The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) regulates civil flying displays and publishes requirements and guidance on the organisation, administration and participation of flying displays. Protecting the public is of paramount importance and as such any participant or organiser of a flying display is responsible for carrying out their tasks with the utmost professionalism and to the highest standards.

The assessment of liability for any potential harm that may arise for members of the public who deliberately put themselves at risk at civil flying display events is the sole responsibility of the organisers themselves.

The Government is working with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and other key stakeholders to modernise our airspace. The specific needs of general aviation, including whether existing areas of controlled airspace should be reclassified, will be considered by the independent airspace regulator, the CAA, which is responsible for the classification of UK airspace.

Last year, the Secretary of State for Transport commissioned NATS to produce a feasibility assessment of the potential future demands for airspace of airports in the South of the UK. This work was the first step in the co-ordination of airspace modernisation, examining its feasibility and potential implementation. It was a design requirement of the NATS modelling that the total volume of controlled airspace does not increase and that where possible, controlled airspace would be released to other airspace users, including general aviation. The Government expects to publish the high level findings of this later in 2018.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is making flexible use of internal resources and additional fixed-term contractor staff, to help manage the short-term increase in applications. This has increased the available resource by 35%, and the CAA consequently expect to have returned to its target turnaround time of ten working days by the end of June. The CAA is also actively recruiting additional permanent staff to improve resilience over the medium to long term.

My Lords, the future of the Belfast agreement is not, and never has been, in question. The UK’s exit from the EU does not change the commitment of the UK Government and the people of Northern Ireland to the Belfast agreement, its successors and the institutions that they establish. The Government will make a success of the UK’s exit from the EU and continue to build a brighter, more secure future for Northern Ireland.

My Lords, the Government are committed to tackling hate crime. The United Kingdom has one of the strongest legislative frameworks in the world to tackle it. In terms of recent events, we are working across government, the police, including national community tensions teams, the Crown Prosecution Service and community partners to send out a clear message. Hate crime will not be tolerated and those who commit these reprehensible acts will face the full force of the law.

We selected this three year transition period specifically so that we could responsibly fulfil commitments to existing financial aid projects and ensure government partners were able to build the capacity needed to meet development needs after our support ends.

In November 2012, the Secretary of State for International Development announced the UK would end our programme of financial aid grants to India by the end of 2015. That is exactly what we are doing. We will responsibly fulfil commitments to existing financial grant aid projects – all of which will be completed by end of 2015 – after which we will only provide support in the form of private sector expertise and technical assistance.

The post-2015 transition plan was agreed in 2012 following extensive consultation with the Government of India (GoI), and has been reviewed annually with the GoI, including most recently in October 2015.

The UK can be proud of the results that its aid to India continues to achieve. For example, during the five years to 2015, UK aid has ensured that over 3.5 million pregnant women and children under 5 are covered by nutrition programmes in eight low income states; that over 1.3 million people have sustainable access to improved sanitation; and that over 600,000 additional people have access to low carbon energy.

An exit and sustainability plan has been agreed between DFID and partners for every closing programme. In November 2012, we announced we would end our programme of financial aid grants to India by the end of 2015. That is exactly what we are doing. We set this three year transition period so that we could responsibly fulfil commitments to existing financial grant aid projects – all of which will be completed by end of 2015 – after which we will only provide support in the form of private sector expertise and technical assistance

The UK does not hold numbers of extremists from Commonwealth countries fighting in Syria and Iraq. The latest UN report on foreign fighters (April 2015) estimates there are over 1,350 foreign fighters in Syria and Iraq from Commonwealth nations. Over 800 Britons of national security concern have travelled to the region since the start of the conflict, around half of whom have returned.

The UK has been at the forefront of the international response to the humanitarian crisis in Syria. We have committed over £1.1 billion to date, making us the second largest bilateral donor to the international response.

We have planned for the endgame since the beginning of the conflict and during the Geneva process. We are now updating our planning to reflect the timeline envisaged in the Vienna process and are asking others to do the same. The initial priorities for Syria post-conflict will be protection, security, stabilisation and confidence building measures, including meeting basic needs and helping displaced people to return. Over time the focus will shift to longer-term re-building of Syria’s shattered infrastructure, harnessing the expertise of the UN, International Financial Institutions and the private sector. On 26 November, the Prime Minister announced at least £1 billion for Syria’s reconstruction. We anticipate that we would allocate reconstruction funds against a plan agreed between a new, inclusive Syrian government and the international community, once the conflict has ended.

