Simon Hoare

The Bill provides specific powers to make new laws where we are disapplying the EU regime and where such laws are considered appropriate. The full details of the new regime will be set out in regulations alongside and under the Bill.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) brought together the Department for International Development (DFID) and Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) on 2 September 2020. As the principal distributor of Official Development Assistance (ODA), these figures represent DFID expenditure until 2019, after which they represent FCDO expenditure.

Since 2015, the UK has given no financial aid to the Government of India. Instead, our development partnership with India is based on sharing skills, expertise, and development capital investments that help the poor and generate returns on our investment; our work reduces poverty, tackles climate change, and creates new partners and markets for the UK. To date £80.2 million of our ODA investment has been returned to HMG.

Between 2014 and 2019 Pakistan was the single largest recipient of bilateral UK aid. There has since been a downward trend in ODA funding to Pakistan from the high point of 2016 to reflect Pakistan's lower middle-income status.

FCDO will publish further details on our ODA spending in 2021 when this spending is finalised and will publish annual ODA spending statistics as these are finalised over the next five years. We are unable to provide projected future ODA allocations.

There is no mechanism to suspend or remove a permanent member specifically from the UN Security Council (UNSC). Suspension or expulsion of any Member State from the United Nations itself requires a decision of the UN General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council. Any permanent member of the UNSC can therefore veto its own - or others' - proposed suspension or expulsion.

The Government set out its position on Mr Shawcross's report on compensation for UK victims of Qadhafi-sponsored IRA terrorism in a Written Ministerial Statement made on 23 March. The Written Ministerial Statement notes the clear practical difficulties in obtaining compensation from Libya for Qadhafi-sponsored IRA terrorism, and that the conflict, political instability and economic instability that have prevailed in Libya for most of the last ten years since the fall of the Qadhafi regime present particular challenges. Nonetheless, the UK has consistently pressed the Libyan authorities to address the Libyan State's historic responsibility for the Qadhafi regime's support for the IRA, and will continue to do so.

Mr Shawcross, supported by a senior adviser and acting in an independent capacity, produced an internal scoping report on the subject of compensation for UK victims of Qadhafi-sponsored IRA terrorism. Mr Shawcross and his senior adviser were appointed within Government guidelines for Ministerial appointments and specialist contractors. The FCDO provided secretariat and logistical support.

HMRC is responsible for the collection and publication of data on imports and exports of goods to and from the UK. HMRC releases this information monthly, as a National Statistic called the Overseas Trade in Goods Statistics (OTS), which is available via their dedicated website: www.uktradeinfo.com. From this website, it is also possible to build your own data tables based upon bespoke search criteria: https://www.uktradeinfo.com/trade-data/ots-custom-table/.

Prior to 2021, HMRC has not collected data on movements of goods between Northern Ireland and Great Britain as these are internal UK movements, and so not part of international trade.

HMRC is in the process of reviewing data available, including declarations lodged by traders on goods movements into Northern Ireland from Great Britain, and will set out its approach in due course.

Under unfettered access, traders do not make declarations except in very limited circumstances on goods moved directly from Northern Ireland to Great Britain. This data is not sufficient to provide an estimate of overall trade.

At the end of the transition period, the VAT rules for the place of supply of services, including the use and enjoyment rules, were amended to reflect that the UK is not part of the EU Single Market. The use and enjoyment rules for the short term hire and leasing of vehicles ensure that UK VAT is due when the vehicles are effectively being used in the UK.

The Government has committed to a tariff reimbursement scheme in the NI Command Papers and work continues to develop the scheme. Once the scheme is live, it will enable traders to be reimbursed where they are unable to draw upon the alternative mechanisms to remove tariffs, but can demonstrate after goods have moved into Northern Ireland that they have not entered and will not enter the EU. Further details of the tariff reimbursement scheme and the evidence that will be required for traders to make a claim will be set out in due course. Once arrangements are finalised, the Government will ensure they are well signposted to businesses.

The Trader Support Service (TSS) has been established to provide education and guidance and to submit declarations on behalf of traders operating under the NI Protocol. This service is live, operating well and TSS is implementing improvements regularly based on customer feedback.

Alongside the TSS, the Government has introduced the UK Trader Scheme (UKTS) for authorised traders to be able to declare goods ‘not at risk’. In order to qualify for full authorisation for the UKTS, traders need to meet certain conditions, including that they are established in Northern Ireland. Where not established, they must have a fixed place of business in Northern Ireland, carry out their customs elsewhere in the UK and have an indirect customs representative (such as the TSS).

However, the Government has also introduced a temporary easement for traders who are not established in Northern Ireland, or who do not have a fixed place of business in Northern Ireland; the Government is aware that this is the case for some GB-based businesses providing vehicle rental and leasing services in Northern Ireland. The easement is designed to assist businesses while they make preparations to meet the full requirements in cases where the trader delivers to fixed places of business in Northern Ireland from where goods are sold to or used by end consumers in Northern Ireland. In order to be authorised for the UKTS until 1 November 2021, the trader must still carry out customs operations elsewhere in the UK and have an indirect customs representative established in Northern Ireland. Further guidance on the easement is available on GOV.UK. HMRC continue to work with businesses to improve this process based on their feedback.

My department is aware of the situation regarding Northern Ireland Historic Abuse Payments and how they are treated within the benefit system.

A)

2017- 3

2018 - 5

2019 - 32

2020 - 2

2021 -15

2022 - 2

B) We do not hold the data to the level of granularity required and therefore it would be cost-prohibitive to supply it. Data on returns activity is published quarterly and the latest figures can be found at How many people are detained or returned? - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Returns information is not published to a level of detail that enables identification of method of entry; and this could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

The Home Office publishes UK data on renunciations of British Nationality in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’.

