Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to increase the levels of private research and development investment in Northern Ireland.
Answered by George Freeman
We are committed to building on record public investment in research and development to increase private investment across the country, including in Northern Ireland. For example, since we published the Innovation Strategy, Innovate UK has introduced an online Innovation Hub and expanded its EDGE support scheme to help innovative businesses across the UK grow.
Northern Ireland received £47.5 million UKRI funding in 2020-21. We also support the Digital Catapult in Belfast to help innovative businesses grow, and Knowledge Transfer Partnerships funded by Innovate UK and Invest NI are helping local universities and businesses to upskill and enhance their investment potential.
Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to (a) identify and (b) promote investment opportunities in UK strategic priority areas for (i) research and (ii) development.
Answered by George Freeman
The Science and Technology Framework sets out a vision for our research and development (R&D) investment to match the scale of our ambition, and to catalyse the private sector to do the same.
We are working closely with the Department for Business and Trade to identify and promote UK innovation strengths and investment opportunities globally, including through the GREAT campaign. The interactive digital tool we will publish in the autumn, mapping the UK’s innovation clusters, will be a crucial next step in helping us showcase UK strengths to attract private investment.
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 make an estimate of the potential costs for implementing the (a) Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill and (b) Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery.
Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)
£250 million has been allocated to the implementation of the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill and the non-legislative memorialisation measures announced alongside it. This includes costs for the establishment of the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery, and its work. These funds were set aside for legacy mechanisms under the Stormont House Agreement and the New Decade, New Approach agreement. Work to design and implement the body, including how funds will be deployed, continues.
Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to improve the energy efficiency of homes in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Energy Efficiency of homes in Northern Ireland is a devolved matter and the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Executive Committee.
Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, for what reason Northern Ireland is not covered on her Department's webpage under the stated responsibility to advise, support and promote British businesses to grow and export.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department for Business and Trade’s export support services are available free of charge to businesses across all parts of the UK, including Northern Ireland. Full details about these services are available at www.great.gov.uk. My officials in the DBT Northern Ireland team are also working closely with businesses and stakeholders to promote these services across all parts of Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has had recent discussions with his counterpart in Northern Ireland on trends in the level of deaths from pregabalin consumption in the north west of Northern Ireland; and whether he plans to take steps to amend sentencing guidelines in the context of these trends.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The maximum penalty specified in the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 for supply of a class A controlled drug is life imprisonment, and for class B or C it is 14 years imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine. The government reclassified pregabalin as a Class C controlled drug in 2019 following an assessment of its harms by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs.
Sentencing guidelines are developed by the Sentencing Council for England and Wales (‘the Council’). The Council is an independent body which decides on its own priorities and work plan. Guidelines produced by the Council are not applicable to courts in Northern Ireland, as sentencing is a devolved matter.
The Council recently reviewed and revised its drug offences sentencing guidelines, which came into force on 1 April 2021. They set out that exposure of a drug user to the risk of serious harm over and above that expected by the user is an existing aggravating factor for the offence of supplying a controlled drug. An aggravating factor makes an offence more serious and is considered by the court when sentencing.
Justice Ministers have not discussed pregabalin-related deaths with the Northern Ireland Department for Justice.
Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department plan to take steps to strengthen sentencing guidance on dealing and supplying drugs which lead to the death of those who consume them.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The maximum penalty specified in the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 for supply of a class A controlled drug is life imprisonment, and for class B or C it is 14 years imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine. The government reclassified pregabalin as a Class C controlled drug in 2019 following an assessment of its harms by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs.
Sentencing guidelines are developed by the Sentencing Council for England and Wales (‘the Council’). The Council is an independent body which decides on its own priorities and work plan. Guidelines produced by the Council are not applicable to courts in Northern Ireland, as sentencing is a devolved matter.
The Council recently reviewed and revised its drug offences sentencing guidelines, which came into force on 1 April 2021. They set out that exposure of a drug user to the risk of serious harm over and above that expected by the user is an existing aggravating factor for the offence of supplying a controlled drug. An aggravating factor makes an offence more serious and is considered by the court when sentencing.
Justice Ministers have not discussed pregabalin-related deaths with the Northern Ireland Department for Justice.
Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department has taken to increase opportunities for economic growth in (a) Foyle constituency and (b) Northern Ireland in the last three years.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
At Spending Review 2021, the government announced a £1.6 billion commitment to the nations and regions including £70m to provide a new Investment Fund for Northern Ireland, delivered by the British Business Bank. Other British Business Bank programmes are demand-led, without any geographical allocation.
Government supports early-stage entrepreneurs from all areas of the UK through the Start Up Loans Company. As of August 2023, 87 loans were issued to SMEs in Foyle, with a total value of £609,680.
Department for Business and Trade officials based in Northern Ireland also support local businesses to export and expand internationally.
Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department plans to take to implement public sector pay rises in Northern Ireland.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Government is accepting the headline pay recommendations of the independent Pay Review Bodies in full for 2023/24. This will be funded from within existing department budgets through a combination of greater efficiency and reprioritisation.
Equivalent decisions in Northern Ireland are devolved.
Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what data his Department holds on the revenue raised by the Soft Drinks Industry Levy for Northern Ireland for financial year (a) 2020-21, (b) 2021-22 and (c) 2022-23; and if will provide details of how much of levy raised will be distributed to Northern Ireland using the Barnett formula.
Answered by Gareth Davies - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government does not breakdown the revenue raised from the Soft Drinks Industry Levy specifically for Northern Ireland.
Since January 2020, HMRC no longer publish disaggregated tax receipts. However, HMG continues to input into the Office for National Statistics’ Country and Regional Analysis publication which presents statistical estimates for the allocation of identifiable expenditure between the regions and nations of the UK and includes estimates for Northern Ireland. The latest report can be accessed via this link:
The devolved administrations are well funded through the operation of the Barnett formula, receiving around 20% more than equivalent UK Government spending in other parts of the UK.
The Block Grant Transparency publication sets out a full breakdown of the funding provided to the devolved administrations and is due to be updated shortly.