Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the judgment of the High Court in Northern Ireland on 28 February, whether they will proceed with implementation of the Northern Ireland (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023.
Answered by Lord Caine - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
We remain committed to implementing the Legacy Act and delivering the ICRIR to provide better outcomes for victims and survivors of the Troubles by giving them more information about what happened to their loved ones.
The Government has considered all aspects of the judgment, including those in relation to Article 2 of the Windsor Framework. The Government has considered all aspects of the judgment, and is applying for an appeal with the Northern Ireland Court of Appeal.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to make cross-community consent mandatory in all Stormont decisions.
Answered by Lord Caine - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The principle of cross-community consent applies to matters for which the Northern Ireland Assembly is responsible. Trade is not one of those matters. This approach is entirely compatible with the Belfast Agreement.
We remain fully committed to the Agreement which ensures that the future of Northern Ireland is decided by the democratically expressed wishes of the people of Northern Ireland and reaffirms our commitment to the principle of consent.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what active steps they have taken to promote Northern Ireland’s position within the UK.
Answered by Lord Caine - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
As the Government’s Northern Ireland manifesto at the last elections stated clearly: “As Conservatives and Unionists, the preservation of a secure and prosperous United Kingdom is our overriding goal. That is why we will never be neutral in expressing our support for the Union and Northern Ireland’s place within it”. Northern Ireland benefits immensely from being part of the United Kingdom while the United Kingdom as a whole is stronger and better together.
This Government firmly believes the Union is strongest when all its people can see and feel its benefits in their everyday lives. Northern Ireland benefits hugely from being an integral part of the world’s sixth largest economy.
The financial advantages of being in the Union can be clearly seen in the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement, for example through the range of tax measures announced such as full expensing, that will help support local businesses. The National Insurance cut, combined with the increase in the National Living Wage, will mean a pay boost for nearly one million people in Northern Ireland. From January, 800,000 workers in Northern Ireland will benefit from £311 back into their pocket due to the National Insurance cut. The Belfast area has recently secured £3.8 million UK Government funding to become one of the UK’s 10 5G Innovation Regions which will benefit local creative industries, advanced manufacturing, and transport and logistics.
The UK Government was also proud to host the Northern Ireland Investment Summit, showcasing the opportunities across Northern Ireland for global investment, and highlighting the benefits of the Windsor Framework. This Government governs for the whole of the country, ensuring that the Union delivers for all citizens across every part of the UK.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with the Department of Health in Northern Ireland concerning long waiting lists for cancer treatment and operations.
Answered by Lord Caine - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government is acutely aware of the pressures facing the health service in Northern Ireland, including on cancer treatment.
A fully functioning devolved government is the best way to deliver the necessary reforms to transform healthcare and cut waiting lists. That is why the Government is doing all it can to restore the Executive as soon as possible.
In the meantime, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has introduced appropriate measures to protect the delivery of all public services and my officials continue to engage regularly with the Northern Ireland Department of Health.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will take steps to protect Northern Ireland's constitutional position within the UK in any agreement they have with the EU on the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Caine - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
There has never been a question over Northern Ireland’s constitutional position within the UK as a result of the Northern Ireland Protocol. The Protocol also makes clear that Northern Ireland remains part of the UK internal market and customs area.
However, I fully acknowledge that the Protocol, in its current form, is causing real problems in Northern Ireland. The Belfast Agreement requires both Unionists and Nationalists to be part of a power-sharing Government, but the Protocol is acting as a barrier to the restoration of the Northern Ireland Executive and a functioning assembly. There is also trade disruption, significant costs and bureaucracy for traders and areas where people in Northern Ireland have not been able to benefit fully from the same advantages as those in the rest of the United Kingdom.
That is why the Government is engaging in constructive dialogue with the EU to find solutions to these problems while proceeding with legislation, which aims to fix the practical problems the Protocol has created. At the core of the solutions, we will ensure the integrity of all parts of the United Kingdom, including Northern Ireland’s position within it.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of King Charles's coronation coinciding with the continuation of the count for the Northern Ireland Local Government Elections; and what steps they will take to ensure that the people of Northern Ireland can fully participate in the coronation celebrations.
