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1506594

	registered interest
	date	20/09/2022
	answering body	Department for International Trade
	answering dept id	202
	answering dept short name	International Trade
	answering dept sort name	International Trade
	hansard heading	Trade Agreements: Australia and New Zealand
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if she will make an assessment of the potential environmental impact of the trade agreements with (a) Australia and (b) New Zealand.
	tabling member constituency	Chipping Barnet
	tabling member printed	Theresa Villiers
	uin	51470
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/09/2022 answer text <p>The Government recognises the importance of assessing the environmental impacts of new free trade agreements (FTAs) and published the full environmental impacts of the Australia and New Zealand FTAs at signature alongside the negotiated treaty text. Our assessment covers a range of environmental impacts such as emissions (both production and transport), carbon leakage, deforestation and biodiversity.</p><p> </p><p>The published impact assessments can be accessed through the following links:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-australia-fta-impact-assessment" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-australia-fta-impact-assessment</a></p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-new-zealand-fta-impact-assessment" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-new-zealand-fta-impact-assessment</a></p> answering member constituency Bournemouth West answering member printed Conor Burns question first answered 27/09/2022 15:38:39 answering member 3922 label Biography information for Sir Conor Burns
	tabling member	1500 label Biography information for Theresa Villiers

1506869

	registered interest
	date	20/09/2022
	answering body	Department for International Trade
	answering dept id	202
	answering dept short name	International Trade
	answering dept sort name	International Trade
	hansard heading	Trade Agreements: Australia and New Zealand
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what discussions she has had with relevant stakeholders in the East Midlands, including Bosworth, to help ensure that the region can make use of potential opportunities through the trade agreements with Australia and New Zealand.
	tabling member constituency	Bosworth
	tabling member printed	Dr Luke Evans
	uin	52013
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/09/2022 answer text <p>Dedicated officials in the East Midlands regularly discuss the opportunities free trade agreements (FTAs) present with Local Enterprise Partnerships, Business Representative Organisations, and local Chambers of Commerce.</p><p> </p><p>We also consult stakeholders through ‘town hall’ style briefings, roundtables, webinars and bilateral &amp; group engagements. For example, we held an update for stakeholders on the UK-Australia FTA in December 2021, and a further update on the UK–New Zealand FTA in February 2022.</p><p> </p><p>Throughout negotiations, the department consulted various stakeholder groups and will continue to do so to ensure that citizens and businesses across the East Midlands take advantage of our first two from-scratch FTAs.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth West answering member printed Conor Burns question first answered 28/09/2022 09:33:34 answering member 3922 label Biography information for Sir Conor Burns
	tabling member	4781 label Biography information for Dr Luke Evans

1506870

	registered interest
	date	20/09/2022
	answering body	Department for International Trade
	answering dept id	202
	answering dept short name	International Trade
	answering dept sort name	International Trade
	hansard heading	Trade Agreements: Australia and New Zealand
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of engagement between her Department and companies in (a) Bosworth and (b) Leicestershire on securing potential opportunities through the trade agreements with Australia and New Zealand.
	tabling member constituency	Bosworth
	tabling member printed	Dr Luke Evans
	uin	52014
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/09/2022 answer text <p>We remain committed to listening to a wide range of voices to ensure our trade policy delivers for the whole of the UK, including businesses in the East Midlands.</p><p> </p><p>To deliver this we have established an extensive stakeholder engagement framework consisting of various mechanisms to allow business and civil society stakeholders the opportunity to feed into our trade policy.</p><p> </p><p>We continually look at our structures and speak to our stakeholders, including businesses in the East Midlands, to ensure our consultation approach remains fit for purpose, informs our negotiating position, and helps to deliver trade deals that benefit the whole country.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth West answering member printed Conor Burns question first answered 28/09/2022 09:27:41 answering member 3922 label Biography information for Sir Conor Burns
	tabling member	4781 label Biography information for Dr Luke Evans

1506294

	registered interest
	date	08/09/2022
	answering body	Department for International Trade
	answering dept id	202
	answering dept short name	International Trade
	answering dept sort name	International Trade
	hansard heading	Trade Barriers: USA
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if she will make it her policy to hold discussions with her US counterpart on reducing market barriers with the US.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	49622
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/09/2022 answer text <p>We have been working closely with the US to enhance market access for exporters in both countries, removing tariffs and other barriers to trade.</p><p> </p><p>We have this year agreed with the US to lift tariffs on UK steel and aluminium products, helping a sector that supports 80,000 jobs across the UK. We have also lifted the historic US ban on the export of British beef and lamb to the US.</p><p> </p><p>We continue close discussions with the US – through our UK-US Trade Dialogues this year, led by the Department for International Trade Secretary of State, where we agreed to produce a new Roadmap to strengthen our bilateral collaboration at federal level, and through our memoranda of understanding with individual states.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth West answering member printed Conor Burns question first answered 27/09/2022 13:54:56 answering member 3922 label Biography information for Sir Conor Burns
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1506298

	registered interest
	date	08/09/2022
	answering body	Department for International Trade
	answering dept id	202
	answering dept short name	International Trade
	answering dept sort name	International Trade
	hansard heading	Trade Barriers
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps her Department has taken to reduce barriers to global trade for British businesses.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	49626
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/09/2022 answer text <p>Removing barriers boosts British exports globally to new and familiar markets. Teams across the Department – both in the UK and oversees – are working tirelessly to do so, opening up exciting new opportunities for British businesses across our four nations. We have an ambitious programme of FTA negotiations, bilateral Joint Economic Trade Committees (JETCOs), Enhanced Trade Partnerships and multiple technical discussions with partner countries to address the barriers that British business raise with us. And our ambition does not stop when a Free Trade Agreement is signed, our regular ongoing trade dialogues with FTA partners provide us with a forum to market access issues and open these markets still further.</p><p> </p><p>Removing our priority trade barriers has the potential to deliver export opportunities to British business worth roughly £20 billion. As a recent example, in July we removed a priority barrier with India through an agreement to recognise each other’s higher education qualifications. This will make UK universities even more appealing to Indian students where the benefits are estimated to be worth over £100,000 per person.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth West answering member printed Conor Burns question first answered 28/09/2022 13:59:52 answering member 3922 label Biography information for Sir Conor Burns
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1505699

	registered interest
	date	07/09/2022
	answering body	Northern Ireland Office
	answering dept id	21
	answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
	answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
	hansard heading	UK Internal Trade: Northern Ireland
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps his Department is taking to support businesses trading between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	901364
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/09/2022 answer text <p>The Government is committed to ensuring businesses can trade freely throughout the United Kingdom. By the end of the year, we will have spent £340m helping traders process 2.3 million customs declarations through the Trader Support Service for trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. But this just reduces the burden on NI purchasers and GB suppliers rather than removing it, which is why we need changes to the Protocol to deliver a sustainable solution.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth West answering member printed Conor Burns question first answered 07/09/2022 12:51:37 answering member 3922 label Biography information for Sir Conor Burns
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1505700

	registered interest
	date	07/09/2022
	answering body	Northern Ireland Office
	answering dept id	21
	answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
	answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
	hansard heading	Research: Northern Ireland
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps his Department is taking to support research and development in Northern Ireland.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
	tabling member printed	Aaron Bell
	uin	901363
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/09/2022 answer text <p>This Government is committed to turbocharging innovation in Northern Ireland.</p><p> </p><p>We are increasing investment in R&amp;D outside the South East by at least 40% by 2030; we’re investing £617m in digital and innovation through NI City Deals; and there is more to come through the £400m New Deal for Northern Ireland.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth West answering member printed Conor Burns question first answered 07/09/2022 12:49:48 answering member 3922 label Biography information for Sir Conor Burns
	tabling member	4837 label Biography information for Aaron Bell

