Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many outstanding pre-1998 legacy cases in the form of civil suits and re-opened inquests are in train at present; and what have been (1) the costs involved in settlements or damages paid in such cases in each of the past five complete years and (2) the legal costs, both incurred by the Northern Ireland Office and paid out to claimants' and victims' lawyers.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
There are over a thousand ongoing legacy civil claims against the Northern Ireland Office and other state agencies.
Damages paid by the Northern Ireland Office in such cases must remain confidential as per the terms of the settlements, and the Northern Ireland Office does not hold information on the settlement of legacy civil claims faced by other Government departments.
The Northern Ireland Office’s spend on legal costs is included within our Annual Report and Accounts, although we do not differentiate between legal costs we incur and costs we pay to claimants’ lawyers:
22/23
21/22
20/21
19/20
18/19
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have conducted any further assessment of the Provisional IRA’s Amy Council, including its influence on the political direction of Sinn Féin and its access to weapons, since they published their Assessment of Paramilitary Groups in Northern Ireland in October 2015.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The ‘Paramilitary Groups in Northern Ireland’ report was published in 2015 by the UK Government in order to provide a one-off factual assessment from the UK security agencies and the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) on the structure, role and purpose of paramilitary organisations in Northern Ireland. This public assessment, which was intended to inform the then ongoing cross-party talks, has not been repeated.
Although it is acknowledged that some individuals engaged in serious criminality may also have ties to former paramilitary Republican organisations, such activity does not present a threat to national security.
The PSNI and UK security agencies continually assess the threat, risk and harm posed by paramilitary, terrorist and organised crime groups to inform the most appropriate operational response. The threat from Northern Ireland Related Terrorism (NIRT) is assessed by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC), after MI5 passed over responsibility earlier this year. JTAC keeps the Threat Level in Northern Ireland from NIRT under constant review and formally reviews it twice a year. However, the threat is wholly driven by violent Dissident Republicans who reject the Good Friday Agreement (GFA), and not by Groups that support the GFA.
Where any criminality exists, the Government is clear that it should be dealt with fully by the police.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 15 October (HL1391), what have been the costs to date of the Cory report, the inquiry headed by Sir Desmond de Silva into the death of Patrick Finucane, the Stevens Inquiries and the Robert Hamill Inquiry.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
As mentioned in my previous Written Answer, the Government takes reasonable steps to control the costs of inquiries, including capping legal costs as appropriate.
The Government asked Judge Peter Cory to re-investigate the death of Patrick Finucane. This was not a public inquiry but led to public inquiries into the deaths of Rosemary Nelson, Billy Wright, Robert Hamill and Patrick Finucane.
The Robert Hamill Inquiry is yet to publish its Report and therefore its final costs are not yet available. The Government is in the process of setting up the Patrick Finucane Inquiry and has considered the likely costs and impact on the public finances. The Government’s expectation is that the inquiry will avoid unnecessary costs given the work done in all the previous reviews and investigations and the large amount of information and material that is already in the public domain.
Sir Desmond de Silva was appointed to conduct an independent review into the death of Patrick Finucane, but like Cory, this was not a public inquiry. Sir John Stevens’ investigation was commissioned and funded by the Royal Ulster Constabulary (now PSNI).
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what has been the cost to date of the Bloody Sunday Inquiry, each of the inquiries required after Judge Corey's report, the de Silva Finucane inquiry, the budgeted ICRIR legacy inquiries, and the expected costs of a Finucane judicial inquiry.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The total cost of the Bloody Sunday Inquiry from 1998, when it was established, to the end of May 2010 when it concluded, was £191.2 million.
Judge Corey recommended that the Government hold public inquiries into the deaths of Rosemary Nelson, Billy Wright, Robert Hamill and Patrick Finucane. The Rosemary Nelson Inquiry and the Billy Wright Inquiry cost £46.46 million and £30.5 million respectively. As the Robert Hamill Inquiry Report is still to be published, final costs are not yet available.
Funding of £250m was agreed with HMT in 2023 to cover the implementation of all aspects of the Legacy Act 2023. The lion's share of this funding was for the establishment and operation of the ICRIR (£230m), with the remainder ring fenced for memorialisation and official history measures that seek to promote wider societal healing/reconciliation. This funding derived from the £150 million allocated to implement the Stormont House Agreement and £100 million allocated through the New Deal, New Approach agreement.
As outlined in the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland’s Oral Statement of 11 September 2024, the Government has considered the likely costs of the inquiry into the death of Patrick Finucane and its impact on the public finances. It is the Government’s expectation that the inquiry will - while doing everything that is required to discharge the State’s human rights obligations - avoid unnecessary costs given all the previous reviews and investigations and the large amount of information and material that is already in the public domain.
The Government takes reasonable steps to control the costs of inquiries, including capping legal costs as appropriate.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Ireland about its legal action against them concerning the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Since the election, the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland have met with the Irish Taoiseach and Tanáiste, respectively, and underlined the Government’s commitment to repeal and replace the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023.
We will continue to engage closely with the Irish Government with a view to finding a practical way forward. The participation of both the UK and Irish governments in a legacy process is important if we are to achieve better outcomes for victims and survivors. Of course, we hope that such a process will lead to the withdrawal of the interstate case, though that is a matter for the Irish Government.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what funding has been allocated to the work of the Expert Advisory Panel for public history of British policy during the Northern Ireland conflict; and whether the members of the Expert Advisory Panel are being paid.
Answered by Lord Caine - Shadow Minister (Northern Ireland)
The Public History expert advisory panel is independent of Government. Its members are not paid to perform their roles. The panel will be reimbursed for associated costs, for example workshops and seminars in line with recommendations made in the Pilling Report 2009 and the panel’s terms of reference.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the informal implementation group for the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement set up with Sinn Féin is still in existence; and when it last met.
Answered by Lord Caine - Shadow Minister (Northern Ireland)
The group to which the Noble Baroness refers no longer exists.
Relevant documents relating to this issue are freely accessible in the National Archives at Kew, to which the Noble Baroness might wish to refer. The Government takes seriously its obligations under the Public Records Act 1958.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress has been made in establishing and making operational the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery on 1 May, in particular with regard to (1) assuming responsibility for Northern Ireland Troubles reinvestigations from Operation Kenova and the Police Service of Northern Ireland, and (2) replacing inquests.
Answered by Lord Caine - Shadow Minister (Northern Ireland)
As I set out in a Written Ministerial Statement on 17 April, I can confirm that the ICRIR’s operational functions will be commenced and the Commission will be able to receive requests and carry out reviews as planned on 1 May 2024 - the point at which the Legacy Act automatically ends current investigations and inquests. From this date, following a request in accordance with the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023, the ICRIR will carry out reviews of Troubles-related deaths and serious injuries that occurred between 1966 and 1998.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress has been made on the memorialisation strategy for Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Caine - Shadow Minister (Northern Ireland)
The Government is committed to the memorialisation measures set out in Part 4 of the Legacy Act and elsewhere. While our focus since Royal Assent of the Act has been on establishing the ICRIR, we know these wider measures are also essential to deliver for victims and families in Northern Ireland. Further to previous announcements on Public History and the project to digitise Troubles-related Government files, we will set out further details in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government which department will answer questions on matters relating to the Windsor Framework (Implementation) Regulations 2024.
Answered by Lord Caine - Shadow Minister (Northern Ireland)
Consistent with responsibility for the Windsor Framework, the Cabinet Office is responsible for the Windsor Framework (Implementation) Regulations 2024 overall. Any matters relating to the constitutional position of Northern Ireland or devolution would be for the Northern Ireland Office to answer.