Ivan Lewis Portrait

Ivan Lewis

Independent - Former Member for Bury South

First elected: 1st May 1997

Left House: 6th November 2019 (Defeated)


International Development Sub-Committee on the Work of the Independent Commission for Aid Impact
13th Sep 2017 - 6th Nov 2019
International Development Committee
11th Sep 2017 - 6th Nov 2019
International Development Sub-Committee on the Work of the Independent Commission for Aid Impact
21st Feb 2017 - 3rd May 2017
International Development Committee
20th Feb 2017 - 3rd May 2017
Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
7th Oct 2013 - 14th Sep 2015
Shadow Secretary of State for International Development
7th Oct 2011 - 7th Oct 2013
Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (also Shadow Deputy Prime Minister)
8th Oct 2010 - 7th Oct 2011
Shadow Minister (Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs)
12th May 2010 - 8th Oct 2010
Minister of State (Foreign and Commonwealth Office)
9th Jun 2009 - 6th May 2010
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for International Development)
5th Oct 2008 - 5th Jun 2009
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health) (Care Services)
5th May 2006 - 5th Oct 2008
Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
10th May 2005 - 5th May 2006
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education and Skills) (Skills and Vocational Education)
11th Jun 2001 - 10th May 2005
Health and Social Care Committee
1st Feb 1999 - 13th Dec 1999


Division Voting information

Ivan Lewis has voted in 1908 divisions, and 5 times against the majority of their Party.

10 Nov 2008 - Post Office Card Account - View Vote Context
Ivan Lewis voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 2 Labour No votes vs 271 Labour Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 279 Noes - 232
20 May 2008 - Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill [Lords] - View Vote Context
Ivan Lewis voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 56 Labour Aye votes vs 231 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 233 Noes - 304
7 Mar 2007 - House of Lords Reform - View Vote Context
Ivan Lewis voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 126 Labour Aye votes vs 184 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 155 Noes - 418
7 Mar 2007 - House of Lords Reform - View Vote Context
Ivan Lewis voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 132 Labour Aye votes vs 177 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 178 Noes - 392
7 Mar 2007 - House of Lords Reform - View Vote Context
Ivan Lewis voted Aye - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 156 Labour Aye votes vs 157 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 305 Noes - 267
View All Ivan Lewis Division Votes

All Debates

Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.

View all Ivan Lewis's debates

Latest EDMs signed by Ivan Lewis

21st October 2019
Ivan Lewis signed this EDM on Wednesday 23rd October 2019

Racism in football

Tabled by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
That this House condemns the appalling racism at the Haringey Borough v. Yeovil Town FA Cup game on 19 October; applauds the Haringey players and management for their brave and principled decision to walk off in the face of such abuse; calls on the Football Association to ensure that those …
59 signatures
(Most recent: 16 Dec 2019)
Signatures by party:
Labour: 33
Conservative: 6
Independent: 6
Liberal Democrat: 5
Scottish National Party: 4
Democratic Unionist Party: 3
Plaid Cymru: 1
Green Party: 1
The Independent Group for Change: 1
17th October 2019
Ivan Lewis signed this EDM on Monday 21st October 2019

Kashmiri people

Tabled by: Debbie Abrahams (Labour - Oldham East and Saddleworth)
That this House calls on the Government to use all diplomatic and economic measures at its disposal to influence the Indian and Pakistan Governments to ensure that democracy is respected and that the Kashmiri people are at the heart of any constitutional reform of the region, including respecting both the …
31 signatures
(Most recent: 16 Dec 2019)
Signatures by party:
Labour: 20
Independent: 5
Conservative: 3
Democratic Unionist Party: 1
Plaid Cymru: 1
Scottish National Party: 1
View All Ivan Lewis's signed Early Day Motions

Commons initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Ivan Lewis, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.

MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.


Ivan Lewis has not been granted any Urgent Questions

3 Adjournment Debates led by Ivan Lewis

Ivan Lewis has not introduced any legislation before Parliament

Ivan Lewis has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting


Latest 50 Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department
36 Other Department Questions
3rd May 2019
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps she is taking to help ensure that employers provide reasonable adjustments to the workplace so that people with hidden or invisible conditions are able to (a) access and (b) stay in employment.

