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1663962

	registered interest
	date	13/10/2023
	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: Women
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what proportion of officials in his Department that are (a) graded as senior civil servant 2 and (b) on full-time equivalent contracts are women.
	tabling member constituency	Gordon
	tabling member printed	Richard Thomson
	uin	201815
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/10/2023 answer text <p><strong> </strong></p><p>(a) 1.8% of the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) workforce are graded as Directors (senior civil servants at pay band 2).</p><p> </p><p>(b) 52% of the NIO workforce are female and on full-time equivalent contracts.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Wycombe answering member printed Mr Steve Baker question first answered 24/10/2023 08:04:32 answering member 4064 label Biography information for Mr Steve Baker
	tabling member	4796 label Biography information for Richard Thomson

1692045

	registered interest
	date	27/02/2024
	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: Press
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, which (a) newspapers, (b) magazines and (c) online journals his Department subscribed to in each of the last three financial years.
	tabling member constituency	Llanelli
	tabling member printed	Dame Nia Griffith
	uin	15856
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/03/2024 answer text <p><strong>(a) Newspapers</strong></p><p>The Northern Ireland Office has subscribed to the following newspapers in the last three financial years: The Belfast Telegraph online; The Financial Times online and print; The Independent online; The Irish News online; The Irish Independent online; The Irish Times online; The Newsletter online; The Telegraph online and print; The Times print and online; The Guardian print; Daily Mail print; Daily Express print; The Sun print; Daily Mirror print.</p><p> </p><p><strong>(b) Magazines and (c) online journals </strong></p><p>The Northern Ireland Office has not subscribed to any magazines or online journals in the last three financial years.</p> answering member constituency Wycombe answering member printed Mr Steve Baker question first answered 01/03/2024 11:42:11 answering member 4064 label Biography information for Mr Steve Baker
	tabling member	1541 label Biography information for Dame Nia Griffith

1693764

	registered interest
	date	05/03/2024
	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: WhatsApp
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what guidance his Department issues on the use of WhatsApp.
	tabling member constituency	Llanelli
	tabling member printed	Dame Nia Griffith
	uin	17060
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/03/2024 answer text <p>All Departments in central government, including arms-length bodies apply the published guidance: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/non-corporate-communication-channels-for-government-business" target="_blank">Using non-corporate communication channels (e.g. WhatsApp, private email, SMS) for government business</a> published by Cabinet Office in March 2023. It applies to all individuals in central government (ministers, special advisers, officials, contractors, non-executive board members and independent experts advising ministers). The Northern Ireland Office uses the central guidance and has applied it since March 2023.</p><p>The Northern Ireland Office provides additional advice to supplement the central guidance which is published on the departmental intranet.</p> answering member constituency Wycombe answering member printed Mr Steve Baker question first answered 11/03/2024 16:05:00 answering member 4064 label Biography information for Mr Steve Baker
	tabling member	1541 label Biography information for Dame Nia Griffith

1606044

	registered interest
	date	21/03/2023
	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: Billing
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment he has made of the proportion of invoices his Department paid to small and medium-sized enterprises within five days in (a) the 2021-2022 financial year and (b) each of the last 12 months.
	tabling member constituency	Feltham and Heston
	tabling member printed	Seema Malhotra
	uin	170625
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/03/2023 answer text <p>All Government Departments publish payment performance quarterly showing the percentage of invoices paid in 5 days, the percentage of invoices paid in 30 days, and net debt interest liability. This is available on GOV.UK. The Northern Ireland Office’s payment performance is available at:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/search/transparency-and-freedom-of-information-releases?parent=northern-ireland-office&amp;keywords=prompt%20payment&amp;organisations%5B%5D=northern-ireland-office&amp;order=updated-newest" target="_blank">NIO Prompt Payment Data Link</a></p><p> </p><p>In addition, in accordance with regulation 113 of the Public Contract Regulations 2015, Contracting Authorities are required to publish annually the percentage of invoices paid in 30 days online. This is available as part of the annual report for 21/22:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-northern-ireland-office-annual-report-and-accounts-2021-to-2022" target="_blank">Annual Report and Accounts 21/22</a></p><p> </p><p>The Procurement Bill, currently passing through Parliament, will create a simpler and more transparent procurement regime that will further open up public procurement to SMEs. The Bill includes a new duty on contracting authorities to have regard to the particular barriers facing SMEs. Specifically, the Procurement Bill will imply 30 day payment terms into every sub-contract that is substantially for the purpose of performing a public contract. This will ensure SMEs at every tier of the public supply chain can benefit from faster payments, even if 30 day terms aren't explicitly written into the contract.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Wycombe answering member printed Mr Steve Baker question first answered 28/03/2023 10:37:17 answering member 4064 label Biography information for Mr Steve Baker
	tabling member	4253 label Biography information for Seema Malhotra

