Asked by: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat - Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce administrative burdens on businesses moving goods from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Government announced at the Autumn Budget a £16.6m package of measures to support businesses to move goods within the UK internal market, including a comprehensive ‘one stop shop’ regulatory support service and additional funding for Intertrade UK.
On 3 December, we announced with the EU that SPS identity checks on retail goods would now be reduced from 10% to 8%, further smoothing flows of trade. Looking ahead, the Government is also negotiating a new sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement with the EU that is set to remove routine checks on animal and plant products moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.
Asked by: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat - Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he plans to revoke the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Government has already begun the process of repealing and replacing the previous Government's Legacy Act. On 4 December 2024, I laid a proposed draft remedial order before Parliament that, if adopted, will remove from the Act a number of provisions that have been found by the NI courts to be incompatible with the UK’s human rights obligations. These include all those relating to the immunity scheme, and the bar on new civil cases.
The Government will introduce primary legislation when Parliamentary time allows. While we want to make progress as swiftly as possible, we remain committed to engaging widely with all interested parties to help determine what provisions should be included in that legislation.