Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of reforming the process for appointing the (a) First Minister and (b) Deputy First Minister.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
I meet regularly with the Northern Ireland parties to discuss a range of issues, including the UK Government’s commitment to ensuring the long-term stability of Northern Ireland institutions.
Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he plans to have discussions with political parties on the future of Northern Ireland's political institutions.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
I meet regularly with the Northern Ireland parties to discuss a range of issues, including the UK Government’s commitment to ensuring the long-term stability of Northern Ireland institutions.
Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on the potential impact of the General Product Safety Regulations 2023 on the ability of consumers in Northern Ireland to buy goods from Great Britain.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The updated General Product Safety Regulations largely formalises how businesses are already operating in the UK and the measures are therefore likely to have limited impact in practice. Where businesses need to make changes, we expect that they will be adapting anyway to be compliant with the new Regulation to continue trading with the EU.
The Department for Business and Trade’s Office for Product Safety & Standards has issued guidance on the application of the General Product Safety Regulation in Northern Ireland to support businesses.
This will be kept under review and DBT will continue to engage businesses directly to ensure the government is supporting them to trade freely across the whole of the UK. My department continues to have regular engagement with DBT on this new Regulation.
Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment he has made of the impact of the General Product Safety Regulations on the ability of consumers in Northern Ireland to buy goods from Great Britain.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The updated General Product Safety Regulations largely formalises how businesses are already operating in the UK and the measures are therefore likely to have limited impact in practice. Where businesses need to make changes, we expect that they will be adapting anyway to be compliant with the new Regulation to continue trading with the EU.
The Business department has issued guidance in this area (General product safety regulations: Northern Ireland - GOV.UK), and we will keep this under review. The government will continue to engage businesses directly to ensure we are supporting them to trade freely across the whole of the UK.
Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he plans to introduce votes at 16 before (a) elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly and (b) local elections take place.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
This Government will legislate to lower the voting age to 16 during this Parliament. This change will strengthen our democracy and empower young people to participate in it.
Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on the introduction of votes at 16 in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The introduction of votes at 16 will be a major change to the franchise. I will of course work closely with my Ministerial counterparts across Government and other stakeholders on the development and implementation of this change.
Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing residence-based voting rights in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Government has no plans to revise the franchise for any elections based on residency. The right to vote at Parliamentary elections is consistent across the UK and it is important that all MPs are elected on a consistent franchise.
In order to register to vote at Assembly and local elections in Northern Ireland those who are eligible must be resident in the constituency in which they wish to vote.
Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what role he plans his Department will have in supporting the work of the Northern Ireland Transformation Board.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The establishment of a Public Service Transformation Board was a condition of the Government’s £3.3bn restoration package for the Northern Ireland Executive, which included £235m of funding specifically for the transformation of public services. The Board will include a wide range of independent experts, and be supported by officials from NICS and UKG, to provide strategic advice to the Executive on how to transform public services.
The Executive will need to make difficult choices in order to live within their budget to support the cost of public service delivery and improve outcomes for citizens. The Government wants to work collaboratively to support the Executive to achieve this while respecting the devolved settlement.
Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he has had discussions with the Dublin-Belfast Economic Corridor.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Government’s priority is to ensure that Northern Ireland remains an attractive destination in which to live, work and invest. I regularly discuss opportunities for economic growth, including mutually beneficial cross-border opportunities, with the Northern Ireland Executive, colleagues across the UK Government, and industry stakeholders.
Later this month, I will attend the British-Irish Chamber of Commerce Conference alongside representatives from the Northern Ireland Executive, the Irish Government and business leaders.
Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps he is taking to progress funding for the Mid South West and Causeway Coast and Glens growth deals; and for what reason those projects have been paused.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
I understand the enormous importance of the City and Growth Deals in Northern Ireland for economic growth.
However, we are facing a £22 billion black hole in the public finances. Many of the City and Growth Deals have decades’ worth of funding attached so it is right that we consider any remaining deals that haven’t been signed yet in the round at the Spending Review, as we are doing with other long-term funding programmes. In Northern Ireland, this includes both the Mid South West and the Causeway Coast and Glens Growth Deals.
My officials and I continue to work closely with the four council areas, their officials and the Department of Finance to develop a compelling case for the Deals, in the run up to the Autumn Budget, and I recently met representatives of the Deals to discuss the matter.
The Chancellor and Chief Secretary to the Treasury will provide certainty over the remaining Deals following phase 1 of the Spending Review which will conclude on 30 October.