Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any EU officials will be involved in inspecting (1) agricultural produce, (2) foods, or (3) other goods, entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain after 31 December.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
Further to Article 12(1) of the Northern Ireland Protocol, the authorities of the United Kingdom are responsible for implementing and applying the provisions of Union law made applicable by the Protocol. This includes the administering of checks on agri-food moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, from 1 January 2021.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to appoint a 'territorial minister' to answer for the Government in the House of Lords on matters relating to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
Viscount Younger of Leckie speaks for the Northern Ireland Office and the Scotland Office, and Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist speaks for the Wales Office.
A full list of Government Ministers and Lords Spokespersons can be found here - https://www.lordswhips.org.uk/government-spokespersons
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what body will (1) determine, and (2) enforce, EU state aid rules in Northern Ireland after the end of the transition period.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
The Northern Ireland Protocol sets out that EU state aid rules will apply in certain cases where relevant to trade between Northern Ireland and the EU. This does not mean that state aid rules will apply to Northern Ireland as they do today. State aid provisions apply only to trade ‘subject to the Protocol’. The Protocol is limited in scope to the movement of goods and wholesale electricity markets. Where trade is subject to the Protocol, the supervision and enforcement procedures it sets out will apply, as will the safety net provided by the UK Internal Market Bill.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the circumstances in which a company operating in both Great Britain and Northern Ireland would be subject to EU state aid rules in Northern Ireland but not subject to such rules in Great Britain.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
The Northern Ireland Protocol sets out that EU state aid rules will apply in certain cases where relevant to trade between Northern Ireland and the EU. This does not mean that state aid rules will apply to Northern Ireland as they do today. State aid provisions apply only to trade ‘subject to the Protocol’. The Protocol is limited in scope to the movement of goods and wholesale electricity markets. Where trade is subject to the Protocol, the supervision and enforcement procedures it sets out will apply, as will the safety net provided by the UK Internal Market Bill.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to discuss the requirement for export declarations on goods moving between Northern Ireland and Great Britain as part of negotiations on the future UK–EU relationship.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
As set out in the Command Paper ‘The UK’s approach to the Northern Ireland Protocol’, we will ensure unfettered access for Northern Ireland goods moving from Northern Ireland to Great Britain, and enshrine this in legislation by the end of the year. The document set out our approach, including that we will not require exit summary declarations on those movements.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the legal status of the common travel area between the UK, the Crown Dependencies and Ireland.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
The Common Travel Area (CTA) is an arrangement between the UK, the Isle of Man, Guernsey, Jersey, and Ireland. It is underpinned by domestic law in each jurisdiction.
Both the UK and Irish Governments have committed to taking all necessary measures to ensure that the Common Travel Area and its associated rights and privileges are protected and maintained, including entering into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on 8 May 2019. We are not aware of any significant disputes that have arisen between the UK Government and Ireland over the operation of the Common Travel Area, nor of cases when a UK citizen has taken legal action against the UK Government over the operation of the Common Travel Area.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what mechanism exists to resolve disputes between the UK Government and the government of Ireland over the operation of the common travel area.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
The Common Travel Area (CTA) is an arrangement between the UK, the Isle of Man, Guernsey, Jersey, and Ireland. It is underpinned by domestic law in each jurisdiction.
Both the UK and Irish Governments have committed to taking all necessary measures to ensure that the Common Travel Area and its associated rights and privileges are protected and maintained, including entering into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on 8 May 2019. We are not aware of any significant disputes that have arisen between the UK Government and Ireland over the operation of the Common Travel Area, nor of cases when a UK citizen has taken legal action against the UK Government over the operation of the Common Travel Area.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what, if any, disputes have arisen between the UK Government and the government of Ireland over the operation of the common travel area.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
The Common Travel Area (CTA) is an arrangement between the UK, the Isle of Man, Guernsey, Jersey, and Ireland. It is underpinned by domestic law in each jurisdiction.
Both the UK and Irish Governments have committed to taking all necessary measures to ensure that the Common Travel Area and its associated rights and privileges are protected and maintained, including entering into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on 8 May 2019. We are not aware of any significant disputes that have arisen between the UK Government and Ireland over the operation of the Common Travel Area, nor of cases when a UK citizen has taken legal action against the UK Government over the operation of the Common Travel Area.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether a UK citizen has ever taken legal action against the UK Government over the operation of the common travel area.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
The Common Travel Area (CTA) is an arrangement between the UK, the Isle of Man, Guernsey, Jersey, and Ireland. It is underpinned by domestic law in each jurisdiction.
Both the UK and Irish Governments have committed to taking all necessary measures to ensure that the Common Travel Area and its associated rights and privileges are protected and maintained, including entering into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on 8 May 2019. We are not aware of any significant disputes that have arisen between the UK Government and Ireland over the operation of the Common Travel Area, nor of cases when a UK citizen has taken legal action against the UK Government over the operation of the Common Travel Area.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government which customs regulations will be enforced at border control posts in Northern Ireland after 1 January 2021.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
The Northern Ireland Protocol guarantees the place of Northern Ireland within the UK customs territory and internal market, upholding the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement. The Protocol will prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland, while explicitly recognising Northern Ireland’s integral place in the UK. Further details on the Government’s approach to the Protocol are outlined in our Command Paper, The UK's Approach to the Northern Ireland Protocol.