Alex Easton MP: written questions
242 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Public Sector: Northern IrelandTreasuryTabled 4 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 18019More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on funding for public sector pay awards in Northern Ireland; and whether she has allocated funding to ensure parity in pay offers for public sector wo
Answer: As a result of decisions taken at Autumn Budget 2024 and Phase 1 of Spending Review 2025, the Northern Ireland Executive is receiving £15.6 billion block grant funding in 2024-25 and £18.2 billion in 2025-26. Funding in 2025-26 represents the largest real...
Answered 12 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordMinistry of Defence Guard Service: Northern IrelandMinistry of DefenceTabled 3 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 17703More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of standing down the Guard Force in Northern Ireland on the security of Army Reserve Centres; and what plans he has to support affected full-time re
Answer: The guarding of Army Reserve Centres in Northern Ireland is being reviewed. The Government will share further details with the House in due course.
Answered 11 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordSocial Security Benefits: VeteransDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 27 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 16635More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she will make an assessment of the potential impact of classifying military compensation as income in means tested benefits assessments on veterans; and if she will take steps to ensure that mil
Answer: The receipt of War Pensions and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) awards is already fully ignored when calculating eligibility for Universal Credit. The first £10 per week of a War Pension or AFCS award is disregarded in: income-related Employment a...
Answered 5 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordJames Scott Rhys AndersonForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 26 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 16444More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he is having with his Russian counterpart on the release of James Scott Rhys Anderson.
Answer: The British Embassy in Moscow requested urgent confirmation of Mr Anderson's detention and location and reminded the Russian Federation of their obligations under International Humanitarian Law, including the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protoc...
Answered 4 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordMaternity PayDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 25 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 15974More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to help support the parents of (a) twins and (b) other multiple births; if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing additional maternity pay t
Answer: The DWP wants new mothers to be able to take time away from work in the interests of their own and their baby’s health and wellbeing. That is why maternity pay is primarily a health and safety provision for pregnant working women and is paid for each preg...
Answered 3 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordChildren: ProtectionDepartment for EducationTabled 21 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 15614More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking steps to (a) investigate allegations of (i) bullying, (ii) physical violence, (iii) sexual violence and (iv) suicides in schools and (b) (i) protect children and (ii) uphold
Answer: Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.Schools should be calm, safe and supportive environments which children want to attend, and which support them to learn and thrive. Any form of violence in school i...
Answered 29 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordAgriculture: Inheritance TaxTreasuryTabled 19 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 15065More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make it her policy to reverse the proposed tax changes to (a) agricultural property relief and (b) business property relief on family-owned (i) farms and (ii) businesses.
Answer: The Government set out its policy at Autumn Budget 2024 and that remains the Government’s policy.
Answered 27 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordNational Insurance: Proof of IdentityTreasuryTabled 18 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14883More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of adding a photograph to National Insurance cards issued at the age of 16 to provide photographic identification.
Answer: HMRC is responsible for issuing National Insurance Numbers (NINos) to the children of people receiving Child Benefit and Tax-Free Childcare . As a young person approaches age 16, HMRC informs them of their NINo via a letter. Cards have not been sent since...
Answered 26 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordUK Internal Trade: Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland OfficeTabled 15 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14551More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the (a) Windsor Framework and (b) Northern Ireland Protocol on businesses in North Down constituency; and what steps his Departme
Answer: The Government is committed to the Windsor Framework and to protecting the UK internal market. The Framework guarantees unfettered access for Northern Ireland’s businesses to the UK market on a permanent basis. The Windsor Framework also provides a long-t...
Answered 25 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordPost Offices: ClosuresDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 15 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14509More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions he has had with the Post Office on proposed closures.
Answer: The Secretary of State and I recently met with the Post Office Chair, Nigel Railton, and discussed his proposals for the future of the company before Mr Railton announced Post Office's Transformation Plan on 13th November. While Post Office has the freedo...
Answered 25 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordBusiness Rates: Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland OfficeTabled 14 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14438More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that businesses in Northern Ireland receive the same rate relief support as their counterparts in other regions of the United Kingdom, including the recent 4
Answer: Business relief support is devolved to the Northern Ireland Executive. The Northern Ireland Executive’s Spending Review settlement for 2025-26 is the largest in real terms of any settlement since devolution.The Northern Ireland Executive is receiving £18....
Answered 20 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordAnimal Experiments: DogsHome OfficeTabled 14 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14429More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what happens to dogs held for research purposes by Government (a) Departments and (b) agencies once research has been completed.
Answer: The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) provides protections for animals in the UK that are used in scientific procedures.For dogs used in science, the Home Office expects that every opportunity will be taken to re-home animals where it is app...
Answered 21 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordAnimal ExperimentsHome OfficeTabled 14 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14428More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many animals are held by Government (a) Departments and (b) agencies for research; and what type of animals are held.
