Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what grants they have given to non-government organisations and other groups assisting those seeking asylum in the United Kingdom during the past three years, and to which organisations and groups.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The requested information could only be collated and verified through manual checks by all grant making policy teams within the Home Office, something that could only be done at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many additional units of accommodation have been required to meet the increase in the population of the United Kingdom in the last five financial years.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Estimates vary as to the scale of delivery that is required to meet housing need, however, there is a broad consensus that to address the housing emergency we must deliver well above projections of population growth to deal with decades of undersupply. Increasing housing supply beyond current levels is integral to providing for population growth, moderating the rate of house price growth, and tackling affordability pressures. That is why we have committed to delivering 1.5m homes over this parliament.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications for businesses in Northern Ireland of European Union retaliatory tariffs on goods imported from the United States.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government continues to closely monitor the impact on Northern Ireland of any potential changes in global tariff rates, and notes the US letter of 12 July to the EU and subsequent pausing of any EU retaliatory measures until at least August.
Should EU countermeasures come into effect, in line with the agreed protection measures of both the UK and EU markets, a limited subset of US goods moving into Northern Ireland may be impacted. Where these goods do not subsequently enter the EU, the Duty Reimbursement Scheme enables traders to reclaim or remit any additional duties, without any limit on total claims. The UK remains fully committed to implementing the Windsor Framework in good faith and protecting the UK internal market.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Ireland concerning the proposal to replace the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023; whether they have held such meetings with the main political parties in Northern Ireland; and, if so, when.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government continues to undertake discussions on specific measures to be included in primary legislation; this includes with the Northern Ireland parties and bilateral discussions with the Irish Government. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland last met party leaders to discuss legacy matters on the 3 and 4 June 2025.
At the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference in April, both the UK and Irish governments expressed a desire to reach agreement on a joint approach to addressing legacy issues. These discussions remain constructive, and we continue to work intensively with a view to reaching a formal agreement. This was highlighted by the Prime Minister’s recent constructive call with the Taoiseach on 18 July.
The effective participation of both the UK and Irish governments in a legacy process is vital if we are to provide as many families as possible with the information and accountability that they have long sought.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the comments of the Chief Commissioner of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission regarding the independence of the Chief Commissioner of the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery and the Commissioner for Investigations.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government has confidence in the ability of the Independent Commission’s leadership and staff to effectively deliver for victims and survivors. The Court of Appeal has recognised the ICRIR’s structural independence and wide powers.
However, the confidence of families in the Commission’s work is paramount and that is why the Government is committed to reforming the Commission to further strengthen its powers and independence, as well as to ensure that legacy mechanisms are compliant with human rights obligations.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the independence of (1) the Chief Commissioner and (2) the Commissioner of Investigations, both of the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government has confidence in the ability of the Independent Commission’s leadership and staff to effectively deliver for victims and survivors. The Court of Appeal has recognised the ICRIR’s structural independence and wide powers.
However, the confidence of families in the Commission’s work is paramount and that is why the Government is committed to reforming the Commission to further strengthen its powers and independence, as well as to ensure that legacy mechanisms are compliant with human rights obligations.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the growth in demand for water and sewerage services as a result of the population increase of the United Kingdom in the past five financial years.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government recognises the importance of having a robust drainage and wastewater system both now and for future demand. It is the responsibility of water and sewerage undertakers to plan to meet the needs of customers, including accounting for population growth. As part of the Environment Act 2021, a new duty has been created for water companies in England to produce Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans (DWMPs). DWMPs set out how a water company intends to improve their drainage and wastewater systems over the next 25 years, accounting for factors including growing population and changing environmental circumstances. These plans will help sewerage companies to fully assess the capacity of the drainage and wastewater network and develop collaborative solutions to current problems and future issues. The plans will bring together various stakeholders including local authorities and industry regulators. Taking a strategic approach to drainage and wastewater management, will help to identify and mitigate issues related to insufficient network capacity or damaged infrastructure.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the UK–EU reset agreement, when they expect an agreement on sanitary and phytosanitary matters to be agreed.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As announced at the UK-EU Leaders' Summit on May 19, 2025, the UK and EU have agreed to work towards a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary Area.
Our aim is to start the detailed negotiations as soon as possible, as we want to see businesses benefit from removing barriers to trade.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the growth in demand for health services caused by the increase in the population of the United Kingdom in the past five financial years.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The effects of population increases and wider demographic change on the demand for services are analysed through the use of age cost curves and Office for National Statistics population statistics. Age cost curves estimate the demand for services for a person of a particular age and characteristics. The Department uses these along with bottom-up estimates to understand how population change will affect the National Health Service.
These show, as outlined in the 10-Year Health Plan, that demographic change and population ageing are set to increase demand on an already stretched health service.
In the short term, to respond to these pressures, we have seen the recent Spending Review announce that annual NHS day-to-day spending will increase by £29 billion in real terms, a £53 billion cash increase, by 2028/29 compared to 2023/24. This will take the NHS resource budget to £226 billion by 2028/29, which is the equivalent to a 3% average annual real terms growth rate over the Spending Review period. The Spending Review also announced a £2.3 billion real terms increase, a £4 billion cash increase, in the Department’s annual capital budgets from 2023/24 to 2029/30. This will deliver the largest ever health capital budget, representing a more than 20% real terms increase by the end of the Spending Review period.
In the longer term, the 10-Year Health Plan also outlines that we must bend the demand curve, through a vision for a new model of care predicated on the three shifts, from hospital to community, from analogue to digital, and from sickness to prevention. This will help secure the financial sustainability of the NHS and make it fit for the future.
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 the involvement of North Korea in support of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
Russia's increasing reliance on support from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to help wage its illegal invasion of Ukraine demonstrates its underlying weakness. As we have said publicly, the DPRK is believed to have supplied hundreds of ballistic missiles and 20,000 containers of munitions to Russia. This includes millions of artillery and mortar rounds, accounting for around half of those Russia has fired against Ukraine. In addition the DPRK deployed approximately 11,000 combat troops to the Russian oblast of Kursk, sustaining 6000 casualties in offensive combat operations against Ukraine according to our latest estimates.