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.

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).

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the introduction of the Electronic Travel Authorisation will affect travel from Northern Ireland to Great Britain.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

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.

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.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many people have been convicted in the past 12 months of offences relating to the proscribed terrorist organisations Hamas and Hezbollah.

Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

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.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many people in the past 12 months have been arrested and charged with offences relating to the proscribed terrorist organisations Hamas and Hezbollah.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

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).

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Hayman of Ullock on 16 September (HL753), why Zolvix oral solution for sheep is authorised and labelled on a separate basis in Great Britain and in Northern Ireland.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

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.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the introduction by the European Union of its Entry/Exit System and its European Travel Information and Authorisation System will affect travel between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Entry/Exit System (EES) and European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) are EU systems and do not apply in any part of the UK, including Northern Ireland. EES and ETIAS will not apply in Ireland as it is not part of the Schengen Area. We do not foresee any implications for travel between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Found: 18: Letter from Baroness of Nicholson of Winterbourne 43 Proposal 19: Letter from Baroness Hayter, Baroness