Asked by: Lord Caine (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions took place, if any, between the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and representatives of the Finucane family regarding the appointment of the two assessors to the Patrick Finucane Inquiry; whether the family's consent was sought; and whether it was granted.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Under the Inquiries Act, the power to establish a statutory independent inquiry and the constitution of the inquiry lie with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
In the Secretary of State’s Written Ministerial Statement of 13 June, he set out that he had appointed Baroness O’Loan and Francesca Del Mese as Assessors to the Patrick Finucane Inquiry under section 11 of the Inquiries Act 2005 in accordance with the established appointments process. The Secretary of State then informed the Finucane family in the week of the announcement in line with customary practice. Their role is to provide expert advice to the Rt Hon Sir Gary Hickinbottom who has been appointed as Chair of the Inquiry under section 1 of the Act. I remain confident that these appointments have the relevant knowledge, experience and professionalism the Inquiry requires.
Asked by: Lord Caine (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government which commitments arising from the Safeguarding the Union command paper (CP1021), published on 31 January 2024, (1) have been, or (2) are in the process of being, implemented; and which commitments remain outstanding.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government continues to make progress on delivering the commitments made in the Safeguarding the Union command paper. In the past month alone, that has included: taking forward legislation which allows the Government to introduce ‘not for EU’ labelling in Great Britain; hosting the first East-West Council meeting in Northern Ireland; and the completion of work to digitise the Belfast News Letter.
Asked by: Lord Caine (Conservative - 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 20 December 2024 (HL3343), in which said that they were "currently considering the best way to take forward the approach referred to in Annex B of the Safeguarding the Union command paper", what was the outcome of those considerations.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
This Government continues to make progress on delivering the commitments made in the Safeguarding the Union command paper. The best way to take forward the approach referred to in Annex B remains under consideration.
Asked by: Lord Caine (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 22 May (HL Deb col 244), what assessment they have made of the risk that elderly veterans will be compelled to appear in coroners' courts in Northern Ireland as a result of their decision to re-open legacy inquests and because of the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
This Government's commitment to our Armed Forces community is unshakeable. The vast majority of veterans who served in Operation Banner did so with distinction in very difficult circumstances.
This Government’s approach will ensure that legacy cases are dealt with sensitively, efficiently and lawfully, and that veterans who engage with legacy mechanisms are provided with the appropriate support. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is working closely with the Defence Secretary and Minister for Veterans and People on how to ensure that their interests are fully considered in the changes we are going to make.
Asked by: Lord Caine (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made in taking forward the provisions contained in Part 4 of the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 relating to oral history and the memorialisation strategy.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Further to my Oral Statement in December 2024, the Government has been focussed on repealing and replacing the Legacy Act, ensuring that its mechanisms are human rights compliant and capable of commanding public confidence. We remain committed, however, to the oral history and other measures set out in Part 4 of the Act - which are widely supported in principle - and will set out further details in due course. In the meantime, progress has been made on two other, non-legislative, historical projects - digitisation and official history - the details of which were announced last month.
Asked by: Lord Caine (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made in taking forward the independent public history project regarding the troubles in Northern Ireland that was first announced on 24 April 2024.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The project’s independent expert advisory panel continues to work under the published terms of reference. Further to the announcement made on 9 April 2025, the panel is currently accepting applications from independently-minded historians as part of an open and transparent competition, and has launched a website with further information about the project.
Asked by: Lord Caine (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many policy reviews and consultations the Northern Ireland Office has launched since the General Election on 4 July 2024; what the subject of each review is; what the anticipated timescales are for their completion; and whether any such reviews will be published in full.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
In line with the requirements under Schedule 9 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, the Northern Ireland Office routinely publishes information on reviews in respect of any new, proposed or revised policies, and public consultations on GOV.UK.
Between 5 July 2024 and 12 March 2025, the Northern Ireland Office launched one public consultation on the use of Non-Jury Trials in Northern Ireland, which closed on 3 March 2025. This policy was also subject to an internal screening assessment of Non-Jury Trial Provisions under the Justice and Security (Northern Ireland) Act 2007.
In addition, the department published the findings of a statutory Review of the Operation of the Troubles Permanent Disablement Payment Scheme on 29 August 2024.
On 25 February 2025, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland announced the government’s intention to jointly, with the Irish Government, appoint an Independent Expert to carry out a scoping and engagement exercise to assess whether there is merit in, and support for, a formal process of engagement to bring about paramilitary group transition to disbandment. The appointment of the Independent Expert will be announced in due course, and it is expected that they will report back within 12 months of their appointment.
Asked by: Lord Caine (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Advocate General for Northern Ireland was consulted prior to the decision in July to withdraw the appeal in respect of sections 46 and 47 of the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 following the ruling of the high court in Belfast February 2024.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The standard clearance processes were followed when the Government decided to withdraw the ECHR aspects of the appeal in Dillon & others following the ruling of the Northern Ireland High Court. This included sections 46 and 47 of the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023.
Asked by: Lord Caine (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will deliver the £250 million of legacy funding that they had allocated in the Stormont House Agreement 2014 and New Decade, New Approach 2020 in full.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
As the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland set out in his statement in the House of Commons on 4 December, this Government is committed to addressing the legacy of the Troubles so that society in Northern Ireland can heal from the terrible wounds of the past and look to a better future. This commitment includes delivering on the funding agreed with HM Treasury for the legacy programme, with a total envelope of £250 million. This funding derived from £150 million allocated to implement the Stormont House Agreement and £100 million allocated through the New Decade, New Approach agreement.
Asked by: Lord Caine (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 27 November (HL Deb cols 681–2), when the Minister will answer the question on the schedule for publishing papers set out in Annex B of the Safeguarding the Union Command Paper (CP 1021).
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
This Government is committed to implementing the Windsor Framework in good faith and to protecting Northern Ireland’s place in the UK internal market. We are currently considering the best way to take forward the approach referred to in Annex B of the Safeguarding the Union command paper.