Railways (Interoperability in Northern Ireland) (Convention on International Carriage by Rail) (Amendment) Regulations 2026

Lord Hay of Ballyore Excerpts

Wednesday 28th October 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Hay of Ballyore (DUP)]

My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Baroness, Lady Hoey, for bringing forward this regret amendment. The regulations before the House concern railway interworking in Northern Ireland and arise from arrangements linked to international and post-Brexit obligations.

Members may differ on the merits of the regulations themselves. I want to focus on an issue that should concern this House as well as elected representatives in Northern Ireland. Decisions affecting Northern Ireland continue to be made with insufficient consultation and very little accountability, in not only this issue but others. Consultation is not a perceived nicety; it is a fundamental part of good government. Decisions which affect the people, business and infrastructure of Northern Ireland should not be presented simply as, “Take it or leave it”. Those who will be affected by such changes should have a meaningful opportunity to express their views before decisions are taken, not merely after they have been announced.

Too often Northern Ireland finds itself in the position of being informed rather than consulted. That approach risks creating a sense of detachment and frustration among those who are expected to live with the consequences. There is also the question of accountability. One of the strengths of our constitutional arrangements is that Ministers can be questioned, challenged and held to account by Parliament. Yet where regulations flow from external obligations or complex arrangements there can be a growing perspective that responsibility becomes very diluted.

Those in Northern Ireland have a right to expect that decisions affecting their transport, infrastructure, economy and daily lives will not simply be handed down to them. Whether one supports or opposes these regulations, surely, we can all agree that people should have a meaningful opportunity to influence decisions before they are made, not after. Whatever view we take on the merits of these regulations, we should insist that Northern Ireland’s voice be heard and that decision-makers remain answerable for the consequences of their decisions.

This House has frequently emphasised the importance of engagement, transparency and public confidence in decision-making. These principles should apply no less to Northern Ireland than to any other part of this United Kingdom. For these reasons, the regret amendment in the name of the noble Baroness, Lady Hoey, performs an important service: it reminds all of us in this House that good government depends not only on what decisions are made but how they are made. I am fairly supportive of the regret amendment.

NATS: Staffing

Lord Hay of Ballyore Excerpts

Tuesday 19th September 2023 Lords Chamber

[Lord Hay of Ballyore (DUP)]

My Lords, as someone who uses the airport regularly to come to this House, I have to say that this is not a one-off. Flights are delayed or cancelled regularly each week. Last Thursday was an embarrassment for the airport—more than 17 flights were cancelled with an equal number of flights delayed. What was annoying was the lack of information—passengers were treated with total contempt when trying to find out what was happening. How many flights have been cancelled or delayed over the past two to three years? That information would be important in finding out exactly what is happening at the airport and who is managing it. When flights are cancelled or delayed, who is responsible for sharing that information with passengers?

[Baroness Vere of Norbiton (Con)]

The reasons for cancellations and delays in the aviation system are numerous, including industrial action in France, adverse weather, wildfires and airspace restrictions owing to the situation in Ukraine. They are more numerous than I can elicit. The noble Lord asked how many flight cancellations there have been. I can tell him that, so far in 2023, there have been 74 flight cancellations due to tower staffing issues at London Gatwick; that is 74 out of 180,000 flights, so it is fewer than 0.1% of movements. I accept his premise that there will have been cancellations for other reasons and have noted some of them, but those are not within Gatwick’s or the airlines’ control. In those circumstances, we have to understand that the aviation system is complex and that many different factors can impact the flight schedule.

Flybe

Lord Hay of Ballyore Excerpts

Thursday 5th March 2020 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Vere of Norbiton]

The noble Lord raises an interesting point. Air passenger duty is under review by Her Majesty’s Treasury, as indeed are all taxes. The Conservative manifesto set out our commitment to consider the devolution of short-haul APD in Northern Ireland. We will work with the restored Executive to consider any proposals submitted for the devolution of short-haul APD. This builds on our recent call for evidence and our work with a technical working group that we have established to look into the operational and possible legal challenges around the devolution of short-haul APD.

[Lord Hay of Ballyore (DUP)]

My Lords, our deep concern in Northern Ireland is very much Belfast City Airport. The company operates 14 scheduled flights out of Belfast, carrying 80% of all scheduled passengers out of Belfast and 1.6 million passengers from Belfast to destinations across the United Kingdom. This is very serious economically for Belfast City Airport and will be a devastating blow. Do the Government have any plans to engage with the Northern Ireland Assembly, the First Minister or the Economy Minister in the Assembly to try to find alternative operators for the routes that have all now been abandoned?

[Baroness Vere of Norbiton]

The Government are working extremely hard to find replacement operators for as many routes as possible. We are confident and have already this morning had proactive responses from various airlines about picking up routes. Returning to the question of the Isle of Man, which is serviced by British Airways and easyJet at the moment, the Isle of Man Department of Infrastructure is looking at contingency plans to replace the medical link previously provided by Flybe.