Baroness Hoey

It is not possible to separate the sums paid to consultants and other third parties for developing the Behaviour Code and delivering its associated training programmes from those associated with the development of the wider Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS).

The total of such costs across Parliament since the 2019/20 financial year is £1,144,307. This includes sums paid to consultants for developing the Behaviour Code, designing the associated training sessions and delivering them on a rolling basis to members, staff and members’ staff across both Houses. Also included in this figure is the wider training provided to ICGS staff on investigating complaints and on supporting the phone lines for reporting bullying; meetings with the independent reviewers of the ICGS; and training for House of Commons staff supporting new MPs after the General Election.

As the ICGS is a shared service, these costs are split according to a 70/30 ratio between the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The cost to the House of Lords since 2019/20 is therefore £343,292.

Lay members of the Conduct Committee are paid £600 for each full day worked for the committee. Preparing for and attending a committee meeting is deemed to amount to a full day’s work, and the committee normally meets around once a month when the House is sitting.

Paragraph 21.27 of Erskine May states:

“By long-standing convention, observed by successive Governments, the fact of, and substance of advice from, the law officers of the Crown is not disclosed outside government. This convention is referred to in paragraph [5.14] of the Ministerial Code [updated on 6 November 2024]. The purpose of this convention is to enable the Government to obtain frank and full legal advice in confidence.”

This is known as the Law Officers’ Convention and it applies to your question.

Paragraph 21.27 of Erskine May states:

“By long-standing convention, observed by successive Governments, the fact of, and substance of advice from, the law officers of the Crown is not disclosed outside government. This convention is referred to in paragraph [5.14] of the Ministerial Code [updated on 6 November 2024]. The purpose of this convention is to enable the Government to obtain frank and full legal advice in confidence.”

This is known as the Law Officers’ Convention and it applies to your question.

The Government will announce details of the Independent Review in due course, and in line with its obligations under Schedule 6A of the Northern Ireland Act 1998.

The updated GPSR largely formalises how many businesses are already operating in the UK and the measures are therefore likely to have limited impact. However, we understand that, for some businesses, changes will be required.

Government continues to support businesses in adapting to these changes to ensure a smooth flow of goods between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. We have published guidance on GPSR in Northern Ireland, which we will keep under review, and we are continuing to engage directly with businesses.

The Government maintains a dialogue with the EU on matters of mutual interest. The updated General Product Safety Regulation largely formalises the reality of how businesses are already operating in the UK and the measures are therefore likely to have limited impact. Where businesses need to make changes, we expect that they will be adapting anyway in order to continue trading with the EU. We are providing more guidance in this area, will keep this under review and continue to engage businesses directly to ensure we are supporting them to trade freely across the UK.

The updated General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) largely formalises the reality of how businesses are already operating in the UK and the measures are therefore likely to have limited impact in practice. Where businesses need to make changes, we expect that they will be adapting anyway to be compliant with the new Regulation to continue trading with the EU. However, we are providing more guidance in this area, will keep this under review and continue to engage businesses directly to ensure we are supporting them to trade freely across the whole of the UK.

Fast fibre broadband covers several different speeds and platforms. According to Ofcom’s Spring Connected Nations update, as of January 2025, 99% of residential premises in Northern Ireland can access a superfast broadband connection (>=30 Mbps), and 95% can access a gigabit-capable connection (>1000 Mbps). More premises in Northern Ireland have access to a gigabit-capable broadband connection than in any of the other UK nations.

In addition, as part of the UK Government’s Project Gigabit, the Northern Ireland Department for the Economy is seeking to connect up to a further 10,900 premises that are not expected to be reached by suppliers’ commercial rollout.

The number of households choosing not to buy a TV licence has risen in recent years. As noted in the TV Licence Fee Trust Statement, 23.7 million licences were in force in 2023/24, which is a decline from the peak of 25.9 million in 2017/18. TV licence evasion rates have also risen over the past decade from around 5.5% in 2013/14 to 11.3% in 2023/24.

These trends pose challenges to the long term sustainability of the licence fee. The forthcoming Charter Review is a key opportunity to set the BBC up for success long into the future. As we look at the future of the BBC, we must also ensure that it has a sustainable funding model that is fair for those who pay for it.

There are currently 426 higher education providers registered with the Office for Students (OfS) as of 28 March 2025. The full OfS register of providers is publicly available and can be found on the OfS website.

The attached table shows the number of students in receipt of a tuition fee loan and the total amount of tuition fee loans paid on behalf of students studying at franchised providers in England, split by whether the franchised provider is registered with the Office for Students. This covers tuition fees paid by Student Finance England for the 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2023/24 academic years.

