Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made any representations to the government of the Republic of Ireland to encourage them to hold a public inquiry into the Omagh Bombing.

Answered by Lord Caine

We all remember vividly where we were when we heard the news of that awful atrocity in August 1998, and I pay tribute to Michael Gallagher and the other Omagh families who have pursued their case with great dignity and tenacity.

The Government is doing everything in its power to ensure that the Omagh Bombing Inquiry, under the expert guidance of Lord Turnbull, provides answers. Along with the significant powers provided to it under the Inquiries Act 2005, the Inquiry will need the cooperation of Irish agencies to be as effective as possible.

I raised this directly with the Irish Foreign Minister and Tánaiste at the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference on Monday 29 April, and I am pleased that he committed to full Irish Government co-operation with the Omagh bombing inquiry. The Government’s focus is on ensuring that the inquiry has every chance of success, and the Irish Government’s role in that is crucial.

At the last two British-Irish Intergovernmental Conferences, the Secretary of State and I pressed the Irish Government to cooperate fully with both the Omagh inquiry and the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery to provide information for victims and families who desire it. The Secretary of State also wrote to the Tánaiste in January, challenging the Irish Government’s own approach to addressing legacy issues, including the number of Troubles-related prosecutions brought in Ireland since April 1998.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made any representations to the government of the Republic of Ireland about (1) recognising any historic role it may have had in the forming, funding and training of the Provisional Irish Republican Army, and (2) how it may have dealt with terrorist activity during the Troubles.

Answered by Lord Caine

It is clear that the Irish Government has legitimate questions to answer regarding its record of dealing with legacy matters in its own jurisdiction. The coroner in the Kingsmill Inquest found, “the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland was “exploited by terrorists” and allowed for “… planning, training, organisation, weapons storage and retreat at a safe physical and legal distance from the authorities that would be faced with investigating terrorist acts in Northern Ireland”.

It is clear that, for many families, effective information recovery will also require the cooperation of the Irish Government and its agencies. The Government continues to encourage the Irish Government to cooperate with the new Independent Commission for Reconciliation & Information Recovery to help facilitate the provision of information to families who request it, including most recently at the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference on 29 April 2024.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made any representations to the government of the Republic of Ireland concerning the coroner’s findings on the 1976 shooting in Kingsmill.

Answered by Lord Caine

The Kingsmill massacre is an appalling example of the pain and suffering inflicted by the Provisional IRA during the Troubles. The families have fought for many decades to get information and accountability from those responsible. The Government hopes that the findings delivered by the coroner have brought some form of comfort to the families affected.

The coroner, in his findings, expressed gratitude for the assistance the inquest received from the Irish authorities. It is the Government’s view, however, that such cooperation should not be limited to high-profile cases. It is disappointing that the Irish Government has, to date, declined to commit to cooperating with the new Independent Commission for Reconciliation & Information Recovery to help facilitate the provision of information to families who request it. The Government continues to encourage the Irish Government to cooperate with the ICRIR, just as it has done in the Kingsmill inquest and Operation Denton.

I made these points directly to the Irish Government at the most recent meeting of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference on 29 April.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have had any discussions with the government of the Republic of Ireland regarding whether it plans to send Garda to the border between the Republic of Ireland and the UK.

Answered by Lord Caine

The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and the Tánaiste last spoke about this issue on 1 May, and the Tánaiste confirmed there would be no deployment of officers from An Garda Síochána to the Northern Ireland/Ireland border.

During this exchange, both UK and Irish Governments confirmed their commitment to the Common Travel Area and are focused on securing its external border.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to extend the WorkWell scheme to other regions in England, and what consultations they have had with integrated care boards concerning the implementation of the scheme.

Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie

WorkWell is a pilot programme running in 15 sites in England. The planned evaluation of the pilot will bolster our evidence base on what works to support disabled people and people with health conditions to start, stay and succeed in work. Future decisions, including on any expansion, will be subject to the evidence generated through the pilot.

We have undertaken an extensive programme of engagement with Integrated Care Boards prior to the announcement of the pilot areas and will continue to work with pilot areas as they design and deliver the WorkWell pilots.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of reported burglaries have resulted in a suspect being taken to court in England and Wales in the last year, and how this compares with the rest of the United Kingdom.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Home Office collects and publishes information on the number of burglary offences recorded by the police in England and Wales, and their investigative outcomes, including the number of charge/summons. This information is published on a quarterly basis, and can be accessed here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tables

The Home Office does not hold information on the number of suspects taken to court. Statistics on prosecutions and convictions in England and Wales, including burglary, are published by the Ministry of Justice, in the release Criminal Justice System Statistics Quarterly, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly

Scotland have a different method of counting burglary offences to England and Wales but information on crimes and offences recorded by the police, including clear ups of crimes, can be accessed here:

https://www.gov.scot/publications/recorded-crime-scotland-2022-23/

Information on crimes and offences recorded by the police in Northern Ireland, including investigative outcomes, can be accessed here:

https://www.psni.police.uk/about-us/our-publications-and-reports/official-statistics/police-recorded-crime-statistics