The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kilclooney on 2016-09-13.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many persons born in (1) Poland, and (2) the Republic of Ireland, now live in Northern Ireland.
Baroness Mobarik
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kilclooney on 2016-09-13.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the most recent estimate of the population of Northern Ireland.
Baroness Mobarik
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kilclooney on 2016-09-13.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the value of agricultural produce imported from the Republic of Ireland in the last year for which figures are available.
Lord Gardiner of Kimble
In 2015, according to the latest HMRC data, the UK imported approximately £4 billion of goods relating to food, animal feed and drinks, as detailed in the table below:
UK imports of food, feed and drink from Republic of Ireland, 2015.
|
SITC |
||
|
Division |
||
|
Code |
Description |
£ million |
|
01 |
Meat |
1 384 |
|
02 |
Dairy |
648 |
|
03 |
Fish |
38 |
|
04 |
Cereals |
285 |
|
05 |
Fruit and Veg |
250 |
|
06 |
Sugar |
41 |
|
07 |
Coffee, tea, etc. |
184 |
|
08 |
Animal feed |
188 |
|
09 |
Misc. |
653 |
|
11 |
Drink |
273 |
|
22+S4 |
Oils |
39 |
|
Total |
3 983 |
Defra’s aggregate ‘Food, Feed and Drink’ is composed of the following divisions from the Standard International Trade Classification:
01 Meat: meat from cattle, sheep, pigs, goats, poultry, horses etc.
02 Dairy: includes milk, milk products, and all types of eggs.
03 Fish: All types of edible marine life excluding mammals.
04 Cereals: includes rice, wheat, barley, oats, maize etc.
05 Fruit and vegetables: includes fruit and vegetables, nuts (exc. groundnuts), juices, jams, marmalades etc.
06 Sugar: includes sugar and sugar confectionery (exc. chocolate or cocoa), honey and liquorice.
07 Coffee, tea, etc.: includes all types of coffee and tea, cocoa, chocolate and spices.
08 Animal feed: includes hay, fodder, bran, sharps, and all types of pet or animal food.
09 Miscellaneous: includes margarine, sauces, vinegar, soups, yeasts, cooked/stuffed pasta and baby food.
11 Drink: includes alcoholic drinks of all kinds and natural or artificial waters.
22+S4 Oils: includes animal/vegetable oils, fats and waxes; groundnuts (peanuts), soya beans and seeds.
Source: HMRC
© Crown copyright, 2016
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kilclooney on 2016-09-13.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the total value of (1) imports, and (2) exports, between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland in the last year for which figures are available.
Lord Price
The value of goods exported from Northern Ireland to the Republic of Ireland was £2.1 billion in 2015.
The value of goods imported into Northern Ireland from the Republic of Ireland was £1.6 billion in 2015.
Data on the value of trade in services between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland is not available.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kilclooney on 2016-09-13.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the commitments in the Belfast Agreement 1998, what representations they have received from the Irish government about the continuing status of Northern Ireland as part of the UK.
Lord Dunlop
The Government has regular discussions with the Irish Government on a range of issues in accordance with the well-established three stranded approach laid out in the Belfast Agreement. As one of the negotiators of that Agreement, the Noble Lord is aware that Northern Ireland’s constitutional position is based on the principle of consent, which is fully supported by both the United Kingdom and Irish Governments.
The Belfast Agreement stated that “the present wish of a majority of the people of Northern Ireland, freely exercised and legitimate, is to maintain the Union and, accordingly, that Northern Ireland’s status as part of the United Kingdom reflects and relies upon that wish”. The Government has no reason to believe that there has been any change in this position.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2016-09-13.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have plans to reduce noise on public highways, and if so, when they plan to implement those plans.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The Department for Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) set out plans to reduce noise from public highways in Noise Action Plans, which were published in January 2014. Road traffic noise is covered in the “Noise action plan for roads (including major roads)” and the “Noise action plan for agglomerations.”
These identify “noise important areas” and highway authorities are required to assess whether any mitigation is required at each noise important area. Highways England is in the process of mitigating at least 1,150 noise important areas by 2020, as part of the £300m Environment Fund in the Road Investment Strategy.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon on 2016-09-13.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the widening of the M4 motorway between junctions 3 and 12 will commence, when it is likely to be completed, and what measures they will put in place to avoid delays to traffic during the construction period.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Highways England’s latest Delivery Plan states that the start of works for the M4 Junction 3-12 scheme is the fourth quarter of 2016/2017 and it will open to traffic in 2021/22.
Measures to avoid delays to traffic during the construction period include:
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon on 2016-09-13.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure the safety of users of the M4 motorway following the removal of the hard shoulders, and what arrangements will be made for the emergency services to have urgent and easy access to the motorway in the event of accidents and other incidents.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The M4 Junctions 3 to 12 smart motorway scheme incorporates the following features to ensure safety is maintained:
This allows Highways England to create an emergency lane or lanes on any lane on the motorway, with signs and signals to provide access for the emergency services or traffic officers.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon on 2016-09-13.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the accident rate on the M4 motorway between junctions 10 and 12 is equivalent to the average rate for all motorways; and how many accidents in the last year on that part of the motorway involved heavy lorries.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The accident rate for 2012-2014 on the M4 between junctions 10 and 12 is below the average rate for all motorways. There were 7 personal injury accidents in 2014 involving heavy lorries on this section of the motorway.
This is based on the latest validated accident data Highways England holds for the Road Network for 2014, with the 2015 data due to be released in October 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon on 2016-09-13.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in each of the last five years, how many (1) tourists, and (2) non-tourists, from the UK visited the EU, and how many (1) tourists, and (2) non-tourists, from countries in the EU visited the UK.
Baroness Mobarik
In May 2016, ONS released data detailing the movements of tourists between the UK and the EU in their 2015 Travel Trends report, we have highlighted the requested information below. This Department does not hold information for non-tourists.
|
Number of Visits to the UK from the EU (millions) |
Number of Visits to the EU from the UK (millions) |
|
2011 – 20.3 |
2011 – 40.5 |
|
2012 – 20.6 |
2012 – 40.8 |
|
2013 – 21.6 |
2013 – 42.0 |
|
2014 – 23.0 |
2014 – 43.8 |
|
2015 – 24.2 |
2015 – 48.1 |