In franchising arrangements, tuition fees are paid directly to the lead provider, who often retains a portion before passing the remainder onto the franchised provider. The department does not collect data on the proportion of tuition fees retained by the lead provider. The tuition fee amounts presented in the table therefore overestimate the amount of tuition fee funding received by franchised providers.

Data captures loan payments made up to 31 August 2023 for the 2021/22 academic year and up to 31 August 2024 for the 2022/23 and 23/24 academic years. As the loan payment amounts for 2023/24 do not capture late payments, it is not appropriate to compare 2023/24 with previous years.

The attached table shows the 10 franchised providers registered with the Office for Students (OfS) with the greatest number of foreign national students in receipt of tuition fee loans and the highest proportion of all franchised students at OfS-registered providers in receipt of tuition fee loans for 2023/24. This covers franchised providers in England whose students were funded by tuition fee loans from Student Finance England.

Generally, to be eligible for student support, a student resident in England must have settled status or another recognised connection to the UK and have been ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom and Islands (Channel Islands and Isle of Man) for three years. Persons with international protection are generally eligible for support immediately on their being granted such status by the Home Office. In the attached data, foreign nationality covers students who have declared a nationality other than British in their application for student support.

Currently, there are no plans to abolish tuition fees for nursing courses for the 2025/26 academic year. Students undertaking nursing, midwifery and allied health profession courses qualify for non-repayable grant support through the NHS Learning Support Fund. In addition, for the 2025/26 academic year, we will be increasing loans for living costs by 3.1%. This ensures that the most support is targeted at students from the lowest income families, while keeping the student finance system financially sustainable.

The higher education (HE) sector needs a secure financial footing to face the challenges of the next decade, and to ensure that all students can be confident they will receive the world-class HE experience they deserve. This is why, after seven years of frozen fee caps under the previous government, the department has taken the difficult decision to increase maximum tuition fee limits for the 2025/26 academic year by 3.1%, in line with the forecast rate of inflation.

In recognition of the increased investment students are being asked to make, the department expects the sector to deliver the very best outcomes, both for those students and for the country. We will publish our plan for HE reform in the summer, and work with the sector and the Office for Students to deliver the change that the country needs.

The Northern Ireland Pet Travel Scheme makes it easier for pet owners travelling with their pets from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. To travel under the Scheme, residents in Great Britain can now apply for a free pet travel document instead of a pet passport or a single-use Animal Health Certificates. There are no vaccination or health treatment requirements, including worming treatments. Further information on the Northern Ireland Pet Travel Scheme can be found here: Taking your pet dog, cat or ferret abroad: Travelling to Northern Ireland - GOV.UK

Zolvix is licensed in accordance with different regulations in Northern Ireland (NI) and Great Britain. Separate licenses have, however, had no impact on the ability to market Zolvix in either NI or the rest of the United Kingdom (UK). The Government aims to facilitate single licensing on a UK-wide basis where possible, supported by changes to the Veterinary Medicines Regulations in 2024.

Zolvix 25 mg/ml Oral Solution for Sheep is authorised and labelled on a separate basis in Great Britain (GB) and in Northern Ireland (NI). Only packs labelled for the NI market may be placed on the NI market. Packs labelled only for the GB market cannot be placed on the market in NI.

The UK aviation market operates predominantly in the private sector with the cost of flights determined by airlines according to a range of factors. The Minister for Aviation and officials from the Department for Transport meet regularly with airlines to discuss a range of topics, including pricing.

The UK Rodenticides Stewardship Government Oversight Group is chaired by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and comprises representatives of other government stakeholders, who are HSE Northern Ireland; Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; UK Health Security Agency; Natural England; and the Welsh and Scottish Governments. The group relies on analysis of environmental monitoring data provided by an independent research institute.

The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care is inclined to renew the emergency banning order on puberty blockers with a view to converting it to a permanent ban, subject to appropriate consultation.

Human medicines and healthcare are transferred matters in respect of Northern Ireland. We are engaging with the Northern Ireland Executive, including on whether the ban should apply across the United Kingdom. We are committed to providing young people with holistic care, in line with the recommendations of the Cass Review.

The UK Government has profound sympathy for UK victims of Qadhafi-sponsored IRA terrorism and indeed for all victims of the Troubles. It also takes issues relating to victims of terrorism very seriously. The UK's stance regarding victims of Qadhafi-sponsored Irish Republican Army (IRA) terrorism is that it is the Libyan State's responsibility to provide compensation. We will continue to urge Libyan authorities to address the Libyan State's historic responsibility for the Qadhafi regime's support of the IRA. The Minister for the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan has recently written to some of the victims and their families, and intends to meet to hear their perspectives on the Government's policy on the issue of compensation being provided from frozen Libyan assets in the UK. The Government is committed to a constructive and collaborative engagement with those affected.

