Written questions by Shannon.

What discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on preventing the politicisation of sport in Northern Ireland.

I meet frequently with Northern Ireland Executive Ministers on a range of issues. I have visited a number of sporting projects and organisations across Northern Ireland, most recently meeting with Down GAA and the Irish Football Association. Sport has a great ability to unite people and to bring young people from different backgrounds together. I commend and support all those working in Northern Ireland who are working in pursuit of this goal.

What discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on veterinary medicine access.

The Government has engaged with the Northern Ireland Executive extensively on the issue of veterinary medicine access. This includes through the Veterinary Medicines Working Group, which I co-chair and which is also attended by Northern Ireland’s Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Andrew Muir MLA. The working group has met five times under this Government, most recently on 15 October. We are looking to convene the next meeting before the end of the year and intend to meet again early in 2026. I am grateful for the constructive and positive contributions that Minister Muir has made on this work. In addition, officials in the Veterinary Medicines Directorate and the Cabinet Office regularly engage with DAERA officials on this issue. Furthermore, in June this year, the Government published its position with regards to the supply of veterinary medicines to Northern Ireland, including its assessment that the vast majority of authorised medicines will continue to be supplied, and set out two new schemes to address any supply gaps.

What steps she is taking to prevent hate speech in schools.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.There is no place for hate or prejudice in our education system. Every school should actively promote the shared values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect for those of different faiths and beliefs.The department has published advice for schools on promoting these values and made resources available through the Educate Against Hate website.The new relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) guidance seeks to provide a practical framework that enables schools to teach RSHE in a way that is preventative and protective. It strengthens content on healthy relationships, mental health and the content reflects some of the challenges facing young people today. The guidance was updated on 15 July and is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education.The department has also published ‘Respectful School Communities’, a self-review and signposting tool to support schools to develop a whole- school approach which promotes respect and discipline. It is available here: https://www.educateagainsthate.com/resources/respectful-school-communities-self-review-signposting-tool-2/.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps her Department is taking to help protect Nigerian Christians.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 20 October to Question 81931.

How many occupation orders have been issued against joint tenants in the last 12 months for which data is available.

The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

What steps his Department is taking to help support smaller solicitors' practices in rural areas to (a) prevent their closure and (b) maintain local choice.

The Government recognises the vital role that solicitors’ practices play in supporting access to justice and sustaining local economies, including in rural communities. However, solicitors’ firms operate as independent businesses, and decisions about where they open, or close are commercial matters for those firms.The Ministry of Justice works closely with representative and regulatory bodies, including the Law Society, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), and the Legal Services Board (LSB), to help ensure that the wider legal services market remains effective, competitive, and accessible to people across England and Wales.The Government is also taking wider steps to support the sustainability of the legal aid and legal services sectors. Ensuring that solicitors and firms remain able to operate effectively across England and Wales underpins the justice system as a whole.

What steps her Department is taking to help improve safety at motorsport events.

The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and associated regulations provide a framework for securing the health, safety and welfare of those working in the motorsports industry. Employers and the self-employed are required to comply with this law. A further duty is placed on them by Regulation 3 of The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, which requires every employer to make a suitable and sufficient risk assessment of the risks to those employees and non-employees in relation to risks arising from conduct of their undertaking and share the significant findings. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) holds the national policy lead for occupational health and safety in the leisure industry, including recreational motorsports, however, local authorities (LAs) are primarily responsible for enforcing health and safety law at individual events. HSE regularly liaises with colleagues from the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) who also have an interest in this topic. HSE and DCMS attend the LA motorsports forum which meets quarterly online. A number of the motorsports authorising bodies have presented to this group to raise awareness of key topics. HSE and the forum have produced a best practice aide-memoire for LA regulatory visits. This document is under final LA consultation before moving to publication shortly. HSE seeks to promote safety at events by making practical advice and guidance available for organisers of motorsport events. The HSE publication ‘Managing health and safety at motorsports events’ describes the main risks at motorsport events and some of the steps that can safeguard the health and safety of employees, participants, and spectators. This guidance is made freely available by HSE at https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/priced/hsg112.pdf

Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with her counterparts in Northern Ireland on the adequacy of the Noise Act 1996.

