Oral Answers to Questions

Robbie Moore Excerpts

Wednesday 21st June 2023 Commons Chamber

[Andrew Selous (South West Bedfordshire) (Con)]

9. What steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to promote Northern Ireland businesses overseas.

[Robbie Moore (Keighley) (Con)]

11. What steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to promote Northern Ireland businesses overseas.

[The Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office (Mr Steve Baker)]

As a result of the Windsor framework, Northern Ireland will be in the unique position of being part of the UK internal market as of right, having privileged access to the EU market, being under UK services regulation, and having access to the free trade agreements to which we are acceding. In addition, I have led trade missions with Invest Northern Ireland to Canada and South Korea to promote brilliant Northern Ireland businesses overseas, and will take further similar steps.

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[Robbie Moore]

How will the New Deal for Northern Ireland funding help to boost economic growth and increase Northern Ireland’s competitiveness overseas?

[Mr Baker]

The £400 million in the new deal for Northern Ireland funding will underscore the UK’s commitment to supporting and protecting the interests of people and businesses in Northern Ireland. New deal funding has been invested in projects such as £15 million for the Skill Up project to improve skills, £11 million for a cyber-AI hub at Queen’s University Belfast, and a number of other projects, including £8 million for Invest NI to help to promote trade. It is a commitment of which we are very proud and I could speak at even greater length.

Oral Answers to Questions

Robbie Moore Excerpts

Wednesday 27th October 2021 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

The right hon. Gentleman is completely right, I am sad to say. We are working hard to secure an agreement by negotiation, but we need to see real progress, because, as the right hon. Gentleman knows, the real-life issues on the ground in Northern Ireland have not gone away. As we have been saying for some months, if we cannot see progress—rapid progress—in the way that we spelt out in our Command Paper, I think it will be clear to everybody that the conditions for invoking article 16 have already been met.

[Robbie Moore (Keighley) (Con)]

Q8. Airedale General Hospital, in my constituency, is made predominantly from aerated concrete, which is known for its structural deficiencies, and is in desperate need of a rebuild. As the Prime Minister will know, the hospital recently submitted to the Government its bid for a brand-new carbon-neutral building. It is fantastic news that this Conservative Government will deliver 48 new hospitals, but may I make an urgent plea to the Prime Minister for the Airedale to be one of them?

[The Prime Minister]

My hon. Friend—indeed, the whole House—will be hearing more about the spending for health in just a few moments, but I can tell him that we have received 120 applications for the biggest hospital building programme in a generation, and that his application will certainly be among those that will receive our most urgent consideration.

Oral Answers to Questions

Robbie Moore Excerpts

Wednesday 30th September 2020 Commons Chamber

[Brandon Lewis]

I appreciate the hon. Gentleman’s point about businesses wanting as much certainty as they can get. We are still working through things with the specialist Joint Committee, but we are also engaging with those businesses. As I say, we are having regular weekly meetings with businesses—a range of businesses—across Northern Ireland to ensure that we deliver what works best for those businesses in Northern Ireland.

[Robbie Moore (Keighley) (Con)]

What progress his Department has made on the implementation of the proposals in the “New Decade, New Approach” document published in January 2020.

[The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Brandon Lewis)]

Despite the need to focus on covid-19, quite rightly, good progress has still been made in a number of areas in delivering on the new decade, new approach agreement. We have been releasing money from the £2 billion of funding set in the deal, changing the family migration rules for the people of Northern Ireland, holding the first joint board meeting, announcing the appointment of a veterans commissioner and, indeed, setting out our intentions for marking the centenary of Northern Ireland next year.

[Robbie Moore]

I welcome the tremendous progress that my right hon. Friend has made in delivering on the new decade, new approach deal, including appointing a veterans commissioner, as he has just pointed out, but also holding the first meeting of the joint board. Does he agree that this demonstrates that the deal signed earlier this year is working well?

[Brandon Lewis]

Yes. My hon. Friend makes a very good point. The deal is a good example of ensuring that the Northern Ireland Executive are able to function and flow. They have worked very well through the difficulties and the challenges of the covid period, and they continue to work well. It is good to see all five parties working across the Assembly and across the Executive to deliver for people right across all communities in Northern Ireland.

Oral Answers to Questions

Robbie Moore Excerpts

Wednesday 24th June 2020 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

I respectfully remind the right hon. Gentleman that, as part of our UK campaign against the coronavirus, Scotland has so far received £3.8 billion in Barnett consequentials—a fact that I am sure is seldom off his lips in his discussions with SNP colleagues. We will continue to invest massively in Scotland because Scotland, like the whole of the UK, benefits from being part of the oldest and most successful political partnership anywhere in the world. I congratulate the SNP, by the way, on its U-turn—which could be copied with advantage by our friends on the Opposition Front Bench—on education and getting all kids into school.

[Robbie Moore (Keighley) (Con)]

The people of Keighley and I are sick of drug gangs openly selling drugs on Keighley’s streets and grooming young, innocent children to do their dirty work. Can the Prime Minister update me on what progress is being made to deliver on our manifesto commitment to ensure that West Yorkshire police have the resources and personnel they need to tackle those drug dealers, who are infecting Keighley’s soul?

[The Prime Minister]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right to point out the evil that is done by drug gangs around the whole country. County lines operations have spread across our country, and we must roll them up. That is why we are tackling them directly with every technological resource at our disposal, and that is why we are making sure that we invest in another 20,000 police officers going to Keighley and across the country as well.