Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the timetable is for the publication of the annual report on the implementation of the New Decade, New Approach Agreement.
Answered by Robin Walker
Ahead of the next Implementation Review Meeting, the UK Government will work with the Northern Ireland Executive and the Irish Government to publish an update on the implementation of the New Decade, New Approach agreement.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, for what reason the changes to trading arrangements in Northern Ireland do not feature as part of the Brexit preparations advertisements running on television and radio.
Answered by Robin Walker
The Government’s priority has always been to ensure that businesses understand the new trading arrangements introduced across the UK this year.
The Government has run an extensive UK-wide public information campaign aimed at the UK business community, which has directed business owners to the Brexit checker tool and the latest advice on GOV.UK. This included specific Northern Ireland-related guidance.
We also ran bespoke advertisements in Northern Ireland since August 2020 to highlight that some trading rules were changing, including those governing the movement of goods. This information was targeted at the broadest possible audience by using a blend of TV, video on demand, radio, print and digital channels.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, when the next quarterly update on progress on the implementation of the New Decade, New Approach agreement outlined under Annexe F of that agreement is planned for publication.
Answered by Robin Walker
Following the Implementation Review Meeting on 11 January 2020, the UK Government will work with the Executive and the Irish Government on publishing an update on the implementation of the New Decade, New Approach agreement.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent discussions he has had with the Police Service Northern Ireland on threats from loyalist paramilitaries to journalists in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Robin Walker
The UK Government condemns any and all threats made towards journalists, and those linked to the journalistic profession, who play a vital role in our society. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland regularly engages with the Police Service of Northern Ireland Chief Constable on a range of security matters.
Paramilitarism is not and has never been justified. The UK Government is committed to working with the Northern Ireland Executive in their work to tackle paramilitarism. Through the Fresh Start Agreement we have, to date, provided £25 million of match funding to the Executive’s Tackling Paramilitarism, Criminality and Organised Crime Programme.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to his Answer to the Oral Question asked by the hon Member for Sheffield, Heeley on 2 December, Official Report, how the WAVE group requested that he pause on engagement on legacy; and on what date that group made that request to him.
Answered by Robin Walker
During March and April, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and officials met with a number of victims groups and other key stakeholders to discuss legacy issues. This included a meeting with WAVE Trauma Centre on 19 March. Following these discussions, it was clear that engaging effectively and sensitively ahead of delivering legislation would be difficult due to the challenges created by the Covid-19 pandemic, especially given the vulnerability of many of those it is vital we engage with.
The Secretary of State remains committed to engaging with victims groups and all parts of the community in Northern Ireland in order to make progress on legacy issues.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, when he plans to end the pause on engagement with victims groups on legacy matters.
Answered by Robin Walker
The Government has been clear that it will bring forward legislation to address the legacy of the Troubles in a way that focuses on reconciliation, delivers for victims, and ends the cycle of investigations which has failed victims and veterans alike.
While progress on this - including substantive engagement with key stakeholders like victims groups - has been affected by the challenging circumstances of the past few months, we remain committed to working with all parts of the community in Northern Ireland to help make progress on legacy issues as quickly as possible.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how the £7.3 million increase in spending for the Northern Ireland Office under the Comprehensive Spending Review will be spent.
Answered by Robin Walker
The Northern Ireland Office welcomes our departmental settlement for 2021/2022. It will use this funding to support the work on this Government's strategic priorities for Northern Ireland, including working closely with the Northern Ireland Executive and external partners to ensure good governance, help Northern Ireland address the legacy of the past and make Northern Ireland more prosperous and safe. Our settlement also includes time-limited funding which will support implementation for aspects of the New Decade, New Approach agreement and mark the Northern Ireland Centenary in 2021.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the average amount of European Structural Investment Funding was per year for Northern Ireland for the period 2014-20; and what the projected average of Shared Prosperity Fund funding will be for Northern Ireland per year.
Answered by Robin Walker
The total European Structural and Investment Funds allocated to Northern Ireland for the 2014-2020 programme was about €752m. This includes the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), European Social Fund (ESF) and European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD).
Investment from EU Structural Funds is increasing in each of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in 21-22 compared to this financial year. We will ramp up funding so that total domestic UK-wide funding will at least match EU receipts, reaching around £1.5bn a year.
In addition, to help local areas prepare over 21/22 for introduction of the UKSPF, we will provide £220 million additional UK funding, including to Northern Ireland, to support our communities to pilot programmes and new approaches.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what funding remains to be allocated under the New Decade, New Approach commitments.
Answered by Robin Walker
The UK Government is providing £2 billion of funding to support implementation of the New Decade, New Approach deal. This includes a £1bn Barnett-based investment guarantee from the UK Government, which includes significant new funding to turbocharge infrastructure investment. This guarantee applies in all circumstances, and allows the Executive to plan new investment.
From the other £1bn in capital and resource funding, the UK Government has provided the NI Executive with £523m in 2020/21, in addition to the £30m in 2019/20, which was released to support pay parity for nurses.
The New Decade, New Approach financial package was accompanied by stringent conditions to deliver a greater level of accountability for public spending and ensure the new Executive is building sustainable public services. This includes the establishment of an Independent Fiscal Council that will play an important role in improving transparency and fiscal performance. Subject to these conditions being fulfilled, there will be a further £447m released to the Executive over the next four years. This will be for; public service transformation, nurses’ pay, ultra-low emission transport, support for the Northern Ireland Graduate Entry Medical School and funding to address NI’s unique circumstances.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what proportion of the investment outlined in Annex A of the New Decade, New Approach Agreement (a) has been and (b) remains to be allocated to the health service.
Answered by Robin Walker
The UK Government is providing £2 billion of funding to support implementation of the New Decade, New Approach deal.
To date, £553 million has been allocated by the Government. Of this, a substantial proportion will benefit Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland.
£115m has been provided so far to resolve the nurses’ pay dispute and deliver pay parity (£30m in 2019-20 and £85m in 2020-21). A further £44m has been allocated this year through NDNA to support public service transformation, with much of this directed towards the health service. £350m was provided in the current financial year to help place the Executive’s finances on a sustainable footing, enabling the Executive to deliver public services such as healthcare.
Alongside this, the UK Government has also provided £60m, with £15m allocated to the Executive in 20/21, to deliver the new Northern Ireland Graduate Entry Medical School in Derry/Londonderry, which has begun recruiting its first intake of students.
On top of this, a further £2.8bn of additional funding has been provided to the Executive to support the work to tackle Covid-19 this year, including to enable the health service to respond to the crisis.
In addition to the financial package, the New Decade, New Approach Deal is accompanied by stringent conditions to deliver a greater level of accountability for public spending, and ensure the new Executive is building sustainable public services. A key element of this will be the establishment of an Independent Fiscal Council (IFC). The UK Government will continue to work with the Northern Ireland Executive to agree terms of reference for the IFC that reflect our joint ambitions for this new institution and get it up and running as soon as possible.