Lord Caine

Qualification for inclusion under each of these employment rights will depend on whether individuals meet the eligibility criteria for each right. If a special adviser meets the eligibility criteria, then a right will apply to them.

The Government has carefully reviewed the evidence from the consultation carried out earlier this year and has conducted comprehensive engagement with businesses. This has informed our planned approach which will safeguard the supply of goods into Northern Ireland.

We will work intensively with industry to monitor those supplies and to be assured that they will be maintained as the implementation of the Windsor Framework continues. At the same time, we will take the powers necessary to apply ‘not for EU’ labelling in the future, if that is required to secure those supplies across the UK internal market.

The Government published information about the reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief on gov.uk.

It is expected that up to around 2,000 estates will be affected by the changes to APR and BPR. Up to around 520 of these are expected to relate to claims for APR (including those that also claim for BPR), and this number falls to around 430 when claims that include AIM shares are excluded. Almost three-quarters of estates claiming agricultural property relief (or those claiming agricultural property relief and business property relief together) each year are expected to be unaffected by these reforms.

The Government published information about the reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief on gov.uk.

Almost three-quarters of estates claiming agricultural property relief (or those claiming agricultural property relief and business property relief together) each year are expected to be unaffected by these reforms. It is expected that up to around 2,000 estates will be affected by the changes to APR and BPR. Up to around 520 of these are expected to relate to claims for APR (including those that also claim for BPR), and this number falls to around 430 when claims that include AIM shares are excluded.

The Government takes into account all representations made ahead of the Budget, and meets with stakeholders on a regular basis.

The Government published information about the reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief on gov.uk.

Almost three-quarters of estates claiming agricultural property relief (or those claiming agricultural property relief and business property relief together) each year are expected to be unaffected by these reforms. It is expected that up to around 2,000 estates will be affected by the changes to APR and BPR. Up to around 520 of these are expected to relate to claims for APR (including those that also claim for BPR), and this number falls to around 430 when claims that include AIM shares are excluded.

The Government takes into account all representations made ahead of the Budget, and meets with stakeholders on a regular basis.

Northern Ireland has a thriving hospitality sector, and this Government is committed to working with the NI Executive to support sustainable economic growth. The settlement for Northern Ireland in the Budget is the biggest real terms settlement since devolution.

To repair the £22bn black hole inherited by the Government and help raise the revenue required to increase funding for public services, the Government has taken the difficult decision to increase employer National Insurance. We recognise the need to protect the smallest employers which is why we have more than doubled the Employment Allowance to £10,500, meaning more than half of businesses with NICs liabilities either gain or see no change next year.

The Government is adopting recommendations of the Low Pay Commission to increase the National Living Wage by 6.7% to £12.21 an hour, and increasing the National Minimum Wage for 18-20 year olds by 16.3%. There are estimated to be almost 100,000 minimum wage workers in Northern Ireland in 2023.

The Identity and Language (Northern Ireland) Bill 2022 makes provision for the establishment of the Office of Identity and Cultural Expression, an Irish Language Commissioner, and a Commissioner for the Ulster Scots and the Ulster British tradition. The Executive Office is responsible for taking forward the necessary arrangements to implement the provisions of the Identity and Language Act 2022 and the Government expects the Executive Office will make an announcement in due course regarding next steps on implementation of the legislation.

The Executive Office is responsible for taking forward the necessary arrangements to implement the commenced provisions of the Identity and Language (Northern Ireland) Act 2022 which contains provisions for the establishment of the Castlereagh Foundation. The Government expects the Executive Office will make an announcement in due course regarding next steps on implementation of the legislation. The Government wants to see devolved institutions in Northern Ireland consider the provisions set out under the legislation themselves before any consideration of using or commencing the powers provided for in section 8.

The ‘Paramilitary Groups in Northern Ireland’ report was published in 2015 by the UK Government in order to provide a one-off factual assessment from the UK security agencies and the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) on the structure, role and purpose of paramilitary organisations in Northern Ireland.

The then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Theresa Villiers) made clear at the time that this assessment was commissioned due to specific concerns, and was intended to inform the then ongoing cross-party talks.

The PSNI and UK security agencies continually assess the threat, risk and harm posed by paramilitary, terrorist and organised crime groups to inform the most appropriate operational response.

The 2015 assessment was commissioned due to specific concerns. It was a one-off factual assessment from the UK security agencies and the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) on the structure, role and purpose of paramilitary organisations in Northern Ireland and was intended to inform the then ongoing cross-party talks.

The PSNI and security partners continue to work to keep the people of Northern Ireland safe, including continually monitoring the threat from paramilitary and terrorist groups to inform their operational response to these harms.