Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what working groups or committees which include experts from outside the Civil Service they have set up to consider the trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland under the Windsor Framework; how many times each group or committee has met; and what is the membership of each.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
This Government is committed to implementing the Windsor Framework and protecting the UK internal market. In furtherance of these commitments and those made in the Safeguarding the Union command paper, the following bodies that include external sector experts have been established:
- Independent Monitoring Panel: Anna Jerzewska, Aidan Reilly and Alastair Hamilton were appointed on 19 September. The Panel has met once under this Government.
- Intertrade UK: Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee was appointed as Chair on 19 September. Since that time, work has continued on other preparatory activity necessary to establish the body. It is expected that Intertrade UK will meet for the first time early in the New Year.
- Horticulture Working Group: Members include a range of trade associations and other industry representatives. The Group has met twice under this Government.
- Veterinary Medicines Working Group: Members include a range of industry representatives and technical experts. The Group has met twice under this Government.
The Government has separately indicated its intention to commission an Independent Review of the operation of Articles 5-10 of the Windsor Framework, in accordance with its duties under the law, and will update Parliament in due course.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much funding they have provided to An Ciste Infheistiochta Gaeilge, the Irish Language Investment Fund, in each year since it was established.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Irish Language Investment Fund, An Ciste Infheistíochta Gaeilge, was established by a grant-in-aid of £8 million from the Government in 2010 in connection to the Hillsborough Castle Agreement.
In 2020, the Government announced the provision of an additional £4 million in capital funding to An Ciste as part of the commitments in relation to Northern Ireland’s unique circumstances that were agreed in the New Decade, New Approach agreement.
The Block Grant Transparency publication, which sets out changes to devolved government funding from the 2015 Spending Review onwards in detail, will shortly be updated with changes made at Autumn Budget 2024.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government how compliance with the Windsor Framework (Non-Commercial Movement of Pet Animals) Regulations 2024 will be enforced, and by whom.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Northern Ireland Pet Travel Scheme requires pet owners from Great Britain to have a microchipped pet and hold a valid pet travel document, this is free to obtain.
Defra staff will provide support to the public when needed on departure from Great Britain to ensure compliance upon arrival in Northern Ireland.
We expect that the vast majority of people will comply and the Government will be providing comprehensive support to those travelling with their pets to ensure they can do so.
However, in rare instances where a pet owner is not compliant upon arrival in Northern Ireland officials from the Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs will provide further support.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what restrictions are in place regarding the non-commercial movement of pet animals within the United Kingdom.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
For travel from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland Pet Travel Scheme, which will be in place from June 2025, will significantly reduce the burdens associated with the original Northern Ireland Protocol for Great Britain based pet owners. Northern Ireland pet owners will not face any checks and will not be required to hold a pet travel document.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what are the requirements for owners of pets to apply for a pet travel document when transporting them from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, and which body is responsible for setting such requirements.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Pet owners who live in Great Britain will be able to apply online for a free pet travel document online from the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA).
To do so, pets will need to have been microchipped. Microchipping is already a legal requirement in the United Kingdom for dogs, for cats in England since June 2024. Pet owners will also need to confirm they will not use the scheme to travel to the EU.
Northern Ireland pet owners will not be required to hold a pet travel document and will face no checks.
The Secretary of State for Defra, with the Scottish and Welsh Ministers, and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs are the competent authorities for the scheme.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much they have spent in each year since 2020 on communicating information about the processes for conducting trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
UK Government expenditure on supporting trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland is not held centrally. The arrangements under the Windsor Framework support a smooth flow of goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, significantly reducing costs for both government and businesses compared to the old Protocol.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what funding they provide to the Commonwealth Games associations in each nation of the UK.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government does not provide direct funding to any of the UK’s Commonwealth Games associations. We provide the majority of support for grassroots sport through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England. In this financial year, Sport England awarded £1.5 million to Commonwealth Games England.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether goods manufactured in China that are moved by a company in Great Britain to a company in Northern Ireland for sale in Northern Ireland are subject to (1) any EU tax or duty, or (2) any compliance procedures, under the Windsor Framework.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Goods manufactured outside the UK or EU that are in free circulation in Great Britain are only subject to duty when moved to Northern Ireland if they are considered to be ‘at risk’ of entering the EU. Goods that are subject to trade defence measures are treated as ‘at risk’.
In these scenarios, the Windsor Framework provides a means to offset these costs. If goods do not subsequently enter the EU, the Duty Reimbursement Scheme can be used to claim back the full amount. The Customs Duty Waiver Scheme is also available for traders to waive the duties up to certain thresholds, regardless of the ultimate destination of the goods.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the amount of uncollected council tax in England in each year since 2019.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The government annually publishes data on the collection of council tax. Data on uncollected council tax up to 2023-24 is below:
Year | 2019-20 (£ million) | 2020-21(£ million) | 2021-22 (£ million) | 2022-23 (£ million) | 2023-24 (£ million) |
Amounts not collected in current year | 1,154 | 1,518 | 1,606 | 1,629 | 1,760 |
Total arrears outstanding as at 31 March | 3,577 | 4,418 | 4,966 | 5,479 | 5,982 |
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to undertake a revaluation of properties in England for the purpose of assessing council tax rates.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government has no plans to conduct a council tax revaluation in England. The Government is committed to keeping taxes on working people as low as possible.