Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment he has made of the security situation in Northern Ireland following the recent burning of a bus in Belfast.
Answered by Conor Burns
We are aware of the incident involving the burning of a bus in Newtownards, County Down. The security situation in Northern Ireland is kept under regular review and we are in close contact with security partners and the devolved administration.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent discussions he has had with the Irish Government on the arrangements of events to mark the centenary year of the creation of Northern Ireland.
Answered by Conor Burns
As part of the New Decade, New Approach deal, the UK Government committed to mark the Centenary of Northern Ireland in 2021 in a spirit of mutual respect, inclusiveness and reconciliation, in line with the Principles for Remembering. The Centenary programme presents a unique opportunity to celebrate Northern Ireland’s contribution to the UK and highlight its people, places and products.
The Government’s approach has been to provide an opportunity to reflect on the past while building for the future, facilitating national recognition and international awareness of this significant anniversary, which represents not just the Centenary of Northern Ireland, but also of the United Kingdom as we know it today.
The Centenary Programme was devised to mark historical anniversaries, reflect on the historical aspects of the Centenary through an expert Historical Advisory Panel, and, through consultation with a cross community Centenary Forum, along with a number of other UK and international stakeholders, deliver a forward looking programme of events and support Northern Ireland on its path towards economic recovery following the Covid pandemic.
Representatives from the Irish Government’s Department for Foreign Affairs have been involved throughout, and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has had regular discussions with the Irish Government on a range of matters, including on marking the Centenary as an important milestone within the Decade of Centenaries.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, when he last discussed air quality with the First Minister and Deputy First Minister of the Northern Ireland Executive.
Answered by Robin Walker
Air quality in Northern Ireland is a matter for the Northern Ireland Executive.
The UK Government is committed to delivering action on climate change at a global scale through its leadership at COP26. The UK Government has committed to reduce emissions by 78% by 2035 compared to 1990 levels, ahead of achieving Net Zero by 2050. This will deliver cleaner air, as well as jobs, prosperity, and a brighter future.
We will deliver this action across the whole United Kingdom, and Northern Ireland has an important role to play in that. Northern Ireland has great potential to become a leader in hydrogen technology, and the UK Government has supported this including providing £11.2m to Wrightbus to develop and manufacture low-cost hydrogen fuel cell technology for buses and create a hydrogen centre of excellence. In addition, through the New Decade, New Approach agreement the UK Government has provided £50m over two years to support the rollout of ultra-low emission public transport.
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland regularly meets with stakeholders across Northern Ireland, including the First Minister and deputy First Minister, and discusses climate change in Northern Ireland. In addition, the COP26 President chairs the COP26 Devolved Administrations Ministerial Group which meets quarterly.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Northern Ireland Executive in tackling climate change.
Answered by Robin Walker
The UK Government is committed to delivering action on climate change at a global scale through its leadership at COP26. The UK Government has committed to reduce emissions by 78% by 2035 compared to 1990 levels, ahead of achieving Net Zero by 2050. This will deliver cleaner air, as well as jobs, prosperity, and a brighter future.
The UK Government works alongside the Northern Ireland Executive in tackling climate change, as working together both domestically and internationally is how we can collectively achieve our goals. We will continue to work together, including with the COP26 Devolved Administrations Ministerial Group, Chaired by the COP26 President, which meets quarterly.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Northern Ireland Executive in tackling child poverty.
Answered by Robin Walker
Welfare and employment are devolved matters in Northern Ireland, and the Northern Ireland Executive’s Child Poverty Strategy, published in March 2016 and extended by the Executive until 2022, sets out its vision to eradicate child poverty in the future. The aims of the strategy are to reduce the number of children in poverty and reduce the impact of living in poverty on children.
In line with commitments in the New Decade, New Approach agreement, the Northern Ireland Executive is also developing an Anti-Poverty Strategy that aims to address inequalities and obstacles that directly affect the everyday lives of the most vulnerable people in society and will bring focus to identifying and addressing the issues, barriers and disadvantages that undermine equality of opportunity.
There is no doubt that the Executive is committed to combating poverty via the Anti-Poverty and Child Poverty strategies and it has already appointed an Anti-Poverty Strategy Expert Advisory Panel which provided an initial report in December 2020.
This work aligns with the Government’s long-term ambitions to tackle poverty through a reformed welfare system that works with the labour market to encourage people to move into work wherever possible and we are wholly committed to supporting those on low incomes.
Over the past years, the UK Government has invested £2 billion in the New Decade, New Approach financial package; over £600m to the City and Growth Deal programme; and £400m in the New Deal for Northern Ireland to bring prosperity across Northern Ireland, and thereby helping to reduce poverty.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many Black and ethnic minority staff hold management positions in his Department.
Answered by Robin Walker
We have taken management positions to mean Senior Civil Servants, of which there are 17 from the overall headcount of 173, within the Northern Ireland Office. The diversity declaration data we currently hold shows that no senior civil servants have declared to be from a black or minority ethnic background.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent estimate he has made of the number of Black and ethnic minority staff employed in his Department.
Answered by Robin Walker
To effectively collate and capture diversity data, the department encourages staff to complete a diversity declaration questionnaire. The HR team regularly analyses this data. Current data held suggests 2.5% of staff have declared to be from a Black and ethinc minority background. 35% of staff have not declared their background and 2% have stated “Prefer not to say”. These figures are based on 92 staff members completing their diversity data, out of a total of 164.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues and social media platforms on tackling sectarian abuse and incitement online.
Answered by Robin Walker
Online abuse is an issue that affects all parts of the United Kingdom and it is important that we work together to keep people safe from such abuse.
In May, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport published its draft Online Safety Bill. The Northern Ireland Office, as well as the Northern Ireland Department of Justice, who have lead responsibility in Northern Ireland for tackling sectarian abuse and incitement online, have been engaged in this work.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of his Department's energy usage in (a) 2019, (b) 2020 and (c) 2021.
Answered by Robin Walker
My Department is based in two leased sites, 1 Horse Guards Road, London and Stormont House, Belfast. In London, energy charges are included within the leasing arrangement from the landlord, Her Majesty's Treasury and my Department does not hold any figures for energy usage. In Belfast, the cost of energy usage is shown below.
Year | Electricity | Gas |
2019 | £51,637.66 | £10,503.24 |
2020 | £60,006.70 | £12,446.45 |
2021 (to date) | £26,186.12 | £9,677.60 |
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what his policy is on his Department's rates of recycling of plastic, paper, metal and other products; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Robin Walker
My Department is based in two leased sites, 1 Horse Guards Road, London and Stormont House, Belfast. As a tenant, we follow the respective recycling policies and services provided by our landlord. They offer shared services under collaborative contracts, which adhere to principles set out in greening for government commitments. For example, using recycling bins for the disposal and recycling of all mixed waste. We also use recycled paper and stationery items manufactured from reusable materials.