Asked by: Jim Allister (Traditional Unionist Voice - North Antrim)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether the conditions for notification to the EU that the Stormont Brake has been triggered have been met on Regulation (EU) 2024/2865 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2024 amending Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 on classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Government is under statutory obligations to assess any Stormont Brake notification against the tests set out by law. I will make a decision in due course.
Asked by: Jim Allister (Traditional Unionist Voice - North Antrim)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much from the public purse the UK provided to the EU for any purpose in financial years (a) 2019-20, (b) 2020-21, (c) 2021-22, (d) 2022-23 and (e) 2023-24.
Answered by Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
As part of the Withdrawal Agreement, the UK agreed the Financial Settlement with the EU. This provides a methodology for settling pre-existing UK financial obligations and is not a fixed amount.
The European Union Finances Statement 2023 sets out HM Treasury’s estimates of the size of these obligations in more detail. As at 31st December 2023, the UK is estimated to have paid £23.8bn in net liabilities under the agreement since February 2020. HM Treasury will provide updated figures for 2024 in the next annual statement, expected in Spring 2025.
Other payments to the EU, such as those under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, are reported in departments' annual accounts and normal budgetary disclosures.
Asked by: Jim Allister (Traditional Unionist Voice - North Antrim)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions he has had with relevant stakeholders on ensuring the continuity of full employment at the Spirit AeroSystems site in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Government is working with the Northern Ireland Executive to help ensure the best outcome for Spirit Aerospace and all its skilled and hardworking staff.
The Northern Ireland Office and the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) are fully aware of the commercial discussions taking place about the potential acquisition of the Spirit business. DBT continues to be in contact with Spirit, Airbus, Boeing and other potential buyers, and we want to see an outcome that includes a commitment to develop Spirit and its supply chain as part of any acquisition and provides the best possible opportunity for growth in Northern Ireland.
DBT continues to provide over £13 million of support for Spirit’ Research and Development activity through the Aerospace Technology Institute programme.
Asked by: Jim Allister (Traditional Unionist Voice - North Antrim)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the (a) effectiveness of the application of the Armed Forces Covenant in Northern Ireland and (b) adequacy of Armed Forces Covenant arrangements in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
Our election manifesto commitment to put the Armed Forces Covenant fully into law highlighted the need to strengthen the rights of the Armed Forces community and thus improve current and former service life on a broader scope. Work is currently underway to develop policy in a range of areas relevant to the Armed Forces community.
The Armed Forces Covenant applies across the whole of the UK including the Devolved Nations; its delivery is shaped by local and regional factors and jurisdictions. In Northern Ireland, government bodies and the charitable sector work together to provide practical support to the Armed Forces community, helping deliver the Covenant. Since 2015, Covenant delivery has been supported by the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust, an Arm’s Length Body of the Ministry of Defence and a charity. In 2023-24, the Trust awarded a total of £31.7 million to projects across the UK, including Northern Ireland, in support of the Armed Forces community. From 2022-23 to date, £3.26 million across 51 grants in total have been awarded to projects in Northern Ireland.
A Covenant Legal Duty impact survey aimed at organisations subject to the Duty was completed in 2024. This included engagement with the Devolved Administrations. The survey was aimed at the whole of UK. Greater detail on the survey can be found in the Armed Forces Covenant Annual Report 2024, published in December 2024: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/676049f6cfbf84c3b2bcfacc/Armed_Forces_Covenant_annual_report_summary_2024.pdf
We are making good progress in delivering the Covenant in Northern Ireland, where unique circumstances require a different approach to be taken from the rest of the UK. We will continue to work closely with our stakeholders in Northern Ireland to ensure that the Covenant remains effective.
