Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions he has had with the Irish Government on the funding of Casement Park.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
My Department has engaged with a number of stakeholders in relation to funding for Casement Park, including with the Irish Government. I welcome the announcement by the Irish Government that it is willing to contribute €50m to the redevelopment of the stadium.
The Department for Communities is responsible for the procurement process for the redevelopment of Casement Park, including direct engagement with local partners on their funding contribution. I wrote to the Northern Ireland Minister for Communities on 27 February to say that it is vital to understand what the most recent costs associated with the redevelopment of Casement Park are.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether Stormont House Agreement Fresh Start funding allocations were included in recent the Northern Ireland Assembly Restoration Package.
Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)
The UK Government is providing the Executive with a significant £3.3 billion spending settlement to stabilise its finances and protect public services. Within this package, we are increasing the spending power of the Executive by repurposing over £700 million of existing and new UK Government funds.
The Fresh Start agreement in 2015 made provision for funding for integrated and shared education over 10 years. As that capital funding was due to expire at the end of 2024-25, the decision to remove the ring-fence on £150m of Fresh Start Agreement funding was made by the UK Government after assessing existing funding in Northern Ireland. We came to a considered position in response to the challenging budgetary position faced by the Northern Ireland Executive.
The Northern Ireland Executive will be able to decide how it uses the non-ring fenced funding element of reprioritised and new UK Government funding streams which contribute to the settlement package.
Asked by: Nia Griffith (Labour - Llanelli)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much funding his Department has (a) budgeted for and (b) spent on advertising in each of the last three financial years.
Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)
In the last three fiscal years, advertising costs on the Northern Ireland Office general ledgers were as follows:
These costs were in line with agreed budgets for this area of spend.
Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much his Department (a) paid in apprenticeship levy fees and (b) spent from its apprenticeship levy funds between September 2021 and August 2023.
Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)
The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) has contributed £83,000 in apprenticeship Levy funds between September 2021 and August 2023.
During the same period, the department has had no spend from the apprenticeship Levy fund. All NIO apprenticeships during this period were covered through the Civil Service-wide apprenticeship schemes, therefore the NIO specifically has not spent any levy funds.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, when he plans to announce the investment decision on Casement Park.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
My Department is engaging with the Department for Communities, which is responsible for the procurement process for the redevelopment of Casement Park, including direct engagement with local partners on their funding contribution. I wrote to the Northern Ireland Minister for Communities on 27 February to say that it is vital to understand what the most recent costs associated with the redevelopment of Casement Park are.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to make cross-community consent mandatory in all Stormont decisions.
Answered by Lord Caine - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The principle of cross-community consent applies to matters for which the Northern Ireland Assembly is responsible. Trade is not one of those matters. This approach is entirely compatible with the Belfast Agreement.
We remain fully committed to the Agreement which ensures that the future of Northern Ireland is decided by the democratically expressed wishes of the people of Northern Ireland and reaffirms our commitment to the principle of consent.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether capital funding for shared and integrated education was included in the Assembly restoration financial settlement.
Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)
The UK Government is providing the Executive with a significant £3.3 billion spending settlement to stabilise its finances and protect public services. Within this package, we are increasing the spending power of the Executive by repurposing over £700 million of existing and new UK Government funds.
The Fresh Start agreement in 2015 made provision for funding for integrated and shared education over 10 years. As that capital funding was due to expire at the end of 2024-25, the decision to remove the ring-fence on £150m of Fresh Start Agreement funding was made by the UK Government after assessing existing funding in Northern Ireland. We came to a considered position in response to the challenging budgetary position faced by the Northern Ireland Executive.
The Northern Ireland Executive will be able to decide how it uses the non-ring fenced funding element of reprioritised and new UK Government funding streams which contribute to the settlement package.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they remain committed to the Fresh Start Agreement funding programme.
Answered by Lord Caine - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK Government remains committed to the Fresh Start Agreement and we will continue to invest and support educational integration in Northern Ireland as an essential aspect of reconciliation.
The Fresh Start agreement in 2015 made provision for funding for integrated and shared education over 10 years. As that funding was due to expire at the end of 2024-25, the decision to remove the ring-fence on £150m of Fresh Start Agreement funding was made by the UK Government on taking a coherent look across its existing funding in Northern Ireland. We came to a considered position in response to the challenging budgetary position faced by the Northern Ireland Executive.
This will enable the Executive to prioritise funding on public service transformation. Integrated education is a vital element of that.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government why money allocated to Fresh Start Agreement funding has been repurposed to the general Northern Ireland budget.
Answered by Lord Caine - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK Government is providing the Executive with a significant £3.3 billion spending settlement to stabilise its finances and protect public services. Within this package, we are increasing the spending power of the Executive by repurposing over £700 million of existing and new UK Government funds.
The Fresh Start agreement in 2015 made provision for funding for integrated and shared education over 10 years. As that funding was due to expire at the end of 2024-25, the decision to remove the ring-fence on £150m of Fresh Start Agreement funding was made by the UK Government on taking a coherent look across its existing funding in Northern Ireland. We came to a considered position in response to the challenging budgetary position faced by the Northern Ireland Executive.
The Northern Ireland Executive will be able to decide how it uses the non-ring fenced funding element of reprioritised and new UK Government funding streams which contribute to the settlement package.
In line with commitments in the Belfast Agreement, the Government will continue to invest in and support educational integration in Northern Ireland as an essential aspect of reconciliation.
Asked by: Nia Griffith (Labour - Llanelli)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much funding his Department (a) allocated for (b) spent on magazine subscriptions in each of the last three financial years.
Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)
The Northern Ireland Office has not allocated or spent any funding on magazine subscriptions in each of the last three financial years.