Answered by Lord Caine - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is considering the options available to ensure people in Northern Ireland can celebrate the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III while ensuring the smooth running of the democratic process.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what events they are planning in Northern Ireland to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.
Answered by Lord Caine - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Northern Ireland Office shares with the rest of the United Kingdom in celebrating the Platinum Jubilee of Her Majesty The Queen and in thanking Her Majesty for 70 years of selfless devotion to duty and leadership of our whole nation. The Northern Ireland Office worked closely to deliver and collaborate on a range of exciting projects and events to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee. We saw a range of events in Northern Ireland including the lighting of beacons, Jubilee Big Lunches as well as the return of the Northern Ireland annual Garden Party that acted as a moment of celebration in this Platinum Jubilee year for people in Northern Ireland.
We also worked with a range of local organisations to develop a Jubilee hamper which showcased the best of Northern Irish produce and was sent to the Royal Household. We ran an exciting competition for young people to design a rug for Her Majesty and we also worked to profile the many organisations and individuals across Northern Ireland who have been honoured by Her Majesty in her last 70 years. In addition, the commemorative Jubilee book was distributed to Primary Schools across Northern Ireland. We wanted to make sure that the Jubilee brought communities together, celebrating the best of Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what further steps they are taking to strengthen the union between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Caine - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
This Government is steadfastly committed to Northern Ireland’s integral place in the United Kingdom, on the basis of consent, and will never be neutral on the Union.
We aim to strengthen the Union by making Northern Ireland a better place to live and work for all parts of the community, and by building a stronger, more shared and inclusive society.
Through our ‘Levelling Up’ agenda, a record financial settlement for Northern Ireland in the spending review, with an average of £15 billion funding per year and the support provided throughout the pandemic sustaining more than 370,000 jobs, we are demonstrating that all of our United Kingdom remains better together than it would ever be apart.
There can be no doubt that Northern Ireland benefits from the strength and security of being part of the world's fifth largest economy, and the Government will continue to deliver for the whole of the United Kingdom so that we may further strengthen our precious Union.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to promote Northern Ireland's constitutional position within the UK.
Answered by Lord Caine - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government is resolutely committed to the Union and will take every opportunity to promote Northern Ireland’s integral place within it as we have said many times, while always upholding the consent principle we will never be neutral on Northern Ireland's position within our United Kingdom.
During this centenary year for Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom, the Government has proudly celebrated the contribution of Northern Ireland’s people, culture, traditions and enterprise to our Union and the world.
The record settlement for Northern Ireland in the Spending Review demonstrated the clear benefits of the Union, with £15 billion per year in funding alongside investment through the New Deal, City and Growth Deals and the New Decade, New Approach financial package.
Together, this investment will deliver greater prosperity and stronger public services for the benefit of everyone in Northern Ireland. All of this underlines the enormous benefit Northern Ireland gains from being part of the fifth largest economy in the world.
The Government will continue to work tirelessly to ensure the benefits of levelling up are felt across the United Kingdom, and to make Northern Ireland an even better place to live, work and invest within it.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure the protection of veterans who served in Northern Ireland while ensuring that the implementation of any such protection does not result in those responsible for terrorist offences evading justice.
Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government has been clear that it will deliver on its commitments to NI veterans as part of a wider package to address the legacy of the past in Northern Ireland.
As set out by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland last week, the Government’s proposed package focuses on reconciliation, information recovery and ending the cycle of investigations that is not working for anyone.
The Government remains clear however, that it will never accept any moral equivalence between those who upheld the law in Northern Ireland and those, on all sides, who sought to destroy it.
These proposals will be considered as part of the ongoing intensive talks process with the NI parties, Irish Government and representatives of NI society, further to which we will bring forward legislation.