The law is very clear that employers must make reasonable adjustments for employees and job applicants who meet the Equality Act 2010’s definition of disability, namely having a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term negative effect on the person’s ability to do normal daily activities. Where a disability is not obvious, it will be necessary for the employee or job applicant to declare their condition, but at that point the onus passes to the employer to meet its legal obligations.

To help employers comply with the law, the Government has issued guidance on the duty to make reasonable adjustments, here: https://www.gov.uk/reasonable-adjustments-for-disabled-workers

In addition, guidance on this subject has been issued by Acas and by the Equality and Human Rights Commission, which has also published a statutory code of practice for employers. Where employers fall short on their obligations, legal remedies exist for employees and job applicants, together with Acas’s early conciliation service, which aims to settle disputes before they reach the employment tribunal.

Victoria Atkins
Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
3rd May 2019
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps the Government has taken to help ensure that people with disabilities receive help and support to identify and challenge discriminatory workplace behaviours and practices.

Discriminatory behaviours and practices in the workplace, including those related to disabled employees and job applicants, are both unacceptable and unlawful. Protections for disabled employees and job applicants exist in the Equality Act 2010 and remedies are available where breaches occur. Acas and the Equality and Human Rights Commission, have published comprehensive guidance to assist employees identify discrimination and other unlawful conduct and then enforce their rights. This guidance can be found at:

http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=1859; and https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/advice-and-guidance/disability-discrimination

The Equality and Human Rights Commission is responsible for ensuring that the Equality Act 2010 is enforced and has become involved in cases where a particular principle of law is concerned or where there is evidence of widespread or systematic discrimination.

Acas provides free authoritative and impartial advice to employees, job applicants and employers on their website at http://www.acas.org.uk, and via their telephone helpline 08457 47 47 47.

The Government-funded Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS) also provides free bespoke advice and in-depth support to individuals with discrimination concerns and can be contacted via their website at www.equalityadvisoryservice.com, or by telephone on 0808 8000082 or text phone on 0808 8000084. The EASS also supports individuals to resolve issues using alternative informal dispute resolution and can also advise people who wish to take their complaint further on their options.

Victoria Atkins
Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
8th Mar 2016
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps the Government is taking to reduce the gender pay gap for women over 40.

The Government is committed to full gender equality in the workplace. We will be introducing gender pay gap reporting for companies with at least 250 employees and will provide £500,000 in support to help business calculate, understand and address their gender pay gaps. The Government expects employers to start publishing the required information from April 2017.

The Government’s ambition is to unlock the skills, talents and experience of older workers. Working with business, International Women’s Day 2016 saw the Women’s Business Council launching a toolkit to encourage older women to enter and stay on in the workplace. The Women’s Business Council has established a working group on older women workers to address how business can offer practical support to older workers.

This builds on action the Government has already taken to ensure an effective framework to help women return to and progress in work. These measures include introducing shared parental leave, extending the right to request flexible working to all employees and increasing support for childcare costs.

15th Jul 2014
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what services Healthcare UK offers to organisations based in the devolved regions.

As a constituent part of UK Trade and Investment, Healthcare UK has responsibility for the provision of support and assistance to new and existing healthcare exporters of goods and services across the UK and for promoting the UK and all its constituent parts to foreign investors.

The devolved administrations are responsible for devising and implementing additional programmes to meet the particular needs of companies based in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales and for promoting Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales to foreign investors.

14th Jul 2014
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many export finance advisers are employed by UK Export Finance in Northern Ireland.

UK Export Finance employs 21 export finance advisers, based across the English regions and devolved administrations. There is one export finance adviser based in Northern Ireland, who is part of a team of seven advisers which covers North of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

14th Jul 2014
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many businesses located in Northern Ireland have contacted UK Export Finance to enquire about loans from the Direct Lending Facility since June 2013.

UK Export Finance has received approximately 10 enquiries from businesses located in Northern Ireland on its Direct Lending Facility since June 2013.

14th Jul 2014
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what recent assessment the Committee on Climate Change has made of the economic costs and benefits of mitigating emissions in Northern Ireland.

Abatement opportunities in Northern Ireland (NI) were considered in the Committee on Climate Change's (CCC) November 2011 report ‘The appropriateness of a Northern Ireland Climate Change Act'. In addition, after receiving a request from the Department of Environment NI earlier this year, we have recently carried out a short scoping study to assess the available data, as well as appraise a number of options for estimating and reporting the economic implications of climate change mitigation. We are currently in discussion with the Department of Environment NI on how to take this forward.

