Asked by: Lord Caine (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to update their assessment of the structure, roles and purpose of paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland, published on 20 October 2015.
Answered by Lord Duncan of Springbank
In 2015, the UK Government commissioned the Assessment of Paramilitary Groups in Northern Ireland in order to provide a factual assessment from the UK security agencies and the PSNI on the structure, role and purpose of paramilitary organisations in Northern Ireland.
As the then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Theresa Villiers, made clear at the time, this assessment was specifically intended to inform then ongoing cross-party talks.
Asked by: Lord Caine (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of The Rugby League Dividend report, published by the Rugby Football League on 22 August 2019, on the economic and social impact of rugby league in disadvantaged communities and the role of sport in promoting social mobility.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Government welcomes the RFL’s Dividend Report which demonstrates the valuable contribution that rugby league can have within communities. Rugby League is a fantastic example of how sport and physical activity can play a leading role in engaging people from every background.
The Government’s Sporting Future strategy is explicit that everyone, regardless of background, sex, age or level of ability should be able to engage in sport and physical activity as participants, spectators and in the workplace, and that sport and physical activity should be valued for the much broader positive impact it can have across a range of physical, social and economic outcomes. The strategy included a specific focus on engaging people from groups in society that have traditionally been underrepresented in sport and physical activity and who have the most to gain from getting more active.
Government is directly supporting rugby league through more than £11m of Sport England investment in the Rugby Football League over 2017-21 and investment of up to £10m in rugby league facilities to help drive a legacy from the 2021 Rugby League World Cup.
Asked by: Lord Caine (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government which ministers from the Northern Ireland Office attended the commemorative events held at Lisburn on 17 August to mark the 50th anniversary of Operation Banner.
Answered by Lord Duncan of Springbank
I have enormous respect for all those who served their country with distinction during Operation Banner. The UK Government was represented by Ministers at the following events to mark the 50th Anniversary of the start of Operation Banner:
Asked by: Lord Caine (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps the Northern Ireland Office has taken to mark the 50th anniversary of Operation Banner.
Answered by Lord Duncan of Springbank
I have enormous respect for all those who served their country with distinction during Operation Banner. The UK Government was represented by Ministers at the following events to mark the 50th Anniversary of the start of Operation Banner:
Asked by: Lord Caine (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to promote to the people of Northern Ireland the benefits of Northern Ireland forming part of the UK.
Answered by Lord Duncan of Springbank
This Government has made clear on many occasions that we will never be neutral in expressing our support for the Union. Our steadfast belief is that Northern Ireland’s future is best served within a stronger United Kingdom.
The Government and this Department is fully committed to the constitutional integrity of the United Kingdom. Our union is strongest when each of its constituent parts is strong and working together. We remain focussed on ensuring the interests of each nation are fully represented within our union, strengthening the links between our economies and continuing to deliver strong and sustainable devolution.
Asked by: Lord Caine (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the economic benefits to Northern Ireland of being a part of the UK.
Answered by Lord Duncan of Springbank
The UK Government believes strongly in upholding the constitutional integrity of the United Kingdom - our four nations are safer, stronger and more prosperous together.
Northern Ireland benefits from being part of the world’s sixth largest economy. The UK’s integrated internal market means there are no barriers to doing business for companies and people trading across the nations within the UK – creating jobs and prosperity across the country.
Northern Ireland also benefits from the highest public spending per head (£11,190) in the UK - around 20% (£1,883) higher than the UK spend per head (£9,159).
Moreover, over half (53%) of all external sales from Northern Ireland are to the rest of the UK, and half of external visitors to Northern Ireland are from the rest of the UK, with a total of 1.4million visitors in 2018.
Asked by: Lord Caine (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they plan to take to strengthen Northern Ireland's place within the UK.
Answered by Lord Duncan of Springbank
This Government has made clear on many occasions that we will never be neutral in expressing our support for the Union. Our steadfast belief is that Northern Ireland’s future is best served within a stronger United Kingdom.
The Government and this Department is fully committed to the constitutional integrity of the United Kingdom. Our union is strongest when each of its constituent parts is strong and working together. We remain focussed on ensuring the interests of each nation are fully represented within our union, strengthening the links between our economies and continuing to deliver strong and sustainable devolution.
Asked by: Lord Caine (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether promoting the benefits to Northern Ireland of being part of the UK is one of the core functions of the Northern Ireland Office.
Answered by Lord Duncan of Springbank
This Government has made clear on many occasions that we will never be neutral in expressing our support for the Union. Our steadfast belief is that Northern Ireland’s future is best served within a stronger United Kingdom.
The Government and this Department is fully committed to the constitutional integrity of the United Kingdom. Our union is strongest when each of its constituent parts is strong and working together. We remain focussed on ensuring the interests of each nation are fully represented within our union, strengthening the links between our economies and continuing to deliver strong and sustainable devolution.
Asked by: Lord Caine (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they plan to take to strengthen Northern Ireland's place within the UK.
Answered by Lord Duncan of Springbank
It has not proved possible to respond to these questions in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
Asked by: Lord Caine (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether promoting the benefits to Northern Ireland of being part of the UK is one of the core functions of the Northern Ireland Office.
Answered by Lord Duncan of Springbank
It has not proved possible to respond to these questions in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.