The UK is monitoring political developments in Zimbabwe, including demonstrations on 31 March when a number of protestors were arrested. The UK supports the rights to peaceful protest and due process guaranteed by Zimbabwe's constitution.

The UK Government has profound sympathy for UK victims of Qadhafi-sponsored Irish Republican Army (IRA) terrorism and indeed for all victims of the Troubles. The Shawcross report was commissioned by the previous government as an internal report drawing on a series of private and confidential conversations. We will keep decisions on publication regarding the Shawcross Report under review.

The UK, alongside others in the international community, does not recognise Somaliland's unilateral declaration of independence. We believe that the settlement of Somaliland's status is an issue for Somalia and Somaliland to decide through a consultative process and dialogue, in which we encourage both Mogadishu and Hargeisa to engage.

The UK has always been clear that we would like to see Zimbabwe return to the Commonwealth when the time is right. However, currently we do not share the Secretariat's assessment of Zimbabwe's progress or readiness in line with the shared values and principles laid out in the Commonwealth Charter. Whilst we recognise there has been progress, we believe further steps are needed on democracy, governance and human rights before Zimbabwe makes a formal application to re-join the Commonwealth. We note some of the findings in the Commonwealth Election Observation Report and support the recommendations. We would encourage a further Commonwealth assessment mission to Zimbabwe in 2025 to follow up on these areas. The UK strongly values our partnership with Zimbabwe and stands ready to support further reforms in this regard, through the Commonwealth and other fora.

The Government has not made a specific estimate of any costs to the Post Office of adapting to the arrangements set out in the Windsor Framework.

The government has no plans to reform duty-free shopping between Northern Ireland and the EU, which would require border controls between Northern Ireland and Ireland and would run counter to the principles of the Windsor Framework.

Whilst there are currently no plans to change queuing arrangements at the UK Border, those arrangements remain under constant review in order to prioritise security, maintain fluidity and ensure that we continue to run our border in the UK's best interests.

As the quickest and most efficient method of crossing the border, we encourage all eligible passengers to make use of the e-Gates at our ports of entry where possible.

Electronic Travel Authorisations are a new requirement for international travel to the UK. They do not affect domestic journeys, which means they do not affect travel between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.

The Government takes proscription offences seriously. Hamas and Hizballah are both proscribed in their entirety in the UK, with their listings extended in 2021 and 2019 respectively.

Data on arrests, charges and convictions for the proscription offences in sections 11 to 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000 can be found in the quarterly Home Office publication ‘Operation of Police Powers under the Terrorism Act 2000’.

Data is not published on the specific proscribed organisation that the arrest, charge or conviction relates to.

The most recent publication up to year ending June 2024, was published on 12 September 2024: Operation of police powers under TACT 2000, to June 2024 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

The Government is determined to restore order to the asylum system so that it operates swiftly, firmly and fairly.  This includes our accommodation sites, as the Home Office continues to identify a range of options to minimise the use of expensive hotels and ensure better use of public money, whilst maintaining sufficient accommodation to meet demand.

The most recent data on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, including hotels, at: Asy_D11 Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The Home Office has had various grants through which we provide funds to support local authorities housing asylum seekers.

• Grant 7 was launched in April 2024 to facilitate local authority support of increased dispersal accommodation (DA) accommodation.  The £3500 payment will be made for the net growth of occupancy in each quarter for Home Office Supported Asylum Seeker accommodation within the geographical bounds of the local authority under the following categories; DA, overflow dispersal accommodation (ODA) and initial accommodation (IA).
• Grant 6 was launched in April 2024 to acknowledge the contribution of Local Authorities to supporting asylum seekers.  A payment of £750 was made for each occupied bedspaces as of 01 April 2024 and a subsequent payment will be made for the net growth of occupancy in each quarter for Home Office Supported Asylum Seeker accommodation within the geographical bounds of the local authority under the following categories; DA, ODA and IA and contingency accommodation (CA).

The Government is determined to restore order to the asylum system so that it operates swiftly, firmly and fairly.  This includes our accommodation sites, as the Home Office continues to identify a range of options to minimise the use of expensive hotels and ensure better use of public money, whilst maintaining sufficient accommodation to meet demand.

The most recent data on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, including hotels, at: Asy_D11 Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The Home Office has had various grants through which we provide funds to support local authorities housing asylum seekers.

• Grant 7 was launched in April 2024 to facilitate local authority support of increased dispersal accommodation (DA) accommodation.  The £3500 payment will be made for the net growth of occupancy in each quarter for Home Office Supported Asylum Seeker accommodation within the geographical bounds of the local authority under the following categories; DA, overflow dispersal accommodation (ODA) and initial accommodation (IA).
• Grant 6 was launched in April 2024 to acknowledge the contribution of Local Authorities to supporting asylum seekers.  A payment of £750 was made for each occupied bedspaces as of 01 April 2024 and a subsequent payment will be made for the net growth of occupancy in each quarter for Home Office Supported Asylum Seeker accommodation within the geographical bounds of the local authority under the following categories; DA, ODA and IA and contingency accommodation (CA).