14th Jul 2014
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what recent engagement the Committee on Climate Change has carried out with organisations and individuals in Northern Ireland to promote understanding and inform debate on climate change and its effects.

On 4th and 5th December 2013, the Committee's chairman Lord Deben and Dr. Ute Collier from the CCC Secretariat visited Belfast to meet with a range of organisations to discuss climate change policy.

In addition, members of the CCC Secretariat are in regular contact with officials from the Department of Environment.

14th Jul 2014
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether charity and community organisations in Northern Ireland can apply for grants to the Big Energy Saving Network.

The Big Energy Saving Network provides grant funding to charity, community and other third sector organisations to provide help and advice to electricity and gas consumers in the energy markets of England, Scotland and Wales. The Network is not operational in Northern Ireland as domestic gas and electricity policy and regulation are transferred to the Northern Ireland Executive.

The Northern Ireland Authority for Utility Regulation (the Regulator) is proposing to introduce a new Consumer Protection Strategy which will coordinate the approach to further protection of electricity, gas and water consumers, particularly those deemed vulnerable consumers.

9th Jul 2014
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the value of Northern Ireland's defence and security exports was in 2013.

We do not hold any figures by region, only for UK as a whole.

UK defence and security exports in 2013 totalled £13 billion, which represents a 13% increase on the previous year.

7th Jul 2014
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what work the Life Science Investment Organisation is doing to promote the life sciences sector in Northern Ireland.

The Life Sciences Organisation (LSO) (previously the Life Sciences Investment Organisation, which now includes responsibility for UK trade promotion) works to promote the UK Life Sciences sector as a whole. LSO works closely with Invest Northern Ireland, along with the other devolved bodies and local enterprise partnerships across England, to understand the nation’s internationally competitive commercial offers in life sciences. We then actively market these strengths using our international network of investment advisors and suite of promotional materials. Where potential investors have specifically stated particular requirements, we will match these to the various regional offers and bring these out clearly in the tailored proposition materials produced for the investors.

7th Jul 2014
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 1 July 2014, Official Report, column 536W, on business: Northern Ireland, what assessment he has made of the success of the recent roadshow his Department co-hosted to promote the delivery of the British Business Bank in Northern Ireland.

The recent roadshow in Northern Ireland, hosted by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), was attended by the Northern Ireland Executive, Invest Northern Ireland and a range of finance providers from Northern Ireland, including representatives from leading banks. The roadshow resulted in on-going discussions with the Executive and finance providers to explore how the Business Bank can build upon existing levels of support in Northern Ireland.

Officials from BIS and the Business Bank attended a meeting in Belfast on 9 July 2014 with my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Invest Northern Ireland and local investors as part of this continuing engagement, aimed at encouraging greater participation by Northern Ireland's private sector in the Business Bank's £300 million Investment Programme.

On 2 July 2014 Government published a one year update on the Economic Pact, which set out how the Government and the Executive have been working with the Business Bank to ensure Northern Ireland businesses and entrepreneurs can benefit from national finance schemes. This close co-operation will continue so that more local businesses gain from the available programmes.

7th Jul 2014
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether public sector organisations from the devolved administrations have been invited to participate in Healthcare UK's Business Forum for stakeholders on 24 July 2014.

Yes, public sector organisations from the devolved administrations have been invited to participate in Healthcare UK's Business Forum for stakeholders on 24 July 2014.

26th Jun 2014
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many delegates from manufacturers based in Northern Ireland were invited to the BIS Manufacturing Summit 2014 held on 19 June 2014.

Information on the regional location of Manufacturing Summit delegates was not requested as part of the registration process. However, from the limited data available we have identified one Northern Ireland-based manufacturing company which was invited to the Manufacturing Summit. This particular company decided not to send a representative.

For future summits we will be looking at ways to create a more diverse mix of CEO-level participants from across manufacturing industry. Proactive suggestions from Hon Members would be welcome as part of this process.

26th Jun 2014
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many applicants for the Start-Up Loans Scheme have been received from Northern Ireland; and what value of such loans have been provided for new businesses in Northern Ireland since the scheme was launched.

To date there have been 913 applications for Start-Up Loans in Northern Ireland including applications that have been withdrawn, declined or still in progress. Of these applications, 120 loans with a value of £562,110 have been drawn down to date.

