Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment, if any, they have made of the funding of the activities of All-Party Parliamentary Groups by hostile states.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Shadow Minister (Treasury)
It is, and always will be, an absolute priority to protect the UK from foreign interference. We know that some states seek to interfere in our democratic institutions and processes. This is unacceptable and the government is taking robust action to safeguard our national security.
The regulation of All-Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs) is a matter for Parliament and in July 2023 the House of Commons approved a new rule that APPGs must not accept the provision of a secretariat by a foreign government, or accept the services of a secretariat funded by a foreign government.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce legislation to strengthen Northern Ireland's place within the Union in light of the adoption of the Windsor Framework; and whether any such legislation will affect the operation and implementation of the Windsor Framework.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Shadow Minister (Treasury)
The Government is committed to ensuring the timely and successful implementation of the Windsor Framework and to seeing the restoration of an Executive in Northern Ireland as soon as possible. We are in regular contact with the Northern Ireland political parties about these matters and how we may best secure both objectives.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the territorial extent to the proposed Brexit Freedoms Bill.
Answered by Lord True - Shadow Leader of the House of Lords
Retained EU law applies in the whole of the UK. Accordingly, any legislation that allows for the amendment of retained EU law will need to make the appropriate provision for Northern Ireland.
Any legislation to address REUL is likely to have a UK extent. This is consistent with other Brexit legislation such as the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill, European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill and European Union (Future Relationship) Bill.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government which provisions of the proposed Brexit Freedoms Bill (1) will, and (2) will not, apply to Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord True - Shadow Leader of the House of Lords
Retained EU law applies in the whole of the UK. Accordingly, any legislation that allows for the amendment of retained EU law will need to make the appropriate provision for Northern Ireland.
Any legislation to address REUL is likely to have a UK extent. This is consistent with other Brexit legislation such as the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill, European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill and European Union (Future Relationship) Bill.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect of triggering Article 16 on the remainder of the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Frost
Article 16 is a safeguard provision for addressing serious economic, societal and environmental difficulties. It is part of the Northern Ireland Protocol. Triggering it does not affect the standing of the Protocol as a whole.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recent flow of freight vehicles travelling between Great Britain and continental Europe.
Answered by Lord Frost
Government continues to monitor the flow of freight vehicles travelling between the UK and EU nations, including those travelling between the Republic of Ireland, Great Britain and continental Europe.
DfT’s published road freight statistics can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/road-goods-vehicles-travelling-to-europe-july-2020-to-june-2021.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recent flow of freight vehicles travelling between the Republic of Ireland and Great Britain.
Answered by Lord Frost
Government continues to monitor the flow of freight vehicles travelling between the UK and EU nations, including those travelling between the Republic of Ireland, Great Britain and continental Europe. Landbridge traffic is being monitored for the movements between EU Nations and the Island of Ireland.
Published DfT data can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/road-goods-vehicles-travelling-to-europe-july-2020-to-june-2021.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many UK veterans are currently resident in Northern Ireland; and how that number is identified.
Answered by Lord True - Shadow Leader of the House of Lords
The UK Government has no current means to identify UK veterans who are resident in Northern Ireland. Due to the sensitivities of the legacy of Northern Ireland’s past, many who served and now reside there do not feel safe disclosing their veteran status, and the question was not included in the 2021 Census in Northern Ireland as it was in England and Wales.
The Office for Veterans’ Affairs is working with the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency on alternative solutions.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the volume of trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland since the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland entered into force on 1 January.
Answered by Lord Frost
Goods are moving effectively between Great Britain and Northern Ireland and there are no significant queues at Northern Ireland’s ports. Overall freight flow between Great Britain and Northern Ireland appears to have returned to normal levels. We are continuing to monitor and assess the situation, including any potential change in trade patterns.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the level of consent granted by representatives of the people of Northern Ireland for the implementation of a regulatory border in the Irish Sea.
Answered by Lord Frost
The Protocol is explicit that it rests on the democratic consent of the people and elected representatives across Northern Ireland. All sides need to be sensitive to the social and political realities, including the reality that any arrangements involving Northern Ireland depend on cross-community confidence if they are to work successfully. We are listening carefully to the concerns of the people of Northern Ireland. Our actions are aimed at restoring that confidence and we have urged the EU to do the same.