Written questions by Lockhart.

Food and Rural Affairs, when final commercial decisions from manufacturers on veterinary medicine product availability in Northern Ireland will be communicated to veterinary practices and Suitably Qualified Persons.

Most pharmaceutical companies have already taken or are taking steps to make the required adjustments so we are confident that the disruption to veterinary medicines supply will be limited. Several larger companies have also communicated these decisions publicly. For those that have not, we continue to strongly encourage them to inform businesses as soon as possible about their intentions. Although these figures may change as pharmaceutical companies take steps to adjust before the end of the year, we are not expecting to see a significant change and continue to monitor the situation closely. The Veterinary Medicines Directorate is working with pharmaceutical companies to determine the information that can be placed in the public domain concerning product availability.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government will take to ensure that pet owners in Northern Ireland are not faced with increased cost or reduced access to familiar medicines following changes to veterinary medicine supply arrangements after 31 December 2025.

We appreciate that affordability and accessibility to obtain veterinary medicines for pet owners is of great importance. We also understand that online retailers may offer more affordable options. Through our extensive engagement across the supply chain, we have heard positive news from several pharmaceutical companies on their commitments not to raise prices. Also, through our engagements, we are aware of multiple companies who are either already established in Northern Ireland or are planning to set up as online retailers in Northern Ireland. This is expected to ensure medicines remain available through these online channels. We are also working to ensure that the Veterinary Medicine Internal Market Scheme operates in a way that reflects how consumers obtain medicines at present.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure cross-departmental decision-making between the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Veterinary Medicines Directorate, the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs and the Northern Ireland Office in the implementation of the Veterinary Medicines Internal Market Scheme and the Veterinary Medicines Health Situations Scheme from 1 January 2026.

Cross-departmental decision-making arrangements are an internal Government matter.

Food and Rural Affairs, what arrangements are being put in place to ensure clear and timely public communication to farmers and pet owners in Northern Ireland on any changes to the availability or prescribing of veterinary medicines after 31 December 2025.

The Government has been taking steps to support businesses and end-users in preparation ahead of 1 January. This includes communications to the farming sector and pet owners. In addition to guidance, we published a manual with specific information for pet owners and farmers. We also visited Northern Ireland in early November and met several stakeholders, and much feedback is that many businesses are in a good place for the 1 January. Planned engagement over the next month via webinars will provide further information.

How many asylum seekers have been relocated to Northern Ireland since January 2024.

Northern Ireland is not a dispersal area and asylum seekers are therefore not routed between Northern Ireland and Great Britain. Only those claiming asylum in Northern Ireland are accommodated there. Northern Ireland’s asylum population is however, proportionate to its population when compared to the UK. Data on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, including hotels, and by local authority can be found within the Asy_D11 tab for our most recent statistics release: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK

How many Border Force officers are deployed in Northern Ireland.

As an intelligence-informed organisation, Border Force do not disclose specific details regarding the deployment of resources to individual border threats. This is to ensure the integrity of our operations, and avoid compromising the effectiveness of our security response, which is based upon real time intelligence and operational sensitivity.Officers who work on the primary control ensure that all passengers are dealt with efficiently as possible to ensure border security.We also use dynamic deployment to staff the immigration control when required.

What recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of immigration controls to prevent human trafficking over the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland.

As part of the Common Travel Area (CTA) arrangements, the UK does not operate routine immigration controls on journeys from Ireland to the UK, with no immigration checks being undertaken on the Ireland-Northern Ireland land border.The UK carries out intelligence led operations to target potential abuse of CTA routes, including between Ireland and Northern Ireland but away from the land border.There is a high level of cooperation on migration and border security between the UK and Ireland. We regularly monitor and review any identified trends and we work closely with our Irish colleagues in taking action to address this.

What recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of border security measures at (a) ports and (b) airports in Northern Ireland.

Border Force performs checks on 100% of passengers arriving at the UK border on scheduled services, enabling interventions against those known or suspected to pose a risk to the national interest.The UK and Ireland have a close and collaborative relationship on migration and border security, and we are jointly committed to protecting the Common Travel Area and safeguarding it from abuse.Officers who work on the primary control ensure that all passengers are dealt with efficiently as possible to ensure border security. We also use dynamic deployment to staff the immigration control when required.The UK’s border and immigration system is changing. We are transforming our border through automation and digitisation to make it quicker and more secure for the millions of people who pass through each year.

What recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of preparedness for changes in the national terror threat level in (a) general and (b) Northern Ireland.

The UK National Threat Level remains at SUBSTANTIAL, meaning an attack is likely. The UK National Threat Level is set by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre who consider all relevant intelligence and information to produce an assessment of the threat from terrorism in the UK and overseas. Due to this, the Home Office regularly reviews its plans with Government departments to react to a change in threat level.The threat to Northern Ireland from Northern Ireland-related terrorism is SUBSTANTIAL. The Northern Ireland Office are responsible for this threat level.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure equitable levels of representation of Northern Ireland in UK (a) broadcasting and (b) public service media.

Public service media plays an important role in terms of providing news and other content which reflects the full diversity of people, communities and experiences across the nations and regions, including Northern Ireland. Currently under their Operating Licence, the BBC has to produce 3% of its network programming output in Northern Ireland each year, by spend and hours. Meanwhile Channel 4’s nations quota for content spend and hours has recently been increased by Ofcom from 9% to 12% from 2030 which Channel 4 have committed to delivering by 2028. Ofcom has overall responsibility for these quotas and monitoring compliance.

What discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on ensuring parity of policing resources between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.

Policing is a devolved matter in Northern Ireland, and decisions on the allocation of police funding rests with the Northern Ireland Executive.Since 2010, the Home Office has had responsibility for police funding only in England and Wales.

What steps he is taking to help reduce waiting times for decisions on applications to the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme.

The Department is working with NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA), the administrators of the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS), to process claims at a faster rate. We have scaled up and modernised VDPS operations through the digitisation of the claims process and increasing administration staff working on the VDPS. NHSBSA is also engaging with healthcare providers to improve the return rate of medical records, essential to assessing claims, including though submitting subject access requests.

Whether she will provide guidance to statutory safeguarding partners on (a) recognising and (b) responding to the grooming and exploitation of 13 to 16-year-olds.

The Government is committed to protecting and safeguarding all children and working to strengthen our response to identify and combat all forms of child sexual abuse and exploitation, including group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse and grooming.The current Working Together to Safeguard Children statutory guidance provides an important framework to support frontline professionals in understanding their responsibilities in ensuring effective safeguarding of children across the country.This clarifies that children at risk of harm outside their home, including online, should receive a coordinated multi-agency response in a timely way. Ofsted inspects the provision and quality of children’s social care services across all local authorities and is responsible for ensuring that local authorities adhere to statutory guidance including Working Together to Safeguard Children.This statutory guidance is one important tool, supported by additional measures to make sure frontline professionals have an effective and robust response to safeguarding and protecting children.This includes funding the independent Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse work to improve information-sharing where there are concerns of child sexual abuse and work to embed the Child Sexual Abuse Response Pathway across a range of local areas.And the Prevention Programme delivered by The Children's Society, also seeks to raise awareness of child exploitation to professionals working within the private, statutory and third sectors, as well as the general public, and upskills staff to better respond to, disrupt and prevent multiple forms of child exploitation, including child sexual exploitation. Furthermore, we continue to invest in the Child Sexual Exploitation Police Taskforce to support policing's response to all forms of child sexual abuse and exploitation, including by providing practice advice for investigators.

If she will take steps to publish guidance to clarify the legal position of children aged 13 to 16 under section 75 of the Crime and Policing Bill.

When recommending the introduction of a mandatory reporting duty to government, the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse recognised that in limited circumstances, a different approach may sometimes be necessary when considering sexual activity between teenagers (where a reporter has no wider concerns about the situation).However, sexual activity under the age of consent is illegal and the Government does not condone underage sex.Section 75 of the Bill is informed by the Inquiry's consideration of this issue. Guidance will be published to accompany the duty which will make clear that sexual relationships involving teenagers under the age of consent should not be met by inaction or indifference, as well as setting out appropriate avenues for advice and support.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of amending statutory guidance to clarify the intent of section 75 of the Crime and Policing Bill on the reporting of abuse of 13-16 year olds that appears consensual.