The Noise Act 1996 gives local authorities powers to serve warning notices to deal with noise from dwellings and licensed premises that exceeds a permitted level between 11pm and 7am. There have not been any recent discussions on the adequacy of the Noise Act 1996 between Defra and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland.

What steps his Department is taking reduce the level of unused floorspace in civil service buildings.

The Government Property Agency (GPA) is addressing unused floorspace by strategically reducing the overall size of the estate through consolidation and lease management, while simultaneously optimising the use of remaining space by adopting Smarter Working principles and leveraging technology for better utilisation.

What funding his Department will provide to the devolved administrations to help support the cost of meeting energy bills during the winter of 2025-26.

Energy policy is a transferred matter in Northern Ireland, falling within the legislative competence of the Northern Ireland Assembly and the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Executive. Accordingly, help in supporting the cost of meeting energy bills during the winter of 2025-26 is a matter for the relevant Northern Ireland Executive Ministers. We recognise that we need to support households struggling with bills whilst we transition to clean power by 2030. On 19 June we announced that we are expanding the Warm Home Discount to around an additional 2.7 million households in England, Wales and Scotland. This means that from this winter, around 6 million low-income households will receive the £150 support to help with their energy bills.

Communities and Local Government, what funding her Department provides to the Northern Ireland Executive to help make derelict properties (a) safe and (b) habitable.

Housing is a devolved matter within the competency of the Northern Ireland Assembly. The UK Government supports the Northern Ireland Executive through a variety of funding streams.

Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to help families in lower socio-economic groups who are unable to afford private sector rental prices.

Housing is a devolved matter within the competency of the Northern Ireland Assembly.The government provides financial support to low-income private renters in England through a range of mechanisms including the housing element of Universal Credit, Discretionary Housing Payments, and the Household Support Fund.The Renters’ Rights Act contains a large number of provisions that will benefit low-income private renters in England. These include measures that empower private tenants to challenge unfair rent increases without fear of eviction; make it illegal for landlords and agents to discriminate against prospective tenants in receipt of benefits or with children; and end the practice of rental bidding by prohibiting landlords and agents from asking for or accepting offers above the advertised rent.

Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help improve (a) sewage lines and (b) other housing infrastructure.

I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to questions UIN 65505 on 14 July 2025 and UIN 77897 on 17 October 2025.

What steps his Department is taking to help find rare blood type donors.

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is the organisation responsible for blood services in England. NHSBT works to find and encourage people with rare blood types to give blood to ensure blood of all types is available for patients when needed.In addition to routine extended antigen typing, which enables many rare donors to be identified, NHSBT’s Rare Donor Screening Programme tests approximately 25,000 donors annually, for additional blood group antigens, to identify donors with rare blood types. This testing helps to maintain a national rare donor panel containing extremely rare types.Furthermore, NHSBT’s Rare Donor Clinical Team contacts donors and actively manages their donation schedule via a special call up process. This team also works closely with hospitals to identify patients and their siblings as potential new donors. To ensure the timely availability of blood, blood from rare donors may also be frozen and stored in the National Frozen Blood Bank and thawed when required for patients.Finally, NHSBT also contributes to the International Rare Donor Panel which contains details of donors of rare blood types from 27 contributing countries and frozen unit inventories from frozen blood banks around the world. Further information on the International Rare Donor Panel is available at the following link:https://www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/ibgrl/services/international-rare-donor-panel/

Whether he plans to increase funding for primary eye care services as part of his Department's plan to shift care from hospitals to the community.

Over the course of the 10-Year Health Plan, the share of expenditure on hospital care will fall and there will be proportionally greater investment in out of-hospital care as local areas build and expand their neighbourhood health services.The detail of Spending Review budget allocations within departments is still being determined and we are working to provide the detail and certainty needed on future funding and spending plans.

