Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hanson of Flint on 17 July (HL9083), whether they will now answer the question put; namely what is the current daily cost of providing accommodation for asylum seekers other than in hotels; and how this compares with the daily cost in 2024.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The information requested is not currently available from published statistics, and the relevant data could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what legal costs they have incurred in dealing with claims for asylum, including appeals, launched by those arriving in the United Kingdom through irregular and illegal means in the past three years.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Obtaining the specific information requested would involve collating and verifying information from multiple systems owned by multiple teams across the Home Office and, therefore, could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
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 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 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 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.