Asked by: Liz Twist (Labour - Blaydon)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will hold discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive on the adequacy of resources for tackling NHS waiting times in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)
The Government stands ready to support the Executive to reduce unacceptably long waiting times. The Government has made £3.3bn available to the Executive to spend on its priorities, including over £30m to address healthcare waiting lists.
I am clear that tackling waiting lists and stabilising health services in Northern Ireland is the start of a much bigger challenge in transforming services for the longer term. Innovative strategic thinking is needed to find solutions that will balance budgets and improve all public services across Northern Ireland. The Government is excited to work with Executive Ministers on plans that will deliver for Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Selaine Saxby (Conservative - North Devon)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, What assessment he has made with Cabinet colleagues of the potential merits of extending the Contract for Difference scheme to Northern Ireland.
Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)
Energy policy is devolved in Northern Ireland and is the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Executive Department for the Economy. The Department for the Economy (DfE) held a consultation on Design Considerations for its own bespoke Renewables Support Scheme in February 2023 which included seeking views on having a Contracts for Difference scheme in Northern Ireland. Consultation responses were recently published on 9 April 2024. DfE states that having considered the consultation responses, it will design a new Renewable Electricity Support Scheme for Northern Ireland which builds upon the support schemes across Great Britain, Ireland, and Europe. Northern Ireland has a vital role to play in helping the UK reach net zero by 2050.
Asked by: Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour - Gower)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on the redevelopment of Casement Park.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
EURO 2028 is a fantastic opportunity for the UK and Ireland to showcase world-class sport as hosts.
The UK Government is continuing to work closely with the Department for Communities regarding the cost and delivery of Casement Park. We remain committed to ensuring EURO 2028 leaves a lasting legacy across the UK.
Asked by: Mike Kane (Labour - Wythenshawe and Sale East)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the deadline for uncompleted inquests and civil litigation into Troubles-era offences under the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 on victims.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
From 1 May, victims and families can directly refer their cases to the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery for review and I strongly encourage them to do so.
The Commission will have extensive powers to conduct thorough investigations and will deliver better outcomes for victims and families than the current system.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the informal implementation group for the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement set up with Sinn Féin is still in existence; and when it last met.
Answered by Lord Caine - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The group to which the Noble Baroness refers no longer exists.
Relevant documents relating to this issue are freely accessible in the National Archives at Kew, to which the Noble Baroness might wish to refer. The Government takes seriously its obligations under the Public Records Act 1958.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Penrith and The Border)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what progress he has made on ensuring the long-term availability of veterinary medicines in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)
The Government’s priority is to secure a long-term sustainable solution on veterinary medicines. To that end, we wish to pursue such a solution through discussions with the EU, as well as preparing for safeguards in all scenarios. We have set up a Veterinary Medicines Working Group to advise the Government on solutions and are grateful for your expertise as a member of this group. The Working Group has met twice and aims to report in a timely manner by June.
In the meantime, we have put in place a grace period arrangement until the end of 2025 which supports continuity of supply to Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment he has made of the impact of the Spring Budget 2024 on Northern Ireland.
Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)
The Spring Budget underlined the UK Government’s commitment to Northern Ireland and to the Union.
The Executive will be able to spend additional Barnett funding of £100 million for 2024-25, on top of the £3.3 billion spending settlement.
It announced over £1 billion of new tax reliefs for creative industries across the UK, which is great news for NI’s creative industry businesses.
Another £2 million was announced to boost global investment and trade, building on the successful NI Investment Summit held last September.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
What discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the date of the commencement of the Corporation Tax (Northern Ireland) Act 2015.
Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)
In the Safeguarding the Union Command Paper, the UK Government committed to a rapid, focused process, on the implementation of corporation tax devolution through a new Joint Exchequer Committee.
The Committee will take forward urgent work on this process. However, the devolution of corporation tax alone will not solve the financial challenges facing Northern Ireland. The Executive needs to make difficult decisions around revenue-raising and public service transformation to put Northern Ireland’s finances on a sustainable footing.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress has been made in establishing and making operational the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery on 1 May, in particular with regard to (1) assuming responsibility for Northern Ireland Troubles reinvestigations from Operation Kenova and the Police Service of Northern Ireland, and (2) replacing inquests.
Answered by Lord Caine - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
As I set out in a Written Ministerial Statement on 17 April, I can confirm that the ICRIR’s operational functions will be commenced and the Commission will be able to receive requests and carry out reviews as planned on 1 May 2024 - the point at which the Legacy Act automatically ends current investigations and inquests. From this date, following a request in accordance with the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023, the ICRIR will carry out reviews of Troubles-related deaths and serious injuries that occurred between 1966 and 1998.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress has been made on the memorialisation strategy for Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Caine - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government is committed to the memorialisation measures set out in Part 4 of the Legacy Act and elsewhere. While our focus since Royal Assent of the Act has been on establishing the ICRIR, we know these wider measures are also essential to deliver for victims and families in Northern Ireland. Further to previous announcements on Public History and the project to digitise Troubles-related Government files, we will set out further details in due course.