Written questions by Campbell.

How many cases where legal aid was obtained to appeal against requests for release of the costs of legal aid to be made public remain not concluded since 2019.

The requested information is not centrally held.It is unclear what types of ‘appeal’ are being referred to. It has been interpreted to be a reference to appeals to the General Regulatory Chamber against decisions under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to release information relating to legal aid expenditure.Such appeals are not within the scope of legal aid funding in accordance with Schedule 1, Part 1 of the Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012. To the extent that legal aid for these appeals may be granted under the provision for Exceptional Case Funding they would be recorded as ‘miscellaneous’ cases on the Legal Aid Agency’s database.

How many motorists have taken speed awareness courses after being charged with speeding offences in (a) 2022, (b) 2023 and (c) 2024.

The Home Office collects and publishes information on the number of speed limit offences that resulted in ‘driver retraining’, as part of its annual ‘Police Powers and Procedures: Roads policing’ statistical release. The latest data is available here Police powers and procedures: Roads policing, to December 2023 - GOV.UK and covers the calendar year ending December 2023.In 2022, there were 1,355,293 speed limit offences that resulted in driver retraining. In 2023, there were 1,495,462 speed limit offences that resulted in driver retraining.Data for 2024 is due to be published in late 2025.

What estimate she has made of the number of migrants coming into Northern Ireland from the Irish Republic in (a) 2022 and (b) 2024.

Journeys from Ireland to the UK are within the Common Travel Area (CTA). As part of the CTA arrangements, the UK does not operate routine immigration controls of individuals arriving in the UK by air or sea from within the CTA, and no immigration checks are undertaken at the land border with Ireland.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with the World Bank on aligning new financial flows with the timelines of the Paris Agreement.

The World Bank Group's International Development Association and International Bank of Reconstruction and Development have aligned all their new financial operations with the Paris Agreement since 1 July 2023.The Foreign Secretary and the Minister for Development met with World Bank Group President Ajay Banga on 4 June 2025 and they discussed the Bank's upcoming energy strategy.The Group remains committed to align the rest of its institutions, the International Financial Corporation and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency, with the Paris agreement in their new financial operations from 1 July 2025.

How many people claimed the Blind Person's Allowance in the 2023-24 financial year.

The most recent estimates of the number of individuals claiming the Blind Person’s Allowance are published as part of HMRC’s statistics publication ‘Tax Reliefs Statistics’ within the file ‘Estimated cost of non-structural tax reliefs (December 2024)’ under the IT tab: Non-structural tax reliefs - GOV.UK https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6749e1adebabe47136b3a295/non_structural_cost_estimates_december_2024.ods

What steps he is taking with the (a) Northern Ireland Executive and (b) Royal Portrush Golf Club to help create a lasting (i) sporting and (ii) economic legacy following the Open Golf Championship in July 2025.

Royal Portrush will stage the 153rd Open Golf Championship next month, providing another outstanding showcase for golf in Northern Ireland. The 148th Open, held at Royal Portrush nine years ago, became the biggest sporting event ever held in Northern Ireland, delivering a combined economic and media benefit of more than £100 million to the region. I visited Royal Portrush Golf Club in April which was an excellent opportunity to learn more about their preparations which are well underway. I would encourage the Right Honourable Member to share any suggestions he has to help create a lasting sporting and economic legacy from the Open with the Department for the Economy in Northern Ireland, Invest Northern Ireland, and the Department for Business and Trade. Economic growth is the number one priority of the Government. That is why we are working closely with the Northern Ireland Executive to create a thriving, competitive and regionally balanced economy in Northern Ireland through increased investment, job creation, and higher living standards.

Whether she plans to publish a consultation on draft measures to support young and novice drivers before the summer recess.

We absolutely recognise that young people are disproportionately victims of tragic incidents on our roads and are exploring options to tackle the root causes of this for young people and novice drivers. Further details will be provided in due course.

What recent progress his Department has made on reducing the rate of prostate cancer among younger men.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 19 May 2025 to Question 52196.

What steps she plans to take to roll out banking hubs beyond the lifetime of the existing programme.

The Government recognises the importance of face-to-face banking to communities, businesses and high streets in East Londonderry and across the UK. This is why the Government is working closely with industry to roll out 350 banking hubs across the UK. The UK banking sector has committed to deliver these hubs by the end of this Parliament. Over 220 hubs have been announced so far, and over 160 are already open. Banking hubs offer everyday counter services provided by Post Office staff, allowing people and businesses to withdraw and deposit cash, deposit cheques, pay bills and make balance enquiries. They also contain dedicated rooms where customers can see community bankers from their own bank to carry out wider banking services. The banking hub initiative does not have a set end date. Where a branch closure is announced or a community has submitted a cash access assessment request, LINK, the independent industry coordinating body responsible for making access to cash assessments, assesses a community’s access to cash needs, and will recommend appropriate solutions where it considers that a community requires additional cash services, such as a banking hub or deposit service. Alternative options to access everyday banking services can be via telephone banking, through digital means such as mobile or online banking, and via the Post Office. The Post Office Banking Framework allows personal and business customers to withdraw and deposit cash, check their balance, pay bills and cash cheques at 11,500 Post Office branches across the UK.

How many (a) charges have been brought, (b) prosecutions there have been and (c) convictions there have been for unlawful abortions in England and Wales in each of the last 10 years.

