Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to uphold the Carltona principles when producing any remedial orders relating to the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Carltona principle is an extremely important one which should continue to be upheld, and the Government remains committed to bringing forward legislation in relation to the legacy of the Troubles that is lawful and human rights compliant.
On 4 December 2024, the Secretary of State laid a proposal for a draft remedial order, which represents the first step towards fulfilling the Government’s commitment to repeal and replace the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023. The remedial order, if adopted by Parliament, will remedy all of the human rights deficiencies in the Act identified by the Northern Ireland High Court in February 2024 in the case of Dillon and Others and one further deficiency - the prohibition on civil proceedings - identified by the Court of Appeal in September 2024.
The Government will also introduce primary legislation when parliamentary time allows, to implement other measures to ensure that the Government fulfils the commitments it has made, including to reform the independent Commission and further strengthen its independence and its powers.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Ireland to ensure full co-operation and disclosure of all available information to the Independent Commission on Reconciliation and Information Recovery in the case of the Kingsmills massacre.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government continues to have detailed discussions with the Irish Government on our commitment to repeal and replace the Legacy Act. The Irish Government is an essential partner in this process and we are seeking to agree a way forward, underpinned by the principles set out in the Stormont House Agreement. The full participation of both the UK and Irish governments in all legacy mechanisms is important if we are to provide as much information as possible for as many families as possible across the UK and Ireland who lost loved ones in the Troubles.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what level of financial commitment they have made to the Casement Park rebuilding project.
Answered by Lord Caine - Shadow Minister (Northern Ireland)
EURO 2028 is a fantastic opportunity for the UK and Ireland to showcase world-class sport as hosts.
The UK Government is continuing to work closely with the Department for Communities regarding the cost and delivery of Casement Park whilst also having proper regard for value for money for the taxpayer. We remain committed to ensuring EURO 2028 leaves a lasting legacy across the UK.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their current assessment of the total capital cost of the rebuilding of Casement Park.
Answered by Lord Caine - Shadow Minister (Northern Ireland)
EURO 2028 is a fantastic opportunity for the UK and Ireland to showcase world-class sport as hosts.
The UK Government is continuing to work closely with the Department for Communities regarding the cost and delivery of Casement Park whilst also having proper regard for value for money for the taxpayer. We remain committed to ensuring EURO 2028 leaves a lasting legacy across the UK.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to appeal the ruling of the High Court of 28 February on parts of the Northern Ireland (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023.
Answered by Lord Caine - Shadow Minister (Northern Ireland)
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 Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to introduce any further legislation in response to the High Court ruling of 28 February on parts of the Northern Ireland (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023.
Answered by Lord Caine - Shadow Minister (Northern Ireland)
The Government welcomes the Court’s findings that the ICRIR is operationally independent from Government and has the necessary powers to carry out reviews in accordance with the state’s obligations with Articles 2 and 3 of the ECHR.
The Government has considered all aspects of the judgment, and is applying for an appeal with the Northern Ireland Court of Appeal.
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.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they remain committed to the Fresh Start Agreement funding programme.
Answered by Lord Caine - Shadow Minister (Northern Ireland)
The UK Government remains committed to the Fresh Start Agreement and we will continue to invest and support educational integration in Northern Ireland as an essential aspect of reconciliation.
The Fresh Start agreement in 2015 made provision for funding for integrated and shared education over 10 years. As that funding was due to expire at the end of 2024-25, the decision to remove the ring-fence on £150m of Fresh Start Agreement funding was made by the UK Government on taking a coherent look across its existing funding in Northern Ireland. We came to a considered position in response to the challenging budgetary position faced by the Northern Ireland Executive.
This will enable the Executive to prioritise funding on public service transformation. Integrated education is a vital element of that.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government why money allocated to Fresh Start Agreement funding has been repurposed to the general Northern Ireland budget.
Answered by Lord Caine - Shadow Minister (Northern Ireland)
The UK Government is providing the Executive with a significant £3.3 billion spending settlement to stabilise its finances and protect public services. Within this package, we are increasing the spending power of the Executive by repurposing over £700 million of existing and new UK Government funds.
The Fresh Start agreement in 2015 made provision for funding for integrated and shared education over 10 years. As that funding was due to expire at the end of 2024-25, the decision to remove the ring-fence on £150m of Fresh Start Agreement funding was made by the UK Government on taking a coherent look across its existing funding in Northern Ireland. We came to a considered position in response to the challenging budgetary position faced by the Northern Ireland Executive.
The Northern Ireland Executive will be able to decide how it uses the non-ring fenced funding element of reprioritised and new UK Government funding streams which contribute to the settlement package.
In line with commitments in the Belfast Agreement, the Government will continue to invest in and support educational integration in Northern Ireland as an essential aspect of reconciliation.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the proposal by the Victims Commissioner to provide payments to the relatives of those killed during the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Caine - Shadow Minister (Northern Ireland)
The Government fully recognises the terrible loss of those bereaved through Troubles-related incidents. Support for victims is a devolved matter for consideration by a restored Northern Ireland Executive. It is right that a restored Executive considers how best to acknowledge and support people who have lost loved ones during the Troubles.
This Government has always made clear, in successive manifestos, that it will never accept any moral equivalence between those who defended democracy and the rule of law in Northern Ireland, and those who sought to destroy both.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the proposal by the Victims Commissioner to issue payments to the relatives of those killed during the Troubles in Northern Ireland, whether the scheme will apply in respect of paramilitaries who were killed.
Answered by Lord Caine - Shadow Minister (Northern Ireland)
Support for victims is a devolved matter for consideration by a restored Northern Ireland Executive.
This Government has always made clear, in successive manifestos, that it will never accept any moral equivalence between those who defended democracy and the rule of law in Northern Ireland, and those who sought to destroy both.