1505569

	registered interest
	date	06/09/2022
	answering body	Department for International Trade
	answering dept id	202
	answering dept short name	International Trade
	answering dept sort name	International Trade
	hansard heading	Trade Agreements: Gulf Cooperation Council
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many officials in her Department are working on the trade negotiations with the Gulf Cooperation Council.
	tabling member constituency	Brentford and Isleworth
	tabling member printed	Ruth Cadbury
	uin	48391
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/09/2022 answer text <p>The Department for International Trade (DIT) operates a flexible resourcing model to maximise efficiency across our Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations. The Department is currently delivering seven FTA negotiations and the number of staff working on these at any point in time will change depending on the stage and scale of the deal. Staff also often work across multiple negotiations so it is not possible to quantify the number for each negotiation.</p><p>As of August 2022, DIT had approximately 460 staff working in the Trade Negotiations Group. This figure does not include other staff in DIT who also contribute to trade negotiations.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth West answering member printed Conor Burns grouped question UIN 48392 48393 48394 question first answered 27/09/2022 16:02:55 answering member 3922 label Biography information for Sir Conor Burns
	tabling member	4389 label Biography information for Ruth Cadbury

1505570

	registered interest
	date	06/09/2022
	answering body	Department for International Trade
	answering dept id	202
	answering dept short name	International Trade
	answering dept sort name	International Trade
	hansard heading	Trade Agreements: Israel
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many officials in her Department are working on the trade negotiations with Israel.
	tabling member constituency	Brentford and Isleworth
	tabling member printed	Ruth Cadbury
	uin	48392
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/09/2022 answer text <p>The Department for International Trade (DIT) operates a flexible resourcing model to maximise efficiency across our Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations. The Department is currently delivering seven FTA negotiations and the number of staff working on these at any point in time will change depending on the stage and scale of the deal. Staff also often work across multiple negotiations so it is not possible to quantify the number for each negotiation.</p><p>As of August 2022, DIT had approximately 460 staff working in the Trade Negotiations Group. This figure does not include other staff in DIT who also contribute to trade negotiations.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth West answering member printed Conor Burns grouped question UIN 48391 48393 48394 question first answered 27/09/2022 16:02:55 answering member 3922 label Biography information for Sir Conor Burns
	tabling member	4389 label Biography information for Ruth Cadbury

1505571

	registered interest
	date	06/09/2022
	answering body	Department for International Trade
	answering dept id	202
	answering dept short name	International Trade
	answering dept sort name	International Trade
	hansard heading	Trade Agreements: Mexico
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many officials in her Department are working on trade negotiations with Mexico.
	tabling member constituency	Brentford and Isleworth
	tabling member printed	Ruth Cadbury
	uin	48393
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/09/2022 answer text <p>The Department for International Trade (DIT) operates a flexible resourcing model to maximise efficiency across our Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations. The Department is currently delivering seven FTA negotiations and the number of staff working on these at any point in time will change depending on the stage and scale of the deal. Staff also often work across multiple negotiations so it is not possible to quantify the number for each negotiation.</p><p>As of August 2022, DIT had approximately 460 staff working in the Trade Negotiations Group. This figure does not include other staff in DIT who also contribute to trade negotiations.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth West answering member printed Conor Burns grouped question UIN 48391 48392 48394 question first answered 27/09/2022 16:02:55 answering member 3922 label Biography information for Sir Conor Burns
	tabling member	4389 label Biography information for Ruth Cadbury

1505573

	registered interest
	date	06/09/2022
	answering body	Department for International Trade
	answering dept id	202
	answering dept short name	International Trade
	answering dept sort name	International Trade
	hansard heading	Trade Agreements: Canada
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many officials in her Department are working on trade negotiations with Canada.
	tabling member constituency	Brentford and Isleworth
	tabling member printed	Ruth Cadbury
	uin	48394
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/09/2022 answer text <p>The Department for International Trade (DIT) operates a flexible resourcing model to maximise efficiency across our Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations. The Department is currently delivering seven FTA negotiations and the number of staff working on these at any point in time will change depending on the stage and scale of the deal. Staff also often work across multiple negotiations so it is not possible to quantify the number for each negotiation.</p><p>As of August 2022, DIT had approximately 460 staff working in the Trade Negotiations Group. This figure does not include other staff in DIT who also contribute to trade negotiations.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth West answering member printed Conor Burns grouped question UIN 48391 48392 48393 question first answered 27/09/2022 16:02:55 answering member 3922 label Biography information for Sir Conor Burns
	tabling member	4389 label Biography information for Ruth Cadbury

1504276

	registered interest
	date	02/09/2022
	answering body	Northern Ireland Office
	answering dept id	21
	answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
	answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
	hansard heading	Northern Ireland Office: Public Expenditure
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the total budget was for his Department in each year since 2010.
	tabling member constituency	Newport West
	tabling member printed	Ruth Jones
	uin	46047
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/09/2022 answer text <p>The Northern Ireland Office’s budget for each financial year since 2010 is available in the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts. These are published on the Gov.uk website annually.</p><p>The Department’s budget for 2022-23 is included in the Government’s <em><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/main-supply-estimates-2022-to-23" target="_blank">Main Supply Estimates 2022 to 23</a></em>, published on Gov.uk by HM Treasury.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth West answering member printed Conor Burns question first answered 06/09/2022 13:12:52 answering member 3922 label Biography information for Sir Conor Burns
	tabling member	4716 label Biography information for Ruth Jones

