Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide a list of the measures adopted by the EU within the scope of the Northern Ireland Protocol between January 2021 and July 2022, referred to in the paper Northern Ireland Protocol: the UK’s Solution, published by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on 14 July 2022.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Windsor Framework disapplies swathes of EU rules that applied under the old Northern Ireland Protocol to support internal UK trade. It completely carves out whole areas of EU law on issues such as VAT, medicines and food. Those limited areas that remain apply principally in order to secure NI access to the EU market.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they intend to introduce legislation to direct Northern Ireland bodies regarding the UK internal market scheme in the operation of the Windsor Framework.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Government will take direct powers at Westminster to direct NI bodies to protect the UK internal market as soon as parliamentary time allows. This will allow us to provide clear legal direction to DAERA and other UK Government authorities to eliminate any physical checks when goods move within the UK internal market system, except those conducted by UK authorities and required as part of a risk-based or intelligence-led approach.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether cars moved from Great Britain to Northern Ireland for sale are subject to any compliance, documentary or other requirements as a result of the Windsor Framework, and, if so, when such requirements began to apply.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
There are no checks for compliance when cars move from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government which species of tree are currently prohibited from being moved from Great Britain to Northern Ireland for planting in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
All information on high-risk plants, including the latest information on the plants’ dossiers and those where the bans have been lifted, can be found at the ‘Plant Portal’ on gov.uk. The Government continues to proactively engage with industry to understand where further action is needed and prepare and submit dossiers for scientific assessment.
Through the Windsor Framework, we have already lifted the ban on the most urgent eleven priority species, these being European beech, English oak, Sessile oak, Norway Maple, Japanese maple, Sycamore maple, Field Maple, Crab apple, Common apple, Hawthorn and two types of privet (wax leaf and delavey).
The ban on common hazel will be lifted soon, which will be followed by another seven species that industry has prioritised. We will continue to work with industry to identify further species as needed.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the effect of the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill will be to disapply the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill will apply in full in Northern Ireland in the same way it does in the rest of the UK. This is set out on the face of the Bill, reflecting that immigration policy is a UK-wide matter.
The Charter of Fundamental Rights does not form part of domestic law anywhere in the UK, including Northern Ireland.
The published factsheet on this Bill has been updated to reflect the government position on the Bill in Northern Ireland: Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill: factsheet - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what financial commitments they have made towards the redevelopment of Casement Park in Belfast.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Department for Communities in Northern Ireland is responsible for the procurement process for the redevelopment of Casement Park. Funding decisions are therefore for the Northern Ireland Executive to consider.
His Majesty’s Government is working closely with partners in Northern Ireland to make sure that EURO 2028 leaves a lasting legacy across the whole United Kingdom.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications for asylum applications in Northern Ireland of the decision in the application for judicial review by Aman Angesom [2023] NIKB 102 of 18 October 2023.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
This judgment found in favour of the SSHD in respect of our policy to disperse asylum seekers on section 95 support under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, from Northern Ireland to Scotland. Where individuals in asylum accommodation are relocated, their asylum claims will continue to be processed in line with legislation and policies in place, irrespective of place of residence in the UK.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following publication of the Safeguarding the Union Command Paper (CP 1021) on 31 January, whether seed potatoes can now be moved by professional operators in Great Britain to consumers in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Under the Windsor Framework’s Northern Ireland (NI) Plant Health Label scheme, previously banned seed potatoes are once again available to move to NI from other parts of the UK.
Noting the high health status of seed potatoes, they must move between professional operators, which include farmers, growers and gardeners. Once planted in NI, the new crop of seed potatoes can be sold with no restrictions. This reflects long standing arrangements for biosecurity within Great Britain (GB) and NI and the need to protect the high plant health status in NI.
As stated in the Safeguarding the Union Command Paper, we will engage with the farming and horticultural industry to resolve any remaining issues for the movement of plant products, including seed potatoes, between GB and NI.