Northern Ireland Office

Construction of Social Housing is the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive and the Department of Communities.

The UK Government has provided the Executive with a record £18.2bn for 2025-26. This includes an additional £1.5bn for 2025/26 and represents the largest settlement in the history of devolution. It is for the Executive to allocate money to the Department of Communities for social housing construction.

The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State and I have met with the Minister for Communities, Gordon Lyons MLA, to discuss a range of issues, including social housing.

For security reasons we do not share details of Northern Ireland Office Ministers’ itineraries in advance.

The Honourable Gentleman will be aware it is a requirement to notify Members of Parliament before a visit to their constituency. For the recent occasion when he was not notified, I have apologised to him.

I have visited 16 parliamentary constituencies across Northern Ireland since my appointment.

Since my appointment, I have met with a range of language groups in Northern Ireland, including the Ulster-Scots Agency.

Since my appointment, I have met with a number of Irish language groups in Northern Ireland, including Foras na Gaeilge.

The Government's new strategic partnership with the EU will deliver greater prosperity and security for Northern Ireland and the UK as a whole. In particular, the new SPS Agreement with the EU will facilitate the smooth flow of agrifood and plants from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, protecting the UK’s internal market, reducing costs for businesses and improving consumer choice.

The Summit also marked the establishment of a new security and defence partnership that will help us work together with the EU on threats to national security and will support our defence industry, which has more than 9,000 aerospace, defence, space, and security jobs in Northern Ireland. In addition, we announced a closer law enforcement relationship with the EU that will help prevent crime and bring perpetrators to justice.

The Government's new strategic partnership with the EU will deliver greater prosperity and security for Northern Ireland and the UK as a whole. In particular, the new SPS Agreement with the EU will facilitate the smooth flow of agrifood and plants from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, protecting the UK’s internal market, reducing costs for businesses and improving consumer choice.

Intertrade UK is focused on promoting all internal UK trade including work to support businesses across the UK realise the full benefits of the new SPS Agreement.

The Northern Ireland Office does not pay subscription fees to Stonewall.

A growing number of families are taking cases to ICRIR, and the Government has confidence in its ability to start delivering investigations, accountability, and information for them.

In its judgment, the Court of Appeal recognised ICRIR’s powers to access information and its independence from government. However, the confidence of families in its work is paramount.

That is why the Government has already begun the process of repealing and replacing the previous Government's Legacy Act and is committed to fundamentally reforming the ICRIR to further strengthen its powers and independence.

The Government will continue to work with all parties in a spirit of openness as we seek a resolution to legacy that can see us move forward together.

A growing number of families are taking cases to ICRIR, and the Government has confidence in its ability to start delivering investigations, accountability, and information for them.

In its judgment, the Court of Appeal recognised ICRIR’s powers to access information and its independence from government. However, the confidence of families in its work is paramount.

That is why the Government has already begun the process of repealing and replacing the previous Government's Legacy Act and is committed to fundamentally reforming the ICRIR to further strengthen its powers and independence.

The Government will continue to work with all parties in a spirit of openness as we seek a resolution to legacy that can see us move forward together.

There are encouraging signs of increasing engagement with ICRIR. By the end of March 2025, 154 individuals have come forward with 50 live investigations currently underway. The Government has confidence in its ability to deliver investigations, accountability, and information for families. These figures illustrate a growing willingness to engage with ICRIR, but it is clear that confidence in ICRIR will be determined by the outcomes provided for victims and survivors.

However, as part of its commitment to repeal and replace the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023, the Government has committed to introducing primary legislation when parliamentary time allows, including to fundamentally reform and strengthen the independent Commission to ensure it is fully human rights compliant and can command public confidence.

The Government is committed to the Windsor Framework and to protecting the UK internal market. The Framework guarantees unfettered access for Northern Ireland’s businesses to the UK market and also supports traders to do business. Many are taking advantage of the support provided by the Trader Support Service.

On 1 May 2025, the Government introduced important new arrangements for freight and parcels movements to ensure that goods can continue to move smoothly from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. The new arrangements ensure that goods sent to or from consumers will not be subject to customs declarations or duty. We have also introduced a range of schemes to support businesses by removing unnecessary checks and paperwork; over 10,000 businesses are already signed up to the UK Internal Market Scheme.

Furthermore, the Government’s renewed partnership with the EU will deliver a broader range of benefits for people and businesses across the UK, including the SPS Agreement which, once implemented, will facilitate the smooth flow of agrifood and plants from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, reduce costs for businesses and improve consumer choice.

