Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to publish directions made under the Windsor Framework (Implementation) Regulations 2024.
Answered by Lord Caine - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Government decisions, including those exercised under the Windsor Framework (Implementation) Regulations, are subject to scrutiny by Parliament. The Government does not routinely publish details of the engagement with officials working under its direction, whether under the terms of those regulations or otherwise.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Neston)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether any ministerial redundancy payments have been repaid to their Department since 2019.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
No ministerial redundancy payments have been repaid to the Department since 2019.
The Provision of severance payments for Ministers is set out in legislation. Details of the severance payments made to ministers when leaving office are published in departments’ annual reports and accounts.
Similarly, the provision of severance payments for special advisers is set out in the Model Contract, which is available on gov.uk, including provisions for repayment of severance if reappointed. The cost of severance payments made to special advisers across government is published annually by the Cabinet Office.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what progress he has made on the establishment of the Castelreagh Foundation.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
I am currently considering the next steps in support of our commitments to the Castlereagh Foundation following the publication of the Safeguarding the Union Command Paper.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, with reference to the Answer of 19 July 2023 to Question 194133 on Golf: Portrush, whether he is taking steps with the Northern Ireland Executive to help increase economic opportunities during the Open Championship in Royal Portrush in 2025.
Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)
The Open Championship at Royal Portrush in 2025 is an outstanding opportunity to showcase Northern Ireland’s exceptional tourism offering, stunning scenery and state-of-the-art golfing facilities. These are just a few of the many reasons that Northern Ireland is a great place to live, work and invest.
Economic growth, sport and tourism are all devolved to the Northern Ireland Executive. The Secretary of State, Lord Caine and I continue to work closely with the Ministers for the Economy and Communities to ensure that Northern Ireland is well placed to maximise the plethora of opportunities that the Championship, and other sporting spectacles, will bring to Northern Ireland’s hospitality and tourism sectors.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have had any discussions with the government of the Republic of Ireland regarding whether it plans to send Garda to the border between the Republic of Ireland and the UK.
Answered by Lord Caine - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and the Tánaiste last spoke about this issue on 1 May, and the Tánaiste confirmed there would be no deployment of officers from An Garda Síochána to the Northern Ireland/Ireland border.
During this exchange, both UK and Irish Governments confirmed their commitment to the Common Travel Area and are focused on securing its external border.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made any representations to the government of the Republic of Ireland to encourage them to hold a public inquiry into the Omagh Bombing.
Answered by Lord Caine - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
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.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made any representations to the government of the Republic of Ireland about (1) recognising any historic role it may have had in the forming, funding and training of the Provisional Irish Republican Army, and (2) how it may have dealt with terrorist activity during the Troubles.
Answered by Lord Caine - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
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.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made any representations to the government of the Republic of Ireland concerning the coroner’s findings on the 1976 shooting in Kingsmill.
Answered by Lord Caine - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
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.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what funding has been allocated to the work of the Expert Advisory Panel for public history of British policy during the Northern Ireland conflict; and whether the members of the Expert Advisory Panel are being paid.
Answered by Lord Caine - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
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.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds Central)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps his Department is taking to ensure legal representation is made available to police veterans called to the Omagh Bombing Inquiry.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Policing in Northern Ireland is a devolved matter but we understand PSNI will be providing legal support to retired police officers called to give evidence to the Omagh Bombing Inquiry.