Asked by: Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what benefits the £1.6 billion contract with Thales Air Defence Limited in Belfast to supply 5,000 missiles to Ukraine will bring to the Northern Ireland economy.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The deal to increase production at Thales is a vote of confidence in Northern Ireland's valuable defence sector and we want to ensure that Northern Ireland benefits fully from increases in defence expenditure in the UK. The deal will also provide a major boost to the UK economy, creating 200 new jobs and supporting 700 existing jobs at Thales in Belfast.
Asked by: Lord Rogan (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 governments of (1) the Republic of Ireland, (2) Austria, and (3) Switzerland, about what financial contributions these countries intend to make to protect the security of Europe.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs and the Minister of State for Europe, North America and UK Overseas Territories regularly engage with their counterparts in Ireland, Austria and Switzerland on a variety of issues including security in Europe. Security remains a priority for the UK and through regular engagements with partners the Government is keen to ensure this remains the case.
Asked by: Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have had discussions with the European Union about amending the Windsor Framework to allow Northern Ireland consumers to buy plants from online retailers in Great Britain.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is committed to implementing the Windsor Framework in good faith at the same time as seeking to negotiate an SPS agreement with the EU. Under the Windsor Framework, the Northern Ireland plant health label (NIPHL) allows growers and traders to move certain products to Northern Ireland without the need for a Phytosanitary Certificate, giving Northern Ireland consumers access to plants and seeds from Great Britain.
We continue to work closely with the horticultural sector, including through a Horticulture Working Group which meets regularly, in order to maximise opportunities for trade in plants and plant products within the United Kingdom.
Asked by: Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risk that DeepSeek poses to UK national security.
Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The AI Security Institute (AISI) tests the capabilities of advanced AI systems, wherever they come from, and whether open or closed, to assess any risks they may pose to our security.
Asked by: Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made towards agreeing a trade deal with the United States.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK-US trading relationship is already worth around £300 billion, supporting over a million jobs and representing 17% of total UK trade. This government's priority is economic growth and increasing trade with international partners is a major part of that. The Prime Minister had a warm call with President Trump on 26 January where they discussed trade and the economy and agreed to meet soon for further discussions.
Asked by: Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they are making in agreeing a trade deal with Canada.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Secretary of State met with his Canadian counterpart Trade Minister Mary Ng at the G7 in July last year; they discussed the paused bilateral FTA and agreed that senior officials should begin discussions to see if there could be a pathway to resuming negotiations.
Minister Alexander met with Minister Ng twice since then, including in Vancouver last November where they agreed that these discussions should continue, and they remain ongoing. Meanwhile, the UK-Canada Trade Continuity Agreement remains in force, facilitating approximately £27 billion in bilateral trade.
Asked by: Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) legal, and (2) diplomatic, considerations relevant to establishing direct flights from the United Kingdom to Northern Cyprus.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Under the 1944 Chicago Convention, only the Republic of Cyprus may designate Ercan as an international customs airport and grant permission for flights. It has not done so. This means that no direct air services between the north of Cyprus and the UK can take place as it would be contrary to the UK’s obligations under the Chicago Convention.
A just and lasting settlement on the island is the best chance of resolving these complex issues. The UK’s commitment to helping the sides achieve this remains unwavering.
Asked by: Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide mitigation to community pharmacies in Northern Ireland before the increase in employers’ National Insurance contributions comes into effect in April.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
At Autumn Budget 2024, the Government provided funding to the public sector to support them with the additional cost associated with changes to Employer National Insurance Contributions.
The Northern Ireland Executive will receive funding through the Barnett formula for any changes to UK Government budgets, including this additional support, in the usual way in 2025-26. This is the normal operation of the funding arrangements as set out in the Statement of Funding Policy.
This funding will be in addition to the Northern Ireland Executive’s record Spending Review settlements for 2025-26, which are the largest in real terms of any settlements since devolution.
Barnett-based funding for the Northern Ireland Executive is not ringfenced for a specific policy area. This allows the Northern Ireland Executive the flexibility to allocate its funding across devolved areas according to its own priorities and local circumstances, including community pharmacies in Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan for the Chancellor of the Exchequer to visit Northern Ireland to discuss how it can play its full part in growing the UK economy.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Chancellor of the Exchequer looks forward to visiting Northen Ireland when diary scheduling allows.
Asked by: Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they had with the European Commission before rejecting a request from members of the Northern Ireland Assembly to apply the "Stormont Brake" procedure to the Chemical Classification, Labelling and Packaging Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2024/2865).
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Secretary of State acted fully in accordance with the applicable legal duties in relation to the notification provided to him under the terms of Schedule 6B to the Northern Ireland Act 1998. As such, this was a decision for the Secretary of State taken solely on the basis of the notification provided and he did not discuss it with the European Commission.