Asked by: Lord Hay of Ballyore (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with the Northern Ireland Executive about business rates relief in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Business rates in Northern Ireland are the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Executive. Following the decision to provide rates relief in England as part of the Government’s response to Covid-19, the Executive also introduced rates relief for NI businesses. The measures taken by the Executive include:
These measures were enabled by the £2.2bn of additional UK Government funding provided to the Executive as part of our response to Covid-19.
We have regular engagement with Executive ministers on a range of issues, including responding to Covid-19. We will continue to work closely with the Executive as we work to see Northern Ireland recover.
Asked by: Lord Hay of Ballyore (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what financial assistance they have made available to the Northern lreland Executive to address the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The UK Government will provide at least £2.2 billion to the Northern Ireland Executive for 2020/21 to allow the Executive to respond to Covid-19.
This is in addition to the UK-wide measures that the people and businesses in Northern Ireland will benefit from, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme and the Bounce Back Loan Scheme. This will give people and businesses the best possible opportunities to bounce back and recover.
Asked by: Lord Hay of Ballyore (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the security situation in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The threat from dissident republican terrorism continues to be SEVERE in Northern Ireland. This Government’s first priority is to keep people safe and secure right across the United Kingdom. Terrorism, paramilitary violence and criminality have no place in Northern Ireland - they must not hold us back from progress towards a peaceful and prosperous future. The Police Service of Northern Ireland, MI5 and others who work to keep people safe have our full support for the public service they give.
Asked by: Lord Hay of Ballyore (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support Northern Ireland's business community.
Answered by Lord Duncan of Springbank
The UK Government is committed to supporting businesses across the UK as part of the Prime Minister’s commitment to levelling up our regions. In doing so, the UK Government has supported NI businesses through: