Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they had with the European Union on its General Product Safety Regulation and its implementation in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government maintains a dialogue with the EU on matters of mutual interest. The updated General Product Safety Regulation largely formalises the reality of how businesses are already operating in the UK and the measures are therefore likely to have limited impact. Where businesses need to make changes, we expect that they will be adapting anyway in order to continue trading with the EU. We are providing more guidance in this area, will keep this under review and continue to engage businesses directly to ensure we are supporting them to trade freely across the UK.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what specific plans they have to introduce legislation on the prescription of puberty blockers for children with gender dysphoria issues, and whether they plan to address the issue of such drugs being brought into England from Northern Ireland using prescriptions by private providers, and from other jurisdictions.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care is inclined to renew the emergency banning order on puberty blockers with a view to converting it to a permanent ban, subject to appropriate consultation.
Human medicines and healthcare are transferred matters in respect of Northern Ireland. We are engaging with the Northern Ireland Executive, including on whether the ban should apply across the United Kingdom. We are committed to providing young people with holistic care, in line with the recommendations of the Cass Review.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the likely effect of the EU's General Product Safety Regulation on trade between businesses in Great Britain and customers in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The updated General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) largely formalises the reality of how businesses are already operating in the UK and the measures are therefore likely to have limited impact in practice. Where businesses need to make changes, we expect that they will be adapting anyway to be compliant with the new Regulation to continue trading with the EU. However, we are providing more guidance in this area, will keep this under review and continue to engage businesses directly to ensure we are supporting them to trade freely across the whole of the UK.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government which countries are regarded as unsafe in human rights terms and to which their citizens cannot be deported from the United Kingdom.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
All asylum and human rights claims are carefully considered on their individual facts and merits in accordance with our international obligations.
The Home Office’s assessment of the situation for different groups in different countries is set out in the relevant country policy and information note, which are available via https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/country-policy-and-information-notes.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many people in each of the last three years have been allowed to remain in the United Kingdom as a consequence of a country having been declared unsafe on human rights terms.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
All asylum and human rights claims are carefully considered on their individual facts and merits in accordance with our international obligations.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that those flying from Belfast airports to the EU can buy duty-free goods.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government has no plans to reform duty-free shopping between Northern Ireland and the EU, which would require border controls between Northern Ireland and Ireland and would run counter to the principles of the Windsor Framework.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Ireland about its legal action against them concerning the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Since the election, the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland have met with the Irish Taoiseach and Tanáiste, respectively, and underlined the Government’s commitment to repeal and replace the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023.
We will continue to engage closely with the Irish Government with a view to finding a practical way forward. The participation of both the UK and Irish governments in a legacy process is important if we are to achieve better outcomes for victims and survivors. Of course, we hope that such a process will lead to the withdrawal of the interstate case, though that is a matter for the Irish Government.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government why the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has taken over responsibility for bovine tuberculosis vaccination from the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller
In line with the Windsor Framework (Implementation) Regulations 2024 Statutory Guidance, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has exercised direction and control over the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs only with respect to the limited areas set out in the statutory guidance published on GOV.UK (copy attached). For the avoidance of doubt, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has clarified he has exercised his discretion not to exercise direction and control in relation to animal and plant disease.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government which responsibilities have been taken over by the Secretary of State for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from the Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland since the Windsor Framework (Implementation) Regulations 2024 came into force on 12 April.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller
In line with the Windsor Framework (Implementation) Regulations 2024 Statutory Guidance, the Secretary of State for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has exercised direction and control over the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs only with respect to the limited areas set out in the statutory guidance published on GOV.UK. A copy of the guidance is attached to this answer.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sharpe of Epsom on 15 May (HL4217), under what arrangement 50 illegal migrants were returned from the Republic of Ireland to the UK in the past seven months.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Individuals lawfully in Ireland who enter the United Kingdom unlawfully, and individuals lawfully in the United Kingdom who enter Ireland unlawfully, are liable to be refused entry and returned to the country from which they arrived.