Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of price increases for home heating oil on consumers in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The matter is devolved to the administration in Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, for what reason Russian Federation cargo has not been sanctioned following the implementation of sanctions on Russian Federation vessels as a result of the invasion of Ukraine.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
My Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister has announced the largest and most severe package of economic sanctions Russia has ever seen. The UK Government has banned all ships that are Russian owned, operated, controlled, chartered, registered or flagged from entering British ports. Ships carrying cargo from Russia are not within the scope of these specific transport sanctions. However, we continue to consider further trade measures to support our policy of ratcheting up economic pressure on Russia. We already prohibit the export of a range of goods critical to Russia's strategic economy and have severely limited Putin's access to finance. Nothing is off the table until Putin reverses his illegal invasion of Ukraine, stops undermining Ukraine's sovereignty and abides by international law.
Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to launch a new round of applications to the Automotive Transformation Fund following the completion of the last round that closed on 24 November 2021.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The Automotive Transformation Fund (ATF) supports late-stage R&D and capital investments across strategically important parts of the electric vehicle supply chain.
On 24 January, we opened Round 18 of the Expression of Interest competition to support capital investments (https://apply-for-innovation-funding.service.gov.uk/competition/1069/overview), along with Round 3 of the competition to support Feasibility Studies (https://apply-for-innovation-funding.service.gov.uk/competition/1094/overview).
Information about open funding competitions and further detail on scope and eligibility can be found on the IFS portal:
https://apply-for-innovation-funding.service.gov.uk/competition/search.
Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of the ongoing negotiations regarding the Northern Ireland protocol on the (a) Government's relations with the US and (b) likelihood of reaching a trade deal with the US.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
We and the US are at one on the paramount need to protect the gains of the peace process and the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement in all its dimensions. The Protocol is not currently doing that which is why significant changes are needed.
Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential effect of the requirement for Tier 5 working visas on the ability of the English language schools in Northern Ireland to continue to attract students from across Europe.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Following the UK’s exit from the European Union and the ending of free movement on 31 December 2020, the UK’s points-based system means all seeking entry to the UK are treated on an equal basis, not based on whether they hold an EU or Non-EU passport..
The government has reformed immigration routes to ensure the English language teaching sector can continue to recruit international students, including those from the EU.
The Temporary Work – Government Authorised Exchange visa provides individuals with the opportunity to complete training, a work experience placement, English language course or conduct research for a period of up to two years.
The visitor route was also reformed to allow individuals to undertake a range of activities in the UK, including academics taking part in formal exchange arrangements and students studying English at an accredited institution in the UK for up to 6 months. Citizens of many countries including all current EU, EEA countries and Switzerland, can visit the UK without a visa. The reform to the visitor route also meant eligible nationals can now use e-gates to enter the UK when arriving for periods of study up to 6 months.
Following the introduction of the new Student route in October 2020, international students can undertake work placements as part of their course. To be able to undertake a work placement, the placement must be an integrated and assessed part of the course and must account for less than 33 percent of the total length of the course (or 50 percent if the student is undertaking a course at a Higher Education Provider with a track record of compliance).
Students undertaking study at an Overseas Higher Education Institution can come to the UK on a Student visa to undertake a short-term study abroad programme as part of their course at degree level or above.
The UK Government is committed to ensuring the UK remains an attractive place to work or study.
Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to support the Ukrainian Government in tackling a recent rise in cyberattacks.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The UK is supporting Ukraine with a range of economic, governance, security and defence related assistance, including through the implementation of their cyber strategy. We enjoy close political cooperation on cyber security and provide programme support as part of this.
Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the proposed changes to rebated gas and oil scheduled for April 2022 on the sustainability of the construction sector in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
At Budget 2020, the Chancellor announced that the Government will remove the entitlement to use rebated diesel and biofuels from most sectors from April 2022. This will more fairly reflect the negative environmental impact of the emissions they produce and help to ensure that the tax system incentivises the development and adoption of greener alternative technologies. As part of the changes, duty will also be extended to biodiesel used for heating.
The Government recognised that these reforms would be a significant change for some businesses and ran a consultation to gather information on the expected impact and make sure it had not overlooked any exceptional reasons why affected sectors should be allowed to continue to use rebated diesel and biofuels beyond April 2022. During the consultation period, the Government engaged directly with a wide variety of organisations from all parts of the UK, including sectors which consume rebated diesel and biofuels, and fuel suppliers.
Following the consultation, the Chancellor granted entitlements to use rebated diesel and biofuels after April 2022 for a limited number of users, including for use in non-commercial heating and power generation. In the case of non-commercial heating, the Government felt there was a risk that removing entitlement would significantly increase the heating bills of households that use diesel, especially those in areas off the gas grid where there is no alternative.
The Government did not believe that the cases made by sectors that will not retain their red diesel entitlement outweighed the need to ensure fairness between the different uses of diesel fuels and the Government’s environmental objectives.