1504338

	registered interest
	date	02/09/2022
	answering body	Northern Ireland Office
	answering dept id	21
	answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
	answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
	hansard heading	Northern Ireland Office: Termination of Employment
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many members of staff have left his Department since 12 December 2019.
	tabling member constituency	Newport West
	tabling member printed	Ruth Jones
	uin	46101
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/09/2022 answer text <p>The number of staff members who have left the Northern Ireland Office since 12 December 2019 is 153. This figure is made up of 114 members of staff whose loan or secondment came to an end and 39 staff who not only left the department, but also the Civil Service.</p><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Total Number of Loans Ending</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Total Number of Actual Exits</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Total Number of those who have left the NIO</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>114</p></td><td><p>39</p></td><td><p>153</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bournemouth West answering member printed Conor Burns question first answered 07/09/2022 12:47:55 answering member 3922 label Biography information for Sir Conor Burns
	tabling member	4716 label Biography information for Ruth Jones

1504354

	registered interest
	date	02/09/2022
	answering body	Department for International Trade
	answering dept id	202
	answering dept short name	International Trade
	answering dept sort name	International Trade
	hansard heading	Trade Agreements: India
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent progress she has made in the negotiations for a free trade agreement with the Government of India; and if she will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Newport West
	tabling member printed	Ruth Jones
	uin	46116
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/09/2022 answer text <p>The UK and India concluded the fifth round of negotiations on 29 July. The former Secretary of State wrote to chairs of the International Trade Committee and International Agreements Committee on the 10<sup>th</sup> August with an update and the correspondence have been placed in the House <a href="https://depositedpapers.parliament.uk/depositedpaper/2284580/files" target="_blank">libraries</a>.</p><p> </p><p>Government updated on progress in a statement, which can be found <a href="https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2022-09-06/hcws293" target="_blank">here</a>. Both sides have been in intensive negotiations over the summer with the aim of concluding the majority of talks later this year.</p><p> </p><p>We continue to make good progress delivering a comprehensive free trade agreement.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth West answering member printed Conor Burns question first answered 27/09/2022 14:18:58 answering member 3922 label Biography information for Sir Conor Burns
	tabling member	4716 label Biography information for Ruth Jones

1491367

	registered interest
	date	21/07/2022
	answering body	Northern Ireland Office
	answering dept id	21
	answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
	answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
	hansard heading	Northern Ireland Office: Consultants
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much his Department has spent on external consultants in each of the last five years; and if he will publish a breakdown of the (a) amount paid to each consultancy contracted, (b) name of each consultancy contracted and (c) specific matters on which they were consulted.
	tabling member constituency	East Lothian
	tabling member printed	Kenny MacAskill
	uin	42212
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/09/2022 answer text <p>Spend on consultancy services for the Northern Ireland Office in each of the last five years is shown below.</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>2021-22</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2020-21</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2019-20</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2018-19</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2017-18</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>£901,663</p></td><td><p>£1,017,816</p></td><td><p>£ 1,544,240</p></td><td><p>£1,432,132</p></td><td><p>£858,431</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Details of all Government contracts awarded from 2016 above £10,000 and £25,000 in the wider public sector are published on Contracts Finder. Each award notice provides information on the name of the supplier, value of the contract, its purpose and information on the type of awarding procedure used. Government departments, their individual agencies and Arm’s Length Bodies are required to publish all spend against individual suppliers above £25,000 on GOV.UK.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth West answering member printed Conor Burns question first answered 05/09/2022 08:41:44 answering member 3922 label Biography information for Sir Conor Burns
	tabling member	4772 label Biography information for Kenny MacAskill

1491420

	registered interest
	date	21/07/2022
	answering body	Department for International Trade
	answering dept id	202
	answering dept short name	International Trade
	answering dept sort name	International Trade
	hansard heading	UK Trade with EU
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help improve the UK-EU trading relationship.
	tabling member constituency	Preston
	tabling member printed	Sir Mark Hendrick
	uin	41954
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/09/2022 answer text <p>I am pleased to note that goods exported to the EU in the 12 months ending July 2022 were worth £178 billion. An increase of £27 billion (18%) on the previous 12 months and now higher than goods exported in 2018, so trade values are increasing.</p><p> </p><p>To further increase exports, we need to get more British businesses exporting for the first time, including through initiatives such as the Export Academy and our Export Champions, giving exporters the knowledge and practical help that they need.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth West answering member printed Conor Burns question first answered 29/09/2022 09:51:57 answering member 3922 label Biography information for Sir Conor Burns
	tabling member	473 label Biography information for Sir Mark Hendrick

1491481

	registered interest
	date	21/07/2022
	answering body	Northern Ireland Office
	answering dept id	21
	answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
	answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
	hansard heading	Northern Ireland Office: Agency Workers
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much his Department has spent on (a) agency workers and (b) agency retainer fees in (i) 2020, (ii) 2021 and (iii) 2022.
	tabling member constituency	Hemsworth
	tabling member printed	Jon Trickett
	uin	41949
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/09/2022 answer text <p>The amount spent by the Department on:</p><p>(a) Agency workers is:</p><p>(i) <strong>2020 - </strong>£741,407</p><p>(ii) <strong>2021 - </strong>£728,137</p><p>(iii) <strong>2022 -</strong> £1,634,083; and</p><p>(b) Agency retainer fees is nil for each of the three years.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth West answering member printed Conor Burns question first answered 07/09/2022 07:23:36 answering member 3922 label Biography information for Sir Conor Burns
	tabling member	410 label Biography information for Jon Trickett

1488896

	registered interest
	date	13/07/2022
	answering body	Northern Ireland Office
	answering dept id	21
	answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
	answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
	hansard heading	Northern Ireland Office: Aviation
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much their Office has spent on air travel for (a) Ministers and (b) officials in (i) 2020, (ii) 2021 and (iii) 2022.
	tabling member constituency	Hemsworth
	tabling member printed	Jon Trickett
	uin	35851
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/07/2022 answer text <p>The amount spent by the Department on air travel is:</p><p><strong>(a) </strong><strong>Ministers</strong></p><p>(i) <strong>2020</strong> - £163,557</p><p>(ii) <strong>2021</strong> - £36,845</p><p>(iii) <strong>2022</strong> - £79,474</p><p><strong>(b) </strong><strong>Officials</strong></p><p>(i) <strong>2020</strong> - £350,749</p><p>(ii) <strong>2021</strong> - £24,981</p><p>(iii) <strong>2022</strong> - £198,316</p><p><br> Please note that the Officials totals include Special Adviser air travel costs and that the spend reported does also not distinguish between commercial and non-commercial air travel.</p><p>Ministers commercial air travel is captured in departmental transparency returns and published on gov.uk.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth West answering member printed Conor Burns question first answered 19/07/2022 09:46:40 answering member 3922 label Biography information for Sir Conor Burns
	tabling member	410 label Biography information for Jon Trickett

