Asked by: Lord Hay of Ballyore (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support homeowners with rising mortgage rates.
Answered by Baroness Penn - Minister on Leave (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State)
Around 75% of residential mortgage borrowers are on fixed-rate deals and are therefore shielded from interest rate rises in the short term. It is also worth noting that lenders are required to stress test all new prospective borrowers’ ability to continue repaying their mortgage under higher interest rates.
However, the Government has already taken immediate action to help households through the Energy Price Guarantee and the Energy Bills Support Scheme. This is in addition to the £37 billion of targeted support for the cost of living this financial year.
When mortgage borrowers are in financial difficulty and struggling to pay their mortgage, Financial Conduct Authority guidance requires firms to provide support through tailored forbearance options. The Government has also taken a number of measures aimed at helping people to avoid repossession, including Support for Mortgage Interest loans for those in receipt of an income-related benefit, and protection in the courts through the Pre-Action Protocol, which makes it clear that repossession must always be the last resort for lenders.
Asked by: Lord Hay of Ballyore (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent steps they have taken to promote the digital economy in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
In 2021, His Majesty’s Government and the Northern Ireland Executive signed the first ever City Deal for Northern Ireland. The Belfast Region City Deal unlocks £1 billion of transformative joint investment which will deliver more than 20 highly ambitious projects and programmes, create up to 20,000 new and better jobs, and help make the region a global centre of innovation.
Northern Ireland has 86% gigabit-capable coverage*, the best connectivity out of all the home nations of the UK, which will likely improve with the £5 billion investment in Project Gigabit. Additionally, our work with the Department for the Economy on Project Stratum has improved broadband connectivity for 50% of target premises as of September. The Northern Ireland Gigabit Open Market Review is scheduled to launch in early Autumn 2022.
BDUK has worked with the Department for Economy and the Local Authorities on Full Fibre Northern Ireland to deliver connectivity to over 887 buildings with investment of over £24 million from His Majesty’s Government. Connectivity upgrades to 199 buildings were achieved by Belfast City Council with a grant of £9.3 million.
His Majesty’s Government is committed to investing in the skills of people of Northern Ireland and promoting Northern Ireland’s potential as a leader in innovative technologies. The Cyber Explorers scheme supports 11–14 year-olds to boost their understanding and interest in a career in cyber. In addition, Cyber Runway provides business skills, product development, connections and mentoring to UK cyber companies at three stages of the business lifecycle: Launch, Grow and Scale. Cyber Runway is delivered in partnership with the Centre for Secure Information Technologies in Belfast and an event will be held in the city in November 2023 to support the local economy.
DCMS is supporting businesses across the UK through investment. The £12 million Digital Growth Grant will support companies across the UK to access finance and business advice through tailored growth programmes and events. In addition, the £2.6 billion UKSPF fund encourages areas across the UK to consider interventions to support and grow their local tech ecosystems.
The creative industries are also major players in the digital economy, with inward investment reaching nearly £1 billion in 2020. To help support these businesses, DCMS is providing nearly £50 million in support for the creative industries across the UK, including the £8 million UK Games Fund (UKGF) and £21 million UK Global Screen Fund that will promote investment in innovative creative businesses. The UKGF provides grant support to early-game stage games development companies across the UK, including in Northern Ireland.
Furthermore, the Arts and Humanities Research Council’s Creative Clusters Programme supports local businesses in the Northern Ireland screen sector to innovate and drive investment. It is called Future Screens Northern Ireland and is run by a consortium of higher education institutes, industry partners, and public organisations.
*(ThinkBroadband, August 2022)
Asked by: Lord Hay of Ballyore (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase economic growth.
Answered by Baroness Penn - Minister on Leave (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State)
The Government remains committed to boosting economic growth as the route to raising the prosperity of people across the UK. It continues to develop and deliver growth enhancing policies that ensure the UK has the right skills, high quality infrastructure and support for firms to innovate and invest.
The Chancellor has announced the Autumn Statement will be delivered on 17 November. This will contain the UK’s medium-term fiscal plan, which will include an assessment of UK growth, and will be accompanied by an OBR Economic and Fiscal Outlook. This will set out the Government’s approach to business support.
Asked by: Lord Hay of Ballyore (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with ministers in the Northern Ireland Executive on economic growth and development.
Answered by Lord Caine - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Northern Ireland benefits enormously from the strength and security provided by being an integral part of the UK - the world’s sixth largest economy.