To support the development of alternatives that affected businesses can switch to, the Government is at least doubling the funding provided for energy innovation through the new £1 billion Net Zero Innovation Portfolio. From that portfolio, the Government announced the £40 million Red Diesel Replacement Competition, which will provide grant funding for projects that develop and demonstrate lower carbon, lower cost alternatives to red diesel for the construction, and mining and quarrying sectors.
HMRC have published interim guidance on the implementation of the changes to the tax treatment of rebated fuels, which is available at:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-rebated-fuels-entitlement-from-1-april-2022
Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of proposed fuel duty on (a) biodiesel, (b) bio blends and (c) fuel substitutes used in heating on the attractiveness of transitioning to lower carbon fuels as part of a transition to net zero emissions.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
At Budget 2020, the Chancellor announced that the Government will remove the entitlement to use rebated diesel and biofuels from most sectors from April 2022. This will more fairly reflect the negative environmental impact of the emissions they produce and help to ensure that the tax system incentivises the development and adoption of greener alternative technologies. As part of the changes, duty will also be extended to biodiesel used for heating.
The Government recognised that these reforms would be a significant change for some businesses and ran a consultation to gather information on the expected impact and make sure it had not overlooked any exceptional reasons why affected sectors should be allowed to continue to use rebated diesel and biofuels beyond April 2022. During the consultation period, the Government engaged directly with a wide variety of organisations from all parts of the UK, including sectors which consume rebated diesel and biofuels, and fuel suppliers.
Following the consultation, the Chancellor granted entitlements to use rebated diesel and biofuels after April 2022 for a limited number of users, including for use in non-commercial heating and power generation. In the case of non-commercial heating, the Government felt there was a risk that removing entitlement would significantly increase the heating bills of households that use diesel, especially those in areas off the gas grid where there is no alternative.
The Government did not believe that the cases made by sectors that will not retain their red diesel entitlement outweighed the need to ensure fairness between the different uses of diesel fuels and the Government’s environmental objectives.
To support the development of alternatives that affected businesses can switch to, the Government is at least doubling the funding provided for energy innovation through the new £1 billion Net Zero Innovation Portfolio. From that portfolio, the Government announced the £40 million Red Diesel Replacement Competition, which will provide grant funding for projects that develop and demonstrate lower carbon, lower cost alternatives to red diesel for the construction, and mining and quarrying sectors.
HMRC have published interim guidance on the implementation of the changes to the tax treatment of rebated fuels, which is available at:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-rebated-fuels-entitlement-from-1-april-2022
Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the changes to rebated diesel and biofuels scheduled for April 2022 on (a) consumers and (b) suppliers in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
At Budget 2020, the Chancellor announced that the Government will remove the entitlement to use rebated diesel and biofuels from most sectors from April 2022. This will more fairly reflect the negative environmental impact of the emissions they produce and help to ensure that the tax system incentivises the development and adoption of greener alternative technologies. As part of the changes, duty will also be extended to biodiesel used for heating.
The Government recognised that these reforms would be a significant change for some businesses and ran a consultation to gather information on the expected impact and make sure it had not overlooked any exceptional reasons why affected sectors should be allowed to continue to use rebated diesel and biofuels beyond April 2022. During the consultation period, the Government engaged directly with a wide variety of organisations from all parts of the UK, including sectors which consume rebated diesel and biofuels, and fuel suppliers.
Following the consultation, the Chancellor granted entitlements to use rebated diesel and biofuels after April 2022 for a limited number of users, including for use in non-commercial heating and power generation. In the case of non-commercial heating, the Government felt there was a risk that removing entitlement would significantly increase the heating bills of households that use diesel, especially those in areas off the gas grid where there is no alternative.
The Government did not believe that the cases made by sectors that will not retain their red diesel entitlement outweighed the need to ensure fairness between the different uses of diesel fuels and the Government’s environmental objectives.
To support the development of alternatives that affected businesses can switch to, the Government is at least doubling the funding provided for energy innovation through the new £1 billion Net Zero Innovation Portfolio. From that portfolio, the Government announced the £40 million Red Diesel Replacement Competition, which will provide grant funding for projects that develop and demonstrate lower carbon, lower cost alternatives to red diesel for the construction, and mining and quarrying sectors.
HMRC have published interim guidance on the implementation of the changes to the tax treatment of rebated fuels, which is available at:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-rebated-fuels-entitlement-from-1-april-2022
Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether people travelling from non red list countries and who have connecting flights in English airports with final destinations in Northern Ireland are required to quarantine in England or in their end destination in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Maggie Throup
Travellers from non ‘red list’ countries travelling to Northern Ireland via England must observe the regulations in both England and Northern Ireland.
Those who are fully vaccinated are required to take a day two polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test and self-isolate at the address provided on their passenger locator form. They may leave quarantine if their day two PCR result is negative.
Non-vaccinated arrivals must quarantine for 10 days at the address provided on the passenger locator form and take day two and day eight PCR tests. They have the option to take the day five test to release, if the day two test is negative.