Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether they will require their department and agencies to offer payroll deductions to all employees to enable them to join a credit union.

Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) does not offer payroll deductions for credit unions. However, the department offers financial wellbeing support and advice through the employee benefits package. The employee benefits package is provided to NIO staff by the Ministry of Justice and its contracted suppliers.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many administrative letters to individuals under the on-the-runs scheme were issued broken down by year.

Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

This information is publicly available at Appendix 4: Chronology of The Report of the Hallet Review: An Independent Review into the On the Runs Administrative Scheme, which can be found here.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 28 January (HLWS1282), what procedure they used to commence the provisions in Sections 1, 2 and 3 of the Identity and Language (Northern Ireland) Act 2022.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

On Wednesday 28 January 2026, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland made the Identity and Language (Northern Ireland) Act 2022 (Commencement No. 3) Regulations 2026, in exercise of the powers conferred by sections 10(2) and 10(3) of the Identity and Language (Northern Ireland) Act 2022. The commenced provisions came into force on 29 January 2026.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure that the Northern Ireland Veterans Commissioner's Office is able to operate independently of Government.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Northern Ireland Veterans Commissioner's Office (NIVCO) is an independent entity, a status essential to its ability to operate effectively. To firmly establish this independence, a formal Management Statement was agreed between NIVCO and its sponsoring department, the Northern Ireland Office (NIO).

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on food security and local growing incentives.

Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

Food Security is a devolved matter. 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.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many prosecutions have been taken against republican paramilitaries for troubles-related crimes.

Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

The Government does not hold all of the specific information that has been requested.

We understand that, between 1 January 2012 and December 2024, 68 cases for potential prosecution were considered in Northern Ireland in relation to Troubles-related cases, of which, there were 25 decisions to prosecute. 13 of these decisions relate to cases that fall within the republican category, 6 within the loyalist category, and 6 within the military category.

Where decisions have been taken to prosecute in Northern Ireland, there have been 6 convictions; 3 in the republican category, two in the loyalist category, and 1 in the military category, with that individual being given a suspended sentence.

We understand that figures relating to 1998-2012 are not available.

Information about Troubles-related prosecutions in England and Wales is a matter for the Crown Prosecution Service.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many prosecutions have been taken against loyalist paramilitaries for troubles-related crimes.

Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

The Government does not hold all of the specific information that has been requested.

We understand that, between 1 January 2012 and December 2024, 68 cases for potential prosecution were considered in Northern Ireland in relation to Troubles-related cases, of which, there were 25 decisions to prosecute. 13 of these decisions relate to cases that fall within the republican category, 6 within the loyalist category, and 6 within the military category.

Where decisions have been taken to prosecute in Northern Ireland, there have been 6 convictions; 3 in the republican category, two in the loyalist category, and 1 in the military category, with that individual being given a suspended sentence.

We understand that figures relating to 1998-2012 are not available.

Information about Troubles-related prosecutions in England and Wales is a matter for the Crown Prosecution Service.

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Found: FROM BARONESS ANDERSON OF STOKE-ON-TRENT GOVERNMENT WHIP DfE, HO, MOJ, NIO, SO AND WO 020-7219 6802

Found: | Nuffield Trust 19 Population estimates for the UK, England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland - Office