Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to uphold the Carltona principles when producing any remedial orders relating to the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Carltona principle is an extremely important one which should continue to be upheld, and the Government remains committed to bringing forward legislation in relation to the legacy of the Troubles that is lawful and human rights compliant.

On 4 December 2024, the Secretary of State laid a proposal for a draft remedial order, which represents the first step towards fulfilling the Government’s commitment to repeal and replace the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023. The remedial order, if adopted by Parliament, will remedy all of the human rights deficiencies in the Act identified by the Northern Ireland High Court in February 2024 in the case of Dillon and Others and one further deficiency - the prohibition on civil proceedings - identified by the Court of Appeal in September 2024.

The Government will also introduce primary legislation when parliamentary time allows, to implement other measures to ensure that the Government fulfils the commitments it has made, including to reform the independent Commission and further strengthen its independence and its powers.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Ireland to ensure full co-operation and disclosure of all available information to the Independent Commission on Reconciliation and Information Recovery in the case of the Kingsmills massacre.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Government continues to have detailed discussions with the Irish Government on our commitment to repeal and replace the Legacy Act. The Irish Government is an essential partner in this process and we are seeking to agree a way forward, underpinned by the principles set out in the Stormont House Agreement. The full participation of both the UK and Irish governments in all legacy mechanisms is important if we are to provide as much information as possible for as many families as possible across the UK and Ireland who lost loved ones in the Troubles.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps are they taking to ensure that any review of the National Curriculum learns from best international practice.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, which will be driven by evidence, from the UK and abroad, and a commitment to high standards for all young people.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to educate students at schools, colleges and universities about the dangers of taking the drug ketamine.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

The statutory curriculum for health education requires all pupils in state-maintained schools to be taught the facts about legal and illegal harmful substances and the associated risks to physical and mental wellbeing, including smoking, alcohol use and drug taking. This complements content about substances within the national curriculum for science. Schools can teach about the dangers of taking ketamine in these lessons.

In further education (FE) and higher education (HE) the government works through sector bodies and partner organisations.

The government supports activity by universities, sector bodies and other partners to discourage substance abuse by young people in further and higher education and to raise awareness of the harms of illicit drugs.

For HE, Universities UK set up a Drugs Taskforce that published its recommendations in late 2023. The recommendations are attached and available at the following link: https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/sites/default/files/field/downloads/2024-06/Enabling-student-health-and-success.pdf. As autonomous institutions, HE providers are responsible for their own policies in relation to illegal drugs as the government has no remit to intervene.

In FE the Association of Colleges ‘Take back our Streets’ mission works to educate FE students by hosting charity talks on the dangers of drugs and addiction and works with organisations to build students’ trust and confidence in the police. The ‘Take back our Streets’ mission is available here: https://www.aoc.co.uk/news-campaigns-parliament/mission-accepted/mission-three-take-back-our-streets.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the additional costs to devolved governments on public sector pay bills as a result of the increase in employer National Insurance contributions.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The UK Government will provide support for departments and other public sector employers for additional employer National Insurance contributions (NICs) costs. This funding will be allocated to UK Government departments, with the Barnett formula applying in the usual way for the devolved governments.

Funding resulting from the employer NICs policy change will be in addition to the devolved governments’ 2025-26 settlements announced at Autumn Budget 2024, which include £47.7 billion for the Scottish Government, £21.0 billion for the Welsh Government, and £18.2 billion for the Northern Ireland Executive. These settlements are the largest in real terms since devolution and ensure that each devolved government receives at least 20% more funding per person than equivalent UK Government spending in other parts of the UK.

Decisions on devolved priorities – including the size and pay levels of the public sector – are a matter for the devolved governments, and it is for them to determine how to allocate their budgets across devolved areas.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what regulatory or legislative changes they intend to make on chemical classification, labelling and packaging to maintain the internal market within the UK and to ensure full access to EU markets.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

On Monday 20 January, in recognition of the deeply held and genuine concerns raised by Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly about a specific regulation on Chemical Classification, Labelling and Packaging, the Government set out its commitment to take any future steps necessary to avoid new barriers that would affect supplies of such products into Northern Ireland. This includes applying a consistent regime in this area of regulation across the whole of the UK where that is necessary to do so. We will consult as soon as possible, which will determine what regulatory or legislative changes may be necessary.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the financial quantity of trade for businesses dealing with chemical products between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

Please see the letter attached from the National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority.

