Northern Ireland Office

We all remember vividly where we were when we heard the news of that awful atrocity in August 1998, and I pay tribute to Michael Gallagher and the other Omagh families who have pursued their case with great dignity and tenacity.

The Government is doing everything in its power to ensure that the Omagh Bombing Inquiry, under the expert guidance of Lord Turnbull, provides answers. Along with the significant powers provided to it under the Inquiries Act 2005, the Inquiry will need the cooperation of Irish agencies to be as effective as possible.

I raised this directly with the Irish Foreign Minister and Tánaiste at the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference on Monday 29 April, and I am pleased that he committed to full Irish Government co-operation with the Omagh bombing inquiry. The Government’s focus is on ensuring that the inquiry has every chance of success, and the Irish Government’s role in that is crucial.

At the last two British-Irish Intergovernmental Conferences, the Secretary of State and I pressed the Irish Government to cooperate fully with both the Omagh inquiry and the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery to provide information for victims and families who desire it. The Secretary of State also wrote to the Tánaiste in January, challenging the Irish Government’s own approach to addressing legacy issues, including the number of Troubles-related prosecutions brought in Ireland since April 1998.

It is clear that the Irish Government has legitimate questions to answer regarding its record of dealing with legacy matters in its own jurisdiction. The coroner in the Kingsmill Inquest found, “the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland was “exploited by terrorists” and allowed for “… planning, training, organisation, weapons storage and retreat at a safe physical and legal distance from the authorities that would be faced with investigating terrorist acts in Northern Ireland”.

It is clear that, for many families, effective information recovery will also require the cooperation of the Irish Government and its agencies. The Government continues to encourage the Irish Government to cooperate with the new Independent Commission for Reconciliation & Information Recovery to help facilitate the provision of information to families who request it, including most recently at the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference on 29 April 2024.

The Kingsmill massacre is an appalling example of the pain and suffering inflicted by the Provisional IRA during the Troubles. The families have fought for many decades to get information and accountability from those responsible. The Government hopes that the findings delivered by the coroner have brought some form of comfort to the families affected.

The coroner, in his findings, expressed gratitude for the assistance the inquest received from the Irish authorities. It is the Government’s view, however, that such cooperation should not be limited to high-profile cases. It is disappointing that the Irish Government has, to date, declined to commit to cooperating with the new Independent Commission for Reconciliation & Information Recovery to help facilitate the provision of information to families who request it. The Government continues to encourage the Irish Government to cooperate with the ICRIR, just as it has done in the Kingsmill inquest and Operation Denton.

I made these points directly to the Irish Government at the most recent meeting of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference on 29 April.

The Public History expert advisory panel is independent of Government. Its members are not paid to perform their roles. The panel will be reimbursed for associated costs, for example workshops and seminars in line with recommendations made in the Pilling Report 2009 and the panel’s terms of reference.

The Government has the deepest sympathy for all of those affected by the Omagh bomb in August 1998, including those members from the uniformed services who were present on the day.

I met with representatives of the Military and Police Support of West Tyrone and Omagh Bomb Inquiry Police Support Group when I visited Omagh last week, and they very clearly set out their concerns about the toll that participation in the Inquiry may take on former officer’s mental health and wellbeing.

While I was grateful to hear their views - and look forward to doing so again in the future - support for former police officers in respect of their mental health is a devolved issue so is a matter for the Northern Ireland Executive.

EURO 2028 is a fantastic opportunity for the UK and Ireland to showcase world class sport as hosts. The UK Government is continuing to work closely with relevant stakeholders including with regards to host stadia for EURO 2028.

The Government remains committed to ensuring EURO 2028 leaves a lasting legacy across the UK

EURO 2028 is a fantastic opportunity for the UK and Ireland to showcase world-class sport as hosts.

The UK Government is continuing to work closely with the Department for Communities regarding the cost and delivery of Casement Park whilst also having proper regard for value for money for the taxpayer. We remain committed to ensuring EURO 2028 leaves a lasting legacy across the UK.

EURO 2028 is a fantastic opportunity for the UK and Ireland to showcase world-class sport as hosts.

The UK Government is continuing to work closely with the Department for Communities regarding the cost and delivery of Casement Park whilst also having proper regard for value for money for the taxpayer. We remain committed to ensuring EURO 2028 leaves a lasting legacy across the UK.

