Ministers from all four nations discuss food system issues through the Inter-Ministerial Group for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. In addition, officials have regular engagement on a wide range of food security and resilience issues.

There is no international consensus on the legal basis of the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, and no agreement on either the definition of the right or its scope. The UK supported United Nations General Assembly Resolution 76/300 on the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, accompanied by an explanation of vote which referred to this lack of consensus. This Government has no current plans to introduce legislation on the right but is monitoring discussions exploring a new instrument at the international level to enshrine the right, including at the Council of Europe. Officials have previously raised this with the Devolved Governments and will consult with them ahead of any formal international negotiations.

The United Kingdom Government regularly considers how fiscal devolution arrangements are working in practice, taking into account the views of a range of stakeholders.

The United Kingdom Government regularly considers how fiscal devolution arrangements are working in practice, taking into account the views of a range of stakeholders.

The United Kingdom Government regularly considers how fiscal devolution arrangements are working in practice, taking into account the views of a range of stakeholders.

I thank my noble friend for her question. She is very aware that, under the recent spending review, Stormont was awarded £19.2 billion—its largest ever financial settlement. As for additional tax-raising mechanisms, they exist, if Stormont wishes to use them. That is a matter for Stormont. We would support it in whichever endeavours it wants to do to access the powers already available to it.

I think it is right for me to say that we welcome the return of the Executive and of devolved government in Northern Ireland. Indeed, I think the Prime Minister is attending Stormont today. A substantial budget has been made available as part of that settlement, and I look forward to hearing the outcomes of that, both from the new Executive and of course from our Northern Ireland Ministers.

England will receive £1.5 billion, Scotland £212 million, Wales £585 million and Northern Ireland £127 million from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund across the years 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25.

Alignment and coordination of rare disease policy and action plans is facilitated through meetings of the UK Rare Diseases Framework Board, which includes representatives from the devolved administrations. Discussion includes topics such as improving the coordination of care for people living with rare diseases. However, funding is not discussed as it is a devolved matter.

The voluntary reduction and reformulation programmes challenge all sectors of the food and drinks industry, including retailers, manufacturers and eating out of home sector such as cafes, takeaways and delivery firms, to reduce the amount of sugar and salt in foods and drinks.

The sugar reduction programme aimed to reduce the amount of sugar in foods which contribute the most to children’s  intake by 20% by 2020. While there has been mixed progress in decreasing the sugar content of foods, retailers and manufacturers demonstrated greater achievements in sugar reduction in unsweetened juice and sweetened milk based drinks. Monitoring the sugar content of drinks in scope of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy shown that substantial reductions have been achieved. The fourth progress report on sugar reduction is expected in 2022. An assessment of salt reduction targets to be achieved by 2024 is expected in 2022. Officials maintain regular contact with the devolved administrations on the salt and sugar reduction programmes.

This Government remains fully committed to the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement, which provided an important and stable base for power-sharing in Northern Ireland. The New Decade New Approach (NDNA) deal reached in January 2020 resulted in the restoration of the NI institutions. Good progress has been made in implementing the deal (which has included releasing over £555million of the £2bn of funding agreed in the deal and progress towards the establishment of an independent fiscal council) and establishing the governance structures that underpin NDNA (such as the Joint Board and Implementation Review meetings). The Government does acknowledge, however, that some of the matters targeted for early resolution under NDNA have been affected and challenged by the ongoing public health crisis.

The Government is working to deliver the next tranche of our commitments, such as progressing legislation on the sustainability of the institutions and reforms to the Petition of Concern mechanism.

Welfare reform, social security and benefit administration are reserved matters in England and Wales, transferred matters in Northern Ireland, and partially devolved in Scotland.

With respect to Scotland, the Joint Ministerial Working Group on Welfare is a regular forum that allows the UK and Scottish Ministers to oversee the safe and secure transfer of the powers devolved through the Scotland Act 2016 that relate to social security and employability. It is co-chaired by the Secretary of State for Scotland and the Cabinet Secretary for Social Security and Older People, and attended by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.

Discussions with Ministers in the Welsh Government take place on a more ad hoc basis, and focus largely on devolved areas relating to employability such as skills provision, but also to interactions between devolved matters and the social security system.

The Northern Ireland Executive has recently re-formed, and we will be discussing the arrangements for welfare reform there with the relevant Ministers.

It is not a vehicle to interfere, but we have been clear from the very beginning that if the Northern Ireland Executive wish to reduce corporation tax rates in Northern Ireland, they need to do so in an environment in which we can be confident that the public finances are on a sound footing in Northern Ireland.

My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State has not had discussions with Ministers in the devolved administrations on fully funded NHS Continuing Healthcare.

That very much depends on whether the powers are taken up by the Executive and the extent to which they are taken up. The hon. Lady will be aware that corporation tax in the last financial year raised in excess of £400 million. Were corporation tax to be devolved, and reduced as far as it possibly could be, then we are talking about that sort of figure.

The Government has provided significant support to the UK tourism industry, as set out in my accompanying answer.

Support for the tourism industry in devolved policy areas, including national marketing and local initiatives, is the responsibility of the Devolved Administrations.

I have not personally been involved in detailed discussions on those issues, but my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is in continuous dialogue with the authorities in Northern Ireland about them.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is the UK Central Competent Authority for food hygiene legislation and is responsible for the official controls carried out in the supply chain for desinewed meat (DSM). The FSA has played the lead role on behalf of the UK Government in developing a UK policy position on this issue, including consultation with the devolved Administrations. Together with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the FSA has also represented the UK in discussions with the Commission.

Consequently, Ministers from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs have not had any discussions with the devolved Administrations in relation to DSM.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is the UK Central Competent Authority for food hygiene legislation and is responsible for the official controls carried out in the supply chain for desinewed meat (DSM). The FSA has played the lead role on behalf of the UK Government in developing a UK policy position on this issue, including consultation with the devolved Administrations. Together with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the FSA has also represented the UK in discussions with the Commission.

Consequently, Ministers from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs have not had any discussions with the devolved Administrations in relation to DSM.