Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an estimate of the number of people living in Foyle constituency that have left Sudan due to conflict; and what steps he is taking to provide (a) safe migration routes and (b) asylum to people from Sudan.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Asylum seekers, refugees and other migrants are free to move within the UK, and not all people seeking protection here are escaping conflict and it is not possible to make an accurate estimate.
The UK has a proud history of supporting refugees and providing protection to those in need. Since 2015, we have offered a place to over half a million individuals seeking safety in the UK.
The UK continues to welcome refugees through our existing resettlement schemes which include the global UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), Community Sponsorship and the Mandate Resettlement Scheme. While our safe and legal routes are some of the most generous anywhere, we cannot accommodate everyone who wants to come to the UK.
The UK has no plans to establish a designated resettlement scheme for Sudanese refugees. We will however continue to provide safe and legal routes to the UK for those that require it.
There is no provision within our Immigration Rules for someone to be allowed to travel to the UK to seek asylum or temporary refuge. Those who need international protection should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach which is the fastest route to safety.
Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plan to take steps to ensure the safety and well-being of refugees undertaking (a) channel crossings and (b) land journeys; and what steps she is taking to help refugees arriving in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The UK has a proud history of providing sanctuary through our resettlement schemes, with around half a million having used our global and country-specific routes since 2015.
Our safe and legal routes for recognised refugees mean that they are resettled directly from conflict zones as opposed to safe countries like France, avoiding the need to take dangerous journeys. The level of support they are provided with depends on the resettlement route they arrive on, rather than the location into which they are resettled.
Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much revenue has been generated by the soft drinks industry levy in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years; and whether this funding has been used to help tackle (a) poor oral health, (b) obesity, (c) diabetes and (d) other issues.
Answered by Gareth Davies - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government remains committed to helping people live healthier lives. Having a fit and healthy population is essential for a thriving economy and addressing obesity remains a priority for the Government.
The Government does not breakdown the revenue raised from the Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL) specifically for Northern Ireland.
Headline statistics including total SDIL receipts are published online and can be accessed via this link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/soft-drinks-industry-levy-statistics
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 is taking to ensure the continuation of Easilink bus services in rural areas in Northern Ireland in the next financial year.
Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)
Transport is a devolved matter in Northern Ireland. The Department for Infrastructure has the responsibility for matters relating to the provision of rural community transport services in Northern Ireland.
In the absence of functioning devolved institutions, Northern Ireland Office officials are working with their counterparts in the Northern Ireland Executive Department of Finance on the budget allocations for the next financial year. Based on the Northern Ireland budget position for the 2022-23 financial year, the expectation is that there will be impacts on people in Northern Ireland as a result of the difficult decisions needed in order for Northern Ireland Executive departments to live within their budgets.
It remains the UK Government’s firm view that the right people to make these decisions are locally elected politicians in a fully functioning Northern Ireland Executive and Northern Ireland Assembly. In the absence of these, it will be for the relevant Northern Ireland Executive department, in this case, the Department for Infrastructure, to manage its funding including provision for rural community transport.
Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will introduce proposals to ensure statutory geographical indication protections for UK exporters of Irish Whiskey to help ensure alignment with the protections provided by the EU.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Irish Whiskey is registered in both the UK and EU as a cross-border geographical indication. In line with our ambitious trade agenda, the UK government aims to expand on the current intellectual protections for Irish Whiskey in third countries, both through seeking amendments to their legislation and via geographical indication protection in trade agreements.
Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the Flood Re scheme for ensuring that residents in areas of flooding risk have access to insurance.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Prior to Flood Re, research found that 9% of policy holders with a prior flood claim could obtain flood insurance quotes from two or more insurers and 0% could get quotes from five or more. Following the Scheme’s launch, around 96% of households with prior flood claims can now receive quotes from five or more insurers, with most customers getting more than ten quotes. Flood Re is available via more than 85 insurance brands representing 94% of the home insurance market. More than 450,000 properties have benefitted since the scheme’s launch.
The Flood Re scheme is reviewed every five years to ensure that it is efficient and effective. The first Quinquennial Review (QQR) was published by Flood Re in July 2019 and made recommendations to the Government. The next QQR is due in 2024.
Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether his Department is planning to provide support to home owners in Foyle who have experienced persistent flooding and who have been unable to get appropriate home insurance.
Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)
The UK Government supports households in Northern Ireland through a joint initiative with insurers, the Flood Re Scheme, which ensures that domestic property insurance continues to be affordable in areas of flood risk.
The Northern Ireland Department for Infrastructure and the Department for Communities provide financial support in the event of persistent flooding in Northern Ireland. This includes the Flooding Scheme, which provides emergency financial assistance to people affected by severe flooding.
I continue to urge parties in Northern Ireland to restore the Northern Ireland Executive and ensure a fully functioning Northern Ireland Assembly so that matters like flooding can be addressed by those elected to do so.
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, with reference to the Press Release entitled Government action to supercharge competitiveness in key British industries and grow economy, published on 23 February 2023, what discussions her Department has had with its counterparts in Northern Ireland on the (a) design of and (b) inclusion of Northern Ireland businesses in that scheme.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
These measures relate to the GB electricity market. Northern Ireland is part of the separate, Single Irish Electricity Market and will therefore not benefit directly from this package. Officials continue to work closely with their counterparts in Northern Ireland.
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, with reference to the Press Release entitled Government action to supercharge competitiveness in key British industries and grow economy, published on 23 February 2023, what steps she is taking to help ensure equal support for businesses in Northern Ireland in the context of that announcement.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
These measures relate to the GB electricity market. Northern Ireland is part of the separate, Single Irish Electricity Market and will therefore not benefit directly from this package. Officials continue to work closely with their counterparts in Northern Ireland.
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, with reference to the Press Release entitled Government action to supercharge competitiveness in key British industries and grow economy, published on 23 February 2023, whether she has made an assessment of the potential effect of those measures on the Barnett consequentials for Northern Ireland.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
These measures relate to the GB electricity market. Northern Ireland is part of the separate, Single Irish Electricity Market and will therefore not benefit directly from this package. Officials continue to work closely with their counterparts in Northern Ireland.