Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the new EU law on protection of geographical indications for craft and industrial products will be introduced in Northern Ireland under the Windsor Framework via Article 13(4)(a), following the applicability motion on 19 March which did not gain cross-community consent.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
It is welcome that the restoration of the devolved institutions allows for the exercise of the democratic scrutiny mechanisms that have been put in place. Following the applicability motion on 19 March, the duties under Schedule 6B of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 apply. The Government will determine and set out its approach to Parliament in the usual way, respecting the statutory framework in full.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to introduce legislation to ensure “zero checks and zero customs paperwork” for goods moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland via the UK Internal Market Scheme; and if so, when.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
As set out in the Safeguarding the Union Command Paper, the internal market system will ensure the smooth flow of goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland for internal UK trade. In line with the Government’s commitments since 2021, these arrangements establish individual schemes that can be used only by UK internal market traders, to preserve those benefits for UK traders and to maintain the smooth flow of that trade. Checks on internal UK movements under the schemes will be removed except those conducted by UK authorities and required as part of a risk-based or intelligence-led approach to tackle criminality, abuse of the schemes, smuggling and disease risks. We will set out further information on the transition to these new arrangements shortly.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether checks are still made on goods moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland via the UK Internal Market Scheme.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
As set out in the Safeguarding the Union Command Paper, the internal market system will ensure the smooth flow of goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland for internal UK trade. In line with the Government’s commitments since 2021, these arrangements establish individual schemes that can be used only by UK internal market traders, to preserve those benefits for UK traders and to maintain the smooth flow of that trade. Checks on internal UK movements under the schemes will be removed except those conducted by UK authorities and required as part of a risk-based or intelligence-led approach to tackle criminality, abuse of the schemes, smuggling and disease risks. We will set out further information on the transition to these new arrangements shortly.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government when all (1) checks, and (2) paperwork, will cease to be required for goods moving via the UK Internal Market Scheme.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
As set out in the Safeguarding the Union Command Paper, the internal market system will ensure the smooth flow of goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland for internal UK trade. In line with the Government’s commitments since 2021, these arrangements establish individual schemes that can be used only by UK internal market traders, to preserve those benefits for UK traders and to maintain the smooth flow of that trade. Checks on Internal UK movements under the schemes will be removed except those conducted by UK authorities and required as part of a risk-based or intelligence-led approach to tackle criminality, abuse of the schemes, smuggling and disease risks. We will set out further information on the transition to these new arrangements shortly.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether a matter vetoed under the operation of the Stormont Brake and not subsequently agreed by the UK–EU Joint Committee may be brought to international arbitration; and whether the UK has committed to accepting such a decision as final.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
It is correct to note that the Stormont Brake safeguard is not subject to any ECJ oversight, and any dispute on this issue would be resolved through subsequent independent arbitration according to international, not EU, law.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the value of services sold by businesses in Northern Ireland to clients in the European Union in each of the past 10 years.
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
30 January 2024
Dear Lady Hoey,
As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking what estimate has been made of the value of services sold by businesses in Northern Ireland to clients in the European Union in each of the past 10 years (HL1788).
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) have published subnational trade in service statistics for 2016 to 2021 [1].
Table 1 provides details of the requested figures. The required source data is not available for pre-2016 so we are unable to provide estimates for the full 10-year period as requested. Please note that data are in current prices and, as such, include the effect of inflation.
Table 1 EU Exports of services from Northern Ireland to the EU, £ million
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
EU Services Exports from Northern Ireland | £2,742m | £2,767m | £5,274m | £1,779m | £1,469m | £1,555m |
Source: Office for National Statistics
Yours sincerely,
Professor Sir Ian Diamond
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
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many excess deaths there have been in England and Wales in each quarter since 1 January 2020; what were the totals in the years (1) 2020, (2) 2021, (3) 2022, and (4) 2023 to date; and what proportion of deaths where COVID-19 is mentioned on the death certificate have been (a) male, and (b) female.
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 how many excess deaths there have been in England and Wales in each quarter since 1 January 2020; what were the totals in the years (1) 2020, (2) 2021, (3) 2022, and (4) 2023 to date; and what proportion of deaths where COVID-19 is mentioned on the death certificate have been (a) male, and (b) female (HL36).
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes statistics on deaths registered in England and Wales. Mortality statistics are compiled from information supplied when deaths are certified and registered as part of civil registration.
Table 1 provides information on excess deaths by quarter in England and Wales. It also provides the age-standardised mortality rate (ASMR) by quarter which is a weighted average of the age-specific mortality rate per 100,000 people. This takes into account the population size and age structure which means comparisons between populations that may contain different proportions of people of different ages can be made.
Table 2 provides information on deaths involving COVID-19 by sex.