All women in England and Wales should have access to safe, regulated abortions on the NHS under our current laws. It is for Parliament to decide the circumstances under which abortions should take place, allowing members to vote according to their moral, ethical or religious beliefs. Decisions to bring a prosecution about abortion are for the independent Crown Prosecution Service.The Home Office collects and publishes information on the number of notifiable offences, including the number of procuring illegal abortion offences, and intentional destruction of a viable unborn child offences, recorded by the police in England and Wales. This information is published as official statistics each quarter. The latest information, to the year ending December 2024, can be accessed here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/police-recorded-crime-and-outcomes-open-data-tablesThe Ministry of Justice publishes data on prosecutions and convictions under the Infant Life (Preservation) Act at criminal courts in England and Wales in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-justice-statistics

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact the implementation of the Electronic Travel Authorisation scheme on inbound international tourists arriving in Northern Ireland from the Irish Republic.

Electronic Travel Authorisations (ETAs) have been introduced to enhance our ability to screen travellers upstream and stop those who pose a threat from travelling to the UK. Individuals arriving in the UK, including those crossing the land border into Northern Ireland, will need to continue to enter in line with the UK’s immigration framework, including the requirement to obtain an ETA, where applicable. We are working with a wide range of partners to promote the ETA scheme, ensuring it is communicated effectively to visitors to Northern Ireland. The application is quick and light-touch, and many applications are decided within minutes. Since the scheme’s introduction until the end of 2024, over 1.1 million ETAs have been granted. The Home Office keeps all aspects of the immigration system under regular review, in consultation with a wide range of experts and stakeholders.

Pursuant to the Answer of 24 February 2025 to Question 30578 on Individual Savings Accounts, what steps her Department plans to take to inform Cash ISA holders of the potential merits of participating in capital markets for the long-term financial security and returns that investing can provide.

The Government recognises the important role that cash savings, including those held in Cash ISAs, play in helping households build a financial buffer for a rainy day. The Government wants to see more people benefit from the returns and long-term financial resilience that investing can provide. To support this, the Government is working closely with the Financial Conduct Authority on the Advice Guidance Boundary Review to deliver a system of Targeted Support to give people the confidence to invest.

What information her Department holds on the extent of the liability for consumer credit debt on car purchases that major banks are exposed to.

The government engages with a broad range of stakeholders such as financial regulators, industry, debt advice charities and consumer groups to monitor trends in consumer debt.In the 12 months to September 2024, consumers used regulated motor finance to purchase over 2 million vehicles, borrowing a total of £37.7bn.

Whether she has made an estimate of the annual amount saved in National Insurance contributions by working people aged over 66.

Estimates of the amount saved by those over State Pension age not being liable to National Insurance contributions (NICs) are published as part of HMRC’s statistics publication ‘Tax Reliefs Statistics’ within the Structural tax reliefs section under the NICs tab:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6749e4196f60e77679723aee/structural_cost_estimates_december_2024.ods Structural tax reliefs - GOV.UK

Whether he has taken steps to help support (a) businesses and (b) consumers in Northern Ireland to order from suppliers based in Great Britain in the period since the signing of the trade agreement with the EU on 19 May 2025.

The Government’s renewed partnership with the EU will deliver a broader range of benefits for people and businesses across the UK, including the SPS Agreement which, once implemented, will help facilitate the smooth flow of agrifood and plants from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, reduce costs for businesses and improve consumer choice. These new arrangements will now be developed into a legal text over the coming months. The Government also remains committed to implementing the Windsor Framework and to protecting the UK internal market. The Framework guarantees unfettered access for Northern Ireland’s businesses to the UK market and also supports traders to do business. Many are taking advantage of the support provided by the Trader Support Service. On 1 May 2025, the Government introduced important new arrangements for freight and parcels movements to ensure that goods can continue to move smoothly from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. The new arrangements ensure that goods sent to or from consumers will not be subject to customs declarations or duty. We have also introduced a range of schemes to support businesses by removing unnecessary checks and paperwork; over 10,000 businesses are already signed up to the UK Internal Market Scheme.

Whether he plans to make further changes to security arrangements at Army Reserve Centres in Northern Ireland after September 2025.

No further changes are planned to those that have been detailed previously. Work is underway to begin the transition of sites from armed guarding to physical security measures. On current planning, the first sites will transition during Summer 2025, with all sites set to complete by Summer 2027.

Pursuant to the Answer of 19 May 2025 to Question 52199 on Taxation: Self-assessment, if she will add an option to specify national identity as British to the taxpayer residency status section of the online Self-Assessment tax return.

HMRC collects data for Self Assessment returns in compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). These rules require that any personal data collected must be adequate, relevant, and limited to what is necessary for the purposes for which it is processed. National identity is not required for determining an individual’s residency status for tax purposes, and therefore is not collected as part of the Self Assessment process. This applies to the taxpayer residency status section as well as the return more broadly.

How many new build Chinook H-47(ER) aircraft will be supplied to the armed forces in the next four years.

The MOD's Chinook Capability Sustainment Programme will commence delivery in 2027, with fourteen H-47(ER) to be delivered within the next four years.

Pursuant to the Answer of 9 December 2024 to Question 17767 on Prisons: Research, when she plans to publish the response to the Ipsos MORI research project on the retributive benefit of prison.

Ministry of Justice officials received research findings from Ipsos MORI in November last year (2024) and are currently considering the implications of the work.Research findings are published in accordance with Government Social Research guidelines, following a peer review process to ensure the quality and robustness of the work. Until that has taken place, findings cannot be published.

If she will make it her policy to hold discussions with the International Monetary Fund on any future changes to the functions of the Office of Budget Responsibility.

The Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR) independent scrutiny, via its economic and fiscal forecasts, underpins the credibility of the government’s fiscal policy. On coming into office, one of the first bills this Government passed was the fiscal lock to ensure that no future Government can sideline the Office for Budget Responsibility. As part of ongoing engagement with many different stakeholders relevant to the conduct of economic and fiscal policy, the Government engages regularly and constructively with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and values their independent advice.