The Lord Weir of Ballyholme

House of Lords

London

SW1A 0PW

29 January 2025

Dear Lord Weir of Ballyholme,

As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking what assessment has been made of the financial quantity of trade for businesses dealing with chemical products between Northern Ireland and Great Britain (HL4282).

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has published interregional trade in goods and services between UK regions at the International Territorial Level 1 (ITL1) geography, by grouped industry for the years 2019 and 2020[1]. The ONS do not currently publish interregional trade estimates for the chemical manufacturing industry, however this industry is estimated as part of the manufacturing industry interregional trade estimates. The manufacturing industry may not capture all businesses dealing with chemical products as industry allocation is based on the main activity of the business and so there will be businesses not in the manufacturing industry that purchase or sell chemical products.

The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) also publish exports and imports between Northern Ireland and Great Britain between businesses in the manufacturing industry[2]. Variations between the ONS’s and NISRA’s estimates are due to methodological differences.

The ONS data on interregional trade within the manufacturing industry between Northern Ireland and Great Britain can be found in Table 1. NISRA data on trade within the manufacturing industry between Northern Ireland and Great Britain can be found in Table 2.

Yours sincerely,

Professor Sir Ian Diamond

Table 1: Interregional total trade, trade in goods and trade in services between Northern Ireland and Great Britain, manufacturing industry, exports and imports, 2019 and 2020.

£ million, current prices

Source: Office for National Statistics

Table 2: NISRA trade in goods and trade in services between Northern Ireland and Great Britain, manufacturing industry, exports and imports, 2016 and 2023.

£ million, current prices

Source: Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency

[1]https://www.ons.gov.uk/businessindustryandtrade/internationaltrade/datasets/interregionaltradeingoodsandservicesuk

[2]https://datavis.nisra.gov.uk/economy-and-labour-market/northern-ireland-economic-trade-statistics-2023.html

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government when the proposed consultation on applying a consistent regime within the UK on chemical classification, labelling and packaging, as outlined in a letter by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on 20 January regarding the Chemical Classification, Labelling and Packaging Regulation will commence; and what is the proposed timeframe for the consultation.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Government will launch this consultation as soon as possible. The Secretary of State has committed to write to the Chair of the NI Assembly’s Windsor Framework Democratic Scrutiny Committee to advise of the opening of the consultation. The consultation will take place in good time before the relevant mandatory provisions of the regulation take effect.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase humanitarian aid to the Middle East.

Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The UK Government's future bilateral Official Development Assistance (ODA) funding strategy and country level allocations will be determined through the forthcoming Spending Review. Parliament will be informed of the bilateral country budget allocations in the normal way when the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Annual Report and accounts are laid before Parliament. The Minister for the Middle East is determined that all allocations within the Middle East will support the Foreign Secretary's priorities to prevent conflict, support stability, and lift vulnerable people out of crisis. The UK continues to do all we can to address humanitarian need, ensuring we mobilise sufficient support to respond to crises. This financial year we are providing over 70 per cent of our bilateral aid budget for the Middle East and North Africa on humanitarian aid to support the most vulnerable across the Middle East, and most recently on 20 January The Minister for the Middle East announced a £5 million uplift in humanitarian aid to Yemen, supporting nearly 900,000 people to buy food and provide vital supplies for 700 health facilities. We continue to work closely with the UN and other partners to increase the amount of humanitarian aid going into Gaza, under the terms of the ceasefire agreement, and in Syria, following the fall of the Assad regime, to push for an immediate surge of humanitarian assistance.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government which chemical manufacturers or trade bodies the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland met ahead of his decision on the "Stormont Brake" on the Chemical Classification, Labelling and Packaging Regulation.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Department for Work and Pensions, as sponsor of the Health and Safety Executive, is the policy lead with regard to regulation of chemicals classification, labelling and packaging across the UK. In that role, the Department for Work and Pensions continuously assesses the adequacy of chemical packaging and labelling regulation across the whole of the UK and engages with industry accordingly. Analysis from this engagement was used as part of the Government’s assessment of the likely impacts of the Classification, Labelling and Packaging Regulation, and so informed the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland’s decision.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government why the proposed consultation on assessing the impact on divergence and ensuring the protection of the UK internal market on chemical businesses, as outlined in the letter by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland dated 20 January on the Chemical Classification, Labelling and Packaging Regulation, was not carried out before a decision was taken on applying the "Stormont Brake" procedure.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Whilst MLAs are required to have taken steps to consult businesses, other traders and civic society affected by the regulation in question prior to making their notification, on 20 January the Government set out its commitment to take any future steps necessary to avoid new barriers that would affect supplies of such products into Northern Ireland. It made this commitment in recognition of the concerns raised by Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly about a specific regulation on Chemical Classification, Labelling and Packaging. The consultation will happen as soon as possible and will determine what further actions are considered necessary to safeguard the UK internal market.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government why UK military personnel have not been exempted from VAT on school fees, in contrast to the exemption given to US military personnel in the UK.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