The Troubles Permanent Disablement Payment Scheme is due to close for new applications in August 2026. The Scheme is a devolved matter and communications are the responsibility of the Victims Payments Board.

The Board have recently conducted a communications campaign to raise awareness of the scheme, including key milestones such as the closing date for new applications.

The Northern Ireland Office reported no cases of fraud or amounts lost due to fraud or error in any of the last three financial years. This is disclosed as part of the Annual Report and Accounts available on GOV.UK.

The Government is determined to uncover fraud in the public sector and is proud of its record. As part of this, the Government established the Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA).

In 22/23, the PSFA set a target of delivering £180m of savings to the taxpayer. In fact, the PSFA far surpassed this within the first 12 months by preventing and recovering £311 million. As it enters its second year, the PSFA has a target of achieving £185 million of savings for the taxpayer.

The Government has also announced an additional £34 million to deploy cutting-edge tools and Artificial Intelligence tools to help combat fraud across the public sector, saving £100 million for the public purse. This is in addition to existing partnerships between PSFA and the tech sector.

The Northern Ireland Office has also recently launched a counter Fraud, Bribery and Corruption Policy and Response Plan.

Support for victims of the Troubles - including the Troubles Permanent Disablement Payment Scheme - is a devolved matter.

Resourcing of the Victims Payments Board is a matter for the consideration of the Northern Ireland Executive.

Since I advised on 17 January that I had met with Justice McAlinden, my officials have conducted extensive stakeholder engagement with more than twenty consultees throughout January to March. We are now considering the findings and will publish the report in due course.

As part of the review of the operation of the Troubles Permanent Disablement Scheme, I will consider evidence to determine whether an extension to the period for backdated payments is warranted. My officials have now conducted their engagement and I will advise on my decision in due course.

The group to which the Noble Baroness refers no longer exists.

Relevant documents relating to this issue are freely accessible in the National Archives at Kew, to which the Noble Baroness might wish to refer. The Government takes seriously its obligations under the Public Records Act 1958.

From 1 May, victims and families can directly refer their cases to the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery for review and I strongly encourage them to do so.

The Commission will have extensive powers to conduct thorough investigations and will deliver better outcomes for victims and families than the current system.

EURO 2028 is a fantastic opportunity for the UK and Ireland to showcase world-class sport as hosts.

The UK Government is continuing to work closely with the Department for Communities regarding the cost and delivery of Casement Park. We remain committed to ensuring EURO 2028 leaves a lasting legacy across the UK.

Energy policy is devolved in Northern Ireland and is the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Executive Department for the Economy. The Department for the Economy (DfE) held a consultation on Design Considerations for its own bespoke Renewables Support Scheme in February 2023 which included seeking views on having a Contracts for Difference scheme in Northern Ireland. Consultation responses were recently published on 9 April 2024. DfE states that having considered the consultation responses, it will design a new Renewable Electricity Support Scheme for Northern Ireland which builds upon the support schemes across Great Britain, Ireland, and Europe. Northern Ireland has a vital role to play in helping the UK reach net zero by 2050.

The Government stands ready to support the Executive to reduce unacceptably long waiting times. The Government has made £3.3bn available to the Executive to spend on its priorities, including over £30m to address healthcare waiting lists.

I am clear that tackling waiting lists and stabilising health services in Northern Ireland is the start of a much bigger challenge in transforming services for the longer term. Innovative strategic thinking is needed to find solutions that will balance budgets and improve all public services across Northern Ireland. The Government is excited to work with Executive Ministers on plans that will deliver for Northern Ireland.

In the Safeguarding the Union Command Paper, the UK Government committed to a rapid, focused process, on the implementation of corporation tax devolution through a new Joint Exchequer Committee.

The Committee will take forward urgent work on this process. However, the devolution of corporation tax alone will not solve the financial challenges facing Northern Ireland. The Executive needs to make difficult decisions around revenue-raising and public service transformation to put Northern Ireland’s finances on a sustainable footing.

