Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government which of the six protections, rights and safeguards announced by the Ministry of Defence on 19 September for veterans who served in Northern Ireland are featured in the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill; which will not feature in the legislation; which will be exclusive to soldiers and police officers; and which will have universal application.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
All of the protections that the Government has announced are being introduced in order to protect and ensure fair treatment of any veteran who is asked to engage with legacy mechanisms.
Measures set out in the legislation, including the right to give evidence remotely and having regard to the welfare of witnesses, will necessarily apply to others. This will ensure, for example, that former police officers are able to avail of these measures.
Some other non-legislative measures will apply only to veterans, including the protection from cold calling and the new safeguard that ensures veterans do not have to give unnecessary evidence on historical context and general operational details.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many Troubles-related civil suits against government departments were stopped by the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023; what legal categories they fall under; and whether they will all be permitted to continue after the enactment of the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Existing civil cases were not barred from proceeding by the Legacy Act. The Government is, by way of a Remedial Order, repealing the retrospective bar on new civil cases and the bar on future civil cases, which was found to be incompatible with our human rights obligations.
It is right that citizens in all parts of the UK have the right to bring a civil case, and these are not necessarily cases against government departments. For example, four individuals were found responsible for the Omagh bombing in the civil courts in 2009.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what are their reasons for making the draft Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 (Remedial) Order 2025 instead of using primary legislation; and why the changes proposed in the Remedial Order cannot be incorporated in the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Remedial order will provide clarity as quickly as possible, and correct incompatibilities identified by the Northern Ireland courts, especially on two issues of significant public interest i.e. the removal of the immunity provisions and the removal of the bar on Troubles-related civil cases.
Providing clarity on these matters via the Remedial Order allows us to increase trust in the Commission.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the estimated cost of legal fees for Troubles-related civil suits stopped by the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023; what is the likely compensation; and whether new troubles civil suits will be permitted after the implementation of the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Existing civil cases were not barred from proceeding by the Legacy Act.
In terms of future cases, the Remedial Order will repeal the retrospective bar on new civil cases and the bar on future civil cases, which has been found to be incompatible with our legal obligations. It is not possible to predict potential future proceedings.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to remarks by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on 14 October (HC Deb cols 246–7), why the Advocate General is specified in the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill as the individual responsible for stopped inquests.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The reference in the Bill to the Advocate General for Northern Ireland reflects their specific role in relation to Northern Ireland. However, we have made clear this is a function that may be exercised by the Solicitor General for England and Wales in accordance with section 2 of the Law Officers Act 1997.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Chief Commissioner of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission to ensure that she exercises her duties impartially in relation to unionism and Irish nationalism, particularly in respect of the legacy of the Northern Ireland Troubles.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission is independent of Government and has a statutory duty to ensure government and other public bodies protect the human rights of everyone in Northern Ireland. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has met the Chief Commissioner to discuss a range of issues, including the Government’s approach to legacy reform. Northern Ireland Office officials have also met representatives of the Commission to discuss legacy matters.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many civil cases have been lodged with the Northern Ireland Office in relation to the 2020 Supreme Court decision that the signing of interim custody orders by a Minister or official other than a Secretary of State was unlawful; when were the interim custody orders signed; how many of the claimants are deceased; how many cases have been determined; and at what cost they were determined.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Approximately 100 civil damages claims relating to Interim Custody Orders signed by a Minister or official other than the Secretary of State have been lodged with the Northern Ireland Office since the decision of the Supreme Court in 2020. Around a tenth of these have been brought on behalf of an individual who is deceased. The relevant date period for an ICO claim relating to the signing of an order by a Minister or official other than a Secretary of State is between 24 March 1972 and 5 December 1975. None of the claims have yet been determined by a judge.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will invite the Police Service of Northern Ireland to investigate the conduct of ministers following the declassification of the minutes of a meeting with Sinn Fein at Hillsborough Castle on 9 October 2001 which record that ministers had "turned a blind eye" to serious crimes of the IRA, as reported in the Belfast Telegraph on 28 March.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government does not comment on National Archives releases or releases relating to previous Governments.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what were the compelling reasons for dealing with the consequences of the Dillon case in High Court and Court of Appeal on the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 by way of remedial order under section 10 of the Human Rights Act 1998; and whether they will now consider responding to the judgments by primary legislation only.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
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.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will publish the names of the members of the Independent Monitoring Panel for the UK internal market guarantee.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
I refer the Noble Lady to the Written Ministerial Statement (UIN HCWS463) from the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on 24 February 2025.