Answer: The Annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals, Great Britain 2023 was published on the 11 September 2024.The statistics provide full details on the number of licensed procedures carried out, the species of animals and the purposes for w...
Answered 21 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordPost Offices: ClosuresDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 13 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14201More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to (a) help prevent Post Office closures in (i) the United Kingdom and (ii) Bangor, North Down and (b) ensure continued access to (A) postal and (B) banking services in impacted
Answer: Government provides an annual £50m Network Subsidy funding to support the delivery of a minimum number of branches and a geographical spread of branches in line with published access criteria. The access criteria ensure that however the network changes, P...
Answered 22 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordElectric Vehicles: Charging PointsDepartment for TransportTabled 12 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 13941More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to accelerate the rollout of public electric vehicle charge points; and what steps she plans to take to ensure sufficient infrastructure to meet the growing demand for electric vehicles
Answer: The Government is committed to accelerating the roll-out of charging infrastructure so that everyone, no matter where they live or work, can make the transition to an electric vehicle (EV). As of November, there are over 71,000 publicly available charging...
Answered 19 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordEritrea: Religious FreedomForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 11 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 13713More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, Commonwealth and Development affairs, what steps he is taking to help promote the rights of religious minorities in Eritrea.
Answer: We consistently raise human rights with the Eritrean government, including religious freedoms. We advocate for the end of detentions based on religion or belief, as we have stated at the UN Human Rights Council. We call for all those unjustly incarcerated...
Answered 19 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordMental Health Services: Northern IrelandDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 11 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 13683More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve mental health support for young people in (a) Northern Ireland and (b) the United Kingdom; and whether he is allocating additional resources to ensure (i) timely
Answer: As health is a devolved matter, it is for the devolved Governments to decide how best to improve mental health support for children and young people in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.Plans for investment in children and young people’s mental health...
Answered 20 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordAffordable Housing: Young PeopleMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 11 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 13671More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to increase the (a) affordability and (b) availability of housing for young people.
Answer: With regard to the supply of social and affordable housing, I refer the Hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 11383 on 31 October 2024.To support first-time buyers, the Government has committed to introducing a permanent, comprehensive mortgage g...
Answered 19 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordOvarian CancerDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 8 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 13380More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to (a) increasing public awareness of the symptoms of, (b) provide timely access to (i) diagnostic tests and (ii) treatments for and (c) otherwise take steps to
Answer: NHS England runs Help Us Help You campaigns to increase knowledge of cancer symptoms and address barriers to acting on them, to encourage people to come forward as soon as possible to see their general practitioner. The campaigns focus on a range of sympt...
Answered 14 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordPlastics: TreatiesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 8 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 13352More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his policy is on (a) chemical recycling and (b) the mass balance approach at the INC5 negotiations for the UN Global Plastics Treaty.
Answer: At the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop a new UN Plastic Pollution Treaty, the UK will align with our domestic policy on any provisions related to chemical recycling. The UK recognises that chemical recycling technol...
Answered 28 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordPlastics: TreatiesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 8 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 13351More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an estimate of the amount of funding that will be required to meet the UK's potential obligations under the proposed UN global plastics treaty.
Answer: The UK is a leader on efforts to end plastic pollution. We already have a broad range of measures in place domestically that we are using, alongside ongoing industry and private sector engagement, as the basis to drive ambition across the proposed provisi...
Answered 20 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordHamas: Hostage TakingForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 8 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 13316More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what (a) diplomatic, (b) humanitarian and (c) other steps he is taking with international counterparts to help secure the release of hostages held in Gaza.
Answer: Since day one of this government, we have prioritised working to end this conflict and secure the safe release of hostages, in co-ordination with international partners. The Prime Minister - along with other G7 Leaders - has fully endorsed efforts by the ...
Answered 21 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordSodium Valproate and Surgical Mesh Implants: CompensationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 6 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 13158More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Patient Safety Commissioner's report entitled The Hughes Report: Options for redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh, published on 7 February 2024, what assessme
Answer: The impact of sodium valproate on families affected by fetal valproate syndrome in Northern Ireland is a transferred matter and is the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Executive, therefore an assessment has not been made by the Department of Health ...
Answered 12 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordSpecial Educational Needs: FinanceDepartment for EducationTabled 5 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 12849More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure local authorities have equal access to funding for special educational needs and disabilities services.
Answer: Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or in alternative provision receive the righ...
Answered 12 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordUK Internal Trade: Northern IrelandDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 4 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 12673More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what data his Department holds on the number of lorries turned away at Northern Ireland ports for carrying cargo incorrectly listed on their manifests.
Answer: In line with the commitments we have made, as we move to our new UK internal market system we will ensure that the only checks when goods move within the UK internal market system are those conducted by UK authorities as part of a risk-based or intelligen...
Answered 13 Nov 2024
Original Parliament record
Published records only — not a full account of an MP’s work. How we work →