1489016

	registered interest
	date	13/07/2022
	answering body	Northern Ireland Office
	answering dept id	21
	answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
	answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
	hansard heading	Northern Ireland Office: Ministerial Changes
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will publish all emails from the Department's Permanent Secretary to departmental staff informing them of the appointment of a new Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
	tabling member constituency	Slough
	tabling member printed	Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi
	uin	36085
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/07/2022 answer text <p>The Permanent Secretary for the Northern Ireland Office issued the following email to Northern Ireland Office staff on Thursday 7 July, at 12:39, informing them of a new Secretary of State for Northern Ireland:</p><p> </p><p><em>“Colleagues</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em>You will have seen the news that we have a new Secretary of State. </em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em>I am delighted to welcome back to the Department Shailesh Vara, MP for North West Cambridgeshire. He will be a familiar face to some, having served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Department in early 2018, before taking up the post of Minister of State at the Northern Ireland Office from July 2018 until November 2018. </em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em>He has held a number of other ministerial positions including at the MoJ, DWP and HMT. </em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em>I know you will all join me in welcoming our new Secretary of State to our offices later today and support him as he gets back up to speed with our work. </em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em>Madeleine”</em></p> answering member constituency Bournemouth West answering member printed Conor Burns question first answered 19/07/2022 09:44:25 answering member 3922 label Biography information for Sir Conor Burns
	tabling member	4638 label Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

1488236

	registered interest
	date	12/07/2022
	answering body	Northern Ireland Office
	answering dept id	21
	answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
	answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
	hansard heading	Northern Ireland Office: Advertising
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much their Department has spent on advertising in (a) 2020, (b) 2021 and (c) 2022.
	tabling member constituency	Hemsworth
	tabling member printed	Jon Trickett
	uin	34823
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/07/2022 answer text <p>The Northern Ireland Office spent the following on advertising:</p><p><strong>(a) 2020 - </strong>£72,110</p><p><strong>(b) 2021 - </strong>£26,353</p><p><strong>(c) January-May 2022 - </strong>£19,572</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth West answering member printed Conor Burns question first answered 14/07/2022 09:13:50 answering member 3922 label Biography information for Sir Conor Burns
	tabling member	410 label Biography information for Jon Trickett

1487857

	registered interest
	date	11/07/2022
	answering body	Northern Ireland Office
	answering dept id	21
	answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
	answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
	hansard heading	Northern Ireland Office: Consultants
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much his Department has spent on consultancy fees in (a) 2020, (b) 2021 and (c) 2022; and what the name is of each consultancy contracted.
	tabling member constituency	Hemsworth
	tabling member printed	Jon Trickett
	uin	33711
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/07/2022 answer text <p>The Northern Ireland Office spent the following on consultancy fees:</p><p>(a) <strong>2020:</strong> £745,278</p><p>(b) <strong>2021:</strong> £787,452</p><p>(c) <strong>January-May 2022:</strong> £794,190</p><p>In relation to naming consultancies, in accordance with this Government’s transparency requirements, I have listed only those suppliers with payments of £25,000 or above, as to name others could potentially breach their data protection rights or have an adverse effect on their commercial activity:</p><p>Active Communities Network LTD</p><p>AV Browne Advertising LTD</p><p>Cabinet Office</p><p>Cinemagic LTD</p><p>Co-Operation Ireland</p><p>Department of Finance</p><p>Education Authority</p><p>Epam Systems LTD</p><p>Government Estates Management</p><p>Groundwork Northern Ireland</p><p>Holywell Trust</p><p>Ipsos Mori</p><p>Ministry of Defence</p><p>Ministry of Justice</p><p>North West Cultural Partnership</p><p>Passionist Peace &amp; Reconciliation Office</p><p>Playhouse the NW Play Resource Centre</p><p>Youth Action NI</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bournemouth West answering member printed Conor Burns question first answered 19/07/2022 09:42:33 answering member 3922 label Biography information for Sir Conor Burns
	tabling member	410 label Biography information for Jon Trickett

1487973

	registered interest
	date	11/07/2022
	answering body	Northern Ireland Office
	answering dept id	21
	answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
	answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
	hansard heading	Belfast Agreement: European Convention on Human Rights
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of leaving the European Convention on Human Rights on the Belfast Agreement.
	tabling member constituency	Hove
	tabling member printed	Peter Kyle
	uin	33872
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/07/2022 answer text <p>The Belfast/Good Friday Agreement contains safeguards to protect the rights of all sections of the community. The Agreement also requires domestic <del class="ministerial">implication</del> <ins class="ministerial">incorporation </ins>of the ECHR into Northern Ireland law which is enacted through the Human Rights Act 1998.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth West answering member printed Conor Burns question first answered 14/07/2022 11:23:03 question first ministerially corrected 15/07/2022 07:35:26 answering member 3922 label Biography information for Sir Conor Burns previous answer version 12802 answering member constituency Bournemouth West answering member printed Conor Burns answering member 3922 label Biography information for Sir Conor Burns
	tabling member	4505 label Biography information for Peter Kyle

1486922

	registered interest
	date	06/07/2022
	answering body	Northern Ireland Office
	answering dept id	21
	answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
	answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
	hansard heading	Northern Ireland Office: Legal Costs
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much their Department and its associated agencies spent on legal disputes in (a) 2020, (b) 2021 and (c) 2022.
	tabling member constituency	Hemsworth
	tabling member printed	Jon Trickett
	uin	31738
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/07/2022 answer text <p>The Department does not hold the information in a form that can readily be interrogated to provide a response. The accompanying physical invoice for each recorded financial transaction related to legal expenditure would have to be examined to determine the nature of the expense and whether it relates to legal disputes.</p><p> </p><p>Therefore, the information requested could only be provided at disproportionate cost.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth West answering member printed Conor Burns question first answered 12/07/2022 14:01:34 answering member 3922 label Biography information for Sir Conor Burns
	tabling member	410 label Biography information for Jon Trickett

1486960

	registered interest
	date	06/07/2022
	answering body	Northern Ireland Office
	answering dept id	21
	answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
	answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
	hansard heading	Northern Ireland Office: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many people held electronic purchasing cards that allowed them to make purchases against his Department's budget as of 31 March 2022.
	tabling member constituency	Islington South and Finsbury
	tabling member printed	Emily Thornberry
	uin	31795
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/07/2022 answer text <p>As of 31 March 2022, there were 6 live Government Procurement Card accounts that could be used to make purchases against the Northern Ireland Office’s budget.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth West answering member printed Conor Burns question first answered 12/07/2022 13:31:30 answering member 3922 label Biography information for Sir Conor Burns
	tabling member	1536 label Biography information for Emily Thornberry

