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  • Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-06-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps her Department has taken to ensure further opportunities for Northern Ireland’s film industry are secured.

    Mrs Theresa Villiers

    The hon Member will appreciate that this is a devolved matter. However I take every opportunity to promote the Northern Ireland film industry which has been significantly boosted by the high end television tax credit introduced by my Rt hon Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

    I have met the senior team at Home Box Office on two occasions. Last month I wrote to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills to coincide with the publication of the UK Creative Industries International Strategy in China, in order to promote some 250 media production companies based in Northern Ireland that are already delivering on a global stage and offering world-class talent across the sector.

  • Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-06-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that local colleges train the people of Northern Ireland with the appropriate skills to enable further growth in film and television production in Northern Ireland.

    Mrs Theresa Villiers

    This is a devolved matter but I took the opportunity of raising it with the Northern Ireland Minister for Employment and Learning, on the hon Member’s behalf, when I met him on 18 June.

  • Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-06-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps her Department is taking to promote Northern Ireland’s natural beauty to boost its tourism.

    Mrs Theresa Villiers

    Northern Ireland is one of the most beautiful parts of the United Kingdom and the televising around the world of the G8 summit in Fermanagh last year and the recent Giro d’Italia Grande Partenza will doubtless result in new tourist visits.

    The promotion of tourism is a devolved matter, however I take every opportunity to invite those whom I meet to come and visit and enjoy Northern Ireland for themselves.

  • Kate Hoey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Kate Hoey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Hoey on 2014-06-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, who the beneficiaries in Northern Ireland of the Royal Prerogative of Mercy granted by means of a Warrant under the Royal Sign Manual were in the last 25 years; and if she will make a statement.

    Mrs Theresa Villiers

    As the hon Member is aware, the assessment of my Department is that to release the names of individuals granted the RPM years ago would not be appropriate, given the time that has passed since the RPM was last used and the potential legal issues this would raise. There are, of course, means by which names of RPM recipients become public, including in the course of legal proceedings, which is a matter for the courts.

  • Ivan Lewis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Ivan Lewis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ivan Lewis on 2014-06-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many (a) permanent and (b) non-permanent staff were employed in her Department on 1 June 2014.

    Mrs Theresa Villiers

    As of 1 June 2014, my Department employed 155 permanent members of staff made up of Home Civil Servants and Northern Ireland Civil Servants staff seconded to the Northern Ireland Office. Three part-time members of staff are engaged on an annual contract.

  • Ivan Lewis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Ivan Lewis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ivan Lewis on 2014-06-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether she plans to attend the International Festival for Business in Liverpool.

    Mrs Theresa Villiers

    As the hon Member will know, my Rt hon Friend the Prime Minister opened the International Festival for Business recently. The events will be a great opportunity to showcase the very best of Britain and encourage foreign investors to set up or expand in the UK, including Northern Ireland.

    While I have no plans to visit at present, I fully intend to discuss the Festival when I meet Dominic Jermey, the incoming CEO of UKTI, shortly and the Northern Ireland Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment to see how Northern Ireland businesses can best take advantage of the opportunities that it offers.

  • Ivan Lewis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Ivan Lewis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ivan Lewis on 2014-06-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, where and for what purpose she held her meeting with the Northern Ireland Minister for Social Development on 8 May 2014; and what the duration was of that meeting.

    Mrs Theresa Villiers

    I met Nelson McCausland MLA in Stormont House to discuss a range of matters. The meeting lasted 45 minutes.

  • Ivan Lewis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Ivan Lewis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ivan Lewis on 2014-06-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what topics were discussed at her meeting with the Northern Ireland Minister for Social Development on 8 May 2014.

    Mrs Theresa Villiers

    I discussed a range of topics with Nelson McCausland MLA at our meeting on 8 May 2014.

  • Ivan Lewis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Ivan Lewis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ivan Lewis on 2014-06-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, when she last met the Chief Executive of UK Trade & Investment to discuss that organisation’s role in attracting inward investment to Northern Ireland.

    Mrs Theresa Villiers

    It has not been possible to meet the outgoing Chief Executive of UKTI. I look forward to meeting Dominic Jermey in the coming weeks to discuss how UKTI can promote Northern Ireland trade and investment working in tandem with InvestNI.

  • Lady Hermon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Lady Hermon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lady Hermon on 2014-06-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps she is taking to support the progress of the First World War legacy project in Northern Ireland; and if she will make a statement.

    Mrs Theresa Villiers

    The Northern Ireland Office sits on the Department for Culture, Media and Sport Programme Board for First World War Centenary Commemorations and plays a coordination role in ensuring the Government’s programme for the First World War commemorations is implemented in Northern Ireland in a manner that promotes reconciliation and enhances prospects for a peaceful, shared future. This includes plans to implement the Government’s commemorative paving stones project in the hometowns of Victoria Cross recipients.

    I am working closely with the Irish Government to participate in a series of joint commemoration events for the centenary of the First World War, and the wider decade of centenaries.

    My officials also provide support for local centenary commemoration plans by sitting on, and working closely with, the Northern Ireland First World War Centenary Committee chaired by the Rt hon Jeffrey Donaldson MP. I receive regular updates on this work and lend it my full support.