The Government’s priority is to secure a long-term sustainable solution on veterinary medicines. To that end, we wish to pursue such a solution through discussions with the EU, as well as preparing for safeguards in all scenarios. We have set up a Veterinary Medicines Working Group to advise the Government on solutions and are grateful for your expertise as a member of this group. The Working Group has met twice and aims to report in a timely manner by June.

In the meantime, we have put in place a grace period arrangement until the end of 2025 which supports continuity of supply to Northern Ireland.

The Spring Budget underlined the UK Government’s commitment to Northern Ireland and to the Union.

The Executive will be able to spend additional Barnett funding of £100 million for 2024-25, on top of the £3.3 billion spending settlement.

It announced over £1 billion of new tax reliefs for creative industries across the UK, which is great news for NI’s creative industry businesses.

Another £2 million was announced to boost global investment and trade, building on the successful NI Investment Summit held last September.

As I set out in a Written Ministerial Statement on 17 April, I can confirm that the ICRIR’s operational functions will be commenced and the Commission will be able to receive requests and carry out reviews as planned on 1 May 2024 - the point at which the Legacy Act automatically ends current investigations and inquests. From this date, following a request in accordance with the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023, the ICRIR will carry out reviews of Troubles-related deaths and serious injuries that occurred between 1966 and 1998.

The Government is committed to the memorialisation measures set out in Part 4 of the Legacy Act and elsewhere. While our focus since Royal Assent of the Act has been on establishing the ICRIR, we know these wider measures are also essential to deliver for victims and families in Northern Ireland. Further to previous announcements on Public History and the project to digitise Troubles-related Government files, we will set out further details in due course.

Challenges against the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 have been heard in the High Court in Northern Ireland. The Government welcomes the Court’s findings that the ICRIR is operationally independent from Government and has the necessary powers to carry out reviews in accordance with the state’s obligations with Articles 2 and 3 of the ECHR.

However, following consideration of all aspects of the judgment, the UK Government has lodged an application for an appeal with the Northern Ireland Court of Appeal.

We remain committed to implementing the Legacy Act and delivering the ICRIR to provide better outcomes for victims and survivors of the Troubles by giving them more information about what happened to their loved ones.

The table below summarises the published Civil Service Statistics which includes the number of civil servants who have left the Northern Ireland Office since 2015.

The Cabinet Office has recently launched the new Civil Service People Plan 2024 - 2027, which demonstrates our commitment to developing and retaining the key skills the Civil Service needs, both now and in the future.

My Department collects diversity information in line with its equality duties and the requirements of the Governance Code on Public Appointments for all public appointments set out in the Schedule to the Public Appointments Order in Council.

Information collected on appointments and reappointments is published annually by the Cabinet Office in the Public Appointments Data Report and can be found on GOV.UK. The Commissioner for Public Appointments also includes data in his annual report which is published at:

https://publicappointmentscommissioner.independent.gov.uk/publications/annual-reports/

The General Register Office within the Northern Ireland Department of Finance is responsible for the administration of marriage and civil partnership law in Northern Ireland. They should be contacted for further information regarding this matter.

Consistent with responsibility for the Windsor Framework, the Cabinet Office is responsible for the Windsor Framework (Implementation) Regulations 2024 overall. Any matters relating to the constitutional position of Northern Ireland or devolution would be for the Northern Ireland Office to answer.

I met with Sir Iain Livingstone on 6 March 2024 and updated him on the Government’s plans to make transitional provision to clarify that final administrative tasks related to a criminal investigation (including, for example, report-writing and publication of reports, such as the Kenova report) can be retained and completed by their original owners on and after 1 May 2024.

As Kenova is operationally independent of the Government, I am not in a position to confirm the publication date of its reports.

While policies on this matter are ultimately devolved to the Northern Ireland Executive, the Secretary of State is committed to continuing to engage with groups across all sectors of society in Northern Ireland to discuss how the UK Government can support them.

The UK Government has been continually engaging with the US government since President Biden’s statement in April 2023 regarding investment into Northern Ireland. Last week I was in Washington D.C where I spoke to the US Special Envoy for Northern Ireland for Economic Affairs. I also attended a roundtable with the Federation of Small Businesses, and spoke to other US investors about the unique opportunity Northern Ireland has to offer.