26th Jun 2014
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what work the National Space Agency is doing to support the development of a regional space small and medium-sized enterprise sector in Northern Ireland; and what steps his Department has taken to support space-related events and conferences for decision-makers, the public, industry or academia in Northern Ireland.

The UK Space Agency recognises the strengths and interest of the Northern Ireland space sector. The Agency has recently established a small team to focus on supporting the development of a vibrant regional small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) community across the UK. It is already engaged with the Northern Ireland space office and will work with them to help them to understand the potential value of the space sector to the Northern Ireland economy, both in the traditional upstream and in downstream “space-enabled markets”. Areas of focus for regional engagement include aligning locally provided business support and the potential for further space business incubators. The team are working closely with colleagues in the Satellite Applications Catapult who are also engaging with Local Enterprise Partnerships & the Devolved Administrations and have a significant role to play in supporting SMEs in the space sector. As set out in the Northern Ireland Economic Pact, the Agency is considering the case for a new satellite propulsion test facility near Belfast. The Agency is also in receipt of Northern Ireland's letter of intent to host the UK Space Conference 2017 and due consideration will be given to holding the conference in Belfast in due course.

26th Jun 2014
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what work the British Business Bank is doing in Northern Ireland to promote its services to small businesses located there.

British Business Bank programmes facilitated £7.5m of new lending and investment to smaller businesses in Northern Ireland in 2013/14.

The Business Bank's Enterprise Finance Guarantee programme supported £5.1 million of additional lending to Northern Irish businesses during 2013/14, bringing the total amount of lending through the programme in Northern Ireland to £36.1 million.

The Bank's Start Up Loans programme was extended to Northern Ireland in June 2013 and since then, it has provided 120 loans to Northern Irish start-ups, lending a total of over £560,000.

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Northern Ireland Executive recently hosted a roadshow in Northern Ireland to promote the delivery of Business Bank programmes through Northern Irish finance providers and the Business Bank is actively discussing with the Executive how it can continue to support Northern Irish businesses in the future.

25th Jun 2014
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the variation in average unit retail price of petrol and diesel in Northern Ireland and in the rest of the UK; and if he will make a statement.

No formal assessment has been made of the reasons for the variation in average unit retail prices of petrol and diesel in Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.

Retail fuel prices are determined by the demand and supply fundamentals in local areas. Prices will reflect the underlying cost of crude oil, the process to refine it and transport it so that it is available for consumption at the pump.

Variations in prices are determined by changes in supply and demand factors both for crude oil and for individual products.

On 5 September 2012, the OFT launched a call for information (CFI) to investigate claims that the UK petrol and diesel sectors are not working well. In their January 2013 report they concluded that:

“Overall, on the basis of the evidence collected, it appears that competition in the UK road fuels sector is working relatively effectively”.

23rd Jun 2014
To ask the Prime Minister, how many times he has met with the Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland in the last 12 months.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 1 May 2014, Official Report, column 761W.

23rd Jun 2014
To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many times he has visited Northern Ireland in an official capacity since taking office.

I have been to Northern Ireland three times in an official capacity since taking office. I visited Belfast on 8 October 2010; Lough Erne on 18 June 2013; and, Derry-Londonderry on 21 June 2013.

23rd Jun 2014
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps UK Trade & Investment took to promote Northern Ireland businesses at the International Festival for Business in Liverpool.

UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) has encouraged participation by UK businesses from throughout the UK at the International Festival for Business (IFB).

UKTI officials briefed representatives from the three devolved administrations, including Invest Northern Ireland, on plans and preparations for the IFB in September 2013. UKTI subsequently facilitated meetings in London and Belfast, between senior IFB managers and Invest Northern Ireland, to discuss the detail of Invest NI's engagement with the Festival.

All events at IFB have been, and are continuing to be, advertised and promoted to companies in Northern Ireland through the IFB and GOV.UK/UKTI websites.

23rd Jun 2014
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what plans UK Trade & Investment has to promote the new Enterprise Zone in Coleraine as a location for potential international investors.

UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) follows the ‘UK First' principle when promoting inward investment. This means that we seek to promote the UK as the country of choice and propose the most suitable locations based on the inward investor's particular needs which are matched to the strengths of individual areas.

Invest Northern Ireland promotes Northern Ireland and UKTI works together with them on potential opportunities and to highlight benefits of areas such as Enterprise Zones.

