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 Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of industrial action by Northern Ireland immigration practitioners; and what steps she plans to take to ensure that asylum claims are not impacted.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)
All asylum claims will continue to be assessed on an individual basis, in line with published policies.
The Home Office continues to invest in a programme of transformation and business improvement initiatives to focus on speeding up decision making, reduce the time people spend in the asylum system and decrease the number of people who are awaiting an interview or decision.
This will enable us to maximise our capacity and progress cases in a more efficient and cost-effective way.
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 Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of implementing a national redress scheme for (a) mothers and (b) children living with fetal valproate syndrome.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is carefully considering the valuable work done by the Patient Safety Commissioner and the resulting Hughes Report, which set out options for redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh. We will be providing an update to the Patient Safety Commissioner’s report at the earliest opportunity. Although the Hughes Report and its recommendations only cover patients harmed in England, the Government recognises that any response will likely have implications for Northern Ireland and is engaging with the Minister for Health in the Northern Ireland Executive on the Hughes Report.
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 Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 6 February 2025 to Question 27960 on the Cycle to Work Scheme: Northern Ireland and the Answer of 11 October 2024 to Question 5735 on Bicycles: Subsidies, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of working with the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland on improving access to cycles for people excluded from the cycle to work scheme.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Officials from this Department regularly meet with their counterparts from the other parts of the UK, including the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland, to compare notes on how each is approaching a wide range of active travel issues. The Department’s officials would be happy to explore this topic with their counterparts in the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland, but in practice nearly all of the ways of improving access to cycles for those people in Northern Ireland who are unable to use the cycle to work scheme would be devolved matters for the Northern Ireland government.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South and Mid Down)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Nigerian counterpart on the release of Leah Sharibu.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK strongly condemns Leah Sharibu's abduction and has repeatedly called for her release and the release of all those abducted by Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa (ISWA). We have raised Leah's case with the Government of Nigeria, and the Minister for Africa will continue to do so in future engagements. More broadly, we continue to engage with the Government of Nigeria to support efforts to tackle insecurity and prevent further kidnappings, which includes support to Nigeria's anti-kidnap cell, through the UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership.
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.