Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact on the Chagossian people of transferring sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory to Mauritius; and whether the Government has made an assessment of the feasibility of establishing a protected reservation or similar arrangement on the islands to enable the return and settlement of the native Chagossian population.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We have worked hard to ensure this agreement reflects the importance of the islands to Chagossians. We will finance a new trust fund for Mauritius to use in support of the Chagossian community. We will also work with Mauritius to start a new programme of visits for Chagossians to the Chagos Archipelago, including Diego Garcia. Mauritius will be able to develop a programme of resettlement on the islands, other than Diego Garcia.
Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the findings of the Clonoe Inquest.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Following careful consideration, on 22 March 2025 the Ministry of Defence wrote to the Coroner to outline its intention to apply for a judicial review. In the Government’s view, the findings of the Coroner do not properly reflect the context of the incident, nor the challenging circumstances in which members of the armed forces served in Northern Ireland. The MoD has also confirmed that it is funding the veterans in question to seek a judicial review and it is continuing to provide them with welfare support.
As I explained in the debate on this issue in the House on 2 April 2025, the almost universally opposed Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 Act has been found by the domestic courts to be unlawful in a number of respects. I am consulting widely, including with veterans, and plan to bring forward replacement legislation which is fair, balanced, proportionate and compatible with our international and domestic human rights obligations.
Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps he is taking to improve Northern Ireland’s (a) constitutional and (b) economic links with the rest of the United Kingdom.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
In line with the Good Friday Agreement and the principle of consent upon which it rests, Northern Ireland will remain a part of the United Kingdom for as long as a majority of its people wish for it to be.
The Government is committed to continuing to take forward Safeguarding the Union, and to protecting Northern Ireland's place in the UK internal market. In February we launched Intertrade UK, which will advise on opportunities to promote and boost trade across the UK, including strengthening East West trade.
We are also committed to seeking a SPS/veterinary agreement with the EU, which could deliver tangible benefits for businesses across the UK and further smooth the flow of trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Government on the potential impact of border checks in the Irish Sea on the (a) availability and (b) shelf life of perishable goods in supermarkets in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Windsor Framework protects the UK internal market by ensuring the smooth flow of trade across the whole of the UK. Certain checks are required on goods moving through the UK Internal Market System as part of a risk-based and intelligence-led approach to tackling criminality, abuse of the scheme, smuggling and disease risks.
Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions she has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on the potential impact of her Department's welfare reforms on people in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department works closely with all the Devolved Governments, including the Northern Ireland Executive, on a range of policy matters.
Proposals for reform to the system of health and disability benefits were set out in the Pathways to Work Green Paper published on 18 March 2025. The consultation will run for a full 12 weeks, once all accessible versions are published. Social security and employment support are transferred in Northern Ireland, although the UK Government and the Northern Ireland Executive work closely together to maintain parity between their respective social security systems, to the extent agreed between them. We welcome comments on the consultation from individuals and organisations in Northern Ireland, which will then be shared with the Department for Communities in Northern Ireland.
The Government published the OBR-certified costings of individual measures on the day of the Spring Statement on 26 March.
We will work closely with the Northern Ireland Executive to ensure we are helping people in Northern Ireland into work and off benefits, and on the interactions between reserved and devolved areas of responsibility as a result of these proposals.
Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the Extender Producer Responsibility fee structure on the glass packaging industry; and whether he has considered adopting a units-based metric.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging (EPR) will move the cost of dealing with household packaging waste away from taxpayers and onto the packaging producers (applying the ‘polluter pays principle’). This will give producers responsibility for the costs of the packaging they use throughout its life cycle, encouraging businesses to reduce their use of packaging and use packaging which is easier to recycle and reuse.
The Government is not currently considering the adoption of a units-based metric for EPR fees. Extender Producer Responsibility disposal fees for packaging are calculated in £ per tonne of household packaging placed on the market in accordance with the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) Regulations 2024. Whilst producers report the packaging they supply on a weight basis, the costs for managing different material types, such as glass, are apportioned according to relevant cost drivers for their collection and management, including the volume of the container in bins and collection vehicles. This ensures the fair apportionment of costs between material types in line with the regulations.
Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the potential impact of her Department's proposed welfare reforms on the Northern Ireland block grant.
Answered by Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
For any funding implications of these welfare reforms, the arrangements set out in the Statement of Funding Policy will apply in the usual way.
Where UK Government programmes are in Annually Managed Expenditure (AME), such as welfare, the UK Government provides AME funding to the Northern Ireland Executive. Where the Northern Ireland Executive offers broadly comparable terms, the UK Government funds the costs of the programme.
If the Northern Ireland Executive offers more generous terms, the higher costs must be met by the Northern Ireland Executive.
As set out in the Pathways to Work Green Paper published on 18 March, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will continue to work closely with the Northern Ireland Executive on the proposals, in line with the general principle of parity in matters of social security between DWP and its counterpart in Northern Ireland, the Department for Communities.
Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking with his international counterparts to (a) protect and (b) promote the freedom of religion or belief in Iran.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains strongly committed to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB). We are championing the right to FoRB and promoting tolerance and mutual respect through our engagement in multilateral fora, our bilateral work, and our programme funding.
We condemn Iran's restrictions against FoRB. We were proud to help deliver the Iran Human Rights resolution, adopted by the UN Third Committee in November 2024, which called on Iran to cease monitoring individuals on account of their religious identity and to ensure rights are upheld. We will continue to raise the issue directly with the Iranian government, including through our Ambassador in Tehran.
Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with his (a) Cabinet colleagues and (b) international counterparts on the potential deployment of UK troops in support of potential international peacekeeping operations in Ukraine; and what assessment he has made of whether such a deployment would be consistent with the UK’s foreign and defence policy.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Secretary of State regularly holds discussions with his Cabinet colleagues and international counterparts on the war in Ukraine and how we can continue to best support Ukraine going forward. On 2 March, the Prime Minister chaired the Leaders Meeting on Ukraine, hosting counterparts from across Europe including Türkiye, the NATO Secretary General and the Presidents of the EU Commission, EU Council and Canada, to discuss our support for Ukraine.
The UK is ready and willing to contribute to security guarantees to Ukraine by putting our own troops on the ground if necessary.
We are not going to get into any further details at this stage and our focus is on ensuring Ukraine is in as strong a position as possible. When, how and on what terms this war comes to an end can only be decided by negotiations with Ukraine at the heart of them.
Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to negotiate a veterinary agreement with the European Union to ensure the continued supply of veterinary medicines to Northern Ireland beyond December 2025; and what alternative solutions are being considered to mitigate potential supply chain disruptions.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Maintaining availability of veterinary medicines to Northern Ireland after the end of 2025 is a priority. This Government continues to progress work on this issue as quickly as possible and we continue to engage with industry to understand their intentions for supply after the grace period and what alternative products could be available. The Government has seen positive signs that the size of the issue is reducing, as businesses are making changes to their operations. The Veterinary Medicines Working Group, including experts, industry representatives and elected representatives, has also been re-established to advise the Government on this matter.
The Government is committed to resetting our EU relationship, including by seeking to negotiate an SPS agreement. We have been clear that an SPS agreement could boost trade and deliver significant benefits on both sides. We will not be providing a running commentary on discussions with the EU and it is too early to comment on what may be in scope of an agreement.