1625941

	registered interest
	date	05/05/2023
	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 Human Rights Commission
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of the functioning of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission.
	tabling member constituency	North Down
	tabling member printed	Stephen Farry
	uin	183990
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/05/2023 answer text <p>An independent review of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (NIHRC) concluded in December 2022. The Government is reviewing the recommendations made in this report and these and the Government’s response will be published in due course.</p><p> </p><p>Guarantees of equality and rights, which recognise the unique circumstances of Northern Ireland, are a fundamental part of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, to which the Government is firmly committed.</p> answering member constituency Wycombe answering member printed Mr Steve Baker question first answered 15/05/2023 13:47:29 answering member 4064 label Biography information for Mr Steve Baker
	tabling member	4856 label Biography information for Stephen Farry

1658499

	registered interest
	date	29/08/2023
	answering body	Northern Ireland Office
	answering dept id	21
	answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
	answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
	hansard heading	Lough Neagh
	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 it his policy to support public ownership of Lough Neagh; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	City of Durham
	tabling member printed	Mary Kelly Foy
	uin	906192
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/09/2023 answer text <p>Any decision to negotiate the sale of Lough Neagh with its landowner and bring it into public ownership is a matter for the Northern Ireland Executive.</p><p> </p><p>The Northern Ireland parties need to restore the Executive so that locally elected decision-makers can address issues such as this.</p> answering member constituency Wycombe answering member printed Mr Steve Baker question first answered 06/09/2023 13:15:17 answering member 4064 label Biography information for Mr Steve Baker
	tabling member	4753 label Biography information for Mary Kelly Foy

1646372

	registered interest
	date	21/06/2023
	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: Vodafone Group
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the merger between Three and Vodafone on her Department's contracts with Vodafone.
	tabling member constituency	Warrington North
	tabling member printed	Charlotte Nichols
	uin	190658
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/06/2023 answer text <p>As an open economy, this Government welcomes and encourages investment where it supports the Prime Minister’s goal of boosting UK growth and jobs, meets our stringent legal and regulatory requirements, and does not compromise our national security. The Government has robust powers under the National Security &amp; Investment Act, which it introduced, to block or impose remedies on transactions that pose a national security risk.</p><p> </p><p>We cannot comment on specific acquisitions nor the applicability of the National Security and Investment regime.</p><p> </p><p>It is the responsibility of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to assess the impact on consumers and competition in the market, with input from sectoral regulators.</p><p> </p><p>The Investment Security Unit works closely with the Competition and Markets Authority on cases that are being considered for both national security and competition reasons. A memorandum of understanding has been agreed between the Investment Security Unit and the CMA to assist joint working.</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/operation-of-the-national-security-and-investment-act-2021-memorandum-of-understanding/mou-between-beis-and-the-cma-on-the-operation-of-the-national-security-and-investment-act-2021" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/operation-of-the-national-security-and-investment-act-2021-memorandum-of-understanding/mou-between-beis-and-the-cma-on-the-operation-of-the-national-security-and-investment-act-2021</a></p><p><strong><br> <br> </strong></p> answering member constituency Wycombe answering member printed Mr Steve Baker question first answered 30/06/2023 10:52:45 answering member 4064 label Biography information for Mr Steve Baker
	tabling member	4799 label Biography information for Charlotte Nichols

