Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South and Mid Down)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans the Government has to locate GRS Research Government Scheme Jobs in Northern Ireland.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government Social Research Profession (GSR) is made up of over 2,500 members living and working across the four nations of the UK in devolved administrations, departments, and arm’s lengths bodies. There are members of GSR located in Northern Ireland.
Each year, on behalf of its member organisations, the central profession team based in His Majesty’s Treasury run a mass campaign to recruit research officers into the profession. The locations available in any given campaign are provided by the participating devolved administrations, departments and arm’s length bodies and change based on recruitment need.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South and Mid Down)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Crown Estate plans to extend Net Zero housing pilots to Northern Ireland.
Answered by Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Crown Estate is currently trialling net zero carbon homes through three demonstration projects aimed at improving home quality and energy security. These projects involve developing 200 homes across three sites in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, and Cheshire.
The aim is to explore how new homes can be delivered using less than 300kg/m2 of embodied carbon and operational energy use intensity of 35kWh/m²/year. The developments aim for a minimum 15% biodiversity net gain, on-site renewable energy generation, and alignment with the Passivhaus standard, promoting healthy and energy-efficient living.
The focus is on exploring innovative approaches to net zero carbon homes before considering how to scale these solutions across the UK. The Crown Estate will share insights and lessons learned, enabling policymakers, developers, and the wider market in Northern Ireland to benefit from the methods used in the demonstration projects to improve home quality and energy security.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South and Mid Down)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what outcomes relating to building inclusive communities and economic growth The Crown Estate has delivered in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
As custodians of the seabed, The Crown Estate plays a crucial role in supporting Northern Ireland’s energy strategy, which aims to deliver 1GW of electricity from offshore wind from 2030, enough to power about a million homes. This initiative, outlined in the Energy Strategy Action Plan and the Offshore Renewable Energy Action Plan, offers significant opportunities for both decarbonisation and economic benefits for communities and businesses in Northern Ireland.
The Crown Estate are also acutely aware and are strong advocates for the opportunity Northern Ireland businesses holds in the wider offshore wind industry of the UK and further afield, and the importance of the work of InvestNI and others such as Northern Ireland Maritime Offshore do to promote this.
Through partnerships with local councils and environmental groups, The Crown Estate has supported various coastal infrastructure projects. For example, the Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council’s extension of harbour protection at Portrush, providing larger and safer mooring areas, and the provision of extended and improved berthing facilities at Rathlin Harbour.
The Crown Estate also manages a significant portion of Northern Ireland's foreshore and tidal riverbed, supporting activities such as oyster, mussel, and seaweed cultivation, which contribute to local economies and promote sustainable practices. For instance, The Crown Estate is aiding oyster restoration work in Belfast Lough by assisting the Ulster Wildlife Trust in establishing clarity around seabed ownership, thereby swiftly securing the necessary permissions for their trials. The recovery of native oyster reefs will not only boost local biodiversity but also improve water quality and create habitats for other species.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South and Mid Down)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much revenue the Crown Estate has generated from rents paid by (a) public authorities and (b) councils in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.
Answered by Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The revenue The Crown Estate has generated from rents paid by public authorities in Northern Ireland is as follows: in 2020 the figure was £64,231.19, in 2021 the figure was £ 55,251.06, in 2022 the figure was £56,915.66, in 2023 the figure was £56,689.16 and in 2024 the figure was £46,748.87.
The revenue The Crown Estate has generated from rents paid by councils in Northern Ireland is as follows: in 2020 the figure was £212,545.13, in 2021 the figure was £241,800.99, in 2022 the figure was £267,414.88, in 2023 the figure was £256,387.66 and in 2024 the figure was £330,249.08.
The Crown Estate pays its entire net profits into the UK Consolidated Fund each year, contributing to the funding of vital public services across the UK, including in Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South and Mid Down)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much is the total value of (a) retail and (b) commercial assets owned by the Crown Estate in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Crown Estate’s assets in Northern Ireland predominantly fall under the coastal, marine or cable asset classes. The total value of these asset classes is currently £25,970,540 across telecommunication cables, coastal, interconnectors, pipelines, power cables, storage, and mines royal.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South and Mid Down)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 6 February 2025 to Question 27961 on Cycle to Work Scheme and the Answer of 21 November 2024 to Question 14753 on the Cycle to Work Scheme: Low Incomes, whether her Department plans to consult with the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland during its evaluation of the cycle to work scheme.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC has commissioned an evaluation of the effectiveness of the Cycle to Work scheme and will publish its findings in due course.
The government keeps all taxes under review.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South and Mid Down)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will list all Barnett consequentials that her Department plans to allocate to the Northern Ireland Executive that include additional funding to reflect the public sector cost of increased Employer NIC contributions.
Answered by Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
At Autumn Budget 2024, the Chancellor agreed to provide funding to the public sector to support them with the additional cost associated with changes to employer National Insurance Contributions policy.
The Northern Ireland Executive will receive funding through the Barnett formula for any changes to UK Government department budgets, including on this support, in the usual way at Main Estimates 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. The Northern Ireland Executive are funded above their independently assessed level of relative need in 2024-25 and 2025-26 when including funding from the 2024 restoration financial package.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South and Mid Down)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the Barnet consequentials for Northern Ireland will be in relation to the Local Government Finance Settlement.
Answered by Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government have announced final allocations for the Local Government Finance Settlement for 2025-26. Part of this funding comes from Departmental Expenditure Limits (DEL) agreed at the Phase 1 of the Spending Review 2025.
The Barnett formula applies to all increases or decreases to UK Government department DEL, including at the Spending Review, as set out in the Statement of Funding Policy.
The Barnett formula does not apply to spending financed by council tax.
The Northern Ireland Executive’s Spending Review settlement for 2025-26 is the largest in real terms of any settlements since devolution. It is for the Northern Ireland Executive to allocate their funding in devolved areas as they see fit.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South and Mid Down)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will have discussions with (a) HMRC, (b) the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland, (c) the Secretary of State for Transport, (d) Transport Scotland and (e) the Welsh Government on people excluded from the Cycle to Work Scheme.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Cycle to Work scheme is a benefit-in-kind provided by employers to their employees. A benefit-in-kind is a form of non-cash remuneration provided by employers to their employees. Income tax and National Insurance contribution relief is provided on the scheme to both employers and their employees via salary sacrifice arrangements. The scheme is accessed via salary sacrifice, meaning that those not in employment are not able to access the scheme.
Employees earning at or near the National Minimum Wage (NMW) cannot access salary sacrifice if the arrangement will take their contractual salary below the relevant NMW rate. The Government is not currently considering changing the NMW legislation to apply to an employee’s salary after deductions have been made for salary sacrifice. Although employees on or near the NMW cannot access the tax deduction on the price of a bike via salary sacrifice, they can still lease a bike from their employer and repay the value of the bike from their net pay over many months, interest-free.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South and Mid Down)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to revise the upper purchase price on help to buy ISAs in line with the housing market.
Answered by Tulip Siddiq
This Government is committed to helping first time buyers own their own home, and will do this by building 1.5 million more homes.
The Government keeps savings policy under review, any changes of this kind would be made at a relevant fiscal event.