Tag: Ian Paisley

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Paisley on 2015-11-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what arrangements are in place for the Government and the Northern Ireland Executive to cooperate to counter the Islamic terrorist threat and the potential utilisation by such terrorists of the land border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Mr John Hayes

The UK and the Republic of Ireland have long enjoyed a Common Travel Area (CTA) free of routine border controls. However, there are long-established and effective working relationships between the police and intelligence agencies in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland to mitigate threats. The Government takes protecting our border security very seriously, and there is a high level of collaboration on work with the Republic of Ireland to also strengthen the CTA’s external border.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Paisley on 2015-11-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether proposals to expand the Security Service include the expansion of its facilities and additional recruitment in Northern Ireland.

Mr Ben Wallace

It would not be appropriate for me to comment on these matters which are the responsibility of the Security and Intelligence Agencies.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Paisley on 2015-11-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on how Northern Ireland can benefit from contributing to the Northern Powerhouse.

Mrs Theresa Villiers

I have regular discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on a range of issues, including his plans for the Northern Powerhouse, which is about building a strong economy from which all parts of the United Kingdom can benefit.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Paisley on 2016-03-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of (a) minimum pack-size requirements and (b) other elements of the new Tobacco Products Directive.

Jane Ellison

An assessment estimating the impact of the provisions introduced by the revised Tobacco Products Directive on business, including minimum pack size requirements, was published alongside a public consultation on transposition of the Directive in summer last year. A final impact assessment, reflecting the outcome of the consultation, will be published alongside the implementing Regulations.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Paisley on 2016-03-10.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of when the tax optimisation for cigarettes will be reached.

Damian Hinds

The government believes that cigarette duty achieves a balance between its two fiscal goals on tobacco; to raise revenue and to protect public health.

In considering fiscal impacts of duties, the illicit trade is an important consideration. The government is committed to tackling illicit tobacco, which undermines health and tax policy objectives and harms legitimate business. HMRC and Border Force have an established and effective strategy for tackling tobacco fraud which has seen the illicit market reduce significantly since the strategy was first launched in 2000. This has meant that, since the introduction of the tobacco duty escalator, the size of the illicit market has continued to fall.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Paisley on 2016-03-10.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment the Government has made of the potential effect of future tobacco excise increases on the black market in tobacco products.

Damian Hinds

The government believes that cigarette duty achieves a balance between its two fiscal goals on tobacco; to raise revenue and to protect public health.

In considering fiscal impacts of duties, the illicit trade is an important consideration. The government is committed to tackling illicit tobacco, which undermines health and tax policy objectives and harms legitimate business. HMRC and Border Force have an established and effective strategy for tackling tobacco fraud which has seen the illicit market reduce significantly since the strategy was first launched in 2000. This has meant that, since the introduction of the tobacco duty escalator, the size of the illicit market has continued to fall.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Paisley on 2016-05-18.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he plans to take to ensure that importers of soft drinks from outside the UK are subject to the soft drinks industry levy.

Damian Hinds

The levy will apply to importers of sugar-sweetened soft drinks and we will consult on the appropriate compliance arrangements.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Paisley on 2015-10-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to preserve the teaching of Design and Technology within school curriculums.

Nick Gibb

Design and Technology (D&T) is compulsory in the national curriculum in England at key stages 1 to 3. By introducing a new, more rigorous D&T curriculum in 2014 and reforming the subject’s GCSE and A level qualifications, we have taken important steps to make D&T a more attractive subject to study, paving the way for young people to progress into careers in a vast range of engineering and design fields.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Paisley on 2015-10-26.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has consulted UK-based soft drinks producers about the economic effect a potential excise duty on sugary drinks would have on those businesses.

Damian Hinds

At present the Government has no plans to introduce new taxes on sugary drinks.

Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery.

Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Paisley on 2014-06-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many people are in prisons in Northern Ireland for terrorist-related offences; what the age profile is of those prisoners; what assessment she has made of that age profile; and if she will make a statement.

Mrs Theresa Villiers

This is a devolved matter within the remit of the Northern Ireland Department of Justice for Northern Ireland.