Sorcha Eastwood MP: written questions 2025
154 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Cancer: Young PeopleDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 27 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 42106More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to raise awareness during Teenage and Young Adult Cancer Awareness Month of the signs and symptoms of cancer in April 2025.
Answer: NHS England and other National Health Service organisations, nationally and locally, publish information on the signs and symptoms of many different types of cancer, including those that are most common in teenagers and young adults. Further information o...
Answered 4 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordUK Shared Prosperity FundMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 27 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 42074More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, for what reasons the 2025-26 allocation of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund wasn't an open competition.
Answer: My officials meet regularly with representatives of the voluntary and community sector and local authorities through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund Northern Ireland Partnership Group, as well as officials from the Northern Ireland Executive Departments of ...
Answered 3 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordEconomic Growth: Northern IrelandMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 27 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 42073More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what funding her Department plans to allocate for (a) upskilling, (b) re-skilling and (c) local economic development for women in Northern Ireland beyond financial year 2025-26.
Answer: The government will set out its future vision for local growth at the multi-year spending review. In the meantime, we will continue to engage with Northern Ireland partners, including Northern Ireland Executive, to inform plans beyond 2025-26.
Answered 3 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordTraining and UK Shared Prosperity Fund: Northern IrelandMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 27 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 42072More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what engagement she has had with (a) community groups, (b) local authorities and (c) the Northern Ireland Executive on the reallocation of (a) UK Shared Prosperity Fund and (b) s
Answer: My officials meet regularly with representatives of the voluntary and community sector and local authorities through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund Northern Ireland Partnership Group, as well as officials from the Northern Ireland Executive Departments of ...
Answered 3 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordUK Shared Prosperity Fund: TrainingMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 27 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 42071More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an estimate of the potential cost to the public purse of UK Shared Prosperity Fund spending on (a) upskilling and (b) reskilling programmes; and what oversight a
Answer: The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) provides a total of £3.5 billion of funding, with all places in the UK receiving an allocation via a funding formula. Through the People and Skills investment priority, places can choose to fund projects that help red...
Answered 3 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordLocal Government Finance: Northern IrelandMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 27 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 42070More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an estimate of the total amount of multiply funding that has been allocated for Northern Ireland; how that funding has been distributed; and how that funding com
Answer: Over the course of 2023-25, approximately £8.75m of Multiply funding has been allocated to projects in Northern Ireland. £5.9m was allocated to the Department for the Economy, who are leading a partnership of all eleven NI councils, the three universities...
Answered 2 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordUK Shared Prosperity Fund: Northern IrelandMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 27 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 42069More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will publish a breakdown of how the UK Shared Prosperity Fund has been allocated in Northern Ireland for financial year 2025-26 including spending by (a) sector, (b) regio
Answer: My officials meet regularly with representatives of the voluntary and community sector and local authorities through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund Northern Ireland Partnership Group, as well as officials from the Northern Ireland Executive Departments of ...
Answered 3 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordSyria: Politics and GovernmentForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 14 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 38480More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking with his international counterparts to help support a transitional justice process in Syria.
Answer: Throughout our engagement with the interim authorities and our international partners, we have maintained that a clear path towards transitional justice will be an essential element for the success of a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political transition. Ou...
Answered 25 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordMotor Insurance TaskforceDepartment for TransportTabled 14 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 38479More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has made recent progress on setting a date for the second meeting of the Motor Insurance Taskforce.
Answer: The Department will announce a date for the next meeting of the Motor Insurance Taskforce in due course.
Answered 24 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordRelugolix/estradiol/norethisterone: Northern IrelandDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 38239More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence's recommendation of relugolix-estradiol-norethisterone for routine NHS use to treat endometriosis will extend to Northern Ireland.
Answer: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) makes recommendations on whether new medicines should be routinely funded by the National Health Service in England. NICE published final draft guidance on 13 March 2025 that recommends relugoli...
Answered 19 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordImmigration: SyriaHome OfficeTabled 13 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 38238More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policy of pausing indefinite Leave to Remain applications for Syrian families in the UK recent reports of sectarian and revenge viole
Answer: Following the fall of the Assad regime, the Home Office withdrew the Country Policy Information Notes and guidance relating to Syria and has temporarily paused all asylum interviews and decisions. However, we continue to register new claims from Syrians i...
Answered 20 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordKidney DiseasesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 12 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 37870More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to engage with (a) Kidney Care UK and (b) other patient representative organisations ahead of the World Health Assembly's debate on kidney health.
Answer: The Department has met with Kidney Care UK and will be arranging further meetings with civil society organisations on the full range of health topics to be discussed in advance of the World Health Assembly in May 2025.
Answered 21 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordKidney DiseasesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 12 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 37868More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will support the ratification of the World Health Organisation Resolution to include chronic kidney disease in its priority list of non-communicable diseases.