23rd Jun 2014
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what work the Regeneration Investment Organisation is undertaking to promote Northern Ireland as a location for investment in regeneration projects.

The Regeneration Investment Organisation (RIO) is actively working on several investment opportunities in Northern Ireland with a gross development value of around £3 billion. The team has held commercial dialogue with overseas investors for some of these schemes.

The RIO team has a dedicated Regional Project Manager who engages with development opportunities in Northern Ireland, works closely with Invest Northern Ireland and helps projects advance to a stage where they would be able to attract overseas investment.

There is also official representation from Northern Ireland on the Regeneration Investment Advisory Board (RIAB), a group consisting of Industry and Government specialists set up to provide strategic advice and oversight of RIO activity.

5th Jun 2014
To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what meetings he has had with (a) the First Minister, (b) the Deputy First Minister and (c) both the First and Deputy First Ministers of Northern Ireland in the last 12 months.

There are many meetings involving the UK Government and the Northern Ireland Executive which I attend, including meetings of the Joint Ministerial Committee and the British-Irish Council.

5th Jun 2014
To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, when he last attended a meeting of the British-Irish Council summit.

I attended the British-Irish Council summit held in Derry/Londonderry on 21 June 2013.

5th Jun 2014
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether his Department has invited representatives of the devolved administrations to join the ad hoc ministerial-led steering group on the implementation of his Department's national space security policy.

The UK Space Agency and the Ministry of Defence are jointly leading work to co-ordinate an implementation plan for the National Space Security Policy that should be agreed between Ministers in the four lead Government Departments by the end of the calendar year. This plan will include the governance arrangements to oversee its successful implementation. Although Defence and National Security are not devolved matters, Devolved Administrations will be consulted where it is necessary or appropriate to do so.

5th Jun 2014
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to ensure that industry and academia in Northern Ireland are able to benefit from opportunities in support of national space security interests.

As part of the Northern Ireland pact published last year, the UK Space Agency is currently setting the business case for an investment in a satellite propulsion test facility near Belfast. This capability could be used for satellites employed in commercial and security uses.

5th Jun 2014
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether public sector organisations in Northern Ireland will be eligible for the terms of use for postcode address finder from 1 April 2015.

Northern Ireland public sector organisations will be not eligible for the Postcode Address File (PAF) Public Sector Licence agreed between the Department for Business, Innovation, and Skills (BIS) and Royal Mail. The PAF Public Sector Licence covers public sector bodies in England and Wales and will come into full force on 1 April 2015. Bodies whose remit is mainly or wholly within Northern Ireland, Scotland, and other Crown dependencies or foreign territories are excluded from the agreement between BIS and Royal Mail.

Royal Mail discussed the creation of an equivalent to the PAF Public Sector Licence with the Northern Ireland Land & Property Services. The view was that most of Northern Ireland's Government Departments were only interested in addresses within Northern Ireland and that there was no need for a central agreement.

5th Jun 2014
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions officials in his Department had with their counterparts in the Northern Ireland Executive before publication of the National Space Security Policy.

Prior to the publication of the National Space Security Policy, committee clearance was requested via the National Security Committee by me which was confirmed on 12 December 2014. Although Defence and National Security are not devolved matters, Devolved Administrations will be consulted where it is necessary or appropriate to do so.

5th Jun 2014
To ask the Prime Minister, when he last attended a British-Irish Council summit; and how many such summits he has attended since becoming Prime Minister.

A list of attendees at all British-Irish Council Summits is available on the British-Irish Council website. I have placed a list of UK Government delegates since May 2010 in the library of the House.

To ask the Prime Minister, what meetings he has had with (a) the First Minister of Northern Ireland, (b) the Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland and (c) both the First and Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland in the last 12 months.

I regularly meet the First Minister and Deputy First Minister to discuss a range of issues and will continue to do so.

I visit all parts of the United Kingdom regularly, including Northern Ireland. I last visited Northern Ireland on Thursday 10 – Friday 11 October 2013.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether officials in his Department consulted with their counterparts in the Northern Ireland Executive before publishing the National Space Security Policy.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether his Department has invited representatives of the devolved administrations to join the ad hoc ministerial-led steering group set up to report on the implementation of his Department's National Space Security Policy.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to ensure industry and academia in Northern Ireland are able to benefit from opportunities in support of national space security interests.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what meetings he has had with (a) the First Minister of Northern Ireland, (b) the Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland and (c) both the First and Deputy First Ministers of Northern Ireland in the last 12 months.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation

19th Jan 2016
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the effect of civil service redundancies in the last 12 months on the effectiveness of departments' work.

