Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent discussions he has had with the leadership of the Alliance Party on the (a) adequacy and (b) effectiveness of the work of the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
As part of its commitment to repeal and replace the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy & Reconciliation) Act 2023, the Government has committed to introducing primary legislation when parliamentary time allows, including to fundamentally reform and strengthen the independent Commission established by the Act to ensure it is fully human rights compliant and can command public confidence.
As part of this process, the Government continues to engage with all interested parties in a spirit of openness regarding an appropriate way forward, including the Northern Ireland parties. I regularly meet the leader of the Alliance Party to discuss a range of issues, including legacy, and will continue to do so.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent discussions he has had with the leadership of the Social and Democratic Labour Party on the (a) adequacy and (b) effectiveness of the work of the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
As part of its commitment to repeal and replace the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy & Reconciliation) Act 2023, the Government has committed to introducing primary legislation when parliamentary time allows, including to fundamentally reform and strengthen the independent Commission established by the Act to ensure it is fully human rights compliant and can command public confidence.
As part of this process, the Government continues to engage with all interested parties in a spirit of openness regarding an appropriate way forward, including the Northern Ireland parties. I regularly meet the leader of the SDLP to discuss a range of issues, including legacy, and will continue to do so.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent discussions he has had with the leadership of the Ulster Unionist Party on the (a) adequacy and (b) effectiveness of the work of the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
As part of its commitment to repeal and replace the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy & Reconciliation) Act 2023, the Government has committed to introducing primary legislation when parliamentary time allows, including to fundamentally reform and strengthen the independent Commission established by the Act to ensure it is fully human rights compliant and can command public confidence.
As part of this process, the Government continues to engage with all interested parties in a spirit of openness regarding an appropriate way forward, including the Northern Ireland parties. I regularly meet the leader of the UUP to discuss a range of issues, including legacy, and will continue to do so.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent discussions he has had with the leadership of Sinn Fein on the (a) adequacy and (b) effectiveness of the work of the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
As part of its commitment to repeal and replace the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy & Reconciliation) Act 2023, the Government has committed to introducing primary legislation when parliamentary time allows, including to fundamentally reform and strengthen the independent Commission established by the Act to ensure it is fully human rights compliant and can command public confidence.
As part of this process, the Government continues to engage with all interested parties in a spirit of openness regarding an appropriate way forward, including the Northern Ireland parties. I have recently met the leadership of Sinn Fein to discuss a range of issues, including legacy, and will continue to do sox.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent discussions he has had with the leadership of the Democratic Unionist Party on the (a) adequacy and (b) effectiveness of the work of the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
As part of its commitment to repeal and replace the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy & Reconciliation) Act 2023, the Government has committed to introducing primary legislation when parliamentary time allows, including to fundamentally reform and strengthen the independent Commission established by the Act to ensure it is fully human rights compliant and can command public confidence.
As part of this process, the Government continues to engage with all interested parties in a spirit of openness regarding an appropriate way forward, including the Northern Ireland parties. I regularly meet the leader of the DUP to discuss a range of issues, including legacy, and will continue to do so.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions he has had with the Chemical Industries Association about the (a) access to and (b) regulation of safe and approved chemicals in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Department for Work and Pensions is the policy lead with regard to chemical regulation across the UK, as sponsor of the Health and Safety Executive.
In that role, the Department for Work and Pensions continuously assesses the adequacy of chemical regulation across the whole of the UK.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of chemical regulation in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Department for Work and Pensions is the policy lead with regard to chemical regulation across the UK, as sponsor of the Health and Safety Executive.
In that role, the Department for Work and Pensions continuously assesses the adequacy of chemical regulation across the whole of the UK.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he has had recent discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive on the adequacy of road safety measures in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Government regularly engages with the Northern Ireland Executive on the importance of infrastructure investment in Northern Ireland, including the road and transport network. Responsibility for road safety measures is devolved to Northern Ireland’s Department for Infrastructure and I welcome the Minister for Infrastructure’s recent announcement that the upgrade of the A5, a vital artery of Northern Ireland’s road network where many lives have been lost over the years, will commence this year.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he has had recent discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive on the number of people on hospital waiting lists in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Fleur Anderson
Improving health outcomes across the UK is a priority mission for this Government. Although health is devolved in Northern Ireland, the Government wants to work with the Northern Ireland Executive to transform its public services and improve outcomes for people in Northern Ireland.
The Government regularly engages with Executive Ministers, including the Northern Ireland Health Minister, to discuss plans to improve public services. I have engaged extensively with stakeholders across the Northern Ireland health service to discuss how the Government can work with the Executive to tackle its shared health challenges, including waiting lists.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he has had recent discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive on the health service in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Fleur Anderson
Improving health outcomes across the UK is a priority mission for this Government. Although health is devolved in Northern Ireland, the Government wants to work with the Northern Ireland Executive to transform its public services and improve outcomes for people in Northern Ireland.
Government Ministers regularly engage with Executive Ministers, including the Northern Ireland Health Minister, to discuss plans to improve public services in Northern Ireland.