Written questions by Campbell.

When does he expect to receive the outcome of the NIHR appraisal programme for prolapse, incontinence, and mesh complication surgery.

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the research delivery arm of the Department, funds and supports a range of research to support women’s health conditions, including pelvic organ prolapse.In May 2023, the NIHR commissioned a £1.6 million study to develop a validated patient reported outcome measure for prolapse, incontinence, and mesh complication surgery, to better understand the short and long-term health impacts of pelvic mesh surgery. This study has now been extended until January 2028 with findings available shortly after. Further information is available at the following link:https://fundingawards.nihr.ac.uk/award/NIHR152187The NIHR continues to welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including the use of vaginal mesh to treat pelvic organ prolapse. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.

Innovation and Technology, How many (a) projects, and (b) individual graduates, have benefitted from the Innovate UK and Invest NI Knowledge Transfer Partnership scheme in the past three years.

In Financial Years 2023/24 to 2025/26, Invest Northern Ireland have supported 45 Knowledge Transfer projects, which created 45 highly skilled jobs for graduates placed in local businesses through the scheme.In total, Invest Northern Ireland have contributed £2,026,204 towards the grant costs of these projects. Innovate UK has contributed £4,199,706, giving these projects a total grant value of £6,267,910.

What steps she is taking to help tackle phantom car insurance fraud.

The Government regularly engages with a variety of stakeholders on issues relating to motor insurance, including fraud.The cross-government taskforce on motor insurance was formed in 2024, to fulfil the government’s commitment to tackling the soaring cost of motor insurance in the UK. One of the actions in the taskforce report published on 10 December 2025 is “Tackling uninsured driving, fraud and crime”. Where the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) identifies unlawful content, including ghost broking, ad-spoofing and material posted by finfluencers, it will seek to get the content removed and work with other partner agencies, including law enforcement, working to combat these activities.

Whether she plans to introduce legislative provision making it an offence to knowingly arrive in the UK without an Electronic Travel Authorisation before the summer recess.

It is already a requirement for eligible nationals to obtain an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) before travel to the UK, and entry may be refused if one is not held. We will consider when to commence the offence of knowingly arriving in the UK without an ETA, and announce this in due course.

Whether she will receive updates in advance of any final report from the taskforce at the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe on investigations into headlamp glare by vehicles.

The glare prevention taskforce is currently scheduled to meet twice in advance of the October vehicle lighting expert group meeting. UK officials are actively involved in the work of the group. A draft list of recommendations and progress report were submitted to the April meeting of the vehicle lighting expert group. These documents can be viewed online at:https://unece.org/sites/default/files/2026-04/GRE-94-22e.pdf (Draft Recommendations) andhttps://unece.org/sites/default/files/2026-04/GRE-94-21e.pdf (Progress report).

Will she hold discussions with motor manufacturers regarding offering an opt in and an opt out facility for drivers with the 'lane assist' technology system in new vehicles.

An Emergency Lane Keeping System (ELKS) is a technology that warns the driver of unintended lane departures and corrects the vehicle’s course to avoid crossing solid lane markings. As with other safety systems, it defaults to being on every time the vehicle is started. This ensures safety benefits are not undermined by drivers having the systems permanently switched off, either deliberately or accidentally. However, there is typically a simple method for the driver to switch it off each time, should they wish to. The Government recently consulted on mandating ELKS in Great Britain alongside a number of other vehicle safety technologies as part of the Road Safety Strategy. This consultation closed on 11 May 2026 and my Department will be setting out next steps in due course.

Whether the National Wealth Fund's promotion of rural broadband development in Northern Ireland will include financial support to inward investors.

The NWF invests on a commercial basis to address market gaps and crowd in private capital, including in digital and technologies. It has a dedicated director based in Northern Ireland to support its view of markets across the region and opened a Belfast office in December 2024. In April 2022 the National Wealth Fund, then the UK Infrastructure Bank, provided a £50 million loan to support Fibrus to deliver high-capacity broadband to rural homes and businesses across Northern Ireland. As of December 2025, this investment has helped Fibrus bring full fibre capability to over 330,000 homes across Northern Ireland.