Data on grants and refusals for renunciations of British Nationality are published in table Cit_05 of the Citizenship summary tables, year ending December 2020 (publishing.service.gov.uk) dataset. The latest data relates to year ending December 2020.

The Home Office does not hold data on renunciations of British Nationality by location or country of residence, and so a breakdown of the data is not available for separate nations of the UK.

The Devolution White Paper to be published this Autumn will set out our transformative plans for economic recovery and renewal, and for levelling up opportunity, prosperity, and well-being across the country. These plans will include restructuring our local institutions to deliver these outcomes, establishing more mayors and more unitary councils the populations of which will depend on local circumstances but as a rule of thumb are expected to be substantially in excess of 300k-400k. Under current legislation it is open to the Secretary of State, subject to consultation and Parliamentary approval, to implement if he thinks fit any unitary proposal submitted by a council in response to an invitation which any council may request. In considering a unitary proposal the Secretary of State expects to have regard to the extent it is likely to support the delivery of the outcomes sought in the White Paper.

The Devolution White Paper to be published this Autumn will set out our transformative plans for economic recovery and renewal, and for levelling up opportunity, prosperity, and well-being across the country. These plans will include restructuring our local institutions to deliver these outcomes, establishing more mayors and more unitary councils the populations of which will depend on local circumstances but as a rule of thumb are expected to be substantially in excess of 300k-400k. Under current legislation it is open to the Secretary of State, subject to consultation and Parliamentary approval, to implement if he thinks fit any unitary proposal submitted by a council in response to an invitation which any council may request. In considering a unitary proposal the Secretary of State expects to have regard to the extent it is likely to support the delivery of the outcomes sought in the White Paper.

The Devolution White Paper to be published this Autumn will set out our transformative plans for economic recovery and renewal, and for levelling up opportunity, prosperity, and well-being across the country. These plans will include restructuring our local institutions to deliver these outcomes, establishing more mayors and more unitary councils the populations of which will depend on local circumstances but as a rule of thumb are expected to be substantially in excess of 300k-400k. Under current legislation it is open to the Secretary of State, subject to consultation and Parliamentary approval, to implement if he thinks fit any unitary proposal submitted by a council in response to an invitation which any council may request. In considering a unitary proposal the Secretary of State expects to have regard to the extent it is likely to support the delivery of the outcomes sought in the White Paper.

The Devolution White Paper to be published this Autumn will set out our transformative plans for economic recovery and renewal, and for levelling up opportunity, prosperity, and well-being across the country. These plans will include restructuring our local institutions to deliver these outcomes, establishing more mayors and more unitary councils the populations of which will depend on local circumstances but as a rule of thumb are expected to be substantially in excess of 300k-400k. Under current legislation it is open to the Secretary of State, subject to consultation and Parliamentary approval, to implement if he thinks fit any unitary proposal submitted by a council in response to an invitation which any council may request. In considering a unitary proposal the Secretary of State expects to have regard to the extent it is likely to support the delivery of the outcomes sought in the White Paper.

The Devolution White Paper will set out our transformative plans for economic recovery and renewal, and for levelling up opportunity, prosperity, and well-being across the country, including what this means for the geography of local institutions and local service providers.

As the Hon Gentleman has highlighted, by the end of this financial year the Government will have released £710 million from the New Decade, New Approach financial package. This is composed of £200 million to resolve the nurses’ pay dispute, £50 million to support ultra-low emission transport, £93 million for the transformation of public services, over £7 million for the Northern Ireland Medical School, £10 million to address “Northern Ireland’s unique circumstances”, and £350 million to put the Executive’s finances on a sustainable footing.

It is clear that the current system for dealing with the legacy of the past is not working for anyone. It is failing to bring satisfactory outcomes for families, placing a heavy burden on the criminal justice system, and leaving society in Northern Ireland hamstrung by its past.

This is why the UK Government - along with the Irish Government - has begun a process of intensive engagement with the Northern Ireland parties and all relevant stakeholders and civil society, including victims groups, with a view to making progress on this issue as soon as possible.

The UK Government has committed to bringing forward proposals, and to introducing legislation to address the legacy of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, as soon as possible.

The Government has introduced significant and robust protections as part of the UK Internal Market Act. This enables “qualifying” goods to continue to be placed on the whole UK market and prohibits checks and controls as goods move from Northern Ireland to the rest of the UK. To ensure these measures were in place from 1 January and to avoid disruption, this approach provides protection to all goods in free circulation in Northern Ireland.

The Government is developing a longer-lasting regime in discussion with Northern Ireland business. As we have done more broadly, it is right to take sensible, practical steps to phase in our approach in a way that is supported by business.

The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and officials from the Northern Ireland Office regularly meet representatives from civic society, including victims groups, community representatives, religious leaders and individuals from across academia and the peace and reconciliation sector. Engagement on the subject of legacy is ongoing.

The Government is committed to publishing details of ministers’ meetings with external organisations on a quarterly basis. Publications for the Northern Ireland Office can be found on Gov.UK.

In the Spring, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and officials met a number of victims groups and other key stakeholders to discuss legacy issues. Following these discussions, it was clear that the full and sensitive engagement required on this difficult subject would be difficult to deliver effectively while the challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic were ongoing.

Notwithstanding this, a degree of engagement has and continues to take place where possible. The Secretary of State remains committed to engaging with all parts of the community in Northern Ireland, including victims groups, in order to make progress on legacy issues.