Claire Hanna MP: written questions
106 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Iran: Belfast International AirportMinistry of DefenceTabled 13 May 2026AnsweredUIN 317More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department is using the Belfast International airport to support military operations targeting Iran.
Answer: Neither Belfast International Airport nor Aldergrove Flying Station, that shares runways with the airport, have been used by the British Military to support the UK's approach in relation to Iran, which is focused on de-escalation, regional stability, and ...
Answered 21 May 2026
Original Parliament recordNational Housing BankMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 28 Apr 2026Awaiting answerUIN 130137More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the recent government funding announcement to establish a new National Housing Bank (£16 billion) will be allocated to the Devolved Administrations via the Barnett formul
Answer: No published answer in this record yet.
Original Parliament recordGreat British Energy: Northern IrelandDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 14 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127215More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what support is available to Northern Ireland through Great British Energy.
Answer: Great British Energy (GBE) will operate in Northern Ireland (NI) as part of its commitment to deliver in all four nations of the UK. In line with its Strategic Plan, GBE will be taking forward the appropriate opportunities in Northern Ireland across all i...
Answered 22 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordRenewable Energy: Northern IrelandDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 14 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127214More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will publish a breakdown of support for renewable energy in Northern Ireland from the UK Government.
Answer: Responsibility for policy and financial support for renewable energy in Northern Ireland is largely devolved. The principal UK‑wide mechanism supporting renewable electricity in Northern Ireland has been the Northern Ireland Renewables Obligation (NIRO), ...
Answered 22 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordTerrorism: Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland OfficeTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 125448More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, with reference to page four of the document entitled The Legacy of the Troubles: A Joint Framework between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of
Answer: The Joint Framework acknowledges the important role that statements of acknowledgement can play in addressing past harms and facilitating societal reconciliation, and states that the UK and Irish governments will take the lead in considering such statemen...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordUK Youth Parliament: FinanceDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 24 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 123284More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent steps she has taken on assigning funding and renewing the national contract for the UK Youth Parliament for the 2026-2028 mandate.
Answer: DCMS has confirmed funding the UK Youth Parliament for the next financial year 2026-2027 and will be working with the National Youth Agency to deliver the programme with partners and young people. Over the coming months, DCMS will be working with young pe...
Answered 30 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Work and Pensions: ContractsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 23 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 122831More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he conducted an assessment of the decision to award Capita the Synergy contract prior to that contract being awarded.
Answer: The Synergy programme awarded its Business Processing Services contract after a robust process, conducted in line with Government procurement regulations. Its priority is to ensure continuity of service and value for public money.
Answered 31 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Work and Pensions: ContractsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 23 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 122817More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had with Capita on ensuring that no redundancies result from the awarding of the Synergy contract to that company.
Answer: Synergy is replacing out of date technology systems and processes that cost us time to use and maintain – time that could be better spent serving people who rely on our services. It will free up employee time for higher value work delivering outcomes for ...
Answered 31 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordFuel Oil: Northern IrelandTreasuryTabled 18 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121870More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Northern Ireland Executive has the ability to create an energy support scheme for users of home heating oil with funding from the UK government, announced in the Autumn budget.
Answer: Spending classed as Annually Managed Expenditure will be provided to Northern Ireland to develop a comparable scheme to that developed in GB. It is for the Northern Ireland Executive to decide how they would like to deliver a comparable offer. The UK Gove...
Answered 27 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordFossil Fuels: International CooperationDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 16 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120944More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the UK becoming a signatory to the Fossil Fuels Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Answer: The UK has not endorsed the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, but we will keep the potential for such initiatives under review. We are committed to working with all alliances where our interests align in delivering the outcomes of the Paris Agreement.
Answered 24 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordUK Internal Trade: Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland OfficeTabled 16 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120943More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps he has taken with Cabinet colleagues in response to reports of suppliers in Great Britain ceasing trade with businesses based in Northern Ireland.
Answer: The Government continues to take practical action to protect and facilitate trade across the UK internal market. At Budget 2025, the Government announced £16.6 million to strengthen the UK internal market, including funding for an enhanced ‘one stop shop’...
Answered 24 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordUK Internal Trade: Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland OfficeTabled 16 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120942More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what guidance he has provided to businesses in Great Britain on the Windsor Framework and Northern Ireland's access to the UK internal market.
Answer: Extensive guidance is available on GOV.UK for businesses moving goods under the Windsor Framework, alongside support from the Trader Support Service. At Autumn Budget 2025, the Government announced £16.6 million to strengthen the UK internal market and he...
Answered 24 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordBelfast AgreementMinistry of JusticeTabled 16 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120883More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to ensure that its legal obligations under the Good Friday Agreement are met when discussing Article 3 of the ECHR with European counterparts.
