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, what recent discussions she has had with her US counterpart on the Northern Ireland Protocol; and what effect concerns raised by the US administration on the Northern Ireland Protocol and Article 16 have on the Government's negotiating position in respect of EU proposals which would lead to an 80 per cent reduction in checks on food products arriving in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Ranil Jayawardena
As stated on 2nd December by my Rt Hon. Friend, the Member for Portsmouth North, discussions with the European Union on the Northern Ireland Protocol and discussions with the United States on a prospective Free Trade Agreement are two entirely separate issues. We do not see any connection between them and will not perpetuate such false narratives.
The Secretary of State for International Trade remains in regular contact with her counterpart, United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai, on our bilateral relationship. During their meeting on 20th September, they discussed a range of topics including the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland, and they met again on 7th December.
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, what recent assessment she has made of the impact of negotiations on the Northern Ireland Protocol on the prospects of a trade deal with the US.
Answered by Ranil Jayawardena
As stated on 2nd December by my Rt Hon. Friend, the Member for Portsmouth North, discussions with the European Union on the Northern Ireland Protocol and discussions with the United States on a prospective Free Trade Agreement are two entirely separate issues. We do not see any connection between them and will not perpetuate such false narratives.
The Secretary of State for International Trade remains in regular contact with her counterpart, United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai, on our bilateral relationship. During their meeting on 20th September, they discussed a range of topics including the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland, and they met again on 7th December.
Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what progress the Government has made on negotiations with the EU on the Northern Ireland Protocol; and what effect concerns raised by the US administration have on the Government's negotiating position with regards to the EU's proposals to reduce custom checks and supply chain issues in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Michael Ellis
Lord Frost last spoke to European Commission Vice President Maroš Šefčovič on Friday 10 December. They covered the full range of outstanding issues and Lord Frost welcomed the Commission's professed readiness to make progress on them.
Nevertheless, whilst there has been some potential convergence on medicines, no agreement has been reached. The gap between our positions is still significant and progress on important issues remains limited.
We and the US have made clear the paramount need to protect the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement in all its dimensions. The UK has been consistently clear that significant changes are needed to the Protocol in order to protect the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement and Northern Ireland’s place in the UK internal market. Negotiations with the EU commission are focused solely on resolving these issues.
Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what effect the continuation of the imposition of the 25 per cent tariff on US imported whiskies has had on the Government's negotiating position on proposals by the EU to resolve issues in respect of the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Answered by Nigel Adams
We and the US have made clear the paramount need to protect the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement in all its dimensions. The UK has been consistently clear that significant changes are needed to the Protocol in order to protect the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement and Northern Ireland’s place in the UK internal market. The tariff on imported US whisky is a completely separate issue.
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 discussions he has had with his counterpart in the US State Department on the Government’s proposed legacy plans for Northern Ireland.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The Foreign Secretary and US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken speak regularly on a broad range of issues, including Northern Ireland. Our Embassy in Washington regularly engages with the US Administration and Congress on Northern Ireland. The Government wants to work with all our partners in the United States, the European Union and Ireland to ensure that Northern Ireland can continue to prosper.
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 discussions the Government has had with political representatives in the United States on the Government’s proposed legacy plans for Northern Ireland; and what assessment he has made of the implications for any legislative proposals of the views of members of the US Congress on on the Government's legacy proposals.
Answered by Conor Burns
The UK Government welcomes the deep and ongoing interest of US representatives in Northern Ireland issues.
Since the publication of the Command Paper in July, we have listened carefully to many different views on the Government’s legacy proposals, including from US political representatives.
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has undertaken significant engagement with US stakeholders that form part of our wider engagement, which will inform our next steps.
Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Prime Minister, what discussions he has had with President Biden on the Government’s proposed legacy plans for Northern Ireland; and what assessment he has made of the implications for any legislative proposals of the views of members of the US Congress on those plans.
Answered by Boris Johnson
President Biden and I speak regularly on a broad range of issues, including Northern Ireland which was raised in our last in-person meeting on 21 September. I reiterated the Government’s unshakable commitment to the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement and we agreed on the importance of protecting peace in Northern Ireland. Our Embassy in Washington regularly engages with the US Administration and Congress on Northern Ireland. The Government wants to work with all our partners in the United States, the European Union and Ireland to ensure that Northern Ireland can continue to prosper.
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, if his Department will work with the I Am Billy Campaign to (a) gather evidence and (b) provide additional financial support to families who are in need of medical cannabis; and if he will encourage the (a) National Institute for Health Research and (b) Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency to meet with that campaign.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are scheduled to meet with the I am Billy Foundation to discuss the goals of the foundation and its proposals on research.
There remains a need for high quality evidence on the safety, quality and efficacy of unlicensed cannabis-based products for medicinal use. The Department has committed to considering what further action could be taken regarding access to unlicensed cannabis-based products for medicinal use, where clinically appropriate.
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, what progress he is making on providing Global Health Insurance Cards to residents in Northern Ireland without the Union Flag on them.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) provides necessary healthcare cover to United Kingdom residents when travelling in the European Union. It is important that the card can be easily identified as a UK document and can be recognised by healthcare providers internationally. The Union Flag is the official flag of the UK and therefore the appropriate branding for such documents.
The Government recognises the particular sensitivities around flags in Northern Ireland. As such, residents in Northern Ireland will be provided with an option to choose an alternative version of the GHIC which does not feature a Union Flag background. For security reasons all versions of GHIC have the same anti-fraud hologram which does feature the Union Flag. Residents of Northern Ireland can apply for the alternative GHIC design from 30 June 2021 at the following link:
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 advertising in each month since January 2020; and on which platforms that money was money spent.
Answered by Robin Walker
Between January 2020 and June 2021, the Northern Ireland Office spent a total of £18,626 on social media advertising on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. A monthly breakdown is detailed below.
2020 | Expenditure |
January | n/a |
February | n/a |
March | n/a |
April | n/a |
May | n/a |
June | £5,500 |
July | n/a |
August | n/a |
September | n/a |
October | n/a |
November | £787 |
December | £6,106 |
Total | £12,393 |
2021 | Expenditure |
January | n/a |
February | n/a |
March | n/a |
April | £340 |
May | £4,090 |
June | £1,803 |
Total | £6,233 |