Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help sheep farmers from Northern Ireland to participate in UK-funded livestock (a) genomics and (b) breeding research programmes.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
The Farming Innovation Programme is Defra’s flagship programme for supporting research and innovation to help English farmers and growers increase productivity, sustainability and resilience. To harness expertise across our shared borders, Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish companies and research organisations, and UK-wide organisations can collaborate in this programme. This includes innovation in sheep breeding to reduce methane emissions.
Defra has also funded scientific research exploring ways to reduce environmental impacts of livestock production, including research which found positive results relating to breeding sheep for reduced emissions and improved productivity (2023, 2024). Defra is also currently researching the best ways to incorporate environmental impact and productivity traits into sheep breeding across the UK.
Defra and the devolved administrations also work with the UK Genetics for Livestock and Equines Committee (UKGLE) who provide independent advice on livestock genetics including breeding.
Asked by: Robin Swann (Ulster Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment he has made with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of border control posts in Scotland on levels of trade between Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)
I know the Honourable Member will share my firm desire not to see borders erected between the different nations of our United Kingdom.
We have been clear that there will be no border control posts at Cairnryan.
The UK Government is unequivocal in its commitment to ensuring unfettered access for Northern Ireland’s goods to the rest of the UK internal market and in coming weeks, as I advised the House at a previous Scottish oral questions, I will be meeting with NIO counterparts in coming weeks to discuss what more we can do to promote Scotland-NI trade.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what funding schemes for agricultural innovation are available to (a) farmers and (b) agri-tech researchers in Northern Ireland; and what plans his Department has to support the development of (i) automation and (ii) precision farming in the UK.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
Agriculture is a devolved issue, and so it is for the Devolved Administrations, including the Northern Ireland Executive, to determine the best way to allocate funding to support farmers in their nations.
In England, the Farming Innovation Programme has been Defra’s flagship programme for supporting research and innovation in farming to help English farmers and growers increase productivity, sustainability and resilience.
We do however recognise the expertise across our shared borders, so Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish companies and research organisations have also been able to collaborate in Programme projects to increase productivity and environmental sustainability. This will help farmers throughout the UK to take advantage from any spill-over benefits from the Programme. The UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy, launched on 23rd June, recognises Agri-Tech as a key growth sector and at least £200 million is allocated to the Programme up to 2030. This will offer targeted funding to drive innovation in agriculture and further industry-led competitions will launch later this year. Automation and precision farming are just some of the technologies supported by the Programme.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing a higher stamp duty threshold for first-time buyers in inner London boroughs.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) is a national tax in England and Northern Ireland charged using the same percentage rates in all areas. This ensures stable and predictable revenue for the Exchequer while maintaining fairness for taxpayers. The current structure of SDLT ensures that those buying the most expensive properties contribute the most. Introducing higher SDLT thresholds for first-time buyers in inner London boroughs could increase complexity and create distortive effects around borders, impacting property markets.
More broadly, SDLT continues to be an important source of Government revenue, raising around £12 billion each year to help pay for the essential services the Government provides. Any reforms to SDLT would have to carefully consider impacts on the Exchequer alongside administrative costs and simplicity for the taxpayer.
Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of linking stamp duty thresholds to regional house prices.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) is a national tax in England and Northern Ireland charged using the same percentage rates across the country. This ensures stable and predictable revenue for the Exchequer while maintaining fairness for taxpayers. The current structure of SDLT ensures that those buying the most expensive properties contribute the most. Linking SDLT thresholds to regional house prices could increase complexity and create distortive effects around borders, impacting property markets.
More broadly, SDLT continues to be an important source of Government revenue, raising around £12 billion each year to help pay for the essential services the Government provides. Any reforms to SDLT would have to carefully consider impacts on the Exchequer alongside administrative costs and simplicity for the taxpayer. The Government keeps all taxes under review as part of the usual tax policy making process.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the progress of Project Gigabit; how many premises have been connected; and what the status of the outstanding procurements is.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
As of the end of March 2024, over one million premises had been upgraded to gigabit-capable broadband through government-funded programmes. Additionally, more than £2 billion of contracts have been signed to provide gigabit-capable coverage to over a million more premises.