As part of its commitment to repeal and replace the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy & Reconciliation) Act 2023, the Government has committed to introducing primary legislation when parliamentary time allows, including to fundamentally reform and strengthen the independent Commission established by the Act to ensure it is fully human rights compliant and can command public confidence.

The Government continues to engage with all interested parties at ministerial and official level in a spirit of openness regarding an appropriate way forward, including members of civil society. I and my officials have regularly met victims groups, groups representing veterans, human rights organisations, and others including academics as part of this process.

The Northern Ireland Office remains committed to supporting the use of apprenticeships across all government departments to break down barriers to opportunity. This includes supporting the Government’s commitment to 2,000 digital apprenticeships through its TechTrack scheme by 2030 to improve digital skills and drive improvements and efficiency in public services.

Additionally, a new cross-Government Level 3 apprenticeship programme in Business Administration, The ‘Civil Service Career Launch Apprenticeship’ (CLA), will see new apprentices kickstart their careers, across various departments, starting from January 2026.

As a department, the Northern Ireland Office annually recruits a Communication Apprentice through the Government Communications Service.

I pay tribute to all those who work to tackle and support recovery from major wildfire outbreaks like those seen recently in the Mourne area.

This Government has provided the Northern Ireland Executive with a record £18.2 billion settlement for 2025-26. That translates into over £1.5 billion more in 2025-26 and the largest settlement in the history of devolution.

It is for the Executive to allocate the funding in line with its priorities and to address emerging challenges.

Alongside providing funding for transformative projects through the Public Services Transformation Board, we have strengthened the exchange of best practice to tackle shared challenges together, paving the way for better public service outcomes.

The Executive will need to make difficult decisions, and this Government is committed to partnering on our shared goal of improving public services.

As part of its commitment to repeal and replace the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy & Reconciliation) Act 2023, the Government has committed to introducing primary legislation when parliamentary time allows, including to fundamentally reform and strengthen the independent Commission established by the Act to ensure it is fully human rights compliant and can command public confidence.

As part of this process, the Government continues to engage with all interested parties in a spirit of openness regarding an appropriate way forward, including the Northern Ireland parties. I regularly meet the leader of the Alliance Party to discuss a range of issues, including legacy, and will continue to do so.

As part of its commitment to repeal and replace the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy & Reconciliation) Act 2023, the Government has committed to introducing primary legislation when parliamentary time allows, including to fundamentally reform and strengthen the independent Commission established by the Act to ensure it is fully human rights compliant and can command public confidence.

As part of this process, the Government continues to engage with all interested parties in a spirit of openness regarding an appropriate way forward, including the Northern Ireland parties. I regularly meet the leader of the SDLP to discuss a range of issues, including legacy, and will continue to do so.

As part of its commitment to repeal and replace the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy & Reconciliation) Act 2023, the Government has committed to introducing primary legislation when parliamentary time allows, including to fundamentally reform and strengthen the independent Commission established by the Act to ensure it is fully human rights compliant and can command public confidence.

As part of this process, the Government continues to engage with all interested parties in a spirit of openness regarding an appropriate way forward, including the Northern Ireland parties. I have recently met the leadership of Sinn Fein to discuss a range of issues, including legacy, and will continue to do sox.

As part of its commitment to repeal and replace the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy & Reconciliation) Act 2023, the Government has committed to introducing primary legislation when parliamentary time allows, including to fundamentally reform and strengthen the independent Commission established by the Act to ensure it is fully human rights compliant and can command public confidence.

As part of this process, the Government continues to engage with all interested parties in a spirit of openness regarding an appropriate way forward, including the Northern Ireland parties. I regularly meet the leader of the UUP to discuss a range of issues, including legacy, and will continue to do so.

As part of its commitment to repeal and replace the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy & Reconciliation) Act 2023, the Government has committed to introducing primary legislation when parliamentary time allows, including to fundamentally reform and strengthen the independent Commission established by the Act to ensure it is fully human rights compliant and can command public confidence.

As part of this process, the Government continues to engage with all interested parties in a spirit of openness regarding an appropriate way forward, including the Northern Ireland parties. I regularly meet the leader of the DUP to discuss a range of issues, including legacy, and will continue to do so.

The decision on which currencies to accept for payment, including whether to process card transactions in euros or any other international currency, is a matter for individual businesses across the UK, including in Northern Ireland.

Businesses are responsible for ensuring transparency in any associated currency conversion charges applied to customers. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) regulates the conduct of financial services firms in the UK and sets out rules to ensure customers are treated fairly, including in relation to payment services and foreign exchange disclosures.