Answer: The United Kingdom actively engaged in negotiations on the World Health Organization (WHO) resolution, Reducing the Burden of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) through the Promotion of Kidney Health and Strengthening Prevention and Control of Kidney Diseas...
Answered 17 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordCommand Papers: Northern IrelandDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 11 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 37412More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will (a) digitise and (b) publish historic Northern Ireland command papers from 1921 onwards.
Answer: Northern Ireland Command Papers are a matter for the Parliamentary Archives.
Answered 26 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordCasement ParkNorthern Ireland OfficeTabled 10 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 36903More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of progress made on the construction of Casement Park.
Answer: I have met with the GAA to discuss the redevelopment of Casement Park and look forward to meeting with the Communities Minister, Gordon Lyons MLA. I will continue to engage with all involved in this Executive-led project, as all parties assess the options...
Answered 18 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordCasement ParkNorthern Ireland OfficeTabled 10 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 36902More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Minister for Communities on the construction of Casement Park.
Answer: I have met with the GAA to discuss the redevelopment of Casement Park and look forward to meeting with the Communities Minister, Gordon Lyons MLA. I will continue to engage with all involved in this Executive-led project, as all parties assess the options...
Answered 18 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordCasement ParkNorthern Ireland OfficeTabled 10 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 36901More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he is taking steps to facilitate the construction of Casement Park.
Answer: I have met with the GAA to discuss the redevelopment of Casement Park and look forward to meeting with the Communities Minister, Gordon Lyons MLA. I will continue to engage with all involved in this Executive-led project, as all parties assess the options...
Answered 18 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordHospitality Industry: VATTreasuryTabled 10 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 36900More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of reducing VAT on hospitality.
Answer: To support hospitality businesses, the Government intends to introduce permanently lower business rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties, with Rateable Values below £500,000, from 2026-27. Ahead of these changes being made, the Govern...
Answered 18 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordHospitality Industry: VATTreasuryTabled 10 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 36899More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will consider reducing the rate of VAT on hospitality.
Answer: To support hospitality businesses, the Government intends to introduce permanently lower business rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties, with Rateable Values below £500,000, from 2026-27. Ahead of these changes being made, the Govern...
Answered 18 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordIndependent Commission for Reconciliation and Information RecoveryNorthern Ireland OfficeTabled 10 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 36898More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, on what evidential basis he said that Northern Ireland courts had determined that the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery independence has adequate (a) powers and (b) indep
Answer: The Court of Appeal recognised the structural independence and wide powers of the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR). The Court was clear that ICRIR has the capability to replicate investigations that were previousl...
Answered 18 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordPost Office Horizon IT InquiryDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 4 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 35459More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what his expected timeline is for (a) receiving and (b) responding to the Post Office Horizon IT inquiry.
Answer: Sir Wyn Williams is committed to progressing matters as swiftly as he can. Now that the final Phase of gathering oral evidence is complete, Sir Wyn will look to deliver his report on what happened, what went wrong and why. He said in December 2024 that pu...
Answered 13 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordUnited Nations: Older PeopleForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 11 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 30868More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will hold discussions with his UN counterparts on the potential merits of creating a UN Convention on the rights of older persons.
Answer: The UK Government is committed to equality and opportunity for all, with a particular focus on those most likely to be marginalised and discriminated against, including on the grounds of their age. We are open in principle to the idea of a multilateral in...
Answered 17 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordHistorical Institutional Abuse (Northern Ireland) Act 2019Northern Ireland OfficeTabled 28 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 26976More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will amend the Historical Institutional Abuse (Northern Ireland) Act 2019 to include siblings and parents in the entitlement to claim compensation in respect of deceased person criteria.
Answer: The Historical Institutional Abuse (Northern Ireland) Act 2019 provides for a redress scheme for victims who suffered abuse while resident in these institutions in Northern Ireland. The legislation was put in place by the previous UK Government due to the...
Answered 4 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordMotor Insurance TaskforceDepartment for TransportTabled 21 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 25425More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many meetings of the Motor Insurance Taskforce have taken place; and when the next meeting will take place.
Answer: The cross-Government Motor Insurance Taskforce met for the first time on 16 October 2024. The Government will provide updates on the Taskforce’s work in due course.
Answered 28 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordVisas: PalestiniansHome OfficeTabled 20 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 25020More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to create a visa scheme for Palestinians that is similar to the Ukraine Family Scheme.
Answer: Immediate family members of British citizens, and those settled in the UK, who wish to come and live in the UK and do not have a current UK visa can apply under one of the existing family visa routes. There are no plans to create a bespoke family reunion ...
Answered 28 Jan 2025
Original Parliament record
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