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 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 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 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.