Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill ensures that Northern Ireland has the same immigration rules as the rest of the UK.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Government takes its legal obligations seriously, the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill complies with those obligations.
The Bill will apply in full in Northern Ireland in the same way as it does in the rest of the United Kingdom. This is explicit on the face of the Bill and will always be the case, reflecting that immigration policy is a UK-wide matter.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications of the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill for the operation of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Government takes its legal obligations seriously, the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill complies with those obligations.
The Bill will apply in full in Northern Ireland in the same way as it does in the rest of the United Kingdom. This is explicit on the face of the Bill and will always be the case, reflecting that immigration policy is a UK-wide matter.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much of the total costs incurred by the Police Service of Northern Ireland covering the visit of President Biden and other dignitaries to Northern Ireland during the commemoration of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement they have refunded.
Answered by Lord Caine - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
In line with the HMT Statement of Funding Policy, the UK Government has agreed to meet costs totalling £2.752 million towards the policing operation for President Biden's visit and other dignitaries to Northern Ireland during events to mark the 25th anniversary of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement.
The budget will be transferred to the Department of Justice for Northern Ireland to transfer to the Police Service of Northern Ireland at Supplementary Estimates 2023/24.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much they have spent on any aspect of the Casement Park redevelopment, including any estimate for time spent by civil servants.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Casement Park was confirmed as a proposed stadium for Euro 2028 in the final bid of April 2023. The Sub-Regional Stadia Programme, including the redevelopment of Casement Park, is the responsibility of the Department for Communities in Northern Ireland.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport engages with its partners in Northern Ireland, as do other Government Departments – including the Northern Ireland Office and HM Treasury – on plans to deliver Euro 2028 and to make sure the tournament leaves a lasting legacy of football for all.
We will continue to analyse relevant proposals and business cases for Casement Park, to ensure that we are making the best use of resources to support the success of the tournament.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government which departments are engaging with the Irish Football Association in relation to the UEFA Euro 2028 Casement Park project.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Casement Park was confirmed as a proposed stadium for Euro 2028 in the final bid of April 2023. The Sub-Regional Stadia Programme, including the redevelopment of Casement Park, is the responsibility of the Department for Communities in Northern Ireland.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport engages with its partners in Northern Ireland, as do other Government Departments – including the Northern Ireland Office and HM Treasury – on plans to deliver Euro 2028 and to make sure the tournament leaves a lasting legacy of football for all.
We will continue to analyse relevant proposals and business cases for Casement Park, to ensure that we are making the best use of resources to support the success of the tournament.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they first discussed the inclusion of Casement Park in the UEFA Euro 2028 bid.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Casement Park was confirmed as a proposed stadium for Euro 2028 in the final bid of April 2023. The Sub-Regional Stadia Programme, including the redevelopment of Casement Park, is the responsibility of the Department for Communities in Northern Ireland.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport engages with its partners in Northern Ireland, as do other Government Departments – including the Northern Ireland Office and HM Treasury – on plans to deliver Euro 2028 and to make sure the tournament leaves a lasting legacy of football for all.
We will continue to analyse relevant proposals and business cases for Casement Park, to ensure that we are making the best use of resources to support the success of the tournament.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government why is the absence of a working executive a reason for not including Northern Ireland in the third round of the Levelling Up Fund when in previous years the absence did not stop funding.
Answered by Baroness Penn - Minister on Leave (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State)
In Northern Ireland, the Government is not proceeding with this round of the Levelling Up Fund at this time. In the context of the growing pressure on Northern Ireland budgets it is right that UKG should consider its approach to funding available for Northern Ireland in the round. £30 million has been reserved for Northern Ireland from LUF 3. As part of our commitment to levelling up, we want to work with a restored Executive to find the best approach to supporting people in Northern Ireland, taking account of current budget pressures.
We will continue to work closely with projects and places in Northern Ireland that were awarded a total of £120 million in the first two rounds of the Fund and work with stakeholders on how best to level up communities in Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Football Association about the implications for fairness and safety for women in football of their policy developments on the inclusion of transgender people.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Football Association has previously attended a roundtable meeting about participation in sport by transgender people, hosted by His Majesty's Government, where we set out the position below.
When it comes to competitive sport, HM Government believes that fairness has to be the primary consideration. HM Government is clear that a way forward is needed which protects and shows compassion to all, whilst being clear that the integrity of competition must be maintained.
Where sex does have an impact on the fairness of competitive women’s sport, domestic governing bodies and international federations must provide clear direction to protect the integrity of women's sport.
It is ultimately for all individual sports’ National Governing Bodies, including the Football Association, to decide on the specific appropriate initiatives to make women’s sport fair and safe in their organisations whilst making football inclusive for all.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with sports governing bodies on the availability of female-only categories of competition that exclude all males.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
His Majesty’s Government has discussed the Sports Council Equality Group’s guidance on transgender participation with sports governing bodies on multiple occasions.