The Government continues to monitor developments and maintain dialogue with relevant regulators and stakeholders where appropriate.

I am a passionate advocate for Northern Irish tech companies and for investment by international tech companies in Northern Ireland.

I recently attended the Big Data New York Conference – a spin off of Big Data Belfast – to highlight the international investment opportunities in Northern Ireland's well established and fast growing Cyber and Digital sectors.

I am a passionate advocate for Northern Irish tech companies and for investment by international tech companies in Northern Ireland.

I recently attended the Big Data New York Conference – a spin off of Big Data Belfast – to highlight the international investment opportunities in Northern Ireland's well established and fast growing Cyber and Digital sectors.

This is an issue that the previous Government failed to adequately address following the 2020 Supreme Court judgment in Adams.

Its belated attempt to do so via an amendment to the Legacy Act has been found by the Northern Ireland courts to be unlawful.

The Government is carefully exploring how to lawfully address this complex issue alongside our clear commitment to implement legacy mechanisms that are fully compliant with human rights.

The UK Government is investing £617m through the four City and Growth Deals which cover the whole of Northern Ireland.

My officials meet regularly with their counterparts from the Northern Ireland Department of Finance to discuss delivery of each of the four Northern Ireland growth deals and ensure that each is progressing.

As part of the Government’s efforts to help drive forward implementation of the deals I have met with a range of stakeholders and delivery partners, including the First Minister, deputy First Minister and Minister of Finance to discuss the City and Growth Deals. Last year, I was delighted to sign the Derry-Londonderry and Strabane City Full Deal at the Guildhall and the Mid South West Growth Deal’s Heads of Terms Document in Cookstown.

Both signings highlighted the collective efforts of the local councils involved and a demonstration of what can be achieved when we work together.

In Belfast, delivery is progressing. This year we will have the opening of Studio Ulster, and in 2026 we will see the opening of the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre (AMIC) in Newtonabbey which will support innovation excellence in Northern Ireland and provide over 1,500 permanent jobs, supporting this Government's Economic Growth Mission.

The Government is committed to repealing and replacing the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023. As part of that process, we are considering a range of options for ensuring the ICRIR is both fully ECHR compliant and capable of commanding public confidence across all communities in Northern Ireland.

During ongoing policy development, the Government is examining a number of operational models, including the one used by Operation Kenova, which has rightly been praised for its independence, and victim-centred approach.

The Government’s objective in this area is to ensure a reformed Commission is able to win the trust of families, and is underpinned by transparency, rigour and accountability at every level.

The Government has already begun the process of repealing and replacing the previous Government's Legacy Act. On 4 December 2024, I laid a proposed draft remedial order before Parliament that, if adopted, will remove from the Act a number of provisions that have been found by the NI courts to be incompatible with the UK’s human rights obligations. These include all those relating to the immunity scheme, and the bar on new civil cases.

While we want to make progress as swiftly as possible, we remain committed to engaging widely with all interested parties to help determine what provisions should be included in new primary legislation. At the British Irish Intergovernmental Conference (BIIGC) on 24 April, the Governments discussed Legacy issues, including proposals for legislative reform. As noted at BIIGC, the Government remains committed to introducing primary legislation when Parliamentary time allows.

I speak regularly on a wide range of matters to Northern Ireland Executive Ministers and the Northern Ireland political parties. This includes discussion of the Government's commitment to safeguarding the UK internal market, handling divergence and encouraging economic growth, in line with the Government's manifesto and the five missions.

The development of all UK Government policy and legislation will always consider possible impacts, including where required the completion of an impact assessment.

As set out in the Safeguarding the Union command paper, public authorities must also include an explicit Internal Market Assessment as part of any Regulatory Impact Assessments that they are carrying out, to consider whether measures would have an adverse impact on the UK’s internal market, including in respect of Northern Ireland.

I have carried out over 80 visits to 16 constituencies across Northern Ireland since my appointment. I welcome suggestions for future visits from Parliamentary colleagues.

Members of Parliament should be notified in advance of Ministerial visits to their constituency. I have apologised to the Honourable Member for the recent failure to notify him. The Northern Ireland Office is currently reorganising this notification process to ensure there is no reoccurrence.

In the central Northern Ireland Office communications team, there are a total of ten full-time equivalent Government Communication Service professionals.

Of this total, six work in the media team which covers press and media responsibilities.

This is the latest available data from June 2024.