1486450

	registered interest
	date	05/07/2022
	answering body	Northern Ireland Office
	answering dept id	21
	answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
	answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
	hansard heading	Police: Northern Ireland
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent assessment she has made of the (a) adequacy and (b) effectiveness of the number of police officers in Northern Ireland.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	31118
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/07/2022 answer text <p>Policing in Northern Ireland, and therefore police funding and numbers, are devolved matters. The prioritisation of police resourcing is the responsibility of the Department of Justice, working with the wider Executive. How the PSNI allocate their funding is an operational matter for the Chief Constable, in consultation with the NI Policing Board.</p><p> </p><p>Recognising the unique security situation in Northern Ireland, the UK Government makes additional contributions to PSNI through Additional Security Funding. The UK Government contribution this financial year 22/23 is £32 million; demonstrating the UK Government’s commitment to security in Northern Ireland.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth West answering member printed Conor Burns question first answered 08/07/2022 10:15:41 answering member 3922 label Biography information for Sir Conor Burns
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1486568

	registered interest
	date	05/07/2022
	answering body	Northern Ireland Office
	answering dept id	21
	answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
	answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
	hansard heading	Northern Ireland Office: Contracts
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the total value has been of contracts held by their Department with (a) G4S, (b) Serco and (c) Capita in each year since 2020.
	tabling member constituency	Hemsworth
	tabling member printed	Jon Trickett
	uin	31018
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/07/2022 answer text <p>The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) makes use of collaborative contract frameworks where possible for its procurements. These contracts are held collaboratively with the Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS), with the NIO one of several parties.</p><p>The NIO was part of a NICS collaborative contract with G4S for security services until March 2022. The value held by the NIO was £317,619 in 2020, £284,047 in 2021, and £71,012 in 2022.</p><p>The NIO has not held contracts with Serco or Capita for this period.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth West answering member printed Conor Burns question first answered 12/07/2022 13:34:41 answering member 3922 label Biography information for Sir Conor Burns
	tabling member	410 label Biography information for Jon Trickett

1486095

	registered interest
	date	04/07/2022
	answering body	Northern Ireland Office
	answering dept id	21
	answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
	answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
	hansard heading	Northern Ireland Office: Contracts
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many contracts that are worth (a) between £1 million and £3 million and (b) over £3 million their (i) Department and (ii) Department’s agencies and non-departmental public bodies (A) have agreed since 2010 and (B) are due to agree within the next 12 months; how much their Department has spent on monitoring each contract in each year since 2010; and how many officials have been working on that monitoring in each year since 2010.
	tabling member constituency	Hemsworth
	tabling member printed	Jon Trickett
	uin	29893
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/07/2022 answer text <p>Details of Government contracts from 2016 above £10,000, and £25,000 in the wider public sector, are published on <a href="https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search" target="_blank">Contracts Finder</a>. As Contracts Finder was implemented in 2016, not all records before this time are held centrally.</p><p>With regards to contracts due to be agreed within the next 12 months, the information requested is not held centrally for the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Of the NIO’s agencies and non-departmental public bodies, the Crown Solicitor’s Office is due to agree two contracts with a value of between £1 million and £3 million in the next 12 months.</p><p>The NIO does not hold records on expenditure on monitoring each contract in each year since 2010, or on how many officials have been working on monitoring contracts in each year since 2010.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth West answering member printed Conor Burns question first answered 12/07/2022 13:42:23 answering member 3922 label Biography information for Sir Conor Burns
	tabling member	410 label Biography information for Jon Trickett

1486112

	registered interest
	date	04/07/2022
	answering body	Northern Ireland Office
	answering dept id	21
	answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
	answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
	hansard heading	Northern Ireland Office: Pay
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many (a) direct employees, (b) contractors, and (c) agency workers who work in their Department and relevant agencies and public bodies, receive a wage below that of either (i) the UK Real Living Wage outside of Greater London, or (ii) the London Living Wage inside of Greater London, as determined by the Living Wage Foundation.
	tabling member constituency	Wolverhampton South East
	tabling member printed	Pat McFadden
	uin	29986
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/07/2022 answer text <p>The Northern Ireland Office can confirm no employees either directly or indirectly employed by the department are paid below the UK Real Living Wage outside of Greater London or within London.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bournemouth West answering member printed Conor Burns question first answered 11/07/2022 08:41:40 answering member 3922 label Biography information for Sir Conor Burns
	tabling member	1587 label Biography information for Pat McFadden

1485136

	registered interest
	date	30/06/2022
	answering body	Northern Ireland Office
	answering dept id	21
	answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
	answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
	hansard heading	Northern Ireland Office: Pay
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the wage ratio was between the highest paid member of staff in his Department and the lowest in (a) 2020, (b) 2021 and (c) 2022.
	tabling member constituency	Hemsworth
	tabling member printed	Jon Trickett
	uin	28400
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/07/2022 answer text <p>The wage ratio between the highest paid member of staff and the lowest in the Northern Ireland Office was:</p><p>(a) 9.8:1 in 2020</p><p>(b) 8.0:1 in 2021; and</p><p>(c) 7.6:1 in 2022.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth West answering member printed Conor Burns question first answered 07/07/2022 13:53:17 answering member 3922 label Biography information for Sir Conor Burns
	tabling member	410 label Biography information for Jon Trickett

1484764

	registered interest
	date	29/06/2022
	answering body	Northern Ireland Office
	answering dept id	21
	answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
	answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
	hansard heading	Northern Ireland Office: Official Hospitality
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much his Department spent on hospitality in (a) 2020, (b) 2021 and (c) 2022.
	tabling member constituency	Hemsworth
	tabling member printed	Jon Trickett
	uin	27533
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/07/2022 answer text <p>The amount spent on hospitality by the Northern Ireland Office is as follows:</p><p> </p><p><strong>2019-20</strong> - £258,327</p><p> </p><p><strong>2020-21</strong> - £33,458</p><p> </p><p><strong>2021-22</strong> - £62,872</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bournemouth West answering member printed Conor Burns question first answered 07/07/2022 13:50:48 answering member 3922 label Biography information for Sir Conor Burns
	tabling member	410 label Biography information for Jon Trickett

1484791

	registered interest
	date	29/06/2022
	answering body	Northern Ireland Office
	answering dept id	21
	answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
	answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
	hansard heading	Northern Ireland Office: Consultants
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much his Department has spent on consultancy fees in each of the last five years.
	tabling member constituency	Richmond Park
	tabling member printed	Sarah Olney
	uin	27706
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/07/2022 answer text <p>I refer the hon Member to the answer I gave on 27 June 2022 (UIN 23420) to the hon Member for North East Fife.</p><p> </p><p>Since this answer was provided, we have published our 2021-22 Annual Report and Accounts. The amount spent on consultancy for 2021-22 was £304,400.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth West answering member printed Conor Burns question first answered 07/07/2022 13:52:19 answering member 3922 label Biography information for Sir Conor Burns
	tabling member	4591 label Biography information for Sarah Olney