As part of the NATO Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), visiting NATO personnel have access to Visiting Forces Relief (VFR), for example the VAT free purchase scheme which provides relief on goods and services to US personnel in the UK. VFR is a reciprocal agreement, only available to the NATO Forces visiting another country and not to those of the Host Nation.

The Government greatly values the contribution of our serving military personnel. The Ministry of Defence has increased the funding allocated to the Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) to account for the impact of any private school fee increases on the proportion of fees covered by the CEA in line with how the allowance normally operates.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government how much additional funding they provided to each of the devolved authorities to cover the additional costs to public sector employers as a result of the increased rates of National Insurance.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

At the Budget, the Chancellor provided funding to the public sector to support them with the additional cost associated with changes to employer National Insurance Contributions.

The devolved governments will receive funding through the Barnett formula in the usual way in 2025-26.

Devolved government settlements are growing in real terms in 2025-26 and are the largest settlements in real terms of any since devolution. Overall, the devolved governments receive at least 20% more funding per person than equivalent UK Government spending in the rest of the UK. That translates into over £16 billion more in 2025-26.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the financial cost to the UK of the damage and disruption caused by Storm Eowyn.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Since Storm Éowyn made landfall, His Majesty’s Government’s focus has rightly been on making sure that requests for support in response to its impacts across the UK, were managed quickly and effectively and delivered to whichever part of the UK they were required. It is too early to say what the financial costs of the impacts of the Storm have been.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure that all regions of the United Kingdom will benefit from their proposed fast tracking of AI, given the different regulatory regimes in different parts of the UK.

Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

We have set out in the Action Plan, which was developed by Matt Clifford, our intention to deliver growth across the UK, working with local stakeholders to devise strategies suited to the UK’s regions. We are committed to working in partnership with regional and local authorities on AI Growth Zones. We are already working with devolved administrations and local authorities across the UK, and will continue to do so, to ensure all parts of the UK benefit from the investment in critical AI infrastructure.

Most AI systems should be regulated at the point of use through our existing expert regulators. In response to the Plan, the government will support regulators evaluate their AI capabilities and understand how these can be strengthened. It will also encourage pro-innovation approaches by regulators, with the new Regulatory Innovation Office playing an important role.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government when a decision will be taken on authorising and funding the use of Brineura permanently; and what steps they are taking to ensure that the decision is not delayed further.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published guidance in 2019 that recommended cerliponase alfa, brand name Brineura, for treating neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis type 2, within a managed access agreement. This was due to the uncertainty in the evidence base, particularly around the long-term clinical benefits and assumptions about disease stabilisation.

