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, following the judgment of the High Court in Northern Ireland on 28 February, whether they will proceed with implementation of the Northern Ireland (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023.
Answered by Lord Caine - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
We remain committed to implementing the Legacy Act and delivering the ICRIR to provide better outcomes for victims and survivors of the Troubles by giving them more information about what happened to their loved ones.
The Government has considered all aspects of the judgment, including those in relation to Article 2 of the Windsor Framework. The Government has considered all aspects of the judgment, and is applying for an appeal with the Northern Ireland Court of Appeal.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to appeal the ruling of the High Court of 28 February on parts of the Northern Ireland (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023.
Answered by Lord Caine - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government has considered all aspects of the judgment, and is applying for an appeal with the Northern Ireland Court of Appeal.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the practical effect of the High Court judgment of 28 February that the conditional immunity provisions in the Northern Ireland (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 are contrary to Article 2 of the Windsor Framework and Articles 2 and 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
Answered by Lord Caine - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Following consideration of all aspects of the judgment, including those in relation to Article 2 of the Windsor Framework, the UK Government is applying for an appeal with the Northern Ireland Court of Appeal.
We remain committed to implementing the Legacy Act and delivering the ICRIR to provide better outcomes for victims and survivors of the Troubles by giving them more information about what happened to their loved ones.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the statement in paragraph 46 of the Safeguarding the Union Command Paper 1021 that “the Windsor Framework applies only in respect of the trade in goods” is compatible with the High Court judgment of 28 February that the immunity provisions in the Northern Ireland (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 are contrary to Article 2 of the Windsor Framework.
Answered by Lord Caine - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government stands by its position on Article 2 which was set out in the Safeguarding the Union Command Paper. Article 2 of the Framework does not apply EU law or ECJ jurisdiction, and only applies in respect of rights set out in the relevant chapter of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement and a diminution of those rights which arises as a result of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. We will be challenging the High Court's determination of the Article 2 issues to that end.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to introduce any further legislation in response to the High Court ruling of 28 February on parts of the Northern Ireland (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023.
Answered by Lord Caine - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government welcomes the Court’s findings that the ICRIR is operationally independent from Government and has the necessary powers to carry out reviews in accordance with the state’s obligations with Articles 2 and 3 of the ECHR.
The Government has considered all aspects of the judgment, and is applying for an appeal with the Northern Ireland Court of Appeal.
We remain committed to implementing the Legacy Act and delivering the ICRIR to provide better outcomes for victims and survivors of the Troubles by giving them more information about what happened to their loved ones.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made the High Court judgment of 28 February that the conditional immunity provisions in the Northern Ireland (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 are disapplied because of the supremacy of EU law in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Caine - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
We remain committed to implementing the Legacy Act and delivering the ICRIR to provide better outcomes for victims and survivors of the Troubles by giving them more information about what happened to their loved ones.
Following consideration of all aspects of the judgment, including those in relation to Article 2 of the Windsor Framework, the Government is applying for an appeal with the Northern Ireland Court of Appeal.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of funding for Casement Park.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
My Department is engaging with the Department for Communities, which is responsible for the procurement process for the redevelopment of Casement Park, including direct engagement with local partners on their funding contribution. I wrote to the Northern Ireland Minister for Communities on 27 February to say that it is vital to understand what the most recent costs associated with the redevelopment of Casement Park are.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps his Department is taking to ensure Northern Ireland can host Euro 2028 games alongside the rest of the UK and Ireland.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Northern Ireland Department for Communities is responsible for the redevelopment of Casement Park, including direct engagement with local partners on their funding contribution.
The UK Government will need to receive confirmation of the updated cost of the Casement Park project from the Department for Communities before detailed consideration can be given to allocating taxpayers' money, particularly given wider public sector funding challenges. This has yet to be received. The Northern Ireland Minister for Communities has written to me on this matter and I replied on 27 February 2024 to say that it is vital to understand what the most recent costs associated with the redevelopment of Casement Park are.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions he has had with the Irish Government on the funding of Casement Park.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
My Department has engaged with a number of stakeholders in relation to funding for Casement Park, including with the Irish Government. I welcome the announcement by the Irish Government that it is willing to contribute €50m to the redevelopment of the stadium.
The Department for Communities is responsible for the procurement process for the redevelopment of Casement Park, including direct engagement with local partners on their funding contribution. I wrote to the Northern Ireland Minister for Communities on 27 February to say that it is vital to understand what the most recent costs associated with the redevelopment of Casement Park are.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether Stormont House Agreement Fresh Start funding allocations were included in recent the Northern Ireland Assembly Restoration Package.
Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)
The UK Government is providing the Executive with a significant £3.3 billion spending settlement to stabilise its finances and protect public services. Within this package, we are increasing the spending power of the Executive by repurposing over £700 million of existing and new UK Government funds.
The Fresh Start agreement in 2015 made provision for funding for integrated and shared education over 10 years. As that capital funding was due to expire at the end of 2024-25, the decision to remove the ring-fence on £150m of Fresh Start Agreement funding was made by the UK Government after assessing existing funding in Northern Ireland. We came to a considered position in response to the challenging budgetary position faced by the Northern Ireland Executive.
The Northern Ireland Executive will be able to decide how it uses the non-ring fenced funding element of reprioritised and new UK Government funding streams which contribute to the settlement package.