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 recent discussions he has had with HMT regarding their inter-state legal case against the UK Government with the European Court of Human Rights in January 2024.
Answered by Sarah Owen - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Northern Ireland Office)
The Northern Ireland Office meets regularly with the Irish Government at both ministerial and official level to discuss legacy issues, including the current interstate case lodged by Ireland at the European Court of Human Rights. The two governments are due to meet on 19 November, where legacy issues will be discussed.
While this is a matter for the Irish Government, the UK Government has made clear its view that, in light of the UK Supreme Court in Dillon and the progress of the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill, consideration should be given to the withdrawal of the interstate case as soon as possible.
Asked by: Louie French (Conservative - Old Bexley and Sidcup)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much his department has spent on accommodation for staff of agencies and other public bodies sponsored by his department, broken down by (i) UK stays and (ii) overseas stays in the 2024-25 financial year.
Answered by Sarah Owen - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Northern Ireland Office)
The following table sets out accommodation spend for each public body sponsored by the department in 2024/25:
Public Body | UK Stays 2024/25 | Overseas Stays 2024/25 |
Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland | £0 | £0 |
Civil Service Commissioners for Northern Ireland | £0 | £0 |
Crown Solicitor’s Office | £1,690.06 | £0 |
Electoral Office for Northern Ireland | £4,571 | £333 |
Independent Commission for the Location of Victims’ Remains | £4,860.84 | £1,155.72 |
Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery | £90.8k | £0 |
Independent Reporting Commission | £845.82 | £0 |
NI Human Rights Commission | £4,436.90 | £14,467.59 |
Parades Commission for Northern Ireland | £600 | £0 |
Sentence Review Commissioners | £0 | £0 |
Veterans Commissioner for Northern Ireland | £5,867 | £301 |
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps his Department will take to support further marine research and seagrass restoration in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Sarah Owen - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Northern Ireland Office)
Marine research is a devolved matter for the Northern Ireland Executive. The UK Government will continue to work collaboratively with the Executive on these issues as and when needed, but specific queries regarding policy delivery in this area are a matter for Northern Ireland Ministers.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many and what proportion of trade union members of each trade union with a political fund in Northern Ireland pay into that political fund, according to the most recent figures held by the Certification Office for Northern Ireland.
Answered by Sarah Owen - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Northern Ireland Office)
We have performed a comprehensive search of our systems and determined that the Northern Ireland Office does not hold the requested information.
In addition, we consider requests for such information to be exempt from disclosure. Public sector employers in the UK are not legally required to publish or disclose how many employees pay union subscriptions or contribute to a political fund, and the Certification Office does not publish organisation‑specific membership figures.
In the UK, trade union membership information is treated as sensitive personal data. Because of this, employers generally cannot disclose how many individuals in their organisation pay union subscriptions or contribute to a political fund unless there is a lawful basis, such as aggregated reporting required by statute.
The Certification Office for Northern Ireland oversees trade unions and employers’ associations, but its published information is limited to:
Annual returns submitted by unions
Total union membership numbers
Total political fund contributors (at union level)
These figures are reported by the union, not by individual employers, and they are not broken down by employer or workplace.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps he plans to take to ensure that the proposed Legacy Commission is transparent and accountable, with investigations that deliver meaningful outcomes for victims and their families.
Answered by Sarah Owen - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Northern Ireland Office)
Through the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill, the Government is putting in place a fundamentally reformed independent Legacy Commission, with stronger investigative functions, a new governance structure, a robust conflict of interest framework, and an amended disclosure regime.
The Troubles Bill places a statutory duty on the Legacy Commission to ensure that the approach to dealing with Northern Ireland’s past is balanced, proportionate, transparent, fair and equitable. A core function of the Commission will be to carry out investigations and to publish findings of those investigations.
The Bill’s new accountability arrangements include an independent oversight board, statutory victims and survivors group, and regular independent review of the Commission’s performance of its functions.