The Remembrance Day bombing in Enniskillen was a horrific atrocity carried out by the Provisional IRA. The Government offers sincere condolences to all those who lost loved ones or were injured as a result of the attack and recognises that the long search for answers experienced by families has exacerbated their pain.

The Government has committed to reform and strengthen the Independent Commission on Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR), including its powers, independence, and accountability, to ensure that it is human rights compliant and can build public confidence. The Government would therefore encourage those families to make a referral to the Commission to undertake an ECHR compliant investigation into the Remembrance Day bombing.

The Government has the deepest sympathy for all of those affected by the Omagh bomb in August 1998. It was a terrible atrocity committed by the Real IRA at a time when the people of Northern Ireland were looking to a future without violence, and it caused immeasurable suffering to the families who lost loved ones and to those who were injured.

The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has welcomed the Irish Government's public commitment to cooperate with the Omagh Bombing Inquiry, as outlined in the memorandum of understanding signed directly between the Inquiry and the Irish Government.

At the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference on 24 April, the Government and the Government of Ireland discussed Legacy issues, including the Omagh Inquiry, and the need for clear reciprocal commitments by the UK Government and the Government of Ireland. Ultimately, securing the confidence of victims, survivors, and families will remain at the heart of the work of both Governments.

The project’s independent expert advisory panel continues to work under the published terms of reference. Further to the announcement made on 9 April 2025, the panel is currently accepting applications from independently-minded historians as part of an open and transparent competition, and has launched a website with further information about the project.

Further to my Oral Statement in December 2024, the Government has been focussed on repealing and replacing the Legacy Act, ensuring that its mechanisms are human rights compliant and capable of commanding public confidence. We remain committed, however, to the oral history and other measures set out in Part 4 of the Act - which are widely supported in principle - and will set out further details in due course. In the meantime, progress has been made on two other, non-legislative, historical projects - digitisation and official history - the details of which were announced last month.

The dates on which Northern Ireland local elections and Northern Ireland Assembly elections are to be held are set out in legislation. The Government does not intend to change the date of the 2027 elections.

I discussed the future of Spirit Aerosystems in meetings with Airbus on 25 November 2024 and 23 April 2025, the trade unions on 29 January 2025, and the Minister for the Economy, Caoimhe Archibald MLA, on 3 March 2025. My officials are continuing to collaborate with the Department for Business and Trade to monitor the latest developments and provide updates.

The Government has worked with the Northern Ireland Executive to secure the future for Spirit Aerosystems’s operation in Belfast, its workforce, and the wider aerospace sector. The Department for Business and Trade has continued to be in contact with Spirit, Airbus, Boeing, and other potential buyers to ensure the best outcome whereby the new owners commit to invest and grow the businesses, thereby sustaining jobs and safeguarding the aerospace sector in Northern Ireland.

On 28 April 2025, Airbus publicly announced that it had signed a definitive agreement with Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems to acquire specific Spirit operations directly related to Airbus programmes in the UK. In Belfast, Airbus will take ownership of the A220 wing manufacturing and assembly facility. The A220 mid-fuselage work package will also transfer to Airbus if a buyer for the remainder of the Belfast site is not found prior to closing of the deal later this year.

Funding for special educational needs is devolved to the Northern Ireland Executive. It is for the Department of Education to ensure special educational needs are adequately funded in Northern Ireland.

As set out in the recent Spending Review, this Government is providing the Executive with a record £18.2bn for 2025-26, the largest settlement since the start of devolution. That translates into over £1.5 billion more in 2025-26. It is now for the Executive to decide how to allocate that funding.

The Northern Ireland Office works closely with His Majesty's Treasury to ensure value for money for the tax payer on all of the policies it delivers, including public inquiries.

In the Dillon and Others case, the Northern Ireland High Court made a number of section 4 Human Rights Act declarations of incompatibility in respect of the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023. The Government takes its human rights obligations extremely seriously and did not take forward an appeal.

The Government is appealing to the Supreme Court on two such declarations that were subsequently made by the Northern Ireland Court of Appeal.

In consulting over legacy legislation, the Northern Ireland Office regularly engage with a wide range of stakeholders, including veterans.

The Government is committed to repeal and replace the almost universally opposed - and in many respects, unlawful - Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy & Reconciliation) Act 2023.

As part of this commitment, the Government has been consistently clear that we will propose measures to allow inquests previously halted by the Act to proceed, as set out in my written ministerial statements of 29 July 2024 and 7 October 2024, and in my oral statement of 4 December 2024.

The Government is continuing to engage with all interested parties in a spirit of openness as we seek to implement legacy mechanisms that are compliant with human rights, and can command confidence across communities.