Asked by: Jim Allister (Traditional Unionist Voice - North Antrim)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 19 November 2024 to Question 14407 on Trade Agreements, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the (a) Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement and (b) Windsor Framework on the ability of Northern Ireland companies to access inputs through that Agreement which allow cumulation in Northern Ireland within relevant Rules of Origin for onward sale.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
On Rules of Origin, CPTPP gives Northern Ireland companies the ability to cumulate materials from other CPTPP countries, in their exports to CPTPP countries, in the same way as any other part of the UK. Goods moving into Northern Ireland, including under CPTPP, are able to access UK tariffs preferences, subject to the ‘at risk’ criteria. The Windsor Framework does not affect exports from Northern Ireland, or Rules of Origin for exports.
Asked by: Jim Allister (Traditional Unionist Voice - North Antrim)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 16 December 2024 to Question 19620 on Public Expenditure: Northern Ireland, if she will increase funding to Northern Ireland for the additional cost associated with changes to Employer National Insurance Contributions in the context of the higher proportion of public sector employees.
Answered by Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The UK Government has agreed to provide funding to the public sector to support them with the additional costs associated with changes to employer National Insurance Contributions policy.
The Northern Ireland Executive will receive funding through the Barnett formula for any additional support provided to UK Government departments in 2025-26 as a result of this policy change. This is the normal operation of the funding arrangements for the devolved governments as set out in the Statement of Funding Policy.
The Interim Fiscal Framework agreed by the UK Government and the Northern Ireland Executive recognises that Northern Ireland has a higher level of relative need compared to equivalent UK Government spending in the rest of the UK. A 24% needs-based factor is now included in the Barnett Formula for the Northern Ireland Executive, and the Executive is receiving over 24% more per person than equivalent UK Government spending in 2024-25 and 2025-26, including the 2024 restoration financial package.
Asked by: Jim Allister (Traditional Unionist Voice - North Antrim)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the money the Government has promised to allocate to the public sector in Northern Ireland to enable it to pay for the increase in employer contributions to National Insurance from April 2025 will be allocated on the basis of Barnett consequentials.
Answered by Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
At Autumn Budget, the Chancellor of the Exchequer 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 devolved governments will receive funding through the Barnett Formula in 2025-26 for any changes to UK Government department budgets, including support for Employer National Insurance Contributions. 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 devolved governments’ record Spending Review settlements for 2025-26, which are the largest in real terms of any settlements since devolution.
Asked by: Jim Allister (Traditional Unionist Voice - North Antrim)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent estimate his Department has made of the potential impact of trade deals negotiated since 2020 on economic growth in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department of Business and Trade (DBT) does not hold an aggregated value for the impact of the signed trade deals on the UK’s nations and regions. Instead, the Department publishes individual Impact Assessments (IAs) for new free trade agreements (FTAs) which set out the potential economic impacts on the UKs nations and regions. These show that all English regions and UK nations are expected to benefit from the new FTAs signed with Japan, Australia, New Zealand and CPTPP.
Asked by: Jim Allister (Traditional Unionist Voice - North Antrim)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of (a) eBay and (b) other sellers based in Great Britain turning off their seller accounts to Northern Ireland because of the costs of compliance with the General Product Safety Regulations 2023 on consumers in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Our assessment of the impact of the updated GPSR remains that it largely formalises how businesses are operating in the UK and that where businesses need to make changes, in most cases, they will be adapting to continue trading with the EU. The measures are therefore likely to have limited impact in practice. We are providing guidance which we will keep under review as we continue to engage businesses – including online marketplaces – to ensure we are supporting them to trade freely across the whole of the UK.
Asked by: Jim Allister (Traditional Unionist Voice - North Antrim)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions he has had with (a) eBay and (b) other online sellers on the potential impact of the General Product Safety Regulations 2023 on the ability of consumers in Northern Ireland to continue to buy goods from Great Britain.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
My fellow ministers and I undertake regular engagement with businesses, including online marketplaces and those who sell products online, to listen to their concerns.
In addition, officials in my Department have regular discussions with business representatives, including online marketplaces and businesses that sell products online, on a range of issues, including the impact of the EU’s new General Product Safety Regulations. This engagement allows businesses to raise specific issues directly with the Government.