During this period of managed access, cerliponase alfa has been available to eligible patients while further data was collected to address the clinical uncertainties. The NICE is now carrying out a new evaluation of cerliponase alfa to determine whether it can be recommended for routine National Health Service funding, taking account of the real-world evidence collected during the managed access period. If this evaluation shows that the treatment is a clinically effective and cost-effective use of NHS resources, it will be recommended for routine use in the NHS. All parties are working together to ensure a conclusion to the ongoing evaluation as swiftly as possible.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether permanent funding will remain in place for the treatment of infantile and juvenile Batten disease.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published guidance in 2019 that recommended cerliponase alfa, brand name Brineura, for treating neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis type 2, within a managed access agreement. This was due to the uncertainty in the evidence base, particularly around the long-term clinical benefits and assumptions about disease stabilisation.

During this period of managed access, cerliponase alfa has been available to eligible patients while further data was collected to address the clinical uncertainties. The NICE is now carrying out a new evaluation of cerliponase alfa to determine whether it can be recommended for routine National Health Service funding, taking account of the real-world evidence collected during the managed access period. If this evaluation shows that the treatment is a clinically effective and cost-effective use of NHS resources, it will be recommended for routine use in the NHS. All parties are working together to ensure a conclusion to the ongoing evaluation as swiftly as possible.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assistance they will provide for the reconstruction of Gaza.

Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The UK will continue engaging, at the highest levels, to enable early recovery and reconstruction. A step change will be needed to get goods and materials in at the required pace and scale and allow civil society and international organisations to work. Early recovery is crucial to lay the groundwork for inclusive Palestinian governance in Gaza. Civil society-led recovery will support re-establishment of local order and preserve the space for future Palestinian Authority (PA) governance.

We are funding two roles in the PA's Recovery, Reconstruction and Development team. We have already begun convening partners on the financing and coordination of recovery and reconstruction, to promote coherent and effective donor support. Given the immense scale of needs, we are exploring how to scale up financing mechanisms for reconstruction. A sustainable recovery needs sustainable financial flows.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the Northern Ireland Protocol on creating a barrier to trade deals between the UK and the US.

Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Windsor Framework is not a barrier to trade deals. The United Kingdom has secured trade agreements with 73 countries and territories, plus the EU, while ensuring compliance with the Windsor Framework. These agreements include free trade agreements with Australia and New Zealand, which entered force on 31 May 2023, and the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership, which the United Kingdom joined on 16 July 2023, and which came into effect on 15 December 2024.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assumptions they have used in estimating the amount of revenue that will be raised as a result of VAT being levied on private education fees; and whether these assumptions take into account costs incurred as a result of pupils transferring to state schools because of the resulting increase in fees.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The estimated revenue from the introduction of VAT on private school fees, as set out at Autumn Budget 2024, is as follows:

The assumptions and methodology used for this costing are set out in the Annex to the Summary of Responses to the Technical Note on Applying VAT to Private School Fees, published alongside the Budget.

As stated in the policy paper published at Budget, alongside the revenue raised, this policy will result in some additional costs on state schools due to pupil moves. Based on average 2024 to 2025 per-pupil spending in England, the government expects the revenue costs of pupils entering the state sector as a result of the VAT policy across the UK to steadily increase to a peak of around £270 million per annum after several years.

Overall, this means that expected revenue will substantially outweigh additional cost pressures. The funding raised by this measure will help deliver the government’s commitments relating to education and young people.

The Office for Budget Responsibility has certified the government’s costing of this policy.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the additional revenue that will be raised as a result of the introduction of VAT on private education fees.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The estimated revenue from the introduction of VAT on private school fees, as set out at Autumn Budget 2024, is as follows:

The assumptions and methodology used for this costing are set out in the Annex to the Summary of Responses to the Technical Note on Applying VAT to Private School Fees, published alongside the Budget.

As stated in the policy paper published at Budget, alongside the revenue raised, this policy will result in some additional costs on state schools due to pupil moves. Based on average 2024 to 2025 per-pupil spending in England, the government expects the revenue costs of pupils entering the state sector as a result of the VAT policy across the UK to steadily increase to a peak of around £270 million per annum after several years.

Overall, this means that expected revenue will substantially outweigh additional cost pressures. The funding raised by this measure will help deliver the government’s commitments relating to education and young people.

The Office for Budget Responsibility has certified the government’s costing of this policy.