Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will consult the Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive before they begin the review of the UK–EU Trade and Co-operation Agreement.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government regularly consults the Northern Ireland Executive on implementation of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement. On 6 March, the Minister for Europe chaired the fifth meeting of the Interministerial Group on UK-EU Relations and the first since the restoration of the Stormont Executive. Discussions focused on UK government and devolved administrations' priorities ahead of the upcoming Partnership Council.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the upcoming review of the UK–EU Trade and Co-operation Agreement will involve an appraisal of the outworking of the Windsor Framework, and possible amendments to the Framework.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Article 776 of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) requires the UK and EU to jointly review the implementation of the TCA and supplementing agreements and any matters related thereto five years after the entry into force and every five years thereafter. This article does not apply to the Windsor Framework which forms part of the Withdrawal Agreement - a separate international treaty.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with EU institutions on the scope and timetable for the review of the UK–EU Trade and Co-operation Agreement.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government regularly discusses implementation of the TCA with the EU through the framework of committees established by the agreement. The government has not discussed the scope or timetable for the review of the TCA with the EU.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether recurring financial provision will be made to implement the Windsor Framework; and, if so, what quantum they are expecting.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
As set out in the Statement of Funding Policy, the UK Government will fund the direct costs associated with reaching the required level of compliance to implement the UK Government’s obligations under the Windsor Framework. Funding will continue to be provided to the Northern Ireland Executive for this purpose through the Estimates process.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many civil servants they currently employ to implement all aspects of the Windsor Framework, broken down by Department.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
There is a proportionate level of resource allocated to ensure that the Windsor Framework is implemented. Many of those whose work concerns the Framework also work on a range of other issues including wider Northern Ireland-related matters, as well as wider UK-EU issues. It is therefore not possible to give a specific number of civil servants employed to implement the Windsor Framework.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much expenditure they have incurred since 2020 assisting businesses engaging with rules and regulations pertaining to the movement of goods between (1) Northern Ireland and Great Britain, and (2) Great Britain and Northern Ireland, following agreement with the EU on the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland, and subsequently the Windsor Framework.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Government is committed to supporting industry in moving goods smoothly between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, including through schemes such as the Trader Support Service and Movement Assistance Scheme. There is no central provision made for support schemes.
As the Government announced in September last year, the current term of Trader Support Service will run to December 2024. Information about the costs of the Trader Support Service is published annually at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrcs-annual-report-and-accounts. The total cost of the Movement Assistance Scheme up to the end of January 2024 was £29.8m. The Government also launched a £50m labelling financial assistance scheme, to assist businesses with the costs of meeting labelling requirements.
We have always been committed to taking steps necessary to support businesses - both through the WF arrangements for internal trade but also for those whose business models may not fall within them. This is entirely excepted funding support and so has no negative implications for the NI block grant, where of course the Government has also provided an unprecedented £3.3bn as part of the recent efforts to restore the Executive.
It is not the case that the money available to support schemes would be diverted to any other project in Northern Ireland - if the support scheme were to be withdrawn then no additional funding of any kind would be available in NI as a result.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what are (1) the value, and (2) the term length, of each contract awarded to private sector companies to assist with the implementation of the Windsor Framework.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Government is committed to supporting industry in moving goods smoothly between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, including through schemes such as the Trader Support Service and Movement Assistance Scheme. There is no central provision made for support schemes.
As the Government announced in September last year, the current term of Trader Support Service will run to December 2024. Information about the costs of the Trader Support Service is published annually at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrcs-annual-report-and-accounts. The total cost of the Movement Assistance Scheme up to the end of January 2024 was £29.8m. The Government also launched a £50m labelling financial assistance scheme, to assist businesses with the costs of meeting labelling requirements.
We have always been committed to taking steps necessary to support businesses - both through the WF arrangements for internal trade but also for those whose business models may not fall within them. This is entirely excepted funding support and so has no negative implications for the NI block grant, where of course the Government has also provided an unprecedented £3.3bn as part of the recent efforts to restore the Executive.
It is not the case that the money available to support schemes would be diverted to any other project in Northern Ireland - if the support scheme were to be withdrawn then no additional funding of any kind would be available in NI as a result.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what financial provision they have made for the 2024–25 financial year to assist businesses dealing with the requirements of the Windsor Framework for the movement of goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Government is committed to supporting industry in moving goods smoothly between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, including through schemes such as the Trader Support Service and Movement Assistance Scheme. There is no central provision made for support schemes.
As the Government announced in September last year, the current term of Trader Support Service will run to December 2024. Information about the costs of the Trader Support Service is published annually at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrcs-annual-report-and-accounts. The total cost of the Movement Assistance Scheme up to the end of January 2024 was £29.8m. The Government also launched a £50m labelling financial assistance scheme, to assist businesses with the costs of meeting labelling requirements.
We have always been committed to taking steps necessary to support businesses - both through the WF arrangements for internal trade but also for those whose business models may not fall within them. This is entirely excepted funding support and so has no negative implications for the NI block grant, where of course the Government has also provided an unprecedented £3.3bn as part of the recent efforts to restore the Executive.
It is not the case that the money available to support schemes would be diverted to any other project in Northern Ireland - if the support scheme were to be withdrawn then no additional funding of any kind would be available in NI as a result.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what local revenue raising conditions were attached to the recent financial package awarded to the Northern Ireland Executive.
Answered by Lord Caine - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK Government remains determined to support the Executive to maximise the opportunities presented by the financial package.
To help stabilise the Executive’s financial position, the UK Government has agreed to pause its debt repayments from 2022-23 and 2023-24 of up to £559 million and will no longer require these funds to be repaid, subject to the Executive publishing a plan, which outlines how it will deliver sustainable public finances and services, and demonstrating implementation of that plan by May 2025.
This sustainability plan must include the delivery of a balanced budget for 2024-25 by raising a minimum of £113 million through locally generated income. It will be for the Executive to determine if it will consider a different course of action to deliver the public services that Northern Ireland needs as part of its plan for financial sustainability.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of the Republic of Ireland about the defence of the Western Atlantic.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK and Ireland face a range of common threats to our security. We are committed to a close partnership and discuss a wide range of defence and security issues, including maritime security, underpinned by our Defence Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding, signed in 2015. The Foreign Secretary hosted Micheál Martin, Ireland's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence and for Foreign Affairs, in London in December.