Northern Ireland Executive Formation
Debate between Lord Rogan and Baroness Williams of Trafford(10 months, 3 weeks ago)
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Baroness Williams of Trafford (Con)
My Lords, I am mindful that we are almost half way through the Back-Bench speaking time, so if noble Lords could keep their questions crisp—and I know my noble friend the Minister will keep his answers crisp—we might get through everyone who wants to speak.
Lord Rogan (UUP)
My Lords, in a Parliamentary Written Answer on 6 December 2023, the noble Baroness, Lady Penn, advised me:
“£30 million has been reserved for Northern Ireland from Levelling Up Fund round 3”.
Can I have an assurance from the Minister that this ring-fenced money is in addition to the £3.3 billion package to fill the hole in Northern Ireland’s finances? Further, can he tell me when the levelling up fund money promised to Northern Ireland will finally be released?
E-scooters
Debate between Lord Rogan and Baroness Williams of Trafford(3 years, 6 months ago)
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Baroness Williams of Trafford (Con)
All of what the noble Lord says is true. E-scooters are different from e-bikes in that you actually have to make some effort to propel the e-bike, whereas the e-scooter is self-propelling. I think they are here to stay, but at the heart of this is the safety of other people riding bikes or, indeed, driving cars, as well the as safety of pedestrians, particularly disabled ones, as my noble friend mentioned.
Lord Rogan (UUP)
E-scooters are currently banned in Northern Ireland, but just last week the Belfast Telegraph reported that the PSNI had stepped up enforcement actions against these vehicles and their riders after noticing their increased popularity. Figures provided by local councils show that 210 people have been injured in e-scooter incidents since they were legalised in England last summer. I urge the Minister to share these statistics and any related background information she holds with the devolved Administrations, including Northern Ireland, in case they may be minded to follow Her Majesty’s Government’s misguided and dangerous policy on e-scooters.
Baroness Williams of Trafford (Con)
My Lords, we regularly engage with the devolved Administrations, and I shall certainly take that back.