The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2015-11-19.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether the parity of esteem required by the Belfast Agreement 1998 requires victims of civil unrest in Northern Ireland to be treated the same as terrorism victims in the rest of the UK.
Lord Dunlop
The Government believes in parity of esteem for all the people of Northern Ireland.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2015-12-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the government of the Republic of Ireland within the framework of the Belfast Agreement of 1998 about the provisions in that Agreement concerning the right of residence.
Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The UK and Irish Governments meet regularly both at ministerial and official level to discuss issues of mutual interest and concern. These include rights issues in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland as contained in the Belfast Agreement of 1998.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2016-01-13.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether in considering policy, they regard equality and parity of esteem to be the same, and if not, why not.
Lord Dunlop
The UK Government is committed to affording due respect and parity of esteem to all the people in Northern Ireland as underpinned by the 1998 Belfast Agreement and in accordance with the obligations on the Government to promote equality and prevent discrimination across the United Kingdom. The Northern Ireland Office and its agencies are subject to anti-discrimination law in Northern Ireland and to the provisions of section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998. This requires public authorities carrying out functions in Northern Ireland to have due regard to the need to promote equality of opportunity between a wide range of groups, specified in section 75(1), including persons of different religious belief or political opinion. They are also obliged to have regard to the desirability of promoting good relations between persons of different religious belief, political opinion or racial group.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2016-02-01.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Dunlop on 19 January (HL4894) concerning the Belfast Agreement 1998, what is meant by mutual interest and concern”.”
Lord Dunlop
Mutual interest and concern refers to matters that are of shared relevance or importance to the participants in the discussions, in this case the UK and Irish Governments.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2016-02-23.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government why there have been no meetings of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference since 26 February 2007.
Lord Dunlop
There have been no meetings of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference since 26 February 2007 largely because the scope of the BIIGC agenda is now much narrower, given the completion of devolution and the fact that the political situation is more stable. The Conference remains part of the architecture of the Belfast Agreement, but is no longer used as the significant forum it was in the past for interaction between the UK and Irish Governments.
Interaction between the governments of the UK and Ireland takes place regularly at all levels and in many different forums. These include an annual summit between the Prime Minister and the Taoiseach, and regular meetings between the heads of UK and Irish government departments.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2016-04-21.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Dunlop on 18 April (HL7513), whether parity of esteem only applies to people who live in Northern Ireland or includes people who come from Northern Ireland and live elsewhere in the UK.
Lord Dunlop
In the Belfast Agreement the concept of ‘parity of esteem’ is expressed and defined in relation to people living in Northern Ireland. The Government is committed to treating people fairly and with equal respect wherever they live in the United Kingdom.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2016-06-28.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 13 June (HL566), what assessment they have made of why the UK has claimed £49,736,125 from EEA countries and Switzerland for the cost of the NHS providing treatment to people for whom they are responsible under EU law, but has reimbursed EEA countries and Switzerland £674,418,036 for the cost of providing treatment to people for whom the UK is responsible under EU law in 2014–15.
Lord Prior of Brampton
Because of European Union healthcare rules, millions of United Kingdom citizens who work, visit or retire to other European countries can receive the free or reduced cost healthcare they need. That is what we are paying the £674 million for.
Some 80% of this (over £500 million) is for our pensioners who chose to retire to Europe.
Many more of our pensioners choose to retire to other European Economic Area countries than pensioners from those countries retiring to the UK, it is therefore inevitable that we will pay more to cover healthcare costs of our pensioners.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2015-11-03.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Neville-Rolfe on 3 November (HL2678), what steps they propose to take following the European Court of Justice’s judgments in case C-362/14, Maximillian Schrems v Data Protection Commissioner.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe
I refer the noble Lord to my answer of 3rdNovember [HL2678].
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2015-11-25.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Dunlop on 4 November (HL3009), why investigation of historic crime in Northern Ireland, including the retention of fingerprint and DNA samples from non-convicted individuals, requires different provisions to the rest of the UK, and whether they plan to seek permission for any non-compliance of those provisions with Article 8 of the ECHR.
Lord Dunlop
The investigation of historic deaths creates particular difficulties because the evidential trail has significantly narrowed. Forensic evidence, including fingerprint and DNA evidence, is therefore a key element in Troubles-related investigations, as it presents the strongest strand of investigative opportunity.
Dealing with the legacy of Northern Ireland’s past is an essential part of the transition to long term peace and stability – this is not a consideration which applies in the same way in the rest of the UK. It is disappointing that agreement was not reached in the recent political talks on the proposed institutions for dealing with the legacy of the past in Northern Ireland.
The Government remains fully committed to working alongside the Northern Ireland parties, victims groups and other stakeholders to deliver the institutions intended to achieve broad consensus for legislation and deliver new legacy mechanisms. The Government is satisfied that the retention of relevant biometric data for the purpose of investigating Troubles-related crimes is proportionate.
We are working closely with the Northern Ireland Department of Justice to ensure that any proposal to retain relevant data will strike the appropriate balance between Article 2 and Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights and be compatible with the judgment of the European Court in Marper.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2015-12-14.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether non-academic employees of a UK university are considered to be public officers for the purposes of misconduct or malfeasance in public office.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe
This is a matter of interpretation for the courts to pronounce upon in the context of a relevant case, and it would not be appropriate for the department to provide a general legal opinion.