If she will hold discussions with representatives of LINK on the roll out of banking hubs including villages and small towns in rural areas.

Banking is changing, with many customers benefitting from the convenience and flexibility of managing their finances remotely. However, the Government understands the importance of banking services to communities, including those in rural areas, and is working closely with industry to support the roll-out of 350 banking hubs by the end of this Parliament. Over 275 hubs have been announced so far, and more than 235 are already open, including 7 in Northern Ireland. The Government engages regularly with LINK, the operator of the UK’s largest ATM network, as well as industry and the Financial Conduct Authority, on access to cash and banking services. Banking hub locations are independently recommended by LINK. When a bank branch closes, there is a material change to a cash service, or a community request is received, LINK conducts an access to cash assessment under the regime set out in the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023. This considers a range of factors including population demographics and transport links, with criteria reflecting differences between rural and urban areas. Any decisions on changes to LINK’s assessment criteria are a matter for LINK, the financial services sector and the Financial Conduct Authority, which oversees the regime. Customers can also access everyday banking services through the Post Office network, with over 10,000 branches providing services such as cash withdrawals and deposits, balance enquiries and bill payments. The Government keeps the effectiveness of access to cash and banking arrangements under review through ongoing engagement with industry, LINK and the Financial Conduct Authority to ensure they meet the needs of local communities. As such, on 14 May the Government commissioned an independent Review into Access to Banking Services to assess the impact of changes in the provision of in-person banking services. The evidence gathered will inform future decisions on whether further action is needed. Alongside this, the Government intends to include a power in forthcoming financial services legislation to enable it to act, if necessary, to protect access to banking services.

What discussions he has had with the Motability Scheme on the potential impact of the proposed change in the annual mileage limit for new leases on rural users.

Responsibility for the terms and administration of the Scheme sits with Motability Foundation and its Board of Governors. The Department for Work and Pensions meets quarterly with Motability Foundation, to discuss the Scheme’s operation. The changes to the leasing package were announced on 26 March and include reducing the mileage allowance from 20,000 per year to 10,000 per year. Changes only apply to new leases, and there are no changes to the mileage allowance for existing leases. Motability Foundation has advised that approximately 75% of customers on the Scheme already use fewer miles than the proposed new mileage allowance. Motability understands that this will affect customers differently, and is keeping these changes under review.

With reference to the indication by the Government of the Hellenic Republic of 20 April 2026 to not proceed with the collection of fingerprints or photographs under the EU Entry/Exit System for UK visitors temporarily, if she will hold urgent discussions with the European Commission and EU Member States on extending this exemption to other EU countries.

The Entry/Exit System (EES) is an EU scheme, and its implementation, including the use of flexibilities permitted by the relevant legislation on biometric collection, is a matter for the European Commission and participating EU member states.The UK government wants to see EES implemented in a way that protects border fluidity and minimises disruption for travellers. We continue to engage with the EU, member states and travel industry partners to encourage a pragmatic approach to implementation.

What discussions she has had with the banking sector on the rollout of banking hubs beyond the lifetime of this Parliament.

Treasury Ministers regularly engage with the banking sector on access to banking services, including the rollout of banking hubs. The Government understands the importance of access to in-person banking services for communities and high streets and is committed to supporting the financial services industry’s roll-out of 350 banking hubs by the end of this Parliament. Importantly, this number is a floor, not a ceiling, and Cash Access UK will deliver a banking hub wherever LINK has recommended one. The Government keeps the effectiveness of current arrangements under review through regular engagement with industry and other stakeholders to ensure they meet the needs of people and communities.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much her Department will contribute to the International Development Association of the World Bank in the remainder of this Parliament.