Yours sincerely,
Professor Sir Ian Diamond
Table 1: Number and proportions of excess deaths by quarter, 2020 to 2023 [1] [2] [3]
Year | Quarter | Deaths | ASMR | Five-year average deaths | Five-year average ASMR | Excess deaths | Percentage excess deaths | Percentage excess ASMR |
2020 | 1 | 150077 | 1045.2 | 151931 | 1120.6 | -1854 | -1.2 | -6.7 |
2020 | 2 | 183118 | 1271.1 | 127709 | 928.9 | 55409 | 43.4 | 36.8 |
2020 | 3 | 120456 | 826.9 | 119446 | 855.6 | 1010 | 0.8 | -3.3 |
2020 | 4 | 154271 | 1059.1 | 132992 | 948.8 | 21279 | 16.0 | 11.6 |
2021 | 1 | 180673 | 1266.2 | 151931 | 1120.6 | 28742 | 18.9 | 13 |
2021 | 2 | 120663 | 836.5 | 127709 | 928.9 | -7046 | -5.5 | -10 |
2021 | 3 | 134035 | 914.6 | 119446 | 855.6 | 14589 | 12.2 | 6.9 |
2021 | 4 | 150963 | 1019.1 | 132992 | 948.8 | 17971 | 13.5 | 7.4 |
2022 | 1 | 148514 | 1013.3 | 156965 | 1137.7 | -8451 | -5.4 | -10.9 |
2022 | 2 | 138818 | 926.3 | 126521 | 905.1 | 12297 | 9.7 | 2.3 |
2022 | 3 | 137700 | 902.5 | 122596 | 863.6 | 15104 | 12.3 | 4.5 |
2022 | 4 | 152136 | 991.8 | 137332 | 962.2 | 14804 | 10.8 | 3.1 |
2023 | 1 | 171371 | 1136 | 158239 | 1126.3 | 13132 | 8.3 | 0.9 |
2023 | 2 | 139277 | 909.2 | 128234 | 898 | 11043 | 8.6 | 1.2 |
2023 | 3 | 128711 | 827.9 | 126109 | 869 | 2602 | 2.1 | -4.7 |
Source: Office for National Statistics
Table 2: Number and proportions of deaths involving COVID-19 by quarter, 2020 to 2023 [1] [2] [3] [4]
Year | Quarter | Deaths | Male (Deaths) | Female (Deaths) | Male (%) | Female (%) |
2020 | 1 | 1734 | 1054 | 680 | 60.8 | 39.2 |
2020 | 2 | 48580 | 26638 | 21942 | 54.8 | 45.2 |
2020 | 3 | 2770 | 1552 | 1218 | 56 | 44 |
2020 | 4 | 28711 | 16003 | 12708 | 55.7 | 44.3 |
2021 | 1 | 56418 | 29836 | 26582 | 52.9 | 47.1 |
2021 | 2 | 2670 | 1567 | 1103 | 58.7 | 41.3 |
2021 | 3 | 7696 | 4504 | 3192 | 58.5 | 41.5 |
2021 | 4 | 10943 | 6392 | 4551 | 58.4 | 41.6 |
2022 | 1 | 12875 | 7186 | 5689 | 55.8 | 44.2 |
2022 | 2 | 8369 | 4472 | 3897 | 53.4 | 46.6 |
2022 | 3 | 6756 | 3648 | 3108 | 54 | 46 |
2022 | 4 | 6344 | 3394 | 2950 | 53.5 | 46.5 |
2023 | 1 | 7978 | 4118 | 3860 | 51.6 | 48.4 |
2023 | 2 | 4246 | 2355 | 1891 | 55.5 | 44.5 |
2023 | 3 | 2053 | 1241 | 812 | 60.4 | 39.6 |
Source: Office for National Statistics
[1] Figures are for deaths registered, rather than deaths occurring, in each period.
[2] Figures include deaths of non-residents.
[3] Figures for 2023 are based on provisional data.
[4] The International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Edition (ICD-10) codes for COVID-19 are U07.1, U07.2, U09.9, U10.9
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Caine on 7 November 2022 (HL Deb col 530), what assessment they have made of the compatibility of Article VI of the Union of Ireland Act 1800 with the green and red lane system in the Windsor Framework.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
We published our legal position when the Windsor Framework was agreed. This provided the Government's assessment that the Framework respects the Acts of Union.
We understand that the Acts of Union are of fundamental importance, reflecting Northern Ireland’s constitutional position in the United Kingdom.
We remain fully committed to Northern Ireland’s place in the Union and believe that it is best safeguarded by a fully functioning devolved government.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government to which events to mark the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and proclamation events to mark the accession of His Majesty King Charles III that they were responsible for organising, members of the Northern Ireland Judiciary were invited; and (1) which events they attended, and (2) who was in attendance from this group in each case.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Lady Chief Justice of Northern Ireland, The Rt Hon. Dame Siobhan Keegan DBE KC was the member of the Northern Ireland Judiciary invited to events to mark the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and proclamation events to mark the accession of His Majesty King Charles III, for which the organisational responsibility was with HMG.
The Lady Chief Justice attended the Accession Council. The Lady Chief Justice was invited to the Proclamation at Hillsborough Castle and was invited to and attended the Service of Reflection at St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast.
The Royal Household had responsibility for the guest list for the State Funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. HMG provided support in coordinating certain elements of the guest list.