When recommending the introduction of a mandatory reporting duty to government, the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse recognised that in limited circumstances, a different approach may sometimes be necessary when considering sexual activity between teenagers (where a reporter has no wider concerns about the situation).However, sexual activity under the age of consent is illegal and the Government does not condone underage sex.Section 75 of the Bill is informed by the Inquiry's consideration of this issue. Guidance will be published to accompany the duty which will make clear that sexual relationships involving teenagers under the age of consent should not be met by inaction or indifference, as well as setting out appropriate avenues for advice and support.

With reference to the Casey review, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that victims aged 13 to 16 are adequately protected under section 75 of the Crime and Policing Bill.

When recommending the introduction of a mandatory reporting duty to government, the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse recognised that in limited circumstances, a different approach may sometimes be necessary when considering sexual activity between teenagers (where a reporter has no wider concerns about the situation).However, sexual activity under the age of consent is illegal and the Government does not condone underage sex.Section 75 of the Bill is informed by the Inquiry's consideration of this issue. Guidance will be published to accompany the duty which will make clear that sexual relationships involving teenagers under the age of consent should not be met by inaction or indifference, as well as setting out appropriate avenues for advice and support.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact the omission of a minimum age limit for sex education within the revised Relationship, Sex and Health Education statutory guidance on pupils under the age of 9.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.Sex education is not compulsory in primary schools, but the statutory guidance for relationship, sex and health education (RSHE) recommends that primaries teach sex education in years 5 and/or 6, in line with content about conception and birth, which forms part of the national curriculum for science.The guidance is absolutely clear that schools are responsible for ensuring that lesson content is age-appropriate, whilst trusting teachers to respond to issues at the right time, allowing flexibility to develop a curriculum that meets the needs of their pupils, and this is one of the guiding principles of all RSHE.The guidance is also clear that primary schools should consult parents about the content of anything that will be taught within sex education, including giving advice about parents’ right to request withdrawal from sex education.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of decriminalising abortion on the (a) rights and (b) responsibilities of medical professionals.

The House of Commons has voted to add a clause to the Crime and Policing Bill which disapplies the criminal offences related to abortion from women in relation to her own pregnancy. These offences would still apply to medical professionals and third parties who do not abide by the rules set out in the Abortion Act 1967.Under section 4(1) of the Abortion Act 1967, medical professionals have the right to refuse to participate in terminations of pregnancy, other than where the termination is necessary to save the life of, or prevent grave injury to, the pregnant woman. This right is limited to refusal to participate in the procedure(s) itself and not to pre- or post-treatment care, advice or management.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the decriminalisation of abortion of women who are (a) vulnerable and (b) subject to (i) coercion and (ii) abuse: and what steps he plans to take to protect them.

No assessment has been made. It is for Parliament to decide the circumstances under which abortions should take place. As with other matters of conscience, abortion is an issue on which the Government adopts a neutral stance and allows hon. Members to vote according to their moral, ethical or religious beliefs.The House of Commons has voted to add a clause to the Crime and Policing Bill which disapplies the criminal offences related to abortion from women in relation to her own pregnancy. These offences would still apply to medical professionals and third parties who do not abide by the rules set out in the Abortion Act 1967.The safeguarding of children, young people and adults who are at risk is a fundamental obligation for everyone who works in the National Health Service and its partner agencies. Following the decriminalisation of abortion for pregnant women acting in relation to their own pregnancy, the Department will consider whether sufficient safeguards are already in place or whether additional guidance is needed.

Whether his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of a compensation scheme for people adversely affected by Covid-19 vaccinations.

I would like to reiterate my deepest sympathies to all those individuals who have experienced harm following vaccination, and to their families.The long-standing Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS) provides a one-off, tax-free payment of £120,000 to claimants who have been found, in rare cases and on the balance of probabilities, to have been severely disabled by certain vaccines for a disease listed in the Vaccine Damage Payment Act 1979. The VDPS is not designed to be a compensation scheme and does not prejudice the right of the individual to pursue a claim for damages through the courts.The Government recognises that concerns have been raised regarding the VDPS, including by some of those who have suffered harm following COVID-19 vaccination. Ministers continue to consider options for reforming the scheme.