Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the economic benefit to creative industries in Northern Ireland of the tax measures announced in the Spring Budget.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government recognises the cultural and economic value of the UK’s world-leading creative sector. At Spring Budget 2024 the Government went further to support the sector through the creative sector tax reliefs, which companies in Northern Ireland benefit from.
The announcements include a new tax credit for independent UK films with budgets of less than £15 million and a 5 percentage point increase in tax relief UK visual effects costs in film and high-end TV.
The Government also announced that from 1 April 2025, orchestras, museums, galleries and theatres will benefit from tax relief set permanently at 45% (for touring productions and all orchestra productions) and 40% for non-touring productions).
These measures will apply UK-wide.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress has been made on introducing the mandatory fortification of flour with folic acid to help prevent neural tube defects in foetuses.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We remain committed to bringing forward legislation to introduce mandatory fortification of flour with folic acid. On 17 January 2024, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs published the response to the United Kingdom-wide consultation on amending the Bread and Flour Regulations, which is available at the GOV.UK website, in an online only format.
The Government has notified the World Trade Organization and the European Commission in accordance with international obligations, with a view to making the legislative changes later in 2024.
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 what are the current requirements regarding the re-tagging of livestock born in Great Britain and being moved to Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Following work with the livestock sector, an easement negotiated by the Government with the European Commission means that cattle, sheep, or goats that already have UK tags that are moving to Northern Ireland from Great Britain do not now need to be reidentified in Great Britain with either a new pair of ‘GB’ tags or have a third ‘GB’ export tag added. Farmers are now able to move them with their existing 'UK' tags. DAERA website guidance advising keepers that these animals had to be identified with GB tags before they are moved to NI has been removed.
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 whether, prior to the United Kingdom leaving the European Union, seed potatoes could be moved by professional operators to consumers in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We have lifted the ban on the movement of seed potatoes - under the Windsor Framework they can now move from Great Britain to Northern Ireland under the NI Plant Health Label scheme. Currently movements are required to be made between registered professional operators in Great Britain to professional operators in Northern Ireland for commercial growing in Northern Ireland. Once planted in Northern Ireland and grown into potatoes for consumption, or used to produce further seed potatoes, they can be sold into Northern Ireland retailers and garden centres.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the practical effect of the High Court judgment of 28 February that the conditional immunity provisions in the Northern Ireland (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 are contrary to Article 2 of the Windsor Framework and Articles 2 and 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
Answered by Lord Caine - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Following consideration of all aspects of the judgment, including those in relation to Article 2 of the Windsor Framework, the UK Government is applying for an appeal with the Northern Ireland Court of Appeal.
We remain committed to implementing the Legacy Act and delivering the ICRIR to provide better outcomes for victims and survivors of the Troubles by giving them more information about what happened to their loved ones.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the statement in paragraph 46 of the Safeguarding the Union Command Paper 1021 that “the Windsor Framework applies only in respect of the trade in goods” is compatible with the High Court judgment of 28 February that the immunity provisions in the Northern Ireland (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 are contrary to Article 2 of the Windsor Framework.
Answered by Lord Caine - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government stands by its position on Article 2 which was set out in the Safeguarding the Union Command Paper. Article 2 of the Framework does not apply EU law or ECJ jurisdiction, and only applies in respect of rights set out in the relevant chapter of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement and a diminution of those rights which arises as a result of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. We will be challenging the High Court's determination of the Article 2 issues to that end.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made the High Court judgment of 28 February that the conditional immunity provisions in the Northern Ireland (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 are disapplied because of the supremacy of EU law in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Caine - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
We remain committed to implementing the Legacy Act and delivering the ICRIR to provide better outcomes for victims and survivors of the Troubles by giving them more information about what happened to their loved ones.
Following consideration of all aspects of the judgment, including those in relation to Article 2 of the Windsor Framework, the Government is applying for an appeal with the Northern Ireland Court of Appeal.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to publish each individual EU law and regulation which is outside the scope of the Stormont Brake in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The scope of the Stormont Brake is provided for in domestic law under the Windsor Framework (Democratic Scrutiny) Regulations 2024. The restoration of the devolved institutions in Northern Ireland allowed those regulations to come into force and facilitated new democratic safeguards that would be unavailable to the people of Northern Ireland if the failure of those institutions to function continued. The Government has published clear operational arrangements that underpin the democratic mechanisms contained within the Windsor Framework.
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.