1483358

	registered interest
	date	27/06/2022
	answering body	Northern Ireland Office
	answering dept id	21
	answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
	answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
	hansard heading	Cybersecurity: Northern Ireland
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, with reference to the commitment set out in the New Decade, New Approach document published in January 2020, what progress has been made in promoting Northern Ireland as a global cyber security hub.
	tabling member constituency	Upper Bann
	tabling member printed	Carla Lockhart
	uin	26054
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/07/2022 answer text <p>This Government is committed to promoting Northern Ireland as a global cyber security hub, and to helping achieve the New Decade, New Approach target of 5,000 cyber security professionals working in Northern Ireland by 2030. Cyber is a growing sector in Northern Ireland, home to 4% of the UK’s cyber security workforce despite representing 2.8% of the UK population.</p><p> </p><p>To this end, the Government provided Invest NI with £8 million to expand their overseas presence, through the New Deal for Northern Ireland, to attract investment and further promote Northern Ireland’s cybersecurity excellence on a global stage.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has also invested £15 million from the New Deal fund in the Skill Up initiative which includes courses focused on cyber security to develop a pipeline of cyber professionals. Cyber security is a sector we are also supporting through the City and Growth Deals programme, with projects such as the Global Innovation Institute forming part of the Belfast Regional City Deal.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bournemouth West answering member printed Conor Burns question first answered 04/07/2022 15:12:14 answering member 3922 label Biography information for Sir Conor Burns
	tabling member	4857 label Biography information for Carla Lockhart

1483359

	registered interest
	date	27/06/2022
	answering body	Northern Ireland Office
	answering dept id	21
	answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
	answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
	hansard heading	War Memorials Trust: Northern Ireland
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, with reference to the commitment set out in the New Decade, New Approach document published in January 2020, what steps have been taken to ensure that the work of the War Memorials Trust is better promoted and understood in Northern Ireland.
	tabling member constituency	Upper Bann
	tabling member printed	Carla Lockhart
	uin	26055
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/07/2022 answer text <p>Officials have been engaging with the Department of Communities, which is responsible for Northern Ireland’s Historic Environment, in order to ensure that our proposed programme of work with the War Memorial Trust complements the Department’s strategic approach, and does not undermine the existing policies on built heritage in Northern Ireland.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bournemouth West answering member printed Conor Burns question first answered 04/07/2022 15:10:40 answering member 3922 label Biography information for Sir Conor Burns
	tabling member	4857 label Biography information for Carla Lockhart

1483365

	registered interest
	date	27/06/2022
	answering body	Northern Ireland Office
	answering dept id	21
	answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
	answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
	hansard heading	Overseas Trade: Northern Ireland
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, with reference to the commitments set out in the New Decade, New Approach document published in January 2020, what progress has been made in (a) supporting the delivery of the Northern Ireland International Trade plan, (b) establishing a new Trade Advisory Board, (c) the appointment of Northern Ireland Trade Ambassadors and (d) developing a Trade Accelerator Plan and a “Made in NI” campaign.
	tabling member constituency	Upper Bann
	tabling member printed	Carla Lockhart
	uin	26056
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/07/2022 answer text <p>The Government is committed to supporting Northern Ireland businesses to trade. Through the New Deal we have invested £8 million to expand Invest NI’s presence overseas.</p><p> </p><p>We are pleased that businesses in Northern Ireland are reaching out to access the specialist support offered by the DIT hub in Northern Ireland, which includes access to the Export Academy, to help businesses trade globally. This new hub will be responsible for driving forward much of these trade commitments, with support from my department. This will include development of a trade and investment plan, including scoping a Trade Accelerator proposal, working in conjunction with Northern Ireland Executive departments, Invest NI and the business community. Work is already underway to recruit DIT Export Champions for Northern Ireland, and DIT are promoting Northern Ireland products through their new “Made in the UK, Sold to the World” campaign.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth West answering member printed Conor Burns question first answered 04/07/2022 08:41:48 answering member 3922 label Biography information for Sir Conor Burns
	tabling member	4857 label Biography information for Carla Lockhart

1472353

	registered interest
	date	22/06/2022
	answering body	Northern Ireland Office
	answering dept id	21
	answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
	answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
	hansard heading	Cost of Living: Northern Ireland
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on providing support for (a) working families, (b) pensioners and (c) benefit recipients in Northern Ireland in the context of the rise in the cost of living.
	tabling member constituency	Kettering
	tabling member printed	Mr Philip Hollobone
	uin	900566
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/06/2022 answer text <p>The Government has provided significant resources to the Executive to address these issues and I continue to urge the parties to form an Executive, so that the £435 million provided by the Government can be allocated to help people across Northern Ireland as a matter of urgency.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth West answering member printed Conor Burns question first answered 22/06/2022 15:48:00 answering member 3922 label Biography information for Sir Conor Burns
	tabling member	1537 label Biography information for Mr Philip Hollobone

1472509

	registered interest
	date	22/06/2022
	answering body	Northern Ireland Office
	answering dept id	21
	answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
	answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
	hansard heading	Northern Ireland Office: Consultants
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much his Department spent on external consultants in each of the last five years.
	tabling member constituency	North East Fife
	tabling member printed	Wendy Chamberlain
	uin	23420
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/06/2022 answer text <p>The amount spent on consultants for the last five years by the Northern Ireland Office is set out in the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts:</p><p> </p><p><strong>2017-18</strong> - £79,600</p><p><strong>2018-19</strong> - £640,800</p><p><strong>2019-20</strong> - £845,600</p><p><strong>2020-21</strong> - £270,500</p><p> </p><p>The amount for 2021-22 will be included in the Department’s forthcoming Annual Report and Accounts.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth West answering member printed Conor Burns question first answered 27/06/2022 13:15:16 answering member 3922 label Biography information for Sir Conor Burns
	tabling member	4765 label Biography information for Wendy Chamberlain

1470175

	registered interest
	date	14/06/2022
	answering body	Northern Ireland Office
	answering dept id	21
	answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
	answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
	hansard heading	Royal Ulster Constabulary: Anniversaries
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether the Government has allocated funds to celebrate the formation of the Royal Ulster Constabulary in 2022 in the context of the series of celebratory events planned in the Republic of Ireland.
	tabling member constituency	North Antrim
	tabling member printed	Ian Paisley
	uin	17934
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/06/2022 answer text <p>No funding has been allocated by the Government to mark this year’s centenary of the formation of the RUC. Events in Northern Ireland have been arranged locally and by the RUCGC Foundation. Further information may be sought from the PSNI, the RUCGC Foundation or the Department of Justice.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth West answering member printed Conor Burns question first answered 20/06/2022 13:31:27 answering member 3922 label Biography information for Sir Conor Burns
	tabling member	4129 label Biography information for Ian Paisley