Answer: This Government is committed to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and the Good Friday Agreement (GFA). We are working with international partners to modernise the application of the ECHR, ensuring it remains effective in addressing challenges...
Answered 24 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordChildcare: Tax AllowancesTreasuryTabled 12 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120458More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many and what proportion of eligible households in Belfast South and Mid Down, West Belfast, North Belfast and East Belfast constituencies are availing of the Tax Free Childcare scheme.
Answer: The number of families that use Tax Free Childcare in these constituencies each year is published in table 12 of Tax Free Childcare statistics (Tax-Free Childcare Statistics, December 2025 - GOV.UK). Eligible population data is not broken down at constitu...
Answered 19 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordMiddle East: Armed ConflictForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 9 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 118927More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the needs of British nationals without access to flights to Britain who are in the Maldives due to the conflict in the Middle East.
Answer: The safety of British nationals remains the Government's top priority. I refer the Hon Member to the statement I gave to the House on 5 March, and the answers provided to questions raised in response. Assisted departures have now taken place from both Oma...
Answered 16 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordMiddle East: Armed ConflictForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 9 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 118926More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans her Department has to provide evacuation flights to British Nationals in the Maldives who are impacted by conflict in the Middle East.
Answer: The safety of British nationals remains the Government's top priority. I refer the Hon Member to the statement I gave to the House on 5 March, and the answers provided to questions raised in response. Assisted departures have now taken place from both Oma...
Answered 16 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordMicroplastics: EU LawDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 9 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 118925More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the EU’s adoption of a ban on the sale of intentionally added microplastics.
Answer: In 2022, Defra initiated a research proposal to investigate the risks of intentionally added microplastics. The evidence project reviewed their emissions, the risks they pose both to human health and the environment, and included a socio-economic assessme...
Answered 16 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordSurveillance: Northern IrelandHome OfficeTabled 4 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 117911More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to establish a commissioner for covert law enforcement in Northern Ireland that could help ensure covert surveillance techniques are only used within the law.
Answer: Oversight of the use of investigatory powers in Northern Ireland is provided by the UK-wide Investigatory Powers Commissioner.The Commissioner’s role is to ensure that such use is necessary and proportionate and in accordance with the law. This arrangemen...
Answered 12 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordMiddle East: Armed ConflictForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 2 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 116860More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to help ensure Northern Irish residents who hold only Irish passports will be supported for evacuation, by the British government, from locations in
Answer: Anyone who is eligible for British nationality can use the Register Your Presence service, including those with birthright citizenship under the Good Friday agreement, irrespective of whether or not they have a British Passport. If a constituent does not ...
Answered 16 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordTaxation: Digital TechnologyTreasuryTabled 25 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 116047More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how and when her Department plans to roll out the 'Making Tax Digital' scheme across turnover brackets.
Answer: MTD for Income Tax will be introduced across the UK from April 2026 for sole traders and landlords with qualifying income over £50,000. It will be extended to those with qualifying income over £30,000 from April 2027 and for those with qualifying income o...
Answered 4 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordChildminding: Tax AllowancesTreasuryTabled 25 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 116046More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many childminders i) across the UK ii) in Northern Ireland are expected to be impacted by the loss of the 10% wear and tear allowance.
Answer: Childminders make a significant contribution to children’s development, learning, and wellbeing. The Government has eased rules on working from schools and community centres and increased early years funding rates above 2023 average fees. These increases ...
Answered 4 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordSodium Valproate and Surgical Mesh Implants: CompensationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 20 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 114277More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department will publish a formal response to the Hughes report.
Answer: The Government is carefully considering the valuable work done by the Patient Safety Commissioner and the resulting Hughes Report, which sets out options for redress for those harmed by sodium valproate and pelvic mesh. I recently met with the Patient Saf...
Answered 26 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordSocial Security Benefits: ChildrenDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 20 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 113986More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to increase the benefit cap.
Answer: There is a statutory obligation to review the levels of the benefit cap at least once every five years. They were last reviewed in November 2022 and, as such, a further review is required by November 2027. This will happen at the appropriate time as deter...
Answered 27 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordCivil Servants: Workplace PensionsCabinet OfficeTabled 20 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 113886More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to tackle the gender pension gap in the civil service.
Answer: The Civil Service pension schemes are some of the most generous pension schemes available in the UK, utilising defined benefit arrangements and contractual enrolment to ensure those who dedicate their working lives to public service are rewarded appropria...
Answered 2 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordCivil Servants: Workplace PensionsCabinet OfficeTabled 20 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 113885More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what comparative assessment he has made of the gender pension gap in the civil service with the overall gender pension gap.
Answer: The Civil Service pension schemes are some of the most generous pension schemes available in the UK, utilising defined benefit arrangements and contractual enrolment to ensure those who dedicate their working lives to public service are rewarded appropria...
Answered 2 Mar 2026
Original Parliament record
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