Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many approvals have been sought from the European Commission for state aid in Northern Ireland since the coming into force of the Northern Ireland Protocol; what are these approvals; and what estimate they have made of the total amount of funds for which approval has been sought.

The Windsor Framework addressed the risk of "reach back" of EU state aid rules and, based on past experience, ensures that more than 98% of aid can be granted without notification, preserving the functioning of the UK internal market. This sits alongside the uniquely generous arrangements for agricultural subsidies in Northern Ireland under the Framework. Under the old Protocol, there were 11 cases that required EU approval. Since the Windsor Framework, there has been only one such case, the Energy Bills Discount Scheme, which was resolved in order to ensure a UK-wide subsidy scheme, and continuing access to the EU market for all manufacturers in scope.