To remain the best in the world, the Civil Service needs to respond to both the challenges and opportunities of our times.The Civil Service continues to require new and different skills to respond to the fiscal environment, global competition and changes in technology, whilst at the same time delivering better services more efficiently: in short, doing more for less.

The size of the Civil Service has already reduced by 20% since March 2010 and has helped save taxpayers £2.8bn over the last Parliament. Despite this reduction in numbers, employee engagement rates were higher in 2015 than in 2010 and departments have successfully maintained delivery of our public services.

7th Jul 2014
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what discussions officials from his Department have held with their counterparts in the Northern Ireland Office about that Department accepting placements from the Civil Service fast stream programme.

As was the case under previous administrations details of internal discussions are not normally disclosed.

2nd Jul 2014
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what guidance his Department provides to officials in the Northern Ireland Executive on personal security.

Cabinet Office provides security guidance to all departments

As was the case under successive administrations, we do not comment on the specifics of that advice.

30th Jun 2014
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many new graduate Fast Streamers were allocated places in each department in each year since 2010.

The pilot cohort of 100 Fast Track Apprentices began their apprenticeships in September 2013. Eight Government Departments across England participated in the pilot cohort:

· Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

· Cabinet Office

· Crown Prosecution Service

· Department for Education

· Department for Work and Pensions

· HM Revenue & Customs

· Ministry of Defence

· Ministry of Justice

Cohort 2 will begin in September 2014 and will place 200 apprentices across Departments and Agencies across England, including:

· Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

· Cabinet Office

· Crown Prosecution Service

· Department for Education

· Department for Work and Pensions

· HM Revenue & Customs

· Ministry of Defence

· Ministry of Justice

· Civil Service Employee Policy

· Civil Service Resourcing

· Civil Service Learning

· Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

· Department for Transport

· Department for Culture, Media and Sport

· Department for Communities and Local Government

· UK Trade & Investment, part of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

· Treasury Solicitor's Department

· Insolvency Service

· Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary

· Crown Commercial Service

The government plans to continue to grow this programme and expand it to other departments.

Annual Reports published by the Cabinet Office indicating the number of candidates recommended for appointment to the Graduate (now Generalist) Fast Stream are available at www.gov.uk.

A table showing the numbers recommended for appointment to the scheme for the period 2010-2012, distributed by department, has been placed in the library of the House. Data for 2013 is not yet available.

30th Jun 2014
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many places are available annually on the Civil Service Fast Track Apprenticeship Scheme.

The pilot cohort of 100 Fast Track Apprentices began their apprenticeships in September 2013. Eight Government Departments across England participated in the pilot cohort:

· Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

· Cabinet Office

· Crown Prosecution Service

· Department for Education

· Department for Work and Pensions

· HM Revenue & Customs

· Ministry of Defence

· Ministry of Justice

Cohort 2 will begin in September 2014 and will place 200 apprentices across Departments and Agencies across England, including:

· Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

· Cabinet Office

· Crown Prosecution Service

· Department for Education

· Department for Work and Pensions

· HM Revenue & Customs

· Ministry of Defence

· Ministry of Justice

· Civil Service Employee Policy

· Civil Service Resourcing

· Civil Service Learning

· Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

· Department for Transport

· Department for Culture, Media and Sport

· Department for Communities and Local Government

· UK Trade & Investment, part of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

· Treasury Solicitor's Department

· Insolvency Service

· Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary

· Crown Commercial Service

The government plans to continue to grow this programme and expand it to other departments.

Annual Reports published by the Cabinet Office indicating the number of candidates recommended for appointment to the Graduate (now Generalist) Fast Stream are available at www.gov.uk.

A table showing the numbers recommended for appointment to the scheme for the period 2010-2012, distributed by department, has been placed in the library of the House. Data for 2013 is not yet available.

23rd Jun 2014
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how the Civil Service Fast Stream programme is promoted to students in Northern Ireland.

The Civil Service Fast Stream marketing team use the careers site, advertising campaigns, on-campus promotions and events and social media to promote the Civil Service's graduate development programme across the UK. The Northern Ireland Civil Service is a separate organisation from the Home Civil Service and therefore employs graduates separately through the Northern Ireland Fast Stream.

