Tag: Lord Laird

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2015-12-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Dunlop on 12 November (HL 3335) concerning contact with the government of the Republic of Ireland, what progress has been made in the development of human rights in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland as contained in the Belfast Agreement of 1998.

Lord Dunlop

The UK and Irish Governments meet regularly both at ministerial and official level to discuss issues of mutual interest and concern, including the development of human rights in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland as contained in the Belfast Agreement of 1998.

The Government was elected in May with a clear mandate to implement its manifesto commitment to replace the Human Rights Act with a British Bill of Rights. We believe that it is entirely possible to do that in ways that are consistent with the Belfast Agreement.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2016-01-13.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what debt, if any, they have that dates from before 1 January 1901; and what are the arrangements for payment of that debt.

Lord O’Neill of Gatley

The government has redeemed all gilts issued before 1 January 1901. On 5 July 2015, the government redeemed all outstanding undated gilts, some of which pre-dated 1901. These were the 2½% Annuities, 2¾% Annuities and 2½% Consolidated Stock, first issued in 1853, 1884 and 1888 respectively.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2016-01-29.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Dunlop on 27 November 2015 (HL3723), what difference, if any, there is between people in Northern Ireland and people of Northern Ireland in the application of their policies.

Lord Dunlop

In this context there is no difference between people ‘in’ Northern Ireland and people ‘of’ Northern Ireland.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2016-02-08.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have an agreement or understanding with the IRA that there will be no attempts to stop or bring to court its members on charges relating to tax fraud in South Armagh.

Lord O’Neill of Gatley

The government does not have any agreement or understanding in place with the IRA.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2016-04-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have for the control of drones flying in UK air space.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

There are existing regulations in place that require users of drones to maintain direct, unaided visual contact with their vehicle and to not recklessly or negligently cause or permit an aircraft to endanger any person or property. Work is underway to better understand the risk posed by flying drones close to commercial planes. Guidance on tackling the risks of criminal drone use has been provided to constabularies across the UK.

The Department for Transport (DfT) is currently working with the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to develop consistent, EU-wide safety rules for drones. We have also completed a series of public dialogues ahead of a public consultation which will help to inform a government strategy to be published this year. The consultation will look at a range of options including regulation, registration and licensing options, and the potential for restrictions on purchase and use.

Education of drone users is vital. The DfT is working with the CAA on raising awareness of responsible drone use. This includes the CAA’s ‘Drone Code’ safety awareness campaign, the issuing of safety leaflets at the point of sale, publishing an animated video on their website, and running ‘small UAS’ (Unmanned Aerial Systems) Risk and Hazard workshops with industry as part of the Mid Air Collision Programme.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2016-06-08.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in relation to certificates of sponsorship used to support immigrants’ entry clearance or extension of stay applications, (1) how many sponsoring employers are currently registered, (2) where those employers are listed, (3) how many certificates of sponsorship are granted to each sponsoring employer, (4) whether such figures are available on application, and (5) what was the total number of those sponsored in the last two years.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

There are currently 30,181 sponsoring employers on the register of licensed sponsors.

The register is published on the “www.gov.uk” website and can be found on the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/register-of-licensed-sponsors-workers

The number of certificates granted to sponsoring employers differ depending on their recruitment requirements. Sponsoring employers may submit a request at the point their licence application is submitted. A sponsor can submit a further request to increase their allocation once licensed.

A sponsor is not granted a pre determined allocation of Certificates of sponsorship (CoS) at licensing stage.

The total number of CoS assigned to individuals in 2014 is 133,820.The total number of CoS assigned to individuals in 2015 is 131,617

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 Lord Dunlop on 27 October (HL2714) concerning activity under the 1998 Belfast Agreement, whether any representatives of the government of the Republic of Ireland were present at the most recent talks under Section 1 of the Belfast Agreement.

Lord Dunlop

I refer the Noble Lord to my previous answers on this subject. The involvement of the Irish Government is in accordance with the established three-stranded approach to Northern Ireland affairs and the 1998 Belfast Agreement.

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.