Whether his Department plans to take steps with the primary eye care sector to help prevent avoidable sight loss.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for assessing the health needs of their local population and commissioning primary and secondary eye care services to meet them.ICBs already commission National Health Service sight testing services through high street optical practices. Regular sight tests play a crucial role in the early detection of a range of eye conditions and can help prevent avoidable sight loss.ICBs can also commission enhanced eye care services from high street optical practices, including minor and urgent eye care services and glaucoma referral refinement services. These services further support the identification and management of eye conditions to prevent avoidable sight loss.

What estimate his Department has made of the number of people who are out of work due to chronic arthritic pain.

We recognise the effect that poor health can have on economic inactivity and that the economy relies on a healthy population.The 10-Year Health Plan will support people with musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions like arthritis to better manage their condition and access services and support through the three shifts: from hospital to community; from analogue to digital; and from sickness to prevention. For example, the shift from hospital to community will enable people with MSK conditions to access a range of additional services to support the management of their condition and treatment closer to home.In line with this shift, the Government has funded NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time programme to deploy their proven Further Faster model for MSK community services. The programme has been designed to reduce waiting times for community MSK appointments and to enhance access to quality treatment, working with integrated care board leaders to improve data and metrics and referral pathways to wider support services.We are working together to further develop the approach to better enable integrated care systems to commission the delivery of high quality MSK services in the community, which will benefit patients now and into the future.Additionally, the Further Faster 20 scheme, which is an extension of the existing Further Faster Programme, is designed to help reduce waiting lists across multiple specialities at 20 targeted hospital trusts located in areas with the highest levels of economic inactivity.

Whether he has had recent discussions with representatives of the distilling industry on the potential impact of the increase in (a) duties on spirits (b) employer's National Insurance contributions on businesses in the sector.

I have not had any such direct conversations but the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) maintains regular engagement with stakeholders from across the distilling industry and remains committed to supporting economic growth in the sector. Although duties and National Insurance contributions are set by Treasury, DBT regularly shares industry feedback across government to help inform policy decisions to help foster growth, resilience and awareness. We also support the sector by providing access to significant export opportunities overseas, delivered via our free trade agreements in addition to maintaining and opening new market access.

What steps her Department is taking to help support skilled fishermen in Northern Ireland through the visa system.

We are aware of concerns around labour shortages in the fishing industry and seafood processing sectors. The generally more remote location of the jobs, as well as pay and the challenging working conditions, all present challenges for UK and devolved governments, and the industry, to address. It is important that the industry looks to the domestic workforce to fill vacancies.Following publication of our Immigration White Paper, the threshold for Skilled Worker visas was raised to graduate professions, but fishing occupations remain on the Immigration Salary List, as a transitional measure until the end of 2026. The industry will need to adapt away from relying on the visa system in that time.

What assessment his Department has made of trends in the availability of pancreatic cancer drugs.

The Department is aware of ongoing intermittent supply issues with pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT) used in the treatment of pancreatic cancer. We have been continuously assessing the availability of all PERT presentations for the duration of the supply disruption and implementing mitigation measures where there are any supply gaps. The Department is continuing to work with all suppliers of PERT to help resolve the supply issues in the short and longer term. Through these discussions we have managed to secure additional volumes for 2025 for the United Kingdom, and we are in regular communication with suppliers on expected volumes for 2026.The Department has also reached out to specialist importers who have sourced unlicensed stock to assist in covering the remaining gap in the market. We have widely disseminated comprehensive guidance to healthcare professionals, including National Health Service trusts, general practices, and pharmacies, about these supply issues, which provide advice on how to manage patients whilst there is disruption to supply. The Department will continue to work closely with the manufacturers to resolve the issues as soon as possible, to ensure patients have continuous access to medicines.The Department is also aware of a supply issue with mitomycin 10 milligram and 40 milligram powder for solution injection vials, a type of chemotherapy which may be used in the treatment of pancreatic cancer, which are out of stock until mid-January 2026. Alternative treatments have been sourced, and guidance has been issued to health care professionals with management advice until this issue is resolved.