1470236

	registered interest
	date	14/06/2022
	answering body	Northern Ireland Office
	answering dept id	21
	answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
	answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
	hansard heading	Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he has plans to seek cross community support for the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill before it receives Royal Assent.
	tabling member constituency	Hove
	tabling member printed	Peter Kyle
	uin	17992
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/06/2022 answer text <p>The Government’s preference has always been to move forward on the basis of consensus. That is why we delayed the introduction of this legislation, and why it reflects a number of significant changes from the proposals contained within the Command Paper published last July.</p><p> </p><p>However, it is clear that the people of Northern Ireland have waited too long to see the implementation of effective legacy mechanisms which is why we have brought forward the Northern Ireland (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill. This legislation seeks to deliver effective outcomes for those most impacted by the Troubles and wider society.</p><p> </p><p>We will, of course, continue to engage with key stakeholders as this legislation makes its way through Parliament.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bournemouth West answering member printed Conor Burns question first answered 20/06/2022 13:24:41 answering member 3922 label Biography information for Sir Conor Burns
	tabling member	4505 label Biography information for Peter Kyle

1469051

	registered interest
	date	09/06/2022
	answering body	Northern Ireland Office
	answering dept id	21
	answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
	answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
	hansard heading	Terrorism: Northern Ireland
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what his Department's policy is on (a) what, (b) how and (c) for how long biometric data that is relevant to (i) ongoing and (ii) concluded Northern Ireland legacy cases is stored.
	tabling member constituency	Orkney and Shetland
	tabling member printed	Mr Alistair Carmichael
	uin	15200
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/06/2022 answer text <p>The Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill contains provisions which will ensure that biometrics are available for use in future investigations by the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR) into Troubles-related deaths or serious injuries.</p><p> </p><p>These biometrics will only be retained for a finite period to allow the investigations to be completed, and must be destroyed by no later than the end of a reasonable period after the conclusion of the work of the ICRIR.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth West answering member printed Conor Burns question first answered 16/06/2022 09:08:03 answering member 3922 label Biography information for Sir Conor Burns
	tabling member	1442 label Biography information for Mr Alistair Carmichael

1469066

	registered interest
	date	09/06/2022
	answering body	Northern Ireland Office
	answering dept id	21
	answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
	answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
	hansard heading	Loyalist Communities Council
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will publish the dates of each meeting of (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department with representatives of the Loyalist Communities Council in each of the last 12 months.
	tabling member constituency	North Down
	tabling member printed	Stephen Farry
	uin	15399
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2022 answer text <p>Ministers and officials have not met with anyone in the last twelve months who has stated that they are attending in their capacity as a representative of the Loyalist Communities Council (LCC).</p><p> </p><p>I attended a meeting on 16 December 2021 where an individual understood to be a member of the LCC was present, but in this instance it was made explicitly clear to all attendees in advance of the meeting that this individual was attending in a different capacity.</p><p> </p><p>The Northern Ireland Office does not have a definitive list of representatives of the LCC, nor does it have set criteria for what constitutes being a representative of that organisation. Furthermore, individuals who Ministers and officials meet as part of routine engagement and outreach may not always be explicit about the capacity in which they are attending those meetings.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth West answering member printed Conor Burns question first answered 17/06/2022 11:46:33 answering member 3922 label Biography information for Sir Conor Burns
	tabling member	4856 label Biography information for Stephen Farry

1468468

	registered interest
	date	08/06/2022
	answering body	Northern Ireland Office
	answering dept id	21
	answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
	answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
	hansard heading	Commonwealth Games 2022: Northern Ireland
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions he has had with the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) on the decision not to allow Rhys McClenaghan, Eamon Montgomery and Ewan McAteer to represent Northern Ireland at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham this summer because those athletes hold FIG licenses to represent the Republic of Ireland.
	tabling member constituency	Belfast South
	tabling member printed	Claire Hanna
	uin	14658
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/06/2022 answer text <p>Discussions with FIG are being led by Commonwealth Games Northern Ireland. However, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has written to the FIG President to express his concern at the decision not to allow these gymnasts to participate. He has emphasised that this appears to frustrate their birthright to identify and be accepted as British or Irish, or both, and to hold both British and Irish citizenship.</p><p>It is the Government’s firm position that, given that these gymnasts were born in Northern Ireland they should be free to compete both for Ireland and the UK as set out in the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement.</p><p>I am also aware that colleagues at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport are engaging on this issue.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth West answering member printed Conor Burns question first answered 14/06/2022 15:47:03 answering member 3922 label Biography information for Sir Conor Burns
	tabling member	4827 label Biography information for Claire Hanna

1467592

	registered interest
	date	06/06/2022
	answering body	Northern Ireland Office
	answering dept id	21
	answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
	answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
	hansard heading	Northern Ireland Protocol
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he has had discussions with EU representatives on proposals to remove the Northern Ireland Protocol.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	13130
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/06/2022 answer text <p>The Foreign Secretary leads on our negotiations with the EU and she has had extensive exchanges through both informal channels and the structures under the agreement.</p><p>We will continue to talk with the EU and our preference remains a negotiated outcome but while the EU discusses their position and their mandate, we will take steps to solve the problems created by the Protocol and restore the Executive. We are not scrapping the Protocol - we are protecting the elements that work and fixing those that don’t. We remain open to discuss any new proposals but we can no longer wait to address the issues we face now.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth West answering member printed Conor Burns question first answered 09/06/2022 13:30:48 answering member 3922 label Biography information for Sir Conor Burns
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1467825

	registered interest
	date	06/06/2022
	answering body	Northern Ireland Office
	answering dept id	21
	answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
	answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
	hansard heading	Buses: Northern Ireland
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many buses in total are currently operating in Northern Ireland; and what proportion of these buses are (i) electric, (ii) hybrid-diesel, (iii) biomethane, (iv) diesel and (v) other fuels.
	tabling member constituency	Bristol East
	tabling member printed	Kerry McCarthy
	uin	13068
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/06/2022 answer text <p>Transport is a devolved matter within the competence of the Northern Ireland Executive. Specific questions on public transport and the bus fleet in Northern Ireland should be directed to the Department for Infrastructure.</p><p> </p><p>Through the New Decade, New Approach agreement, the Government provided £50 million to support low carbon transport in Northern Ireland, enabling the Northern Ireland Department for Infrastructure to commit to ordering 100 low-carbon buses to be deployed in Belfast and Londonderry.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bournemouth West answering member printed Conor Burns question first answered 09/06/2022 13:32:04 answering member 3922 label Biography information for Sir Conor Burns
	tabling member	1491 label Biography information for Kerry McCarthy

1465360

	registered interest
	date	24/05/2022
	answering body	Northern Ireland Office
	answering dept id	21
	answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
	answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
	hansard heading	Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he had discussions with the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission prior to the publication of the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill.
	tabling member constituency	North Down
	tabling member printed	Stephen Farry
	uin	8222
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/06/2022 answer text <p>The Northern Ireland Office held discussions on legacy with the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission on 14 April 2022. Discussions with the Commission, and other key stakeholders, will continue during passage of the Bill.</p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Bournemouth West answering member printed Conor Burns question first answered 01/06/2022 11:42:13 answering member 3922 label Biography information for Sir Conor Burns
	tabling member	4856 label Biography information for Stephen Farry

