encryption, just like banking apps. We will be following best practices for creating a secure digital service and the new digital identity will be designed in accordance with high standards of security and privacy. The scheme will have robust cyber security and resilience safeguards, and it will comply with all the applicable data protection requirements.
Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department will engage in public consultation prior to the rollout of the digital ID system.
Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
We have committed to a public consultation, and work is already underway to engage with key stakeholder groups. We will work closely with employers, trade unions, civil society groups and other stakeholders, to make the programme as effective and inclusive as possible..
Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in the Northern Ireland executive on the potential introduction of a national screening programme for prostate cancer.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) advises ministers and the National Health Service in the four nations of the United Kingdom about all aspects of screening. The implementation of any UK NSC screening recommendation is a devolved matter.
Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of extending the Armed Forces Covenant Duty on the work of his Department.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The extension of the Armed Forces Covenant Legal Duty will require the Cabinet Office to have due regard to the principles of the Covenant across a wide range of new policy areas. A full assessment of the impact of the extension on the Cabinet Office will take place once the necessary legislation is progressing through Parliament.
Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the implementation of Skilled Worker visa eligibility criteria for (a) childcare and (b) early years workers.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
On 12 May, the Government published our Immigration White Paper, outlining our future approach to legal migration routes. On 22 July the first phase of changes took effect, including raising the threshold for Skilled Worker visas to graduate level occupations. Nursery education teaching professionals meet this new threshold.
Other occupations in childcare and early years work are classed as medium skilled roles and are not on the Temporary Shortage List (TSL) or Immigration Salary List (ISL). Therefore, new applicants from overseas are ineligible, and those in the UK on other visa routes will not be able to switch to the Skilled Worker route.
Those on Skilled Worker visas before 22 July 2025 and who need to extend their stay can continue to apply in medium skilled roles and will have to meet the salary requirements in place at the time they apply.
On 2 July we asked the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to advise on future salary requirements for Skilled Worker visas. We expect the MAC to respond around the end of the year.
Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to review the adequacy of the (a) salary and (b) eligibility requirements for (i) childcare and (ii) early years workers under the Skilled Worker visa route.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
On 12 May, the Government published our Immigration White Paper, outlining our future approach to legal migration routes. On 22 July the first phase of changes took effect, including raising the threshold for Skilled Worker visas to graduate level occupations. Nursery education teaching professionals meet this new threshold.
Other occupations in childcare and early years work are classed as medium skilled roles and are not on the Temporary Shortage List (TSL) or Immigration Salary List (ISL). Therefore, new applicants from overseas are ineligible, and those in the UK on other visa routes will not be able to switch to the Skilled Worker route.
Those on Skilled Worker visas before 22 July 2025 and who need to extend their stay can continue to apply in medium skilled roles and will have to meet the salary requirements in place at the time they apply.
On 2 July we asked the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to advise on future salary requirements for Skilled Worker visas. We expect the MAC to respond around the end of the year.
Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of extending the Indefinite Leave to Remain qualifying period on the recruitment and retention of overseas workers in Northern Ireland’s health and social care sector.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
We will be consulting on the new settlement rules later this year. Details of how this initiative will work will be provided around that consultation.
Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of extending the qualifying period for Indefinite Leave to Remain under the Skilled Worker visa route on the health and social care workforce.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
We will be consulting on the new settlement rules later this year. Details of how this initiative will work will be provided around that consultation.