When it comes to competitive sport, HM Government believes fairness has to be the primary consideration. HM Government is clear a way forward is needed that protects and shows compassion to all, whilst being clear that the integrity of competition must be maintained.
Where sex does have an impact on the fairness of competitive women’s sport, domestic governing bodies and international federations must provide clear direction to protect the integrity of women's sport.
It is ultimately for all individual sports’ national governing bodies to decide on the specific appropriate initiatives to make women’s sport fair and safe in their organisations, whilst making sport inclusive for all.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the 2021 census, (1) how were the cisgender and transgender individuals who took part in ONS qualitative research on gender identity conducted in 2017 selected; (2) what percentage of transgender individuals participated in the (a) 2019 census rehearsal and (b) 2021 census; (3) which local authority areas were chosen for the rehearsal; and (4) what assessment they have made of census data relating to high levels of trans-identified individuals in areas of England and Wales with high minority ethnic populations.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
Please see the letter attached from the National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority.
The Baroness Hoey
House of Lords
London
SW1A 0PW
14 November 2023
Dear Baroness Hoey,
As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking (1) how the cisgender and transgender individuals who took part in Office for National Statistics (ONS) qualitative research on gender identity, conducted in 2017, were selected; (2) what percentage of transgender individuals participated in the (a) 2019 census rehearsal and (b) 2021 census; (3) which local authority areas were chosen for the rehearsal; and (4) what assessment has been made of census data relating to high levels of trans-identified individuals in areas of England and Wales with high minority ethnic populations (HL38).
Census 2021 was the first census in England and Wales to collect data on people's gender identity. The census asked a voluntary question on gender identity of people aged 16 and over and this data was first published in January 2023.
On 8 November 2023, the ONS published an article titled ‘Quality of Census 2021 gender identity data’ [1]. This is the result of its investigation into the quality of census gender identity data after some unexpected patterns were identified. It included looking at patterns of trans identification by ethnic group, country of birth and proficiency in English. These patterns can offer some insight into the last aspect of your question relating to the level of trans-identified individuals in England and Wales with high minority ethnic populations.
Gender identity question development
As with all census questions, the gender identity question went through a detailed process of development and testing. This evaluated three core designs as described in detail in our 2020 publication ‘Sex and gender identity question development for Census 2021’ [2]. As set out in Annex 2 of that report, the testing activities conducted for this topic included:
qualitative research involving both trans participants and those whose gender identity is the same as their sex registered at birth (cisgender)
quantitative research through five online and multi-modal surveys with a range of respondents
inclusion in the 2019 Census Rehearsal
Your questions relating to specific testing within that process are addressed below
Participants in qualitative testing in 2017
In 2017, we carried out two sets of qualitative testing as part of the development of the gender identity question. In March and April 2017, we carried out exploratory cognitive interviews and focus groups, this testing is referred to as 2017:6 in annex 2 [2] and in the summary of testing for Census 2021 which includes further information [3]. We included cisgender (female and male), transgender, and intersex participants, as well as people with a transgender person in their family. We also made sure we involved people of different ages, education levels, ethnicities, and household types. Transgender participants were recruited through the following sources:
Various trans organisations and contacts.
Respondents to the ONS’s Opinions and Lifestyle Survey who had given permission for ONS to contact them again for future research.
Follow-up contact with volunteers from previous research.
Through a request for volunteers with the required characteristics among family, friends, and other contacts of ONS staff (the participants did not include ONS staff themselves).
In August and September 2017, we carried out further cognitive interviews with cisgender and transgender participants (2017:15) [2] . Transgender participants were recruited through various trans organisations and follow-up contact with people who had responded to recruitment for the earlier research but weren’t interviewed at that time. Cisgender participants were recruited through the research team’s register of participants in previous research on other topics, who had given permission for ONS to contact them again for future research.
The 2019 Census Rehearsal
The 2019 Census Rehearsal took place in four local authority areas: Carlisle, Ceredigion, Hackney, and Tower Hamlets. These locations were selected so that we could rehearse in different types of areas. The Rehearsal tested our preparations, our operational processes and systems, our digital platform, our engagement and communications strategies and the Census Coverage Survey, as part of our preparations for Census 2021. It was not designed to collect representative data, but to test, evaluate and gather feedback on our preparations. The overall response rate for this voluntary survey was therefore lower than for Census 2021, particularly for communal establishments such as student halls of residence.
The gender identity question was voluntary in Census 2021 and was clearly marked as voluntary in the questionnaire for both the census and the 2019 Rehearsal. In the Rehearsal, 0.3% of respondents aged 16 and over answered ‘No’ to the gender identity question, reporting that their gender identity was different to their sex registered at birth. In Census 2021, 0.5% of respondents answered ‘No’ to the gender identity question; 6% of census respondents gave no answer to the question.
Yours sincerely,
Professor Sir Ian Diamond
[1] https://www.ons.gov.uk/releases/qualityofcensus2021genderidentitydata