Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he has had recent discussions with the British Medical Association Northern Ireland in the last 12 months.
Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)
The Secretary of State has been corresponding with the BMA and understands their frustration over a pay award for healthcare professionals. The UK Government has no authority to negotiate pay in Northern Ireland. This is a devolved matter for the Northern Ireland Department of Health.
It remains the Government’s top priority to see the Executive restored with the support of all parties and for locally accountable political leaders to take fundamental decisions on public services and deliver better outcomes for the people of Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether parents will be able to opt their children out of the new Relationship and Sexuality Education curriculum in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Yes.
The Relationships and Sexuality Education (Northern Ireland) (Amendment) Regulations 2023 place a duty on the Department of Education to introduce regulations to ensure that a pupil may be withdrawn from education on sexual and reproductive health and rights or elements of that education, at the request of a parent. This follows the approach taken in England and Scotland.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether his Department plans to conduct a public consultation of (a) parents and (b) other stakeholders on Relationships and Sex Education before guidance in this area is implemented in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
In line with my Department’s statutory obligations under section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, and in consultation with the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland, my Department completed an equality screening, the outcome of which did not indicate a need to publicly consult on the policy.
Consultation with parents on Relationships and Sex Education is already common practice in Northern Ireland. The Department of Education requires each school to have in place its own written policy on how it will address the delivery of Relationships and Sex Education. A school’s Relationships and Sex Education policy should be subject to consultation with parents and endorsed by a school’s Board of Governors.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether a parent in Northern Ireland can excuse their child from Relationships and Sex Education,.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Relationships and Sexuality Education (Northern Ireland) (Amendment) Regulations 2023 place a duty on the Department of Education to introduce regulations to ensure that a pupil may be withdrawn from education on sexual and reproductive health and rights or elements of that education, at the request of a parent. This follows the approach taken in England and Scotland.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much his Department has spent on hospitality in each of the last three years.
Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)
The amount spent on hospitality by the Northern Ireland Office is as follows:
2019-20 - £258,327
2020-21 - £33,458
2021-22 - £62,872
The 2022-23 spend is subject to end of year audit and therefore not yet available.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he has had discussions with the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland on policing budgets.
Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)
Policing is a devolved matter in Northern Ireland and the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s (PSNI) main budget is allocated by the Department of Justice from the Northern Ireland Executive block grant. The budget set out in the Secretary of State’s Written Ministerial Statement to Parliament on 27 April gives the Department of Justice a total allocation of £1.2 billion and is now being put on a statutory footing with the introduction of the Northern Ireland Budget (No.2) Bill on 29 June. We have provided the Department of Justice with the third largest budget allocation after Health and Education.
It is now for the Department of Justice to determine the allocation of funding to the PSNI from their budget allocation for 2023-24. It is an operational matter for the Chief Constable to determine how to deploy the funding allocated to the PSNI, in consultation with the Northern Ireland Policing Board, to deliver the best outcomes possible.
Recognising the unique security situation in Northern Ireland, the UK Government makes additional contributions to PSNI through Additional Security Funding. The contribution for the financial year 2023-24 will be £31.2 million.
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is in regular contact with the Chief Constable of Northern Ireland regarding a variety of matters. The UK Government fully supports the excellent work that the PSNI undertakes to keep people in Northern Ireland safe, often in exceptionally challenging circumstances.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he has made an assessment of the potential economic impact of the US President's visit to Northern Ireland in April 2023.
Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)
The visit from the President of the United States to Northern Ireland during the 25th Anniversary of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement further underscored the commitment of the United States to peace and prosperity in Northern Ireland.
Northern Ireland has benefitted from substantial Foreign Direct Investment from the United States, having generated nearly 13,000 jobs and £1.5 billion worth of investment in the last decade. During his visit, the President outlined the potential for this to substantially increase.
The UK Government is working closely with Joe Kennedy III, U.S. Special Envoy to Northern Ireland for Economic Affairs, particularly as we build up to the Northern Ireland Investment Summit on 12 and 13 September. This Summit will further position Northern Ireland as an ideal location for investment, including from the United States.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps he is taking to promote investment into Northern Ireland from India.
Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)
In March 2021, the Northern Ireland Office announced that £8 million of New Deal for Northern Ireland funding would be provided to Invest Northern Ireland, to expand their overseas presence in new locations, and expand their presence in existing locations. This funding has seen new Invest Northern Ireland staff members recruited in countries across the world, including India, and other key investment and export markets.
This in-market presence is a direct result of our New Deal funding and will help Northern Ireland businesses gain increased access to these markets and promote Northern Ireland as a location for inward investment.
The Northern Ireland Investment Summit on 12 and 13 September, led by the Department for Business and Trade in partnership with the Northern Ireland Office and Invest Northern Ireland, will further position Northern Ireland as an ideal location for investment and investors from across the world.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many times he has met with representatives of the Parades Commission since September 2022.
Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)
In line with the Framework Agreement between the Parades Commission for Northern Ireland and the Northern Ireland Office, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has met the Parades Commission once since September 2022.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps he is taking to help bring about a resolution to the healthcare workers pay dispute in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)
The Government is acutely aware of the pressures facing the health service in Northern Ireland. The Secretary of State met with representatives of the Health Unions in Northern Ireland on 5 April to offer clarity on the Government’s pay offer to healthcare workers in England. As this is a devolved matter, the Secretary of State does not have the authority to negotiate on pay.
A fully functioning devolved government is the best way to deliver the necessary reforms to transform healthcare. That is why the Government is doing all it can to restore the Executive as soon as possible.