Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of barriers to trade between Northern Ireland and Great Britain that would remain following implementation of the Windsor Framework.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government is unequivocal in its commitment for unfettered access for Northern Ireland goods to the whole UK market. That means a permanent guarantee of being able to place goods on the UK market in all scenarios - meaning no forms, checks, controls, tariffs, or any barriers to the market whatsoever, whatever the future form of regulations in Northern Ireland. Those are protections that are enshrined in law and which we will build on further following the Windsor Framework.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to introduce legislation to clarify the constitutional position of Northern Ireland within the UK.
Answered by Lord Caine - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The constitutional position of Northern Ireland within the UK is clearly set out in the Northern Ireland Act 1998, which declares, consistent with the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, that Northern Ireland in its entirety remains part of the United Kingdom and shall not cease to be so without the consent of a majority of its people.
This Government’s steadfast commitment to the Union, and Northern Ireland’s position within it, has been stated many times. In our view, Northern Ireland’s place in the Union is strong and protected by the Windsor Framework.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what costs will be incurred to return HMS Prince of Wales to active service.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
I refer the noble Lord to the answer I gave on 3 April 2023 to Question HL6632.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that equipment has been taken from HMS Prince of Wales to be fitted to HMS Queen Elizabeth.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
It is common practice in modern navies for equipment to be transferred amongst ships of the same class to allow ships to remain operationally available. This ensures the Royal Navy meets all its operational commitments.
For reasons of operational security, it would be inappropriate to comment on the specifics of equipment transfer.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether HMS Prince of Wales will be returned to active service; and if so, when.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
I refer the noble Lord to the answer I gave on 3 April 2023 to Question HL6891.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Northern Ireland Assembly will be permitted to alter the rate of Corporation Tax applying in Northern Ireland; and if so, what financial consequences will arise from that decision following the UK's departure from the EU.
Answered by Baroness Penn - Minister on Leave (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State)
The Stormont House Agreement between the UK Government and the Northern Ireland Executive agreed, in principle, for the power to set the rate of Corporation Tax in Northern Ireland on certain trading profits to be devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly.
It was agreed that the Executive would need to demonstrate that its finances were on a sustainable footing before devolution of this power could be undertaken, and that the Executive’s block grant would need to be adjusted to reflect the Corporation Tax revenues foregone if the devolved power were exercised.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the European Court of Justice will remain the final arbiter of EU law as it applies in Northern Ireland in the event that the Windsor Framework is implemented.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government has acknowledged, as the Prime Minister did in his statement of 27 February, that the European Court of Justice (ECJ) is the final arbiter on matters of EU law. But by the EU's own calculations, less than 3 percent of EU rules with ECJ oversight apply under the Windsor Framework, with those that remain only applying to maintain maximum free trade and market access for NI firms. And the Windsor Framework narrows the application of EU rules in Northern Ireland, removing 1,700 pages of EU law, and takes with it any European Court of Justice interpretation and oversight in those areas. The agreement also introduces the Stormont Brake, which would enable a sovereign UK Government decision to veto the application of new EU laws and accompanying ECJ oversight within Northern Ireland. This safeguard in the treaty itself is not subject to ECJ oversight, and any dispute on this issue would be resolved through subsequent independent arbitration according to international, not EU law.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government where they propose to erect border inspection posts in Northern Ireland; when will they be implemented; and what will be the cost of implementation.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Work is ongoing regarding the next steps following the passage of the Official Controls (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2023. We will set out further updates on those next in due course.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether Northern Ireland will remain part of the EU Single Market and subject to the rules thereof in the event that the Windsor Framework is implemented.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Northern Ireland is not part of the EU Single Market, it is part of the United Kingdom and its internal market. An absolute minimum (less than 3 percent) of EU law continues to apply in Northern Ireland, to avoid a hard border and maintain Northern Ireland's unique access to the EU market. But alongside this Northern Ireland has full unfettered access to the UK internal market. And under the Windsor Framework, more than 1,700 pages of EU law will be disapplied for UK internal trade. The rules that are disapplied are set out in the legal instruments giving effect to the Windsor Framework.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government when inspections and building condition surveys were last carried out on St Lucia Barracks in Omagh.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
The Ministry of Defence owns the historic core buildings at St Lucia Barracks, the remainder of the site is owned by the Northern Ireland Department for Infrastructure.
A full building condition report was completed in September 2019 which identified repairs needed to the historic core buildings. Remediation works, undertaken by Defence Infrastructure Organisation contractors, were completed in September 2022.
Defence Infrastructure Organisation Officials last inspected the buildings on 8 February 2023.