1465361

	registered interest
	date	24/05/2022
	answering body	Northern Ireland Office
	answering dept id	21
	answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
	answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
	hansard heading	Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions his Department had with relevant (a) individuals and (b) organisations on the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill prior to its publication.
	tabling member constituency	North Down
	tabling member printed	Stephen Farry
	uin	8223
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/06/2022 answer text <p>Since January, the Northern Ireland Office has held legacy discussions with a wide range of stakeholders, including but not limited to; the Irish Government, representatives of victims and survivors (including WAVE, South East Fermanagh Foundation, the Victims Commissioner, the Victims &amp; Survivors Forum, Ulster Human Rights Watch, Ely Centre), representatives of veterans and former service personnel (including the NI Veterans Commissioner, the Independent Veterans Advisor, the NI Retired Police Officers Association, the Police Federation of NI, COBSEO, the NI Veterans Movement), operational partners and other relevant groups (including PPS NI, PSNI, Operation Kenova, OPONI, NI Human Rights Commission), and other civil and community organisations (including Healing Through Remembering, Corrymeela, Malone House Group, JIGSA, church representatives, the Truth Recovery Process Group).</p><p>The Government has also offered to engage with other groups, who have preferred not to engage with us on this issue.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bournemouth West answering member printed Conor Burns question first answered 01/06/2022 11:43:16 answering member 3922 label Biography information for Sir Conor Burns
	tabling member	4856 label Biography information for Stephen Farry

1465362

	registered interest
	date	24/05/2022
	answering body	Northern Ireland Office
	answering dept id	21
	answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
	answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
	hansard heading	Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment his Department has made of the compatibility of the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill with Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
	tabling member constituency	North Down
	tabling member printed	Stephen Farry
	uin	8224
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/06/2022 answer text <p>This legislation, which had its Second Reading on 24 May, deals with legacy issues in a way that complies with international human rights obligations, supports information recovery and reconciliation, and responds to the needs of individual victims and survivors, as well as society as a whole.</p><p>The legislation does not prohibit investigations into those Troubles-related incidents which might engage the UK’s obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights. We will establish the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery to conduct investigations into Troubles-related deaths and cases of very serious injury, for the purposes of information recovery.</p><p>We have included various measures to ensure the body is equipped with the necessary powers to secure information and conduct thorough, Article 2 compliant investigations.</p><p>We are confident that these measures fulfil our Article 2 obligations.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bournemouth West answering member printed Conor Burns question first answered 01/06/2022 11:44:06 answering member 3922 label Biography information for Sir Conor Burns
	tabling member	4856 label Biography information for Stephen Farry

1463471

	registered interest
	date	17/05/2022
	answering body	Northern Ireland Office
	answering dept id	21
	answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
	answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
	hansard heading	Northern Ireland Protocol: Orange Order
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions he has had with the Orange Order on the Northern Ireland Protocol.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	3589
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/05/2022 answer text <p>The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has discussions with the Orange Order and a range of other stakeholders and groups in Northern Ireland on a number of matters, including the Northern Ireland Protocol, on an ongoing basis.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bournemouth West answering member printed Conor Burns question first answered 23/05/2022 13:16:43 answering member 3922 label Biography information for Sir Conor Burns
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1463650

	registered interest
	date	17/05/2022
	answering body	Northern Ireland Office
	answering dept id	21
	answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
	answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
	hansard heading	Veterans: Mental Health
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what contribution his Department is making in cross-Government efforts to improve the mental wellbeing of veterans.
	tabling member constituency	Wolverhampton South West
	tabling member printed	Stuart Anderson
	uin	3730
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/05/2022 answer text <p>The Government remains fully committed to supporting veterans living in Northern Ireland and continuing to build on the good progress in delivering the Armed Forces Covenant and Veterans Strategy. We are delivering on the Government’s commitments made in the New Decade, New Approach agreement, in particular, to ensure that Northern Ireland veterans are treated similarly to their counterparts across the UK.</p><p> </p><p>My Department established and sponsors the Northern Ireland Veterans Commissioner’s Office, which advocates for and assists veterans as they navigate services such as health and social care.</p><p> </p><p>Arrangements for service delivery in Northern Ireland are slightly different from those in other parts of the UK. Many of the service delivery aspects, including health provisions, are devolved.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bournemouth West answering member printed Conor Burns question first answered 23/05/2022 13:21:02 answering member 3922 label Biography information for Sir Conor Burns
	tabling member	4742 label Biography information for Stuart Anderson

1463243

	registered interest
	date	16/05/2022
	answering body	Northern Ireland Office
	answering dept id	21
	answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
	answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
	hansard heading	Northern Ireland Office: Social Clubs
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, with reference to the Answer of 7 March 2022 to Question 132399, on civil service staff networks, what recognised staff groups have been running in his Department over the last three years.
	tabling member constituency	Orpington
	tabling member printed	Gareth Bacon
	uin	2665
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/05/2022 answer text <p>The Department has taken the definition of professional staff networks to mean voluntary staff networks, including employee networks on Diversity and Inclusion. The Northern Ireland Office currently has the following active networks:</p><p> </p><ul><li>Staff Engagement Group</li><li>Diversity and Inclusion network</li><li>Culture Club</li><li>Mirror Board</li></ul><p> </p><p>Over the last three years, the Department has also had a Parents’ Group, a Women’s network and a Menopause support group. These groups are not currently active.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth West answering member printed Conor Burns question first answered 23/05/2022 13:19:01 answering member 3922 label Biography information for Sir Conor Burns
	tabling member	4798 label Biography information for Gareth Bacon

1463244

	registered interest
	date	16/05/2022
	answering body	Northern Ireland Office
	answering dept id	21
	answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
	answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
	hansard heading	Northern Ireland Office: Social Clubs
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, with reference to the Answer of 7 March 2022 to Question 132399 on civil service staff networks, what information he holds on (a) FTE staff time and (b) budgets available to recognised staff groups in his Department within each of the last three years.
	tabling member constituency	Orpington
	tabling member printed	Gareth Bacon
	uin	2666
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/05/2022 answer text <p>With reference to my answer of 7 March 2022 to Question 132399 on civil service staff networks, no information is held with regard to (a) the allocation of FTE for these groups. They are staff-led groups and staff contribute as time permits and as part of their wider corporate contribution to the department. In respect of part (b), no budgets are available to recognised staff groups.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bournemouth West answering member printed Conor Burns question first answered 18/05/2022 13:35:54 answering member 3922 label Biography information for Sir Conor Burns
	tabling member	4798 label Biography information for Gareth Bacon