All planned Project Gigabit contracts for England and Wales have been signed. In the last few months alone, the first premises have been given coverage as part of these contracts in areas including North Yorkshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and South Wiltshire. Build is under way in many other parts of the country too.
The Scottish Government has four procurements in progress and details of a contract covering the Borders and East Lothian area are expected to be announced shortly. Remaining areas of Scotland will be included within a procurement which is currently under way with Openreach, managed by the UK Government. A single procurement is also in progress in Northern Ireland, managed by the Department for Economy.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that AI regulation does not create a digital border between (1) the UK and the EU, and (2) the UK and Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Government is committed to building a regulatory regime that is proportionate and keeps pace with new advancements and risks. This includes delivering on our manifesto commitment to place new binding requirements on the developers of powerful models. It also means ensuring UK regulators have the right resources to effectively regulate AI in their respective domains.
AI knows no borders and through international cooperation, we can make progress towards ensuring effective global AI collaboration. The UK will continue to work closely with international partners, building on the work of existing multilateral and multistakeholder initiatives to achieve this critical objective.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many times Ministers in his Department have visited the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland since 5 July 2024.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland Office Ministers have enjoyed visiting and engaging with communities, businesses, and organisations in many areas in Northern Ireland. This has included visiting the following areas close to the Border with the Republic of Ireland.
I visited Trinity Church in Clogh, Roslea Co Fermanagh where my great, great grandfather Dr. Thomas Graydon is remembered on a family gravestone; and I attended the Centre of Cross Border Studies Conference in Co Louth.
I have visited various businesses and organisations in Derry/Londonderry on 2 separate occasions.
Minister Anderson has visited communities in Newry and on two separate occasions has also visited organisations in Derry/Londonderry.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when she plans to publish the next action plan for antimicrobial resistance.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
In 2019, the Government published the first of four five-year national action plans (NAP), aimed at tackling antimicrobial resistance (AMR) within and beyond our own borders. This plan is available at the following link:
We are now in the process of developing the second five-year NAP, which will run from 2024 to 2029. It will be designed to ensure progress is maintained towards delivering our 20-year vision on AMR, in which resistance is effectively contained and controlled by 2040. Further information on the 20-year vision is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-20-year-vision-for-antimicrobial-resistance
The 2024 to 2029 AMR NAP is being co-developed across the Government, its agencies, and the administrations in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, with support from a wide range of external stakeholders, and informed by the responses to the Call for Evidence. The NAP is expected to be published in 2024.
The 2024 to 2029 AMR NAP will build on the achievements of the 2019 to 2024 NAP, whilst recognising where there is more to do, and will be aligned with global plans and frameworks for action.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has had discussions with the Northern Ireland Minister for Justice on tackling female (a) trafficking, (b) exploitation and (c) sexual exploitation in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Laura Farris
Criminal justice is devolved in Northern Ireland, with responsibility for the policy and legislative response to modern slavery resting with the Northern Ireland Executive. However, we recognise that trafficking can involve the movement of vulnerable individuals across borders, and we work closely with our partners in the Northern Ireland Executive to ensure that our response to modern slavery across the UK is joined-up and the legislation is complementary.
This includes, at official level, regular engagement with representatives from the Devolved Administrations, through quarterly meetings and the Modern Slavery Engagement Forums. These Forums focus on key policy areas, including enforcement, prevention, adult victim support, and child and victim support policy. Officials also engage in quarterly meetings with representatives on commercial sexual exploitation.
The Home Office also engages with First Responder Organisations, across the whole of the United Kingdom. In Northern Ireland this includes the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), Health and Social Care trusts and Belfast and Lisburn Women’s Aid. First Responders are trained by their respective organisations to identify indicators of modern slavery and refer potential victims into the National Referral Mechanism (NRM). In 2023, there were 462 NRM referrals sent to the PSNI for investigation, accounting for 3% of all referrals received, as published in the National Referral Mechanism statistics on GOV.UK.