Asked by: Lady Hermon (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Energy and Clean Growth of 23 April 2019, Official Report, column 690, what are the market mechanisms put in place to deliver CO2 reductions in Northern Ireland since the closure of the Renewable Heat Incentive scheme; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Claire Perry
Energy policy, including heat, is devolved for Northern Ireland. Section 113 of the Energy Act 2011 contains provisions enabling the Northern Ireland Executive to make regulations to introduce and operate a RHI scheme in Northern Ireland. The GB RHI scheme is completely separate to the NI RHI scheme, with different scheme rules. Between 1990 and 2016, Northern Ireland reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 16%[1].
The Government has been working with Northern Ireland’s Executive in areas such as the future of carbon pricing after we leave the European Union.
The UK Government and the Devolved Administrations (the Scottish Government; the Welsh Government; and the Northern Ireland Executive) have jointly published a consultation document on the UK’s future approach to carbon pricing. The consultation plays a vital role in helping the government fulfil its commitment to carbon pricing as an effective emissions reduction tool, as outlined in the Clean Growth Strategy
This is a joint consultation and the Devolved Administrations are co-authors and Government officials have worked with devolved administration’s counterparts throughout the process. At ministerial level I have regular quadrilaterals and Northern Ireland is represented by senior civil servants.
[1] Source: http://naei.beis.gov.uk/reports/reports?report_id=958
Asked by: Lady Hermon (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether it remains his Department's policy not to dispose of nuclear waste in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
Policy on the management of radioactive waste is devolved. I understand that there are no plans for nuclear or radioactive waste disposal facilities in Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Lady Hermon (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will publish the papers his Department submitted to the US International Trade Commission in support of Bombardier in Belfast in relation to that company's dispute with Boeing in the US; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Andrew Griffiths
The Government has submitted over 7,000 pages of argument and evidence to the US International Trade Administration and International Trade Commission. These are publically available [subject to some redactions of confidential information] at: https://access.trade.gov and https://edis.usitc.gov respectively. We continue to work closely with Canada and Bombardier, and our submissions complement theirs.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to her by my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for Energy and Clean Growth on 16 January 2017 to Question 122103.
Asked by: Lady Hermon (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans she has to visit Bombardier in Belfast to discuss its ongoing dispute with Boeing; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Claire Perry
My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy visited Bombardier Aerostructures and Engineering Services (Shorts) in Belfast to discuss the Boeing dispute in July; he also visited Bombardier in Montreal in October and met with its Board. Minister Richard Harrington visited Bombardier in Belfast in August. Both the Secretary of State and the Minister are in regular dialogue with Bombardier’s top management in both Belfast and Montreal. In addition, senior BEIS officials continue to visit Belfast frequently for discussions with the company, most recently on the 11th January.
The next stage in the dispute proceedings is at the end of January when the International Trade Commission will consider the Department of Commerce’s findings and whether there has been an injury to the US aerospace industry. The Secretary of State will make a statement to the House after the final ruling and will keep under review the need for further direct ministerial visits to the Belfast site.
Safeguarding jobs at Bombardier Aerospace (Shorts) in Belfast remains a top priority for the Government and we will continue to do all we can to see the case resolved positively, working closely with Bombardier and the Canadian Government.
Asked by: Lady Hermon (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to advance the Belfast City Deal as announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his Autumn Budget 2017 statement on the 22 November 2017; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Margot James
My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer set out at the Budget that the Government will open negotiations for a City Deal for Belfast, as part our wider commitment to work towards a comprehensive and ambitious set of City Deals across Northern Ireland to boost investment and productivity.
This Government believes that local people know what is best for their areas. As such City Deals are locally led. Belfast City Region are currently developing proposals for an ambitious City Deal that drives growth and productivity in the region, which they will share with Government in 2018. I look forward to seeing them.
In the meantime, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland remains in close touch with the region. Additionally, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government visited Belfast on 7 December to meet leaders from local councils, universities and business to hear how a City Deal that brings together the private and public sectors can help to unlock the huge economic potential of the Belfast City Region.
Asked by: Lady Hermon (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what criteria his Department used to determine the preferred bidder in the sale of the Green Investment Bank; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Nick Hurd
In its “Green Investment Bank: sale of shares” report laid before Parliament on 3 March 2016, the Government set out its objectives for the sale and the process by which the sale would be conducted. Bids have been evaluated at each stage of the process against the Government’s sale objectives.
Asked by: Lady Hermon (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking fully to utilise the electricity interconnection between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK before the UK leaves the EU; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jesse Norman
We are pleased that the Moyle interconnector is back up to full strength after a period of reduced capacity. This will help with security of supply, and the stability and flexibility of the grid in Northern Ireland.
One of the issues for the Moyle interconnector is that imports into Scotland are constrained by wider constraints on the Scottish grid and on the border between Scotland and England. A number of measures are being taken to strengthen the Scottish grid and grid connections to England. These include the Western HVDC link, which is due for completion in mid-2017 and will provide an additional 2.2GW of capacity.
Asked by: Lady Hermon (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the merits of increasing the capacity of the Moyle electricity interconnector between Northern Ireland and Scotland to improve electricity interconnection within the UK; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government supports the development of new interconnection where it delivers benefits to the consumer, and our approach is designed to deliver those benefits in the most efficient way. We have a developer-led approach to interconnection where the market identifies the best projects and applies to Ofgem to assess their merits. In the 2016 Budget the Government said that it supports the increase of interconnection capacity to at least 9GW; if a developer was to propose additional capacity between Northern Ireland and the GB market, Ofgem would assess it on its merits.
Asked by: Lady Hermon (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2016 to Question 25652, whether EU nationals are able to apply for apprenticeships in England.
Answered by Nick Boles
An EU national can be employed in an apprenticeship in England, and will be eligible for funding for their apprenticeship provided they meet set eligibility criteria.
These criteria are set out in the Skills Funding Agency: common funding rules for the 2016 to 2017 funding year.
Asked by: Lady Hermon (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2016 to Question 25652, whether people resident in Northern Ireland are able to apply for apprenticeships in England.
Answered by Nick Boles
The Skills Funding Agency (SFA) funds apprenticeships training in England. The devolved administrations of Northern Ireland (NI), Wales, and Scotland have their own funding arrangements for apprenticeships. Employers and training providers must not actively recruit learners who live or work outside of England.
Residents in NI can apply for English Apprenticeships provided they want to live in, or travel to, England to work and study. The SFA will only apply funding under these circumstances.
The SFA will not fund individuals whose main employment or normal place of work is not in England.
Skills is a devolved matter to NI and are funded by the Department for Employment and Learning (DEL) in NI.