Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of changes to jury trials in the Courts and Tribunals Bill on (1) the Crown Court backlog, and (2) the rule of law.

Answered by Lord Lemos - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Impact Assessment for the Courts and Tribunals Bill shows that the structural reform package in the Bill is expected to reduce incoming demand on the Crown Court by almost 20%. It also shows that reforms will support the rule of law by improving access to justice through increased case disposals, strengthening confidence in legal institutions, and supporting a more effective and resilient justice system.

The Impact Assessment can be found, attached.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the likelihood of power blackouts over the next five years.

Answered by Baroness Curran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Great Britain has a highly resilient energy system. Government works closely with industry and regulators to improve and maintain the resilience and security of energy infrastructure and is confident the likelihood of a large-scale power outage remains low.

The National Energy System Operator (NESO) takes a holistic view of the changing energy landscape to assess the future operation of Britain's electricity networks and has tools available to manage the system under a wide range of scenarios.

Where localised power disruptions do occur, for example due to faults or severe weather, established response arrangements are in place to minimise impacts and restore supplies as quickly as possible.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of recent work by Intertrade UK.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Captain of the King's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard (HM Household) (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Lords)

Intertrade UK plays a vital role as an advisory body supporting intra-UK trade and strengthening the UK internal market. The Government continues to value Intertrade UK’s written advice on a wide range of internal market trade issues which it has provided consistently since becoming operational in 2025.

Intertrade UK was awarded £2.25m of funding to be split evenly over three financial years at the Autumn 2025 Budget, and is now implementing the first year of its work programme. The UK Government looks forward to seeing Intertrade UK implement the events and research elements of its programme throughout the rest of this year.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the current security situation in Northern Ireland.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Captain of the King's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard (HM Household) (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Lords)

Despite the recent disorder, and the security incidents in Belfast, Lurgan and Dunmurry, the Northern Ireland Related Terrorism (NIRT) in Northern Ireland threat level remains SUBSTANTIAL, following its reduction in March 2024.

The Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre keeps the Threat Level from Northern Ireland Related Terrorism in Northern Ireland under constant review and formally reviews it twice a year.

I wish to recognise the tremendous efforts of the PSNI and security partners, who work day in, day out to keep our communities safe.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential impact of the Public Office (Accountability) Bill on the functions of the intelligence and security services.

Answered by Lord Lemos - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Government has worked closely with the UK Intelligence Community and with the Intelligence and Security Committee to assess the impact of any measures on the functions of the intelligence and security services.

The Bill includes measures designed to ensure that sensitive information is handled securely and can be protected from inappropriate disclosure. This includes information related to the functions of the intelligence and security services.

As for all public authorities, there will be some limited costs for the intelligence and security services in preparing for the application of the duty and in adapting existing practice to meet its requirements. The Bill’s impact assessment sets out that the extent of ‘new’ costs in the support of these investigative processes is likely to be low.

The Government will continue to review the impact assessment of the Bill as the Bill is amended.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will provide an update on the work of the East-West Council established under the command paper Safeguarding the Union (CP1021), published on 31 January 2024.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Captain of the King's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard (HM Household) (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Lords)

The Government is continuing to implement the Safeguarding the Union command paper, which includes delivering regular meetings of the East-West Council.

The most recent EWC meeting took place in January on the theme of Connectivity: improving East-West trade and community links across the UK. This meeting included four UK Government Ministers from three departments, demonstrating the Government’s broad and deep commitment to delivering for people in Northern Ireland. We intend that the Council will next meet in autumn 2026.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to make further progress with the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Captain of the King's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard (HM Household) (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Lords)

The Government is committed to the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill which will replace the flawed Legacy Act with a fair, transparent system that will allow victims and their families obtain the answers they have long sought, and provide robust and deliverable protections for our former service personnel.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of recent work by the Windsor Framework Independent Monitoring Panel.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Captain of the King's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard (HM Household) (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Lords)

The Government remains committed to protecting Northern Ireland’s place in the UK internal market. The Independent Monitoring Panel’s insights play a vital role in evaluating this commitment in accordance with the UK internal market guarantee.

In accordance with the Panel’s recommendations in its first report, the Government is working to improve the quality of guidance and support to businesses through a ‘one stop shop’ advice service. The Government has also provided clear guidance on its approach to deforestation-free products and carbon pricing, which is relevant to businesses trading with Northern Ireland.

The Government looks forward to receiving the Panel’s report for its next monitoring period, from 1 July 2025 - 31 December 2025, in due course.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether funding provided through the REDD+ Early Movers programme in Colombia will be provided in the form of loans rather than grants; and, if so, how much funding is affected, and what the terms of the loans will be.

Answered by Baroness Curran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

DESNZ uses a combination of grants and other instruments, including loans, as most appropriate to deliver the intended outcomes and provide the best value for money. The majority of UK ICF will continue to be provided through grants. No existing ICF programmes, including the REDD+ Early Movers programme in Colombia, have been switched from grants to loans linked with the recent announcement of £2 bus fares.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether any funding provided through the REDD+ Early Movers programme will be provided in the form of loans rather than grants; and, if so, which programmes are affected, and what the terms of the loans will be.

Answered by Baroness Curran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

DESNZ uses a combination of grants and other instruments, including loans, as most appropriate to deliver the intended outcomes and provide the best value for money. The majority of UK ICF will continue to be provided through grants. No existing ICF programmes, including the REDD+ Early Movers programme, have been switched from grants to loans linked with the recent announcement of £2 bus fares.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to prevent Northern Ireland veterans facing further legal proceedings relating to their service during the Troubles.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Captain of the King's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard (HM Household) (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Lords)

The Northern Ireland Troubles Bill will ensure a fair and transparent framework that gives all communities confidence in legacy processes and will allow victims, survivors and their families, including service families to obtain the answers they have long sought. Alongside this, we are putting in place robust, deliverable protections specifically designed to support the welfare of veterans, including protection from duplicating investigations.

This measure will ensure that the Legacy Commission and coroners conducting inquests will be required not to duplicate the work of any previous investigation or inquest unless doing so is essential, which is a very high threshold in law.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the financial and strategic implications of transferring sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.

Answered by Lord Wood of Anfield - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Government has set out its assessment on numerous occasions, including in the Explanatory Memorandum that accompanied the Diego Garcia Treaty. Maintaining long-term operational control of the Diego Garcia base is the entire basis for the UK-Mauritius Treaty.