In 2013 the Fast Stream marketing team used the free vacancy advertising service offered by the University of Ulster and Queen's University Belfast to promote Fast Stream Opportunities.. The Fast Stream programmes are also advertised on graduate recruitment websites with databases of over 700,000 students across the UK. Last October, Fast Stream representatives attended the Business and Finance Fair at Queen's University Belfast to generate awareness and attract talented students to the Civil Service.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what support the Emergency Planning College has provided to the planning and preparation for the Giro D'Italia Big Start in Northern Ireland in May 2014.

The Emergency Planning College (EPC) has had no requests for direct support of the planning and preparation for the Giro D'Italia Big Start in Northern Ireland in May 2014. The EPC has however delivered a variety of civil protection and resilience planning courses in Northern Ireland for various organisations, including Sports NI.

The Emergency Planning College (EPC) has provided 79 courses on emergency planning and crises management courses to 1170 attendees delivered in Northern Ireland since 2006. In addition to the training provided for customer organisations in NI, the EPC has trained 358 practitioners from NI attending residential training courses at the EPC since 2006

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many training courses the Emergency Planning College has provided in Northern Ireland in each year since the college was established; and how many people from Northern Ireland have completed such training courses.

The Emergency Planning College (EPC) has had no requests for direct support of the planning and preparation for the Giro D'Italia Big Start in Northern Ireland in May 2014. The EPC has however delivered a variety of civil protection and resilience planning courses in Northern Ireland for various organisations, including Sports NI.

The Emergency Planning College (EPC) has provided 79 courses on emergency planning and crises management courses to 1170 attendees delivered in Northern Ireland since 2006. In addition to the training provided for customer organisations in NI, the EPC has trained 358 practitioners from NI attending residential training courses at the EPC since 2006

23rd Jan 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with the Mayor of Greater Manchester on promoting Greater Manchester's technology sector.

The Secretary of State, in his previous role as Minister for Digital, wrote to Mayor Andy Burnham on 22nd December 2017, responding to the Mayor’s request for more information on the government’s investment of £21m in Tech Nation. This funding involves setting up 10 new regional hubs, including in Manchester (which will serve as the base for the North West) to support and promote the needs of the local tech communities. The Secretary of State clarified that Tech nation will work with local partners to connect with and build on the networks and ecosystems that already exist. The Mayor has been introduced to senior Tech Nation staff who are assessing the unique needs of each region.

This letter also offered further discussion with DCMS on how government policy can help to deliver the Greater Manchester Digital Strategy. I also committed to meeting Mr Burnham following our appearance on Question Time on 18th January 2018.

9th Jul 2014
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what work UK Sport is undertaking to help attract major sporting events to Northern Ireland.

With its successful hosting of the start of this year's Giro d'Italia, Northern Ireland has demonstrated its ability to stage major sporting events. UK Sport recently met with the Northern Ireland Tourism Board (NITB) to explain its support to Major Events and has committed to meet with the NITB every 6 months. UK Sport is finalising dates for an additional meeting with Sport NI and the NITB to discuss this area further. UK Sport has established a Major Events Agency Co-ordination Group, including Northern Ireland, which met for the first time this month. UK Sport works with National Governing Bodies to identify the UK's major event hosting targets and this is regularly shared with Northern Ireland colleagues.

Helen Grant
Shadow Solicitor General
7th Jul 2014
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether mobile data services will be expanded in Northern Ireland as part of the Mobile Infrastructure Project.
7th Jul 2014
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of how many households in Northern Ireland will benefit from each phase of the Mobile Infrastructure Project; and what the current expected date of completion is for each phase of that project in Northern Ireland.

DCMS officials and our delivery partner Arqiva are continually reviewing potential locations for masts with the intention of providing coverage to as many premises as possible. Various challenges will have an impact on the number of premises we can reach and completion dates for individual masts, such as finding a suitable and sensitive location for a mast, obtaining planning permission, and ensuring masts can connect back into the existing network.

7th Jul 2014
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what level of funding has been allocated by his Department to projects in Northern Ireland under the Mobile Infrastructure Project.

We are investing up to £150m to provide coverage across the UK through the Mobile Infrastructure Project. Funding is not allocated by country or area. Funding is provided for potential sites on a case by case basis, with sites selected according to the number of homes and businesses for which signal could be provided balanced against the cost to build and run each individual site.