Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Minister of Justice on public confidence in sentencing decisions in Northern Ireland; and whether he has made an assessment of trends in the level of public confidence in the criminal justice system.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
It is important that there is confidence in the justice system. I regularly meet with the Northern Ireland Minister of Justice to discuss areas of mutual interest and concern.
Policing and justice, with the exception of national security, are devolved matters. As such, I understand that the Minister of Justice has introduced the Criminal Justice (Sentencing etc) Bill in the Northern Ireland Assembly, which aims to create more stringent sentences for a range of offences.
Asked by: Paul Holmes (Conservative - Hamble Valley)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, with reference to the answer of 11 March 2026 to Question 118513 on Identity Cards: Northern Ireland, why it is detrimental to have the electoral ID used as a form of secondary identification by citizens in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The intended purpose of the Northern Ireland electoral ID card is for an elector to be able to prove their identity when voting. The Electoral Office for Northern Ireland (EONI) produces the cards. It is not the responsibility of EONI to provide a secondary identification service; nor are they resourced to do so.
Asked by: Lord Balfe (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have received following the decision of the Northern Ireland Minister for the Economy to exempt businesses employing fewer than 10 workers from the provisions on trade union recognition in the 'Good Jobs' Employment Rights Bill; and what is their assessment of the impact of that decision on Northern Ireland adherence to the principles set out for trade union members across the UK.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Under Section 4, Paragraph 1 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, employment law and trade union matters are transferred to the Northern Ireland Executive. Any decisions regarding employment law are therefore the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Executive.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions a) Ministers and b) officials in his Department have had with the Soft Power Council.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Since the Soft Power Council was established in January 2025, it has met four times. Information about the Soft Power Council and its meetings is available on GOV.UK, including meeting dates, terms of reference, and abridged minutes of discussions.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will hold discussions with the Treasury on the potential merits of providing additional funding for the Connect Fund for the 2027-2029 period
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Connect Fund has achieved significant success, as evidenced by its oversubscription in every funding round held to date. Consequently, a total of 46 projects were supported through Rounds 1 and 2.
To address this sustained demand, the Northern Ireland Office has approved two additional funding rounds: Round 3 (FY 27/28) with an allocation of £500,000, and Round 4 (FY 28/29) with an increased allocation of £1,000,000.