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.
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 13 November (HL2299), whether they will now answer the question put; namely, what assessment they made of the impact on jobs and profitability in the Northern Ireland hospitality sector of the announcements in the Budget of (1) the increase in the rate of employer national insurance contributions, and (2) the rise in the national minimum wage.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Northern Ireland has a thriving hospitality sector and this Government is committed to working with the NI Executive to support sustainable economic growth. The settlement for Northern Ireland in the Budget is the biggest real terms settlement since devolution.
To repair the £22bn black hole inherited by the Government and help raise the revenue required to increase funding for public services, the Government has taken the difficult decision to increase employer National Insurance. We recognise the need to protect the smallest employers which is why we have more than doubled the Employment Allowance to £10,500, meaning more than half of businesses with NICs liabilities either gain or see no change next year.
The Government has also been clear that we need to take difficult decisions to deliver long-term stability and growth. Stabilising the public finances is the only way to create long-term stability in which businesses can thrive.
The Government is adopting recommendations of the Low Pay Commission to increase the National Living Wage by 6.7% to £12.21 an hour, and increasing the National Minimum Wage for 18-20 year-olds by 16.3%. There are estimated to be almost 100,000 minimum wage workers in Northern Ireland in 2023.
The Government ask the independent and expert Low Pay Commission to monitor the effects of the National Living Wage.
Asked by: Lord Caine (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they made of the impact on jobs and profitability in the Northern Ireland hospitality sector of the announcements in the Budget of (1) the increase in the rate of employer national insurance contributions, and (2) the rise in the national minimum wage.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Northern Ireland has a thriving hospitality sector, and this Government is committed to working with the NI Executive to support sustainable economic growth. The settlement for Northern Ireland in the Budget is the biggest real terms settlement since devolution.
To repair the £22bn black hole inherited by the Government and help raise the revenue required to increase funding for public services, the Government has taken the difficult decision to increase employer National Insurance. We recognise the need to protect the smallest employers which is why we have more than doubled the Employment Allowance to £10,500, meaning more than half of businesses with NICs liabilities either gain or see no change next year.
The Government is adopting recommendations of the Low Pay Commission to increase the National Living Wage by 6.7% to £12.21 an hour, and increasing the National Minimum Wage for 18-20 year olds by 16.3%. There are estimated to be almost 100,000 minimum wage workers in Northern Ireland in 2023.
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 23 October 2024 (HL1707), whether they will now answer the question put; namely, what progress they have made in establishing the Castlereagh Foundation provided for in section 8 of the Identity and Language (Northern Ireland) Act 2022.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Executive Office is responsible for taking forward the necessary arrangements to implement the commenced provisions of the Identity and Language (Northern Ireland) Act 2022 which contains provisions for the establishment of the Castlereagh Foundation. The Government expects the Executive Office will make an announcement in due course regarding next steps on implementation of the legislation. The Government wants to see devolved institutions in Northern Ireland consider the provisions set out under the legislation themselves before any consideration of using or commencing the powers provided for in section 8.
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 establishing each of the following bodies and offices provided for by the Identity and Language (Northern Ireland) Act 2022: (1) the Office of Identity and Cultural Expression, (2) an Irish Language Commissioner, (3) a Commissioner for the Ulster Scots and the Ulster British tradition; and when they expect all of these bodies and offices be fully functioning.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Identity and Language (Northern Ireland) Bill 2022 makes provision for the establishment of the Office of Identity and Cultural Expression, an Irish Language Commissioner, and a Commissioner for the Ulster Scots and the Ulster British tradition. The Executive Office is responsible for taking forward the necessary arrangements to implement the provisions of the Identity and Language Act 2022 and the Government expects the Executive Office will make an announcement in due course regarding next steps on implementation of the legislation.