Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much his Department has spent on social media advertisements in each of the last five financial years; and on which platforms that money was spent.
Answered by Robin Walker
The Northern Ireland Office only started paid-for activity on social media platforms in 2020. Since then a total of £18,626 has been spent on social media advertising on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much his Department spent on print media advertisements in each of the last five financial years; and on which media outlets that was spent.
Answered by Robin Walker
Over the past five financial years, the Northern Ireland Office has not had any expenditure on print media advertisements.
Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what additional funding has been made available for the Derry Addiction Centre as committed to in Annex A of the New Decade New Approach Deal.
Answered by Robin Walker
I recognise the additional pressures on services arising from the pandemic and am delighted that the Northlands Centre in Derry/Londonderry has been able to reopen, following the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions.
The UK Government is committed to providing NDNA funding to the Executive for the Derry/Londonderry Addiction Centre.
We will continue to work with the Executive to disburse funding from the NDNA financial package and we will announce the details for the allocation of this additional funding in due course.
Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps he has taken to promote Northern Ireland as a global cyber security hub as committed to in Annex A, Section 6 of the New Decade New Approach Deal.
Answered by Robin Walker
The UK Government is committed to meeting its New Decade, New Approach pledge to have 5,000 cyber professionals working in Northern Ireland by 2030.
Northern Ireland already benefits from an exceptionally strong cyber talent pool, including through the Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Research at Queen’s University, and as being positioned as the number one international investment location for US cyber security development projects.
The UK cyber sector is worth over £8 billion, and we have invested £1.5 billion in the creation of a UK-wide National Cyber Force. We are continuing to work with key cyber stakeholders in Northern Ireland to identify opportunities to encourage more research and development, and have identified cybersecurity as a sector to support via the Belfast and Derry City and Growth Deals. Moreover, we are looking to accelerate skills programmes and build the talent pipeline going forward so that Northern Ireland can continue to lead the way in cyber security.
Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what progress he has made on (a) establishing a new Trade Advisory Board in Northern Ireland, (b) appointing Northern Ireland Trade Ambassadors and (c) developing a Trade Accelerator Plan as agreed to in Annex A, Section 4 of the New Decade New Approach deal.
Answered by Robin Walker
The UK Government is committed to delivering on its commitments under the New Decade, New Approach deal and more widely promoting Northern Ireland as a great place to live, work, visit and do business.
On 8 March 2021, we announced the allocation of £8m from the New Deal for Northern Ireland funding, to enhance InvestNI plans to expand their presence into new locations, crucially opening up exciting opportunities for NI businesses to access a rapidly changing global market.
However, the commitments relating to the establishment of a new Trade Advisory Board, appointment of NI Trade Ambassadors and developing a Trade Accelerator Plan are important matters for the Executive to deliver.
The UK Government stands ready to support the Executive with these initiatives.
Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what progress has been made on establishing a Culture and Community fund as committed to in Annex A of the New Decade New Approach Deal; and what the eligibility criteria will be to access that fund.
Answered by Robin Walker
Since the New Decade, New Approach (NDNA) deal was reached in January 2020, the UK Government has provided £2 billion in funding to support the implementation of the agreement and has continued to make good progress on delivering these commitments. This includes a £1 billion Barnett-based investment guarantee from the UK Government, which will include significant new funding to turbocharge infrastructure investment. This guarantee will apply in all circumstances, and allow the Executive to plan new investment over a five-year period.
The UK Government and Northern Ireland Executive have recently agreed to the allocation of £40 million of unique circumstances funding as part of our commitment to the New Decade, New Approach Agreement. The UK Government remains committed to providing funding for the establishment of a Culture and Community Fund and we are currently reviewing options with regards to the delivery of the fund and the eligibility criteria.
Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what progress has been made on the establishment of a Northern Ireland hub in London as committed to in Annex A, Section 7 of the New Decade New Approach Deal.
Answered by Robin Walker
The UK Government is committed to delivering on its commitments under the New Decade, New Approach Agreement as well as strengthening the ties across the UK.
We recognise the strong case for a Northern Ireland hub in London and I hope that the Executive might be able to support the proposal, which would strengthen Northern Ireland’s presence and impact in London and more widely. However, this proposal has been delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and remains at the early scoping stage. The next step will be to explore the feasibility of the proposal and the Executive’s appetite for a base in London.
In the meantime, InvestNI has an existing hub in London that supports business development, networking and marketing opportunities for InvestNI clients across the UK. Part of the New Deal for Northern Ireland included £8m funding to InvestNI to expand their presence overseas and help increase exports and attract investment.
We are also committed to continuing to showcase the brilliance of Northern Ireland across the UK and to the world. The Centenary of Northern Ireland this year presents a wonderful opportunity to drive this forward, including through our hosting a NI Business Showcase event in London to boost exports and investment into Northern Ireland.
We will continue to work with partners in Northern Ireland and beyond to champion all that it, and the rest of the United Kingdom has to offer.
Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will commission a review into the accuracy of information given by Government Departments in the aftermath of the 1971 bombing of McGurk's Bar in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Robin Walker
The bombing of McGurk’s bar was a terrible tragedy. The investigation by the Police Ombudsman of Northern Ireland found that erroneous suggestions that republican paramilitaries were responsible were made in the immediate aftermath of the explosion, noting that "Inconsistent police briefings, some of which inferred that victims of the bombing were culpable in the atrocity, caused the bereaved families great distress, which has continued for many years."
The Police Ombudsman acknowledged that the prevailing situation in Northern Ireland at the time presented significant challenges to policing but concluded that the RUC investigation was not proportionate to the magnitude of the incident, which was one of the biggest losses of life during any incident of 'The Troubles' until the bombing of Omagh in 1998.
The Police Ombudsman also noted that "The tragedy for families, survivors and police is that the present process of seeking information, truth and justice is fragmented and inadequate." The Government remains committed to introducing legislation to address these issues and delivers for all those affected by the legacy of Northern Ireland’s past.
Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on the Northern Ireland economy of the recent application of the 25 per cent steel tariff on steel movements from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.
Answered by Robin Walker
The Government wrote to affected businesses to set out routes for bringing UK-origin and EU-origin steel into Northern Ireland tariff-free.
The Government also set out how relevant quotas can be accessed when businesses in Northern Ireland import steel from the rest of the world.
We will continue to engage on this issue with industry, the European Commission, and the Northern Ireland Executive.
Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what engagement (a) he and (b) Cabinet colleagues have had with representatives of the EU on seeking a resolution to the matter of the recent application of the 25 per cent steel tariff on steel movements between Great Britain to Northern Ireland.
Answered by Robin Walker
The Government wrote to affected businesses to set out routes for bringing UK-origin and EU-origin steel into Northern Ireland tariff-free.
The Government also set out how relevant quotas can be accessed when businesses in Northern Ireland import steel from the rest of the world.
We will continue to engage on this issue with industry, the European Commission and the Northern Ireland Executive.