Asked by: Lady Hermon (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps she is taking to initiate a further review of the salaries being paid to Members of the Legislative Assembly.
Answered by Karen Bradley
A second reduction to MLA salaries took effect in January 2019, bringing the total reduction to 27.5%. While the Assembly is not sitting, I recognise that MLAs continue to be active in constituency work. The reduction that has been implemented reflects the work MLAs have been doing in the current period and is in line with the recommendations of former Assembly clerk and chief executive Trevor Reaney. In the event of continued delay in the formation of an Executive I will consider the case for further reductions to MLA pay.
Asked by: Lady Hermon (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what role Ofgem is currently playing in monitoring the renewable heat incentive scheme in Northern Ireland; and if she will make an assessment of the level of Ofgem's presence in Northern Ireland.
Answered by John Penrose
Ofgem is primarily responsible for administering the RHI Scheme on a day-to-day basis on behalf of the Department for the Economy.
Ofgem’s involvement is in accordance with the Energy Act 2011.
Asked by: Lady Hermon (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland of 13 February 2019, Official Report, column 911, how much has been paid in salaries to Members of the Legislative Assembly since the collapse of the Northern Ireland Assembly in January 2017; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Karen Bradley
Since January 2017, £9,689,201 has been paid in salaries to Members of the Legislative Assembly. The total cost including salaries, social security, and other pension costs for the same period is £12,367,952.
These figures have been provided by the Assembly Commission which holds the budget for the payment of salaries to MLAs.
Asked by: Lady Hermon (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Minister for the Cabinet Office of 27 February 2019, Official Report column 367, what preparations the Government is making to mark the 21st anniversary of the signing of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Karen Bradley
The Government does not have any current plans to mark the day with any official commemorations. I shall, however, be using the occasion to remind people of the huge progress that has been made in Northern Ireland over the past 21 years as a result of the Belfast Agreement and its successors, and to stress the need for the earliest possible restoration of devolved government.
Asked by: Lady Hermon (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the effect of the EU Settlement Scheme on cross-border workers that live in Ireland but work in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
Under the draft EU Withdrawal Agreement and equivalent agreements with the EFTA states, EEA and Swiss citizen frontier workers, including those who live in Ireland and work in Northern Ireland, will be able to continue to come to the UK on the same basis as now until the end of the implementation period. After that date, they can continue to come to the UK for work for as long as they continue to be frontier workers.
In the event of no deal and once free movement is ended, although the underlying legal framework will change, EEA and Swiss citizens coming for short visits for work will be able to enter the UK without a visa and stay for up to three months from each entry. This is set out in the Home Office’s policy paper which was published on 28 January and can be found at www.gov.uk/government/publications/eu-immigration-after-free-movement-ends-if-theres-no-deal. Further information about frontier workers after 31 December 2020 will be published in due course.
As part of the reciprocal Common Travel Area (CTA) rights between the UK and Ireland, Irish citizens have the right to move freely between the UK and Ireland, the right to reside, the right to study, the right to access social welfare and housing and the right to vote in certain elections. The CTA rights are maintained in all outcomes of EU Exit.
Asked by: Lady Hermon (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which (a) organisations and (b) other Departments his Department shares personal data with that has been captured during the settled status application process; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The Home Office takes its data protection and data security obligations very seriously. All our data activity must be compliant with data protection legislation.
Within the EU Settlement Scheme, in addition to an identity check, applicants’ personal data is used in three main ways:
• Criminality and security checks;
• If a National Insurance number has been provided, real time checks with the Department for Work and Pensions and HM Revenue and Customs to consider evidence of residency in the UK (for example tax or benefit records); and
• On a case by case basis, sharing information with other organisations to verify evidence you have provided within your application to protect against fraud and the use of counterfeit documents (for example verifying with a university that the university certificate you have provided is genuine).
This data sharing is designed to help applicants evidence their status in a quick and straightforward way by using data already held by other Government departments.
The Home Office may also process the information provided in other ways in order to fulfil its legal and official functions. This could include, for example:
• If we find evidence a significant crime has been committed;
• We discover an immigration offence (like a sham marriage) is being committed;
• If, in the future, you apply for UK citizenship; or
• To allow the Home Office to carry out its safeguarding duties.
This is set out in more detail in the Borders, Immigration and Citizenship System privacy information notice: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/personal-information-use-in-borders-immigration-and-citizenship/borders-immigration-and-citizenship-privacy-information-
Asked by: Lady Hermon (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether (a) EU and (b) Irish citizens that have worked in the UK will continue to have their pensions uprated in line with UK pensioners in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
As the Government set out in its Policy Paper ‘Citizens’ Rights – EU citizens in the UK and UK Nationals in the EU’ we wish to secure continued reciprocal arrangements covering the up-rating of State Pensions even in the event of a no deal exit. UK State Pensions will be uprated, as they are currently, for those recipients living in EU countries including Ireland for 2019/2020.
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 Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information his Department holds on proposals made by Border Force on technological solutions to monitor the movement of people across the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The Home Secretary confirmed that he has received advice on technological solutions for the movement of goods, but Her Majesty’s Government will not be giving further detail at this stage.
The UK Government has been resolute in its commitments to Northern Ireland, and remains committed to avoiding a ‘hard border’.
Asked by: Lady Hermon (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the timetable is for (a) her Department's publication of its response to its consultation on addressing the legacy of Northern Ireland's past and (b) the Government bringing forward legislative proposals on that matter.
Answered by Karen Bradley
The legacy consultation concluded in October and we expect to finish our analysis of the 17,000+ responses shortly. The public gave their time to tell us what they want so it is right that we consider every response fully.
We have met the main political parties in Northern Ireland to set out the emerging themes from our analysis so far and will continue to work with them and partners on the way forward.
I will set out the next steps in this process as soon as I can.