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Written Question
Imports: USA
Wednesday 21st May 2025

Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government how much (1) beef, and (2) ethanol products, were imported from the USA to the UK in each of the past five years.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The data on beef and ethanol products imported from the USA to the UK is given in the attached table.

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is responsible for the collection and publication of data on imports and exports of goods to and from the UK. HMRC releases this information monthly, as an accredited official statistic called the Overseas Trade in Goods Statistics (OTS), which is available via their dedicated website (www.uktradeinfo.com). From this website, it is possible to build your own data tables based upon bespoke search criteria.


Written Question
Imports: USA
Wednesday 21st May 2025

Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government how much (1) beef, and (2) ethanol products, were imported into Northern Ireland from the USA in each of the past five years.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The data on beef and ethanol products imported from the USA to Northern Ireland is given in the attached table.

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is responsible for the collection and publication of data on imports and exports of goods to and from the UK. HMRC releases this information monthly, as an accredited official statistic called the Overseas Trade in Goods Statistics (OTS), which is available via their dedicated website (www.uktradeinfo.com). From this website, it is possible to build your own data tables based upon bespoke search criteria.


Written Question
Trade Agreements: India
Tuesday 20th May 2025

Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether Northern Ireland will be able fully to benefit from the UK-India trade deal.

Answered by Baroness Gustafsson - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Businesses in Northern Ireland exporting their goods benefit from our free trade agreements just as businesses elsewhere in the United Kingdom do. Businesses exporting from Northern Ireland will therefore benefit from the free trade agreement with India. India originating goods entering Northern Ireland will do so under the terms of the free trade agreement, provided those goods are not at risk of entering the EU. Northern Ireland businesses importing Indian goods can use the schemes established under the Windsor Framework to avoid unnecessary duties, such as the UK Internal Market Scheme or Duty Reimbursement Scheme.


Written Question
Trade Agreements: India
Tuesday 20th May 2025

Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether goods imported to Northern Ireland under the UK-India trade deal will be subject to EU tariffs.

Answered by Baroness Gustafsson - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Businesses in Northern Ireland exporting their goods benefit from our free trade agreements just as businesses elsewhere in the United Kingdom do. Businesses exporting from Northern Ireland will therefore benefit from the free trade agreement with India. India originating goods entering Northern Ireland will do so under the terms of the free trade agreement, provided those goods are not at risk of entering the EU. Northern Ireland businesses importing Indian goods can use the schemes established under the Windsor Framework to avoid unnecessary duties, such as the UK Internal Market Scheme or Duty Reimbursement Scheme.


Written Question
Film: Import Duties
Tuesday 20th May 2025

Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the British film industry of the proposed US tariffs on non-American films.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

We are in active discussions with senior members of the US administration and we are clear that the deep ties between the US and UK film industries provide mutual benefits to both countries. This is a fluid situation, and we will continue to take a calm and steady approach.

We are engaging closely with industry and we are absolutely committed to ensuring our film and TV sector can continue to thrive and create good jobs across the UK.


Division Vote (Lords)
19 May 2025 - Data (Use and Access) Bill [HL] - View Vote Context
Lord Weir of Ballyholme (DUP) voted Aye - in line with the party majority and in line with the House
One of 4 Democratic Unionist Party Aye votes vs 0 Democratic Unionist Party No votes
Vote Tally: Ayes - 289 Noes - 118
Written Question
Commonwealth War Graves Commission: Northern Ireland
Monday 19th May 2025

Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made representations to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to include events in Northern Ireland in their work commemorating Victory in Europe Day and Victory over Japan Day.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Supported by DCMS, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is running the For Evermore Tour, with more than 250 mobile exhibitions and events across the UK and a number of global commemorative sites to the Pacific, highlighting the stories of those who fought in the Second World War.

CWGC has confirmed the Tour will visit Northern Ireland in June and is in the process of confirming venues at Stormont and Carrickfergus to coincide with the week leading up to and including National Armed Forces Day.


Written Question
Gender Recognition Certificates
Monday 19th May 2025

Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many gender recognition certificates have been issued in each of the past 10 years.

Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The table below shows the number of applications received by the Gender Recognition Panel that were granted full Gender Recognition Certificates in the last 10 years.

Table 1: Number of Gender Recognition Certificates granted in full during the complete financial years from 2014/15 to 2023/24

Financial Year

Gender Recognition Panel

2014/15

244

2015/16

329

2016/17

316

2017/18

351

2018/19

323

2019/20

364

2020/21

427

2021/22

495

2022/23

871

2023/24

1,088

Date source: Tribunals statistics quarterly: October to December 2024 - GOV.UK


Written Question
School Milk: Finance
Friday 16th May 2025

Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to fund the free and subsidised milk schemes for schools through a multi-year guaranteed budget rather than through annual renewal.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

Milk must be provided free of charge to pupils eligible for free school meals (FSM) who request it. Overall, the department spent over £1.5 billion on FSM and free milk in 2023/24.

To assist with the cost of providing milk, schools can take part in the voluntary National School Milk Subsidy Scheme run by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. In 2023/24, over £2 million was paid out through the National School Milk Subsidy Scheme.

Schools can claim reimbursement from the Nursery Milk Scheme in respect of their pupils aged under five. In 2023/24, the total cost of reimbursements for all settings from the Nursery Milk Scheme was over £54 million.


Written Question
School Milk: Expenditure
Friday 16th May 2025

Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the total annual spend on free and subsidised milk schemes for schools.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

Milk must be provided free of charge to pupils eligible for free school meals (FSM) who request it. Overall, the department spent over £1.5 billion on FSM and free milk in 2023/24.

To assist with the cost of providing milk, schools can take part in the voluntary National School Milk Subsidy Scheme run by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. In 2023/24, over £2 million was paid out through the National School Milk Subsidy Scheme.

Schools can claim reimbursement from the Nursery Milk Scheme in respect of their pupils aged under five. In 2023/24, the total cost of reimbursements for all settings from the Nursery Milk Scheme was over £54 million.