The UK works closely with the World Bank Group's International Development Association (IDA) to support the world's lowest‑income countries. It delivers excellent value for the taxpayer and has continually been shown to be one of the most impactful organisations in tackling poverty.The UK has pledged £1.98 billion to the 21st replenishment of IDA (IDA21), which covers a three-year cycle from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2028.The remainder of this Parliament also spans the next replenishment cycle, IDA22. Decisions about future replenishments will be subject to future Spending Reviews.

When does he expect treatment of myopia in children aged between three and 14 years through low-dose atropine eye drops to begin.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) makes recommendations for the National Health Service in England on whether new medicines should be routinely funded based on an assessment of their costs and benefits. NICE is currently evaluating low-dose atropine eye drops for treating myopia in people aged three to 14 years old and currently expects to publish final guidance in September 2026. If recommended in final NICE guidance, the NHS would be required to fund treatment within three months of publication.

Food and Rural Affairs, on how many occasions in the past six months have discussions taken place with the EU Commission on increasing the number of plant species that can be traded between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.

There have been three exchanges of emails with European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in the last six months, regarding UK submissions of additional information for three prohibited high-risk plants: Castanea sativa, Hamamelis mollis and Robinia pseudoacacia. This allowed EFSA to publish scientific opinions for these species on 22 December 2025, 6 January 2026 and 22 April 2026 respectively. There is usually a delay of a few weeks/months whilst the EU Commission drafts new legislation based on published EFSA opinions, but progress continues at pace. In the last six months the EU has lifted prohibitions, subject to conditions, on a further five species of Prunus (3 October 2025) Only seven of the 45 High Risk Plant species that the UK has requested market access for, remain prohibited for export to the EU/Northern Ireland.

What steps she is taking to help reduce waiting times for UK citizens travelling through airports in Schengen area countries in summer 2026.

The Government is working with the European Commission and Schengen countries to understand the new border process changes and to promote flexible, pragmatic solutions for UK travellers.Waiting times in Schengen area countries remain a matter for the European Union and individual member states.

Pursuant to WPQ 128052, whether she will maintain the free to use MTD software for taxpayers for the lifetime of this Parliament.

I refer the honourable member to the answer provided in the response to UIN 126551.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle the predominance of the grey squirrel population during this Parliament.

The Grey Squirrel Policy Statement was published in January 2026. This policy statement sets out the actions we will take over the next five years to manage the impact of grey squirrels. Actions include encouraging landowners to take greater action through financial incentives and advice through Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier. The Government is paying £60 per hectare to manage and reduce the impact of grey squirrels. We are backing our nation’s conservation volunteers and landowners, by leading communication on the impacts of grey squirrels and providing support for training in grey squirrel management. We are also working with UK Squirrel Accord to support research into immunocontraception.

Whether he plans to respond to the Ipsos MORI research project on the retributive benefit of prison before summer recess 2026.

The Department is working to start an academic Peer Review of the Ipsos Mori Retribution survey ahead of publication to ensure it is analytically robust and the results are interpreted correctly. The process will begin in Summer this year.

Media and Sport, when she plans to meet with the new Director General of the BBC.

The Secretary of State had an introductory meeting with Matt Brittin on 15th April 2026. The BBC is a vital national institution, and as such, Ministers and Senior Officials regularly meet with BBC leadership to discuss a range of issues.

Approximately how many non - direct altruistic organ donations have there been in each of the last ten years.

Non‑direct altruistic organ donation is managed by NHS Blood and Transplant, which is responsible for organ donation services. Non‑direct altruistic donation involves people donating an organ, such as a kidney or a lobe of liver, as a living donor without knowing the recipient or expecting anything in return. The following table shows the number of non-direct altruistic donations across the United Kingdom, split by organ, namely kidney or liver:Financial yearNon-direct altruistic kidney donations2016/17862017/18892018/19642019/20962020/21342021/22722022/23832023/24482024/25622025/2658Source: NHS Blood and Transplant, using data from the UK Transplant Registry.For every financial year since 2016/17, there has been five or less non-direct altruistic liver lobe donations. There has been a total of 14 non-direct altruistic liver lobe donations in the past ten years.