1651925

	registered interest
	date	11/07/2023
	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: Technology and Hikvision
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether their Department has purchased products manufactured by (a) Hikvision and (b) Dahua in the last three years.
	tabling member constituency	Slough
	tabling member printed	Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi
	uin	193441
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/07/2023 answer text <p>As has been the case under successive administrations, it is not government policy to comment on the government’s security arrangements. This includes any specific details regarding the make and model of security systems, which are withheld on national security grounds.</p><p> </p><p>Each Department is responsible for their own procurement decisions.</p><p> </p><p>However, I would refer the Hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 24 November 2022, which set out that Departments had been instructed to disconnect surveillance equipment from core departmental networks where it is subject to the National Intelligence Law of China.</p> answering member constituency Wycombe answering member printed Mr Steve Baker question first answered 19/07/2023 15:09:52 answering member 4064 label Biography information for Mr Steve Baker
	tabling member	4638 label Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

1672862

	registered interest
	date	24/11/2023
	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: ICT
	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 guidance by the Central Digital and Data Office entitled Guidance on the Legacy IT Risk Assessment Framework, published on 29 September 2023, how many red-rated IT systems are used by their Department.
	tabling member constituency	Reading East
	tabling member printed	Matt Rodda
	uin	3665
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/12/2023 answer text <p>As of 21 November 2023, the Northern Ireland Office has zero red-rated legacy IT systems as defined in the Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO) Legacy IT Risk Assessment Framework.</p> answering member constituency Wycombe answering member printed Mr Steve Baker question first answered 04/12/2023 13:46:01 answering member 4064 label Biography information for Mr Steve Baker
	tabling member	4654 label Biography information for Matt Rodda

1609371

	registered interest
	date	30/03/2023
	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: Disability
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what proportion of their Department's employees are recorded as having a disability.
	tabling member constituency	Lewisham, Deptford
	tabling member printed	Vicky Foxcroft
	uin	177872
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/04/2023 answer text <p>As of January 2023, of the 74.2% of staff working in the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) who have completed their disability declaration information, 9.2% shared they had a disability. 4.9% of those who have declared their information have reported they ‘prefer not to say’. This data is completed anonymously by employees via our online HR system (SOP).</p><p> </p><p>The Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2022 maintains our focus on mainstreaming the delivery of inclusion and achieving our key priorities as outlined in the Declaration on Government Reform. We will continue to build a more inclusive Civil Service going further than the current Equality Act provisions by building on and expanding a previous focus on Protected Characteristics to deliver for all of our people. Incorporating a broader definition of diversity (such as socioeconomic, work experience and geographic backgrounds) and embedding activity in our strategic priorities will enable the successful delivery of our corporate objectives. Disability remains a focus of this work and we continue to identify and remove barriers affecting disabled colleagues.</p><p> </p><p>Representation of disabled staff is increasing at all grades, whilst this trend is positive, we remain committed to improving the representation of disabled colleagues across our workforce and in particular at our most senior grades.</p><p> </p><p>All main Government departments have Disability Confident Leader (level 3) status on the Government’s Disability Confident Scheme, the highest level of accreditation. The scheme gives employers the tools to recruit, retain and develop disabled people, and acts as a catalyst for continuous improvement.</p><p> </p><p>The Civil Service Workplace Adjustment Service is well established, offering specialist advice and access to a review route for disabled employees experiencing difficulties in securing the adjustments they need. The service includes a Workplace Adjustment Passport to facilitate the seamless retention of adjustments on a change of line manager, job role or move between business areas or departments.</p><p> </p><p>We will continue to target action where gaps persist.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Wycombe answering member printed Mr Steve Baker question first answered 17/04/2023 13:52:13 answering member 4064 label Biography information for Mr Steve Baker
	tabling member	4491 label Biography information for Vicky Foxcroft