Asked by: Lord Elliott of Ballinamallard (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what aspects of the Safeguarding the Union Command Paper (CP 1021), published on 31 January 2024, have been (1) fully implemented, (2) partially implemented, and (3) not implemented.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government is committed to continuing to take forward the Safeguarding the Union command paper, and to protecting Northern Ireland’s place in the UK Internal Market.
We continue to make progress on the implementation of the commitments made in the command paper. For instance, the digitisation of the News Letter was completed last year and there remains no Border Control Post at Cairnryan. In January, the East-West Council met for the third time where the Government announced there would be a pilot for the UK school twinning programme, which is being developed between the UK Government’s Department for Education and the Northern Ireland Executive’s Department of Education.
Other recent steps include the allocation of £2.25 million for Intertrade UK over the next three years and the opening of round two of the Connect Fund to support community and voluntary groups. In line with commitments made in the command paper, in December the Government published our response to Lord Murphy’s Independent Review of the Windsor Framework, and is now taking action on all of its recommendations.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many civil claims relating to the Northern Ireland Troubles are currently directed against each government department; how many of these were blocked by the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 and will be unblocked by the proposed Remedial Order; and what are those departments' annual budgeted estimates for payment of settled legacy claims and costs.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
There were approximately 800 civil cases ongoing at the time of introduction of what was then the Legacy Bill on 17 May 2022. These remained untouched by the restrictions imposed by the Legacy Bill. Following introduction of the Bill, a further 230 cases were lodged, which were then halted when the Legacy Act came into force. Of these 230 cases, approximately 120 relate to the Ministry of Defence. These cases would be able to be resumed as a result of the Remedial Order taking effect.
The Northern Ireland Office does not hold a further breakdown of such civil cases, nor the budgeted estimates for payment of settled legacy claims for individual departments.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how they assess clauses 89 and 90 of the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill to be compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights, in light of sections 46 and 47 of the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 being found incompatible by the Northern Ireland High Court in Dillon and others.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The High Court found the provisions which concerned Interim Custody Orders in sections 46 and 47 of the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 to be incompatible with our obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights.
As set out in the written ministerial statement [HCWS1063] made by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on 18 November 2025, we have carefully considered the High Court ruling and have tabled an alternative approach with clauses 89 and 90 to address the erroneous interpretation made in Adams regarding the application of the Carltona principle.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the answer of 4 September 2025, to Question 70519, on Public Inquiries, what has been the total public cost to date of the Inquiry into the preventability of the Omagh bombing.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
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. Our thoughts are with those who have taken part in the hearings to date and particularly with all those victims affected by the events of that terrible day more than 27 years ago.
The Omagh Bombing Inquiry is an independent statutory public inquiry, established to investigate whether the bombing could reasonably have been prevented. While I am the Sponsor Minister for the Inquiry, it is rightly independent from Government. Inquiry spend is therefore an operational matter for the Inquiry which they publish on their website on a regular basis.
Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether the Government is taking steps to support voluntary search and rescue organisations in Northern Ireland, including K9 Search and Rescue (NI); and whether he has had discussions with relevant departments on the provision of funding to assist such organisations in carrying out their work.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Co-ordination of land and inland water rescue is devolved, with search and rescue policy the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Department of Justice and co-ordination of land and inland water search and rescue operations falling to the Police Service of Northern Ireland. I have had no discussions on the provision of funding to assist such organisations but understand that the Northern Ireland Department of Justice provides approximately £100,000 of grant funding each year, which is shared across the current nine voluntary search and rescue organisations to help to sustain their capability.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much his Department has spent on special severance payments in each of the last three years.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The total value of severance payments is set out in the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts, which are available for the last three years at: GOV.UK
Asked by: Josh Newbury (Labour - Cannock Chase)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the EU-Mercosur trade agreement on farmers in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
I understand that the EU-Mercosur interim Trade Agreement will apply provisionally from May 2026, and we will monitor its effects on trade and our imports closely.
While Northern Ireland has access to the EU Single Market in agricultural goods alongside the UK internal market, it is UK trade agreements that Northern Ireland exporters benefit from. This includes farmers and those in the food and drink sector.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps he is taking to support the resumption of inquests that were discontinued by previous legislation.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Troubles Bill will restore the small number of Troubles-related inquests that were already in progress but then halted by the previous government’s Legacy Act.
Inquests that had not started will be subject to an assessment by the Solicitor General to independently consider whether each case is most appropriately dealt with by the reformed Legacy Commission or the coronial system.
Asked by: Matt Turmaine (Labour - Watford)
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 support for the film industry in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Matthew Patrick - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Northern Ireland Office)
This Government knows how important the film industry is, and that is why it is at the heart of our Industrial Strategy.
Northern Ireland has world class creative talent - I got to see that up close at the recent Netflix premiere of How to Get to Heaven from Belfast. That premiere was held at the Queens Film Theatre, recognised just this month as one of the top one hundred cinemas in the world.
Asked by: Sam Rushworth (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Defence Industrial Strategy 2025 on Northern Ireland.
Answered by Matthew Patrick - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Northern Ireland Office)
This month has shown just how volatile the world is and the importance of the investment this Government is making in our defences.
My assessment is that the Defence Growth Deal’s potential is transformative for businesses small and large across Northern Ireland.