Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the appropriateness of the use of the doctrine of necessity in relation to the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
I have regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues about issues affecting Northern Ireland, including the Northern Ireland Protocol.
The Northern Ireland Protocol Bill is lawful under international law. The legal basis on which we are acting is set out in the published statement of the Government’s legal position.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the Answer of 26 June 2020 to Question 60667 on Renewable energy, what plans his Department has to install solar panels and wind turbines on its buildings in the next five years.
Answered by Robin Walker
My Department is committed to Greening Government commitments promoting initiatives where possible. The NIO’s offices are based on leased sites in London and Belfast; both buildings are listed as part of the national heritage programme which limits the capacity to adopt features such as wind turbines or solar panels. My officials have explored plans for installing renewable energy sources with the landlords who have advised that they currently have no plans to install solar panels or wind turbines.
Both landlords did however confirm that they seek to reduce their impact on the environment where possible. The Belfast office has now committed to providing sustainable water sourcing as part of their support for clean renewable energy.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the Answer of 2 April 2019 to Question 237725 on Alcoholic Drinks: Northern Ireland, whether, in the event of the Department for Communities proposing a change to liquor licensing legislation following the public consultation on the sale and supply of alcoholic drinks at special events, she will bring forward legislative proposals on that matter in the absence of the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Answered by John Penrose
This is a devolved matter. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland will carefully consider the outcome of the consultation.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether in the absence of the Northern Ireland Assembly she plans to bring forward legislative proposals on amending the sale and supply of alcoholic drinks at special events in Northern Ireland.
Answered by John Penrose
As your question implies, liquor licensing is a devolved matter. The Department for Communities, the Northern Ireland Department with responsibility for this issue, recently launched a public consultation on the sale and supply of alcoholic drinks at special events. The consultation runs until 3 May and the Department for Communities will consider the way forward following analysis of responses.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the Answer of 16 October 2018 to Question 178377, what assessment she has made of the effect on the five integrated schools that were given approval to proceed to planning in March 2016 of the delay in announcing a second tranche of Fresh Start Agreement funding.
Answered by Shailesh Vara
The UK Government is committed to providing a contribution of up to £500m over 10 years of new capital funding to support integrated and shared education and housing in Northern Ireland.
Both the Treasury and Northern Ireland Office have been liaising with the Northern Ireland Civil Service in order to secure the necessary assurances to allow a second tranche of shared and integrated education projects to progress at the earliest possible opportunity.
The UK Government has already made an initial announcement in March 2016 of funding to support construction and help advance planning a range of projects to deliver on this commitment. A further bid for funding has been submitted and the UK government is considering this. With regards to this funding to further support the expansion of shared and integrated education, I hope the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland will be able to make an announcement on the outcome of this funding request in due course.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many and which (a) Ministers and (b) officials in her Department have visited the Irish border in the last 12 months; when those visits took place; and how long they spent at the border in each of those visits.
Answered by Shailesh Vara
In the last 12 months, Ministers have visited the border. Details of Ministers' engagements are published quarterly and available on GOV.UK.
The information requested for all officials in the Northern Ireland Office is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, for what reason the funding for the five integrated schools that were given approval to proceed to planning in March 2016 by the Northern Ireland Department for Education and HM Treasury as part of the Fresh Start Agreement has not been published; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Shailesh Vara
In March 2016, the then Secretary of State announced an immediate cash boost of £43m to fund the construction of a range of shared education campuses and integrated school projects. That announcement also included the provision of support to advance in planning 17 additional Shared Education, primary and post primary integrated education projects. It was made clear at the time of this announcement that funding for the construction of these and other projects would be awarded in line with existing processes and following the necessary approvals. A second tranche of Fresh Start Agreement funding that would advance a number of these projects to construction is currently under consideration and I hope the Secretary of State will be in a position to make a further announcement that will provide additional information on our funding commitment in due course.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps she is taking to expand integrated education in Northern Ireland in order to meet parental demand for places in that sector.
Answered by Shailesh Vara
The UK Government has committed through the Fresh Start and Stormont House Agreements to provide a contribution of up to £500m over 10 years of new capital funding to support shared and integrated education subject to individual projects being agreed with the UK Government.
Following the initial announcement in March 2016 of funding to advance in construction and planning a range of projects, the UK government is considering, at the request of the Department of Education, the release of a second tranche of funding to further support the expansion of shared and integrated education. I hope the Secretary of State will make an announcement on the outcome of this funding request in due course.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, when she last met organisations campaigning for the introduction of same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Shailesh Vara
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland met the Love Equality campaign group on 1 February 2018.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the Answer of 23 July 2018 to Question 165163 on Political Parties: Northern Ireland, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of (a) controls and (b) transparency regulations on donations from the (i) the US and (ii) other countries outside of the UK and the Republic of Ireland to political parties in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Shailesh Vara
There is a range of legislation that sets out the rules for donations and loans, credit facilities and securities given to political parties in Northern Ireland.
The Electoral Commission regulates compliance with the permissibility rules and has published detailed quarterly data about donations and loans in Northern Ireland since July 2017.
The Government remains committed to reviewing the operation of the broader framework for donations and loans in Northern Ireland once the current regime has fully bedded in.
Transparency of donations and loans from the US and other countries outside the UK and Ireland will be part of that review.