Steven Baker: I am most grateful to the right hon. Member. Of course I welcome these arrangements. I was very pleased to give instruction to my officials that the Assembly should be notified. Beyond that, on the particular measure, I do not wish to go any further at all, because I am absolutely determined that this should be a matter for the Assembly, with the UK Government stepping back and leaving it to...
Steven Baker: I will give way once more, but I think I should then make a little more progress.
Steven Baker: The assurance was given on VAT, and I stand by that assurance. Before this moment, I was not aware of the particular circumstances that the hon. Member has just shared with me. I encourage him either to write to me or to come to see me—perhaps to do both—and let us get to the bottom of it. One thing I am sure of is that we want to get through all these tricky issues as smoothly,...
Steven Baker: I must give way to the hon. Member once more, but then I think I will finish.
Steven Baker: Strand 1 is of course a matter for the United Kingdom, and while Northern Ireland is within the United Kingdom, everyone would expect us to make Northern Ireland work within the UK. Although there is no provision for direct rule, I gently point out to the hon. Gentleman that we went to some lengths, and at some cost, not to return to direct rule at this time. We have allowed events to evolve...
Steven Baker: Oh my word: we are going to have a general debate on the Belfast/Good Friday agreement.
Steven Baker: I am most grateful—although after this I will plunge further into my speech, because I want to conclude it. Our position is very clear that any change must come from the parties in Northern Ireland. That is not to say we are uninterested—I have personally been through an exercise of considering all the possible reforms that there could be. At the end of that lengthy exercise, I concluded...
Steven Baker: I said that I was going to press on, but my colleague is the first Conservative Member to intervene on this theme, so I will give way.
Steven Baker: I certainly agree about the extraordinary opportunity before Northern Ireland. The Belfast/Good Friday agreement and the Northern Ireland Act 1998 are explicit that any change to the constitutional status of Northern Ireland would require the consent of a simple majority of its people. The UK Government are absolutely clear that there is no basis to suggest that at present a majority of...
Steven Baker: I know we will hear from my hon. Friend many times on these issues, and he has a great deal to contribute. I will see to it, particularly with this new role I have jointly with the Cabinet Office, that the Command Paper is vigorously implemented with all the strength I can muster to get it done at a speed that suits him and me. I will update the House in due course as we make progress. I...
Steven Baker: Unfettered access for Northern Ireland businesses to the rest of the UK market is a longstanding Government policy, underscored and strengthened as a result of the package of commitments in our Safeguarding the Union Command Paper. The Windsor Framework (UK Internal Market and Unfettered Access) Regulations 2024 further entrench the legislative protections for unfettered access. We will use...
Steven Baker: The Government is working to establish InterTrade UK as set out in the Command Paper, fulfilling our pledge to grow the economy by ensuring that businesses large and small can maximise the full range of East-West trading opportunities. Implementing the Windsor Framework and the Command Paper are Government priorities. We will undertake to update the House on its progress in due course.
Steven Baker: The Northern Ireland press and media team is made up of nine employees. Roles range from Apprentice to Deputy Director and have salaries between £27,000 - £117,800. This figure is for the Northern Ireland Office central departmental communications team. Team members cover a broad range of communications disciplines including press and media.
Steven Baker: The Northern Ireland Office is co-located in two locations in London and Belfast, and these sites are managed by other government departments. The Northern Ireland Office follows Ministry of Justice policy, which complies with Health and Safety legislation. The Northern Ireland Office requires all its employees to undertake mandatory training in Health and Safety compliance, as well as...
Steven Baker: Policing is a devolved matter in Northern Ireland and the PSNI’s main budget is allocated by the Department of Justice. It will be for the Minister of Justice and Executive to consider how to use the financial package and funding for the PSNI budget. This Government recognises the difficult challenges around policing in Northern Ireland. That is why the Department of Justice budget, which...
Steven Baker: International investment makes an important contribution towards Northern Ireland's prosperity. The Northern Ireland Investment Summit, led by the Department for Business and Trade in partnership with the Northern Ireland Office and Invest NI, welcomed over 180 global investors to the region in September. The Summit showcased Northern Ireland’s innovation, sector strengths and...
Steven Baker: This is a devolved matter for the Northern Ireland Department of Justice. The Secretary of State has had no recent discussions on this issue.
Steven Baker: My Department has a legal duty to have due regard to the Environmental Principles Policy, as it applies to Ministers when making policy and in some instances, arm’s length bodies may also develop policy for Ministers, however, the duty does not require either the Northern Ireland Office or its arm’s length bodies to maintain a comprehensive list of policies within the scope of the duty.
Steven Baker: Time is short, but I will do my level best to answer as many questions as I can. It has been a very interesting debate. The right hon. Member for Leeds Central (Hilary Benn) asked me which checks will be eliminated. The changes will apply both for identity or visual checks and for physical checks. We will take powers shortly to make direction to the Department of Agriculture, Environment...
Steven Baker: I am extremely short of time but, out of respect, I will give way.