Asked by: Lord Kilclooney (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Airport Passenger Duty is applied to internal flights from Northern Ireland within the UK; and if so, what plans there are for this to cease.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
Air Passenger Duty (APD) is a per-passenger tax levied on flights departing from UK airports, including those between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.
At Budget, the Government announced that, from April 2023, it would introduce a new reduced domestic band of APD, covering flights between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, in order to support connectivity across the UK.
Asked by: Lord Kilclooney (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government which locations have been selected for a freeport.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
At Budget, in March 2021, the Chancellor announced 8 successful prospective Freeports locations in England, as selected following the fair and open assessment process outlined in the Bidding Prospectus. Locations selected to progress to the next stages of designation are: East Midlands Airport, Felixstowe & Harwich (known as Freeport East), Humber, Liverpool City Region, Plymouth & South Devon, Solent, Teesside and Thames.
Asked by: Lord Kilclooney (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to identify a freeport in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
We are working with the Northern Ireland Executive to ensure a suitable model for a Freeport in Northern Ireland is developed. We need to ensure we meet our legal international obligations in Northern Ireland, and it is appropriate that we take our time to ensure that the Freeports model for Northern Ireland meets these obligations whilst delivering for the ports, businesses and communities in Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Lord Kilclooney (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to encourage more manufacturing of electronic chips in the UK.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The semiconductor industry is strategically important with its technology used by many UK industries. We are engaging with businesses as well as key international partners to ensure we continue to have a trustworthy and reliable supply.
The Government is committed to growing the UK manufacturing supply chain, including microelectronics, especially in those areas where there will be significant growth potential, such as Electric Vehicles. The Government continues to encourage appropriate inward investment and trade agreements to allow us to access global expertise and technologies.
Asked by: Lord Kilclooney (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there is a Common Travel Area between the Republic of Ireland and the UK; whether there is freedom of movement between the Republic of Ireland and the EU; whether there are border checks on EU citizens travelling from the Republic of Ireland to Great Britain; and whether there are border checks on the movement of EU citizens, not from the Republic of Ireland, travelling through Northern Ireland to the rest of the UK.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
The Common Travel Area (CTA) facilitates the free movement of people between the between the UK, Ireland and the Crown Dependencies (Isle of Man, Guernsey and Jersey).
As part of the CTA arrangements, the UK does not operate routine immigration controls on journeys from Ireland to the UK, including from Ireland to Great Britain. There are no immigration checks whatsoever on the Northern Ireland-Ireland land border. However, individuals arriving in the UK, regardless of where they enter from, must do so in line with the UK’s immigration framework and we work closely with the Irish Government to prevent abuse of the CTA.
There are no border controls for travel within the UK including from Northern Ireland to Great Britain.
Whether there is freedom of movement between Ireland and the EU is a matter for the Irish government.
Asked by: Lord Kilclooney (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the departure of the UK from the EU, whether the country of Ireland is formally called (1) the Republic of Ireland, or (2) Ireland, in UK law.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It is the UK Government's policy to refer to the country of Ireland as 'Ireland', as can be seen in the latest FCDO geographical names index (March 2021) available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/geographical-names-and-information. The UK's departure from the EU has not changed this.
Asked by: Lord Kilclooney (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether students from the EU are required to apply for visas in order to enrol in boarding schools in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
Since freedom of movement ended on 31 December 2020, EEA nationals travelling to the UK for the first time to enrol on a course of 6 months or longer at an independent school in the UK, including those with boarding facilities in Northern Ireland, are required to apply for a visa under the Student or Child Student routes.
Irish citizens in the UK have the right to reside, work, study, and access healthcare, social security and public services without requiring permission.
Asked by: Lord Kilclooney (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether international boarding school students wishing to study in the UK are required (1) to apply for visas to enrol in a school that is classed as a Highly Trusted Sponsor, and (2) to provide a birth certificate translated into English; if so, what is their estimate of the additional cost for each applicant to provide this information; and what assessment they have made of the extent to which this may act as a deterrent for international students.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The UK welcomes international students and places no limit on the number of international students who can study in the UK.
Our offer to students is competitive internationally and as part of the launch of the Student & Child Student route we have simplified and streamlined the route to make it simpler for students to meet the requirements.
To be able to study in the UK, international students must receive an unconditional offer of a place on a course of study from a licenced Student sponsor listed on the published register of Student sponsors.
A key safeguarding requirement for unaccompanied minors travelling to the UK is for Child Students, and Students under the age of 18, to provide proof of relationship (such as a birth certificate) and consent from their parent or legal guardian for their living and care arrangements during their study in the UK. Proof of relationship is also required where the student is relying on funds held in their parent’s name, to establish the parent has consented to their use.
All documents submitted with an application for permission on the Student or Child Student routes must be in English or accompanied by a certified translation of the document. The cost of translation may differ dependent on the certified translator used and the document being translated.
An impact assessment on the new points-based Student and Child Student routes was published and can be found alongside the Statement of Changes laid in Parliament on 10 September 2020.
Asked by: Lord Kilclooney (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of France about the recognition of proof of vaccine status against COVID-19 issued by the NHS, in (1) England, (2) Scotland, (3) Wales, and (4) Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We work closely with French partners through the British Embassy in Paris and with the French Embassy in London to ensure that all travel restrictions are communicated to UK nationals, including on the recognition of vaccine status. As of 9 June, travellers from the UK to France who are fully vaccinated do not need to justify an essential reason for travel or self-isolate upon arrival. France accepts proof of vaccination status via the NHS App or an official NHS letter. Full information is available on our FCDO Travel Advice pages, which we update regularly.
Asked by: Lord Kilclooney (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the British ambassador to France is appointed to serve the United Kingdom or Great Britain.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Her Majesty's Ambassador to the French Republic is formally approved by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Head of State of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. As an official of Her Majesty's Government, a British Ambassador therefore represents the whole of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.