Asked by: Lord Hay of Ballyore (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take in relation to the institutional abuse in Northern Ireland; and what plans they have, if any, to ensure survivors receive compensation.
Answered by Lord Duncan of Springbank
The UK Government has committed to introducing legislation at Westminster by the end of the year, should a restored NI Executive not be in place.
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has committed to finding a slot for this Bill.
Asked by: Lord Hay of Ballyore (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to encourage Northern Irish political parties to restore the Northern Ireland Executive and Assembly.
Answered by Lord Duncan of Springbank
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland met the five main political parties and the Irish Government on Friday, 15 February to discuss the next steps toward talks aimed at restoring the Northern Ireland Executive and Assembly. She also met the parties on Friday, 1 March. She continues to work closely with all parties, and the Irish Government in accordance with the three stranded approach, to make progress.
Asked by: Lord Hay of Ballyore (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address cross-border crime between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
Answered by Lord Duncan of Springbank
The UK Government is strongly supportive of the many initiatives led by the devolved authorities and carried out by UK law enforcement agencies and PSNI in conjunction with their counterparts in Ireland.
The Joint Agency Task Force, established under the Fresh Start Agreement to enhance law enforcement cooperation aimed at tackling organised crime and criminality, is one such example. This Task Force brings together expertise from across law enforcement agencies, including PSNI, HMRC, NCA and Border Force and their counterparts in Ireland. This is an excellent example of how UK based agencies and bodies collaborate effectively with those in Ireland to tackle illegal activity.
Relationships between the PSNI and An Garda Síochána (AGS) are strong across all strands of activity including on tackling the threat from Northern Ireland related terrorism, an issue for which the UK Government has lead responsibility. Their combined efforts continue to keep people safe on both parts of the island.
Asked by: Lord Hay of Ballyore (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with political parties in Northern Ireland about the UK leaving the EU.
Answered by Lord Duncan of Springbank
UK Government Ministers and officials have held a number of meetings with Northern Ireland’s political parties about Brexit. We also remain committed to restoring the Northern Ireland Executive which will enable direct Ministerial engagement on matters relating to the UK’s departure from the EU. Until that happens, Ministers at the Northern Ireland Office will continue to advocate for Northern Ireland’s interests and needs at the heart of Government.
Asked by: Lord Hay of Ballyore (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the security situation in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Duncan of Springbank
I refer to the most recent statement on the Security Situation in Northern Ireland, laid in the House on 23 October 2017. The threat from Northern Ireland-related terrorism continues to be SEVERE in Northern Ireland, meaning an attack is highly likely. This Government’s focus is on keeping people safe - we will ensure terrorism never succeeds.
Asked by: Lord Hay of Ballyore (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support the Police Service of Northern Ireland in tackling terrorism in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Duncan of Springbank
The Police Service of Northern Ireland and others who work to keep people safe have our full support for the public service they give. This Government has provided the Police Service of Northern Ireland with the additional resources they asked for to tackle the SEVERE threat from terrorism, this includes £160m in Additional Security Funding to PSNI in this spending review period.
Asked by: Lord Hay of Ballyore (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the Northern Ireland Executive is restored as soon as possible.
Answered by Lord Duncan of Springbank
The Government remains determined to re-establish the fully functioning, inclusive devolved administration that works for everyone in Northern Ireland. The issues dividing the parties are relatively small in number, focusing mainly around culture, identity and the future stability of the devolved institutions. While not underestimating the challenges involved the Government believes a way forward can be found and an agreement reached. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland remains in close contact with the parties and the Irish Government in accordance with the three stranded approach to Northern Ireland affairs.
Asked by: Lord Hay of Ballyore (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the outcome of the EU referendum, what discussions they have had with the Northern Ireland Executive on its role in negotiations on the UK decision to leave the EU.
Answered by Lord Dunlop
The Government is committed to working closely with the Northern Ireland Executive as we prepare for negotiations, recognising the particular circumstances that affect Northern Ireland.
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has regular meetings with Ministers in the Northern Ireland Executive. In her first two weeks as Prime Minister, Theresa May visited Northern Ireland, promising the UK Government would fully engage the devolved administrations to ensure we achieve a shared understanding of their interests and objectives as we prepare to exit the European Union.
The UK Government’s focus remains on making a success of exiting the European Union and getting the right deal both for the UK as a whole and for Northern Ireland.
In addition, the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union has visited Northern Ireland, engaging with the Northern Ireland Executive and key representatives for sectoral businesses and civil society, ensuring we build a national consensus to our approach to the negotiations. Ministers from the Department for International Trade and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy have also engaged with politicians, businesses and civil society from Northern Ireland, recognising the particular circumstances that affect it, including around the border with the Republic of Ireland.