Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what level of financial commitment they have made to the Casement Park rebuilding project.
Answered by Lord Caine - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
EURO 2028 is a fantastic opportunity for the UK and Ireland to showcase world-class sport as hosts.
The UK Government is continuing to work closely with the Department for Communities regarding the cost and delivery of Casement Park whilst also having proper regard for value for money for the taxpayer. We remain committed to ensuring EURO 2028 leaves a lasting legacy across the UK.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their current assessment of the total capital cost of the rebuilding of Casement Park.
Answered by Lord Caine - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
EURO 2028 is a fantastic opportunity for the UK and Ireland to showcase world-class sport as hosts.
The UK Government is continuing to work closely with the Department for Communities regarding the cost and delivery of Casement Park whilst also having proper regard for value for money for the taxpayer. We remain committed to ensuring EURO 2028 leaves a lasting legacy across the UK.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will take steps to ensure that the public are aware of the deadline for backdating an application to the Troubles Permanent Disablement Payment Scheme.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Troubles Permanent Disablement Payment Scheme is due to close for new applications in August 2026. The Scheme is a devolved matter and communications are the responsibility of the Victims Payments Board.
The Board have recently conducted a communications campaign to raise awareness of the scheme, including key milestones such as the closing date for new applications.
Asked by: Nia Griffith (Labour - Llanelli)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps he has taken to reduce the cost of fraud in his Department in the last three financial years.
Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)
The Northern Ireland Office reported no cases of fraud or amounts lost due to fraud or error in any of the last three financial years. This is disclosed as part of the Annual Report and Accounts available on GOV.UK.
The Government is determined to uncover fraud in the public sector and is proud of its record. As part of this, the Government established the Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA).
In 22/23, the PSFA set a target of delivering £180m of savings to the taxpayer. In fact, the PSFA far surpassed this within the first 12 months by preventing and recovering £311 million. As it enters its second year, the PSFA has a target of achieving £185 million of savings for the taxpayer.
The Government has also announced an additional £34 million to deploy cutting-edge tools and Artificial Intelligence tools to help combat fraud across the public sector, saving £100 million for the public purse. This is in addition to existing partnerships between PSFA and the tech sector.
The Northern Ireland Office has also recently launched a counter Fraud, Bribery and Corruption Policy and Response Plan.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, with reference to his oral contribution in response to the question from the hon. Member for West Dunbartonshire of 17 January 2024, Official Report, column 816, what the expected timetable is for publishing his review of the Troubles Permanent Disablement Payment Scheme.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Since I advised on 17 January that I had met with Justice McAlinden, my officials have conducted extensive stakeholder engagement with more than twenty consultees throughout January to March. We are now considering the findings and will publish the report in due course.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will extend the upcoming application deadline of the Troubles Permanent Disablement Payment Scheme.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
As part of the review of the operation of the Troubles Permanent Disablement Scheme, I will consider evidence to determine whether an extension to the period for backdated payments is warranted. My officials have now conducted their engagement and I will advise on my decision in due course.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will allocate additional resources to the Victims Payment Board to help process applications to the Troubles Permanent Disablement Payment Scheme received close to the deadline.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Support for victims of the Troubles - including the Troubles Permanent Disablement Payment Scheme - is a devolved matter.
Resourcing of the Victims Payments Board is a matter for the consideration of the Northern Ireland Executive.
Asked by: Liz Twist (Labour - Blaydon)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will hold discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive on the adequacy of resources for tackling NHS waiting times in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)
The Government stands ready to support the Executive to reduce unacceptably long waiting times. The Government has made £3.3bn available to the Executive to spend on its priorities, including over £30m to address healthcare waiting lists.
I am clear that tackling waiting lists and stabilising health services in Northern Ireland is the start of a much bigger challenge in transforming services for the longer term. Innovative strategic thinking is needed to find solutions that will balance budgets and improve all public services across Northern Ireland. The Government is excited to work with Executive Ministers on plans that will deliver for Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Penrith and The Border)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what progress he has made on ensuring the long-term availability of veterinary medicines in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)
The Government’s priority is to secure a long-term sustainable solution on veterinary medicines. To that end, we wish to pursue such a solution through discussions with the EU, as well as preparing for safeguards in all scenarios. We have set up a Veterinary Medicines Working Group to advise the Government on solutions and are grateful for your expertise as a member of this group. The Working Group has met twice and aims to report in a timely manner by June.
In the meantime, we have put in place a grace period arrangement until the end of 2025 which supports continuity of supply to Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
What discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the date of the commencement of the Corporation Tax (Northern Ireland) Act 2015.
Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)
In the Safeguarding the Union Command Paper, the UK Government committed to a rapid, focused process, on the implementation of corporation tax devolution through a new Joint Exchequer Committee.
The Committee will take forward urgent work on this process. However, the devolution of corporation tax alone will not solve the financial challenges facing Northern Ireland. The Executive needs to make difficult decisions around revenue-raising and public service transformation to put Northern Ireland’s finances on a sustainable footing.