Following the Government's amendment at Committee Stage, the Commission will also be subject to scrutiny by the HMICFRS, who will inspect the efficiency and effectiveness of its investigative function. The Government is confident these measures will deliver answers to victims and families who have waited so long for the truth.
Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he has made an assessment of trends in the level of continued circulation of weapons formerly held by the Provisional IRA following the decommissioning process completed in 2005; and what discussions he has had with security agencies on this issue.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
I regularly engage with the Chief Constable and UK security partners whose responsibility it is to assess the threat, risk and harm posed by paramilitary, terrorist and serious organised crime groups, and to use this information to inform their operational response. It is right that this sensitive information is not made public.
The Northern Ireland Related Terrorism (NIRT) in Northern Ireland threat level remains SUBSTANTIAL, following its reduction in March 2024.
The Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre keeps the Threat Level from Northern Ireland Related Terrorism in Northern Ireland under constant review and formally reviews it twice a year.
The national security threat from NIRT in Northern Ireland is wholly driven by violent Dissident Republicans who reject the Good Friday Agreement (GFA), and not by Groups that support the GFA. However, all criminality should be dealt with fully by the police.
Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment he has made of the level of accessibility of firearms to dissident republican groups; and whether he has had discussions with the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland on the location of all weapons declared decommissioned in 2005.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
I regularly engage with the Chief Constable and UK security partners whose responsibility it is to assess the threat, risk and harm posed by paramilitary, terrorist and serious organised crime groups, and to use this information to inform their operational response. It is right that this sensitive information is not made public.
The Northern Ireland Related Terrorism (NIRT) in Northern Ireland threat level remains SUBSTANTIAL, following its reduction in March 2024.
The Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre keeps the Threat Level from Northern Ireland Related Terrorism in Northern Ireland under constant review and formally reviews it twice a year.
The national security threat from NIRT in Northern Ireland is wholly driven by violent Dissident Republicans who reject the Good Friday Agreement (GFA), and not by Groups that support the GFA. However, all criminality should be dealt with fully by the police.
Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he has had discussions with the (a) Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland and (b) security services on levels of firearms available to dissident republicans.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
I regularly engage with the Chief Constable and UK security partners whose responsibility it is to assess the threat, risk and harm posed by paramilitary, terrorist and serious organised crime groups, and to use this information to inform their operational response. It is right that this sensitive information is not made public.
The Northern Ireland Related Terrorism (NIRT) in Northern Ireland threat level remains SUBSTANTIAL, following its reduction in March 2024.
The Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre keeps the Threat Level from Northern Ireland Related Terrorism in Northern Ireland under constant review and formally reviews it twice a year.
The national security threat from NIRT in Northern Ireland is wholly driven by violent Dissident Republicans who reject the Good Friday Agreement (GFA), and not by Groups that support the GFA. However, all criminality should be dealt with fully by the police.
Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many Troubles-related enquiries are currently (a) awaiting investigation and (b) under active investigation by the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery; and how many of those enquiries relate to alleged offences committed by (i) members of the security forces, (ii) loyalist paramilitary organisations and (iii) republican paramilitary organisations, including the Provisional IRA.
Answered by Sarah Owen - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Northern Ireland Office)
The Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR) confirmed in June 2026 to the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee that there were 123 live investigations at that time.
The ICRIR is an independent body and it would not be appropriate for the Government to comment on the particulars and alleged perpetrators of ongoing investigations. I would encourage the Honourable Gentleman to request relevant information from the Commission directly.
Asked by: Jim Allister (Traditional Unionist Voice - North Antrim)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, for what reason the second Independent Monitoring Panel report has not been published.
Answered by Sarah Owen - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Northern Ireland Office)
The Independent Monitoring Panel was established to independently monitor the extent to which goods moving between GB and Northern Ireland moved under the UK’s Internal Market System (sometimes referred to as the ‘green lane’). It reports for six monthly periods. The next report is due to cover June to December 2025.
It is crucial that the work of the Panel - including timings of its reports - remains independent of Government. The Government understands that it is to shortly receive the report for the period June to December 2025, which the Panel is finalising. The Government will then publish the report following receipt of it.