Asked by: Jim Allister (Traditional Unionist Voice - North Antrim)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 24 October 2024 to Question 10214 on Crafts: Northern Ireland, whether the Government has made a decision on the vote in the Northern Ireland Assembly on the applicability motion in relation to EU Regulation 2023/2411 on 19 March 2024.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
As set out in my response to your question of October 2024, the Government continues to evaluate the implications of Regulation 2023/2411, reflecting the applicability motion vote in the Northern Ireland Assembly and the conditions set out in Schedule 6B of the Northern Ireland Act 1998.
Asked by: Jim Allister (Traditional Unionist Voice - North Antrim)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Answer of 22 February 2023 to Question 146816 on Northern Ireland Protocol and Trader Support Service: Costs, what the cost to the public purse was of (a) Trader Support Services operations, (b) Movement Assistance Scheme operations and (c) the Digital Assistance Scheme between August 2020 and February 2025.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Government is committed to supporting industry in moving goods smoothly between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, including through the use of schemes such as the Movement Assistance Scheme (MAS) and the Trader Support Service (TSS). The costs of the MAS, TSS, and Digital Assistance Scheme (DAS) are set out below:
| FY 2020/21 | FY2021/22 | FY2022/23 | FY2023/24 | FY2024/25 |
MAS | £3.53 million | £9.78 million | £8.75 million | £9.64 million | £8.30 million (up to 30/01/2025) |
TSS | £100.62 million | £148.80 million | £114.68 million | £105.19 million | £73.18 million (up to 30/01/2025) |
DAS | £3.45 million | £13.73 million | £16.6 million | £18.4 million | £15.2 million (up to 28/02/2025) |
Asked by: Jim Allister (Traditional Unionist Voice - North Antrim)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the dates of meetings of the Veterinary Medicine Working Group.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Veterinary Medicines Working Group consists of political and industry representatives and veterinary experts and plays a critical role in advising the Government on its plans to safeguard the supply of veterinary medicines to Northern Ireland. The Government re-established the Working Group shortly after the elections and it has met twice so far (on 11 September and 21 November) with a third meeting scheduled for 4 March.
Asked by: Jim Allister (Traditional Unionist Voice - North Antrim)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information his Department holds on the number of people nominated for the Elizabeth Emblem by (a) organisations and (b) private individuals in (i) Northern Ireland and (ii) the UK.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
Elizabeth Emblem nominations can only be made by the next-of-kin of the deceased individual. It is, however, open to them to seek the help of an appropriate organisation when completing the form. Organisations may also approach them to suggest that an application be made.
To date, 38 of the 187 nominations across the United Kingdom have been related to Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Jim Allister (Traditional Unionist Voice - North Antrim)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people have been awarded the Elizabeth Emblem in recognition of the sacrifice of a loved one who died in the course of providing services in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
In November, the government announced that thirty eight individuals would be honoured with the Elizabeth Emblem. None were related to Northern Ireland in this first announcement but I understand that several cases from Northern Ireland are currently being processed for a future announcement.
Asked by: Jim Allister (Traditional Unionist Voice - North Antrim)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much (a) his Department has and (b) his Department's arms length bodies have spent on hospitality in (i) each of the last five years and (ii) since 5 July 2024.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
We do not routinely publish this data, as has been the case under successive administrations. All Business Units within the Cabinet Office have a responsibility to carefully manage official hospitality costs and demonstrate good value for money.
Details of ministerial and senior official hospitality are published on a quarterly basis, and are available on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Jim Allister (Traditional Unionist Voice - North Antrim)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether, in the context of the vote in the Northern Ireland Assembly on the applicability motion in relation to EU Regulation 2023/2411 on 19 March 2024, whether he has made a decision on the application of that regulation to Northern Ireland.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Government continues to evaluate the implications of Regulation 2023/2411, reflecting the applicability motion vote in the Northern Ireland Assembly and the conditions set out in Schedule 6B of the Northern Ireland Act 1998.
Asked by: Jim Allister (Traditional Unionist Voice - North Antrim)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether (a) the Joint Consultative Working Group has had discussions on the application of EU Regulation 2023/1115 in Northern Ireland and (b) the group's meeting minutes are published.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The UK and EU regularly engage on the Windsor Framework and shared priorities, including the issue of deforestation. As was confirmed in the response to question UIN4798 on 16th September, Ministers are currently considering our approach to those matters, noting also that the EU Commission has proposed to delay the implementation deadlines by 12 months to 30 December 2025. Whilst official level engagement between the UK and EU is confidential, both the Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee and its Specialised Committees publish details of their meetings and decisions.
Asked by: Jim Allister (Traditional Unionist Voice - North Antrim)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee's Specialised Committees have had recent discussions on the application of EU Regulation 2023/1115 in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The UK and EU regularly engage on the Windsor Framework and shared priorities, including the issue of deforestation. As was confirmed in the response to question UIN4798 on 16th September, Ministers are currently considering our approach to those matters, noting also that the EU Commission has proposed to delay the implementation deadlines by 12 months to 30 December 2025. Whilst official level engagement between the UK and EU is confidential, both the Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee and its Specialised Committees publish details of their meetings and decisions.
Asked by: Jim Allister (Traditional Unionist Voice - North Antrim)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee has had recent discussions on the application of EU Regulation 2023/1115 in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The UK and EU regularly engage on the Windsor Framework and shared priorities, including the issue of deforestation. As was confirmed in the response to question UIN4798 on 16th September, Ministers are currently considering our approach to those matters, noting also that the EU Commission has proposed to delay the implementation deadlines by 12 months to 30 December 2025. Whilst official level engagement between the UK and EU is confidential, both the Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee and its Specialised Committees publish details of their meetings and decisions.