We are committed to tackling extremism and radicalisation. A number of Commonwealth countries face significant challenges. The Commonwealth Secretariat has done some work in this area but additional capacity is required to coordinate the sharing of expertise and support efforts to counter the causes of radicalisation. The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), announced UK funding of £5m over 5 years to establish a Counter-Extremism and Counter Radicalisation Unit in the Commonwealth Secretariat. Setting up a new unit recognises that Commonwealth countries must work together to counter extremist ideologies and build their counter extremism capabilities. The unit will:

•Provide technical assistance to governments developing counter-extremism strategies.

•Mobilise Commonwealth civil society networks to counter radicalisation through targeted counter-narratives and strategic communication training.

•Enable Commonwealth members to meet their international counter extremism obligations. There is a demand from Commonwealth countries for support in implementing international counter extremism obligations (e.g. in relation to UNSCR 2178.).

We will work closely with the Commonwealth Secretariat, Commonwealth members and key stakeholders to ensure that UK funding supports the work of countries across the Commonwealth to tackle the threat of extremism.

The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), announced UK funding of £5million over 5 years to establish a Counter-Extremism and Counter Radicalisation Unit in the Commonwealth Secretariat. Setting up a new unit recognises that Commonwealth countries must work together to counter extremist ideologies and build their counter extremism capabilities. The unit will:

•Provide technical assistance to governments developing counter-extremism strategies.

•Mobilise Commonwealth civil society networks to counter radicalisation through targeted counter-narratives and strategic communication training.

•Enable Commonwealth members to meet their international counter extremism obligations. There is a demand from Commonwealth countries for support in implementing international counter extremism obligations, for example in relation to UN Security Council Resolution 2178.

Other Commonwealth partners have also pledged a contribution to this unit. We will work closely with the Commonwealth Secretariat, Commonwealth members and key stakeholders to ensure that UK funding supports the work of countries across the Commonwealth to tackle the threat of extremism

The Government is of the view that consumers should have the necessary information available to them to make an informed choice about their food. Any method of slaughter labelling system needs to cover more than just the UK. We are awaiting the results of an European Commission study on method-of-slaughter labelling, which is due this summer. We will look at possible options in light of that report.

The Government is committed to honesty in food labelling and has supported more and better country of origin labelling of fresh and frozen meat. Defra facilitated the creation of a set of industry principles on origin labelling, which has resulted in most meat carrying a voluntary indication of its origin.

The Government is firmly of the view that consumers should have the necessary information available to them to make an informed choice about their food. Any method of slaughter labelling system needs to cover more than just the UK. We are awaiting the results of an EU Commission study on method-of-slaughter labelling, which is due this summer. We will look at possible options in the light of that report.

DFID currently funds a wide range of schemes to promote better working conditions for textile workers in developing countries, including building capacity around rights and responsibilities for workers and employers, and improving working conditions.

DFID also works with the Ethical Trading Initiative, an alliance of businesses and voluntary organisations working to improve the working lives of poor and vulnerable people who make or produce consumer goods.

As agreed in “Building a prosperous and united community” the Government and Executive will examine the potential for devolving specific additional fiscal powers. Recommendations for further devolution will be put to Executive and Government Ministers by autumn 2014.

On corporation tax, the Government and Northern Ireland Executive have taken forward a constructive and positive programme of work examining the potential for devolving corporation tax powers to the Northern Ireland Assembly. The Government will make a final decision on the devolution of these powers no later than the Autumn Statement 2014.

The Government have no plans to introduce a tax relief for the cost of Private Medical Insurance.

Detailed planning of the First World War Centenary Commemoration Programme is under way. The Government will mark the first day of the Battle of the Somme, and engagements at Gallipoli and Passchendaele to recognise the contribution of all the allied troops involved, including those of the Indian subcontinent.

Dr Andrew Murrison MP, the Prime Minister’s special representative for the First World War Centenary Commemoration, will shortly be meeting members of the Commonwealth, including the countries from the Indian subcontinent, to discuss plans for the commemorations both in the UK and overseas.

The law of defamation is a devolved matter. During development of the Defamation Bill, we consulted the Northern Ireland Executive about whether they wished to seek a legislative consent Motion for the extension of any provisions in the Bill to Northern Ireland. In the event, no such extension was sought. When the Bill is enacted, the existing provisions for determining jurisdiction for civil actions between different parts of the United Kingdom will apply.