Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, with reference to page 92 of the Strategic Defence Review, published on 2 June 2025, how many (a) public engagements and (b) private meetings Ministers in their Department have undertaken related to the national conversation on defence and security.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
I have regular discussions with ministerial colleagues, officials, and external experts on a range of issues, including national security, defence and resilience.
As set out in the Strategic Defence Review, the national conversation will be a multi-year engagement so that Government, businesses, and the public all play a part in strengthening our resilience. This will address the risks we face, including threats below and above the threshold of an armed attack.
The Northern Ireland Office is actively supporting this work by hosting roundtable discussions with defence industry representatives, businesses and academia to better understand the contribution of the defence sector in Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Claire Coutinho (Conservative - East Surrey)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether (a) his Department and (b) the arms length bodies sponsored by his Department are compliant with the Supreme Court ruling in the case of For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025].
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
We have set out our expectation that all duty bearers, including Departments and arms length bodies, follow the law as clarified by the Supreme Court ruling and seek specialist legal advice where necessary. The Prime Minister has underlined this recently.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission has submitted a draft Code of Practice on services, public functions and associations to Ministers, and we are reviewing it with the care it deserves. This will provide further guidance to duty bearers.
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 he has had with cabinet colleagues about the potential impact on the a) effectiveness and b) future of the Common Travel Area between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland of the insistence of airlines that passengers travelling between both countries now require valid passports.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Common Travel Area is a long-standing successful arrangement. In the UK-Ireland 2030 Joint Statement, the Prime Minister and Taoiseach committed to working together to protect the integrity and security of the Common Travel Area. It is the case that many air and sea carriers require some form of identification in order to use their services and some carriers regard a passport as the only valid form of identification.
Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the differences in shipping tax between Northern Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Wight under the Emissions Trading Scheme.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Reforms to the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) are agreed jointly by Ministers in all four nations who have equal decision-making power. We have consulted extensively on this since March 2022. Obligations under the scheme apply uniformly to all nations in the UK.
A 50% deduction has been applied for voyages in either direction between Northern Ireland and Great Britain. This will ensure parity and prevent distortions with routes between the island of Ireland and Great Britain, which are included under the EU ETS.
A limited exemption applies for ferries serving Scotland's islands and peninsulas given legal duties under the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to promote the National Year of Reading in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland recently chaired the East-West Council in Belfast where the Minister for Early Years reported on the significant collaboration between all four nations of the UK regarding the National Year of Reading.
This Government remains committed to working with partners across the United Kingdom to collaborate to share best practices.
Education is a devolved matter and is the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Executive, and decisions about the National Year of Reading in Northern Ireland are for the Northern Ireland Education Minister.
Asked by: Lord Caine (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will provide a list of commitments contained in the Safeguarding the Union command paper (CP1021), published on 31 January 2024, which have yet to be implemented in full.
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 delivering the commitments made in the command paper. For instance in 2025, three centuries of the News Letter were digitised 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. This will focus on reading and 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 Safeguarding the Union, in December the Government published our response to Lord Murphy’s Independent Review of the Windsor Framework, and is now taking action on its recommendations.
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 discussions he has had with InterTrade UK on the support his Department is able to provide on the (a) operations and (b) objectives of that body.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
I engage regularly with Intertrade UK, most recently when I met its Chair Baroness Foster in January at the East-West Council in Belfast, where I heard an update on Intertrade UK’s work to date and its future plans.
The Northern Ireland Office provides secretariat support for Intertrade UK, as set out in its terms of reference, which are publicly available alongside the group’s work programme here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/intertrade-uk-terms-of-reference-and-work-programme
At last year’s Autumn Budget, the Government allocated £2.25 million over the next three years to Intertrade UK to support implementation of its published work programme. This formed part of a wider £16.6m package to strengthen trade within the UK internal market.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many directors with responsibility for human resources are employed across their department and its executive agencies; and how many of those directors hold professional HR qualifications from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development or equivalent professional bodies.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
There is one Director with responsibility for Human Resources who is the Northern Ireland Office’s Chief Operating Officer. This Director does not hold professional HR qualifications.
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 Northern Ireland Executive on the funding implications of the Rail Project Prioritisation Strategy announced in December 2025.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Strong transport connections are vital to strengthen links between communities and allow business to grow. I welcome the publication of the Rail Project Priorisation Strategy in December. Improved infrastructure in Northern Ireland will help support the Executive’s plans for economic growth and enable people to get to where they need to be.
As transport, including railways, are devolved it is for the Northern Ireland Executive to determine their infrastructure investment priorities, within the record funding settlement for Northern Ireland announced by the Chancellor at the spending review.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent engagement he has had with the Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland about the trade priorities of the Northern Ireland Executive.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
I meet regularly with the First Minister and deputy First Minister to discuss a range of issues, including trade.
I also chaired the East-West Council on 22 January 2026, attended by both the First Minister and deputy First Minister, which included a discussion of the £16.6 million provided to Northern Ireland via the Internal Market Package, to support East-West trade; and, an update on the work of Intertrade UK and the £2.25 million funding it received in the budget.