Asked by: Stella Creasy (Labour (Co-op) - Walthamstow)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether the decision on the legislative consent motions required for clauses 1 to 4 of the Offensive Weapons Bill will be made solely by the Department of Justice in Northern Ireland and the Northern Ireland Office.
Answered by Karen Bradley
In Northern Ireland, corrosive substances are devolved and are the responsibility of the Department of Justice in Northern Ireland. Clauses 1 to 4 of the Offensive Weapons Bill which the hon Member has referred to, relate to proportionate restrictions on the sale and delivery of certain acids and other dangerous corrosive chemicals, and are part of a range of measures to provide better protection to people in local communities across the UKand to enhance public safety. Consideration has been given by Northern Ireland departments and UK Government Ministers to extending these measures in the absence of an Assembly or a Legislative Consent Motion, which can only be granted during the passage of a Bill. The Bill contains separate commencement measures for provisions extending to Northern Ireland which relate to devolved matters. These are to be commenced by the Department of Justice in Northern Ireland and associated regulations will not be commenced without Northern Ireland Assembly approval.
Asked by: Stella Creasy (Labour (Co-op) - Walthamstow)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, with reference to her oral contribution of 6 March 2019, Official Report column 949, that polls that they want to see change to the abortion laws in Northern Ireland—about 64%—are very clear that they want those changes to be made in Stormont, what the source is of that data.
Answered by Karen Bradley
The data comes from a ComRes survey conducted in Northern Ireland between 8 and 15 October 2018.
Asked by: Stella Creasy (Labour (Co-op) - Walthamstow)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to her Answer of 5 November 2018 to Question 185592 on Waste Disposal: Northern Ireland, what guidance she plans to issue to the Northern Ireland Department for Infrastructure on the use of private finance for the funding of infrastructure projects.
Answered by Shailesh Vara
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has provided guidance to the Northern Ireland Departments on decision making in the absence of the Executive. There are no plans to issue the Northern Ireland Department for Infrastructure with specific guidance on the use of private finance for the funding of infrastructure.
Asked by: Stella Creasy (Labour (Co-op) - Walthamstow)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether the Arc21 Residual Waste Infrastructure Procurement project will be financed as a PF2 project.
Answered by Shailesh Vara
The Arc21 Residual Waste Infrastructure project, including issues relating to procurement and financing, is a matter for the Northern Ireland Department for Infrastructure.
Asked by: Stella Creasy (Labour (Co-op) - Walthamstow)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what her policy is on equal direct access to abortion services for women in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Shailesh Vara
The Government has made arrangements that women from Northern Ireland will not be charged for termination of pregnancy services in England, and that travel support will be made available for such women who find themselves in a financial hardship situation.
However, abortion law remains a devolved matter and therefore an issue for the Northern Ireland Assembly to consider.
The Government will continue to do all it can to support the delivery of effective, stable, power-sharing devolved institutions in Northern Ireland, so that decisions on issues such as abortion are taken by locally accountable politicians.