The UK has signed state-level Memorandums of Understanding with eight US states (Florida, Texas, Washington, Utah, Oklahoma, North Carolina, South Carolina and Indiana) to set out mutual goals and activities to strengthen our economic ties, as well as promote trade and investment, address trade barriers and enhance business networks.

The Northern Ireland Investment Summit, held last September, highlighted Northern Ireland’s innovation and technological strengths to around 200 global investors. Guests included Joe Kennedy III (US Special Envoy to Northern Ireland for Economic Affairs) and the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to the USA. The Summit showcased Northern Ireland’s innovation, deep expertise in industries of the future, and unparalleled investment opportunities given its unique trading position.

The murder of Sean Brown was an appalling act. I acknowledge the great suffering it has caused and continues to cause the Brown family, and the wider community.

I am currently taking appropriate advice and considering the Coroner’s report.

The Government’s position on the Windsor Framework, and its interaction with Article 6 of the Acts of Union, is set out in full in the Command Papers of 27 February 2023 and 31 January 2024.

I have not had any discussions with the Irish Government on this topic. Details of the scheme are ultimately a matter for the Irish Government.

The Government has not made any estimate of the number of people living in the United Kingdom who will be eligible for the scheme. Eligibility is ultimately a matter for the Irish Government.

I have not had any discussions with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on this topic. Details of the scheme are a matter for the Irish Government.

The UK Government remains determined to support the Executive to maximise the opportunities presented by the financial package.

To help stabilise the Executive’s financial position, the UK Government has agreed to pause its debt repayments from 2022-23 and 2023-24 of up to £559 million and will no longer require these funds to be repaid, subject to the Executive publishing a plan, which outlines how it will deliver sustainable public finances and services, and demonstrating implementation of that plan by May 2025.

This sustainability plan must include the delivery of a balanced budget for 2024-25 by raising a minimum of £113 million through locally generated income. It will be for the Executive to determine if it will consider a different course of action to deliver the public services that Northern Ireland needs as part of its plan for financial sustainability.

Operation Kenova is an independent investigation commissioned by the Police Service of Northern Ireland. The PSNI is therefore best placed to provide an accurate estimate of its cost.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to UIN 17536 on 13 March 2024.

In the months leading up to the restoration of the Northern Ireland Executive, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland engaged with the Secretary of State for the Department of Health and Social Care and the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on the issue of pay awards for healthcare workers in Northern Ireland. In addition to these meetings, he met with trade union representatives on this important matter.

Healthcare is a devolved matter and pay awards are ultimately a matter for the Department of Health. The UK Government has provided the Executive with a £3.3 billion financial package to stabilise Northern Ireland’s finances. This package includes £584m to provide public sector pay awards for 2023-24. It will be up to the Executive to decide on the level of pay awards and to balance these costs against other priorities.

The Government publishes on GOV.UK details of the cost of overseas Ministerial travel, including costs of travel, and on other costs (visas, accommodation, meals). But as has been the case under successive administrations, the Government does not publish granular detail on Ministers’ travel at home or abroad.

The Northern Ireland Office reported no cases of fraud or amounts lost due to fraud or error in any of the last three financial years. This is disclosed as part of the Annual Report and Accounts available on GOV.UK.

The PSFA produces a Fraud Landscape Report:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cross-government-fraud-landscape-annual-report-2022.

This provides data on fraud and error detection, loss and recoveries in central government, outside of the tax and welfare system. (The 2020/21 Report was published in March 2023).

The Government is proud of its record in proactively seeking to find and prevent more fraud. We have established the dedicated Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA). In its first year, it delivered £311 million in audited counter fraud benefits.

HM Treasury officials wrote to their counterparts in the Northern Ireland Department of Finance on 1 March 2024 formally confirming the removal of the ring-fence for £150 million of Fresh Start Agreement funding.

This formal confirmation followed official level discussions between the UK Government and the Northern Ireland Civil Service on UK Government funding streams being made available within the financial package to support the restored Executive.

The Supreme Court clearly set out in its judgement of 8 February 2023 the issues it considered and its reasoning for reaching the conclusions it did.

The Government’s consistent position on these matters is set out in the Safeguarding the Union Command Paper, which is that the Windsor Framework (which replaced the old Protocol) applies entirely consistently with Northern Ireland’s constitutional position within the United Kingdom, including as expressed in the relevant statute today.