There are currently 941 outstanding Northern Ireland legacy civil claims against the Ministry of Defence pertaining to incidents which occurred before the Belfast Agreement in 1998. The amounts paid in settlements or damages in such cases in each of the previous five financial years (FY) were:

FY 2019-20: £1,391,428.50

FY 2020-21: £665,514.00

FY 2021-22: £2,659,712.00

FY 2022-23: £3,890,281.00

FY 2023-24: £3,953,832.00

For the same five-year period, legal expenses incurred by the Ministry of Defence as payment of claimants’ costs were:

FY 2019-20: £575,193.77

FY 2020-21: £593,329.72

FY 2021-22: £784,568.20

FY 2022-23: £3,418,922.39

FY 2023-24: £2,560,995.61

For the same five-year period, legal expenses incurred by the Ministry of Defence’s own legal teams were:

FY 2019-20: £77,626.03

FY 2020-21: £78,811.07

FY 2021-22: £222,520.62

FY 2022-23: £157,161.76

FY 2023-24: £358,036.87

Veterans' Commissioners are currently appointed by Ministers. The Ministry of Defence, through the Office for Veterans' Affairs, continues to work closely with the Veterans’ Commissioner for Wales (VCfW), and the Scottish Veterans’ Commissioner (SVC), who is appointed by and reports to the Scottish Government (SG). The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) is working through the next steps to appoint a new Northern Ireland Veterans’ Commissioner.

Local authorities are accountable to the public as they are democratically elected bodies. There are a range of measures in place to ensure authorities are transparent and accountable. These include the recordings of meetings under the Openness of Local Government Bodies Regulations, the publication of spending data mandated by the Transparency Code, the requirement for minutes, agenda and reports to be made available for public inspection as set out by the Local Government Act 1972, and the statutory requirement for authorities’ accounts and VFM arrangements to be externally audited.

Aside from the case of Brown, the Courts have never ordered the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland nor any other Government Minister to establish a public inquiry.

Under section 1 of the Inquiries Act 2005 the power to set up a statutory public inquiry lies with a Minister. A Minister may cause an inquiry to be held under this Act in relation to a case where it appears to them that (a) particular events have caused, or are capable of causing, public concern, or (b) there is public concern that particular events may have occurred.

There are no statutory powers in the Inquiries Act 2005 for the judiciary in England and Wales or Northern Ireland to set up a public inquiry.

The Ministry of Justice publishes information on the number of convictions for criminal offences including terrorism offences for the period requested in the Outcomes by Offence data tool found at the following link: Criminal Justice System statistics quarterly: December 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

However, it is not possible to separately identify convictions for offences relating to specific terrorist organisations. This information may be held on court records, but to examine individual court records would be of disproportionate costs.

There were 10,435 (3,578 remand, 6,486 sentenced and 371 non-criminal) Foreign National Offenders (FNOs) held in custody on 30 June 2024; representing 12% of the total prison population.

See below table for top 10 nationalities held in custody on 30 June 2024:

The Government is committed to the removal of FNOs. All FNOs in receipt of custodial sentences are referred to the Home Office to be considered for deportation.

The Government does not comment on National Archives releases or releases relating to previous Governments.

I refer the Noble Lady to the Written Ministerial Statement (UIN HCWS463) from the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on 24 February 2025.

On 4 December, the Government laid a Draft Remedial Order under section 10 of the Human Rights Act 1998 to address all of the incompatibilities identified by the High Court in Northern Ireland and one of the incompatibilities found by the Court of Appeal in Northern Ireland in the Dillon case.

The Government considers a Remedial Order to be the most suitable legislative approach to swiftly address issues that were deemed by the Courts to be incompatible with Human Rights. The government is also committed to introducing legislation which addresses other issues which could not be included in the Remedial Order, when Parliamentary time allows.

The Joint Committee on Human Rights has now published its report into the Remedial Order, and the Government will carefully consider the recommendations and respond in due course.

All relevant Ministers have been consulted on the Government's approach to addressing the legacy of the Troubles, including the proposal for a Remedial Order to amend the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation Act) 2023, which was laid on 4 December 2024.

All relevant Ministers have been consulted on the Governments approach to addressing the legacy of the Troubles, including the decision taken in July 2024 to abandon the Government's appeal to the Court of Appeal on all European Convention on Human Rights grounds. This followed the ruling of the Northern Ireland High Court in February 2024.