Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what the costs are of the (1) Hamill Inquiry, and (2) Letby Inquiry.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Robert Hamill Inquiry opened in 2005. The previous chair of the Inquiry reported that the Terms of Reference were fulfilled in 2011. However, due to legal proceedings, the Inquiry report was only published on 14 September 2026. The total amount paid for inquiry expenses since its establishment, including expenditure since 2011, will be published by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, as required by Section 39 of the Inquiries Act 2005. This is scheduled for publication in 2027, following the completion of standard reconciliation and auditing procedures.
The Thirlwall Inquiry is independent of Government, and the Chair is responsible for the financial costs of the Inquiry. The Inquiry publishes its financial spend on its website and the most recent report for financial spend in 25/26 is available online at: https://thirlwall.public-inquiry.uk/document/fy25-26-financial-report-for-the-thirlwall-inquiry/, copied below for ease:
1. Overview
This report sets out expenditure for the Thirlwall Inquiry from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026, the full financial year. FY 2023-2024 (covering 4 September to 31 March 2024) and FY 2024-2025 (covering 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025) is presented alongside. Since the last financial report ending 30 September 2025, the Inquiry has continued in the report writing stage, preparing for report publication. The total expenditure for the full financial year of FY 2025-2026 is £2,651k, with the breakdown given in the table below:
| FY 2023-2024 £ 000 | FY 2024-2025 £ 000 | FY 2025-2026 £ 000 |
Salaries and related expenses | 301 | 1,201 | 1,226 |
Secretariat team | 168 | 749 | 752 |
Chair | 133 | 452 | 474 |
Legal costs | 2,356 | 8,634 | 1,028 |
Counsel to the Inquiry team | 742 | 1,983 | 405 |
Solicitor to the Inquiry team (incl paralegals) | 1,397 | 3,762 | 619 |
Family legal fees (Core Participants) | 216 | 2,877 | 4 |
Legal fees of non-Core Participants | - | 12 | - |
Experts and analysis (questionnaire and | - | 211 | - |
Emotional support | 27 | 194 | 13 |
IT (incl. evidence disclosure platform, info. management system, website costs) | 133 | 601 | 205 |
Media services and media monitoring | 16 | 226 | 10 |
Office accommodation | - | 153 | 148 |
Hearings | - | 1,863 | - |
Hearings venue | - | 245 | - |
Hearings AV | - | 1,274 | - |
Hearings other expenses | - | 344 | - |
Publication costs | - | - | 16 |
Administration and other expenses (incl travel) | 2 | 15 | 5 |
Total | 2,834 | 13,098 | 2,651 |
Note: These figures are rounded to nearest £000 and exclude VAT.
2. Notes on financial figures
Every attempt has been made to ensure the figures presented are accurate as of 28 July 2026. However, these figures have not been compiled by accountants and are intended to give an overview of the level of expenditure over the Inquiry's work. The amounts are not intended to be equivalent of company accounts. The costs reflect spend incurred in the year and are based on supplier invoices and information rather than on a cash basis.
The Inquiry publishes its financial reports half yearly.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what the total number of job losses has been since June 2024; how many job vacancies currently exist in the labour market; and whether the number of vacancies now is higher or lower than in July 2024.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
Please see the letter attached from the Permanent Secretary for the Office for National Statistics:
The Rev.
Dr the Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown
House of Lords
London
SW1A 0PW
23 September 2026
Dear Lord McCrea,
As Permanent Secretary of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking what the total number of job losses has been since June 2024; how many job vacancies currently exist in the labour market; and whether the number of vacancies now is higher or lower than in July 2024 (HL3708).
The most recent data for workforce jobs and job vacancies, were published as part of our Vacancies and jobs in the UK: September 2026[1] bulletin, which was published on 15 September 2026.
The UK workforce jobs (WFJ) is a quarterly measure of jobs in the UK and is the preferred measure of short-term employment change by industry. Estimates of WFJ are measured as the sum of employee jobs, self-employment jobs, government supported trainees, and HM forces. The surveys do not provide an estimate of job losses but instead allow us to estimate the net change in the number of jobs, resulting from job losses and job creations over the period.
In June 2026, on a seasonally adjusted basis, in the UK there were an estimated 36,734,000 workforce jobs compared with an estimated 36,635,000 in June 2024, an increase of 99,000 (0.3%). These estimates are available quarterly, along with longer-term trends, in table JOBS01: Workforce jobs summary[2].
The ONS publishes information on the number of vacancies from the Vacancy Survey. Our headline accredited official statistics are published monthly on a rolling three-monthly basis.
In June to August 2026, on a seasonally adjusted basis, in the UK there were an estimated 702,000 job vacancies compared with an estimated 867,000 job vacancies in May to July 2024, a decrease of 164,000 (19.0%).
Further information can be found in table VACS02: Vacancies by industry[3] which is published monthly as part of the UK Labour Market release. More information on when these tables will be updated with the latest available data can be found in the ONS release calendar[4].
Yours sincerely,
Darren Tierney
[1] https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes /bulletins/jobsandvacanciesintheuk/september2026
[2] https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes /datasets/workforcejobssummaryjobs01
[3] https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peoplenotinwork/unemployment/datasets/vac anciesbyindustryvacs02
[4] https://www.ons.gov.uk/releasecalendar
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to tax state pensions.
Answered by Lord Pitt-Watson - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
It has always been the case that pension income, from private pensions and the State Pension, is taxable. Under the previous Government, 8.3 million pensioners, the vast majority, paid income tax.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what measures they are taking to curb inflation and assist consumers.
Answered by Lord Pitt-Watson - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The independent Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England has primary responsibility for maintaining price stability and returning inflation sustainably to the 2% target. The Government primarily supports the Bank to control inflation through fiscal discipline, controlling borrowing and reducing long term pressures on our public finances. Last year, borrowing fell by 1ppt to its lowest level for six years at 4.2% GDP.
We know that people across the country are struggling with the cost of living and are worried about events in the Middle East and what that means for consumer prices in the UK. In March, the Government announced a £50 million support package for families struggling with high heating oil costs as a result of the conflict – with £17 million dedicated to consumers in Northern Ireland specifically. The Government has been working with the Northern Ireland Executive to ensure that protections are fit for purpose for Northern Irish households, who are particularly reliant on heating oil.
Since July, the Government has taken action to reduce energy bills by removing VAT from household electricity from October 1. This will take around £45 off the yearly Ofgem price cap in October, benefitting millions of households this winter. To ensure that households in Northern Ireland (NI) receive the same support as quickly as the rest of the UK, the NI Executive will receive comparable funding to enable it to support NI Households with the cost of living. The VAT cut on domestic electricity comes on top of the £150 removed from bills at the last Budget, when the OBR estimated that Government policy at Budget 2025 would bring down inflation by 0.4ppt in 2026-27. The 5p cut and freeze to fuel duty has also been extended to the end of the year.
The Government is monitoring the situation in the Middle East carefully. We are committed to helping people across the UK and providing breathing space with everyday costs.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide assistance to families under pressure due to rising bank mortgages.
Answered by Lord Pitt-Watson - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government recognises the pressure facing mortgage borrowers across the United Kingdom. Earlier this year, Ministers met with the six largest mortgage lenders alongside UK Finance to discuss the outlook for mortgage rates following the latest global developments. At that meeting, these lenders committed to proactively contact 1.6 million customers whose fixed-rate deals were due to end during 2026, setting out options well before payments change.
Lenders across the industry also reaffirmed their commitment to the Mortgage Charter. The Mortgage Charter is a voluntary agreement that covers 90% of the mortgage market and provides flexibilities to help borrowers manage their repayments over a short period. This includes permitting eligible borrowers to switch temporarily to interest-only payments, or extend their mortgage term, for six months, after which they can switch back without a new affordability check or affecting their credit score.
Financial Conduct Authority rules also provide significant protections for all borrowers, including ensuring all customers are treated fairly. Any borrower who is concerned about making their repayments should contact their lender. Seeking support and engaging with lenders to discuss options will not affect a borrower’s credit score in any way, and earlier engagement will mean that lenders can offer more support.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what measures they are taking against those within the NHS who subject patients, nurses, and doctors to anti-Jewish abuse.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Noble Lord to the answer I gave on 25 August in response to Question HL1796, which, for ease of reference, is reproduced below.
In October 2025, Lord John Mann was asked to undertake an urgent review into how the health system, including National Health Service employers and United Kingdom health professional regulators, are dealing with incidents of antisemitism and other forms of racism.
On 4 June 2026, the Government published Lord Mann’s review, alongside a Government response, which, accepted all recommendations for the Department and NHS England, subject to consultation where appropriate. We are taking action to deliver these recommendations, to help protect all patients and staff from hatred and discrimination.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase energy security and lower energy costs; and what assessment they have made as to the potential impact of the conflict in the Middle East on domestic energy bills.
Answered by Lord Whitehead
The events in the Middle East underline the risks of continued dependence on fossil fuels and the importance of accelerating our transition to clean energy. That is why we are driving further and faster for clean homegrown power that we control to protect the British people and bring down bills for good.
The Government acted at last year’s Budget by taking on average £150 of costs off energy bills and we have also extended the Warm Home Discount to cover around 6 million households. We will continue to monitor the situation ahead of the winter and plan for all contingencies.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether any key target been removed from the Modern Service Framework for Dementia and Frailty, due for publication later this year.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
No target has been removed from the Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia. The framework is still in development, and we are still considering all options to help improve dementia diagnosis and care, including reviewing targets, metrics, and data.
We are engaging with a wide group of partners to understand what should be included to ensure the best outcomes for people living with frailty and dementia. As part of this exercise, we will develop a list of best evidenced interventions following analysis of the evidence and wider research.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support (1) farmers in relation to increased costs deriving from the Iran war, and (2) the long-term financial sustainability of farm businesses.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is actively monitoring developments in the Middle East and the impacts on food and farming sectors. Measures have been taken to improve market transparency, promote advice, tools and guidance, and we have consulted on temporary suspension of tariffs for certain fertilisers and modernisation of fertiliser regulations.
The ongoing pressure on fertiliser underlines the need to shift to a more resilient farming system with reduced reliance on such inputs. In England, the Farming Roadmap shows how improving nutrient management and input efficiency will help farmers to reduce reliance on artificial fertilisers, cut input costs and boost resilience.
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 held concerning the replacement of the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023, and with whom.
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 continues to engage with a wide range of interested parties at ministerial and official level. This includes regular and recent discussions with victims groups, groups representing veterans, human rights organisations, elected representatives, and others including academics.