The UK Government has regular discussions with Northern Ireland Executive ministers on a range of topics, including economic growth and development.
The UK Government continues to work to boost economic growth in Northern Ireland, including through the allocation of £400 million funding under the New Deal for Northern Ireland, in the ongoing £617 million City and Growth Deal programme, and through allocations of the Levelling Up Fund and the upcoming UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
However, as economic development is a devolved matter, it is vital that a restored Northern Ireland Executive and locally accountable ministers are in place to take the decisions that will drive economic growth in Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Lord Hay of Ballyore (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of jobs in the Republic of Ireland dependent on trade with the UK in June.
Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Experimental estimates published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) report around 207,000 workers in the Republic of Ireland were supported by exports to the UK in 2018 (latest year for which estimates are available).
More timely estimates for June 2022 or estimates for employment supported by total trade between the Republic of Ireland and the UK (exports plus imports), are not available.
Source: OECD Trade in Employment (2021 ed.) database, https://www.oecd.org/sti/ind/trade-in-employment.htm
Asked by: Lord Hay of Ballyore (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure the UK’s energy security.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Energy security is a top priority for this Government, which is taking the necessary steps to ensure security of supply this winter.
The Government’s British Energy Security Strategy, published on 7 April, sets out ambitious measures to deliver secure, clean and affordable energy for the long term.
Asked by: Lord Hay of Ballyore (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of shale gas extraction and a short-term lifting of the moratorium on shale gas extraction.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
In 2019, the Government confirmed that the pause on the exploration of shale gas reserves in England would remain in place unless and until further evidence was provided that shale gas extraction could be carried out safely. Any exploration or development of shale gas would need to meet rigorous safety and environmental protections both above ground and sub-surface.
In April, the Government commissioned the British Geological Survey to undertake a review of the latest scientific evidence around shale gas extraction. This review has now been completed and the Government is considering their detailed and technical report.
Asked by: Lord Hay of Ballyore (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase the affordability of energy for elderly people during the winter; and what steps they plan to take to make energy bills more affordable for elderly people.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government provides a range of support to eligible UK pensioners such as the Warm Home Discount, Winter Fuel Payments and Cold Weather Payments.
In recognition that households across the UK are struggling to make their incomes stretch to cover the rising cost of living, the Government announced on 26 May a £15 billion package of cost-of-living support, in addition to the £22 billion already announced. As part of the Energy Bills Support Scheme package, pensioners in receipt of Winter Fuel Payments, will receive an extra £300 this year, in addition to a £400 rebate on all energy bills, from October and a £150 Council Tax rebate for households, including pensioners, living in bands A-D in England.
Asked by: Lord Hay of Ballyore (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to date to attract inward investment into Northern Ireland in 2022.
Answered by Lord Caine - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government is committed to promoting investment into Northern Ireland.
Northern Ireland Office Minister of State, Conor Burns attended Northern Ireland Day at the Dubai Expo earlier this year where he promoted Northern Ireland businesses already exporting globally, including White’s Oats, Kiverco and Greenfields, as well as meeting Sovereign Wealth Funds to promote the fantastic investment opportunities in Northern Ireland. Representatives of these Funds have been invited to visit and explore investment opportunities in areas of mutual interest.
Northern Ireland Office Ministers and the Special Envoy to the United States on Northern Ireland also undertake frequent visits to the United States to promote the benefits of business in Northern Ireland and attract investment. Northern Ireland is already the number one international investment location for US Cyber Security firms, and the UK Government aims to build on this great potential.
Also, through the New Deal for Northern Ireland we have invested £8 million into expanding Invest NI’s presence overseas, with posts in Tokyo, Singapore and Guangzhou already underway, enhancing Northern Ireland’s investment opportunities. In addition, the Department for International Trade has opened a Northern Ireland hub in Belfast, offering bespoke support for Northern Ireland businesses, including looking to attract investment.
Asked by: Lord Hay of Ballyore (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the amount of funding delivered to community mental health projects in the last two years.
Answered by Lord Kamall
While no formal assessment has been made, we have committed to invest at least an additional £2.3 billion a year to expand mental health services in England by 2023/24, including community mental health support.
In 2020/21, we provided £500 million to accelerate plans to improve National Health Service mental health provision. This included £15 million for prevention and early intervention in over 250 local projects promoting better mental health and wellbeing in 40 of the most deprived local authority areas in England. We also provided an additional £10.2 million to support mental health charities, including Samaritans and the Campaign Against Living Miserably in response to the pandemic.