Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of the Republic of Ireland regarding establishing an inquiry similar to the Operation Kenova inquiry in relation to cross-border collusion.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)

The Joint Framework agreed by the UK and Ireland contains clear commitments by the Irish Government on legacy, including to facilitate the fullest possible cooperation of the Irish authorities with a reformed Legacy Commission. This will assist many families whose cases involve cross-border activity where information may be held in Ireland.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking with the devolved administrations to facilitate the sharing of best practice and models of reform of special educational needs provision throughout the UK.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

​​Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

​As part of our Plan for Change, we are determined to fix the special educational needs and disabilities system and restore the trust of parents by ensuring schools have the tools to better identify and support children before issues escalate. We’re continuing to engage closely with children, parents and experts as we develop plans to ensure all children get the outcomes and life chances they deserve. 

The department engages the devolved governments at ministerial and official level on a range of areas, which allows a sharing of collective knowledge and experience as well as collaborative working on shared interests and challenges to deliver better outcomes for people across the UK.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the additional cost of special educational needs provision in England in each of the next three years.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

To support specialist provision, in December, the department announced at least £3 billion for high needs capital between 2026/27 and 2029/30. This builds on the £740 million invested in 2025/26, which is on track to create around 10,000 new specialist places.

The department will publish its plans for reform to the special educational needs system in the new year.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether all parts of the United Kingdom will have unfettered access to benefit from the UK-South Korea trade deal.

Answered by Lord Stockwood - Minister of State (HM Treasury)

The free trade agreement between the UK and South Korea will apply to all parts of the United Kingdom, including Northern Ireland.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps the Northern Ireland Office has taken, in conjunction with the Department of Business and Trade, to ensure that Northern Ireland has no additional barriers to full involvement and participation in the UK-South Korea trade deal compared to other parts of the UK.

Answered by Lord Stockwood - Minister of State (HM Treasury)

The free trade agreement between the UK and South Korea will apply to all parts of the United Kingdom, including Northern Ireland.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the free trade agreement with the government of South Korea, whether businesses in Northern Ireland will face any barriers or additional bureaucracy when importing goods from South Korea compared with the rest of the UK.

Answered by Lord Stockwood - Minister of State (HM Treasury)

The free trade agreement between the UK and South Korea will apply to all parts of the United Kingdom, including Northern Ireland.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what (1) discussions they have had, and (2) steps they have taken, to ensure that (a) policing of demonstrations of active support, (b) arrests, and (c) prosecutions, in relation to Palestine Action are carried out in a consistent manner throughout all parts of the UK.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

The police are operationally independent of Government and have significant experience in policing protests and ensuring proscription orders are implemented fairly and in line with legislation. The police, through the College of Policing, also review and formulate guidance to ensure that the law is consistently applied in every part of the UK and by every police force. The Home Office also maintains regular contact with policing to ensure that there is appropriate oversight as the police carry out their statutory duties.

Decisions on arrests and prosecutions in relation to Palestine Action are a matter for the police and the prosecuting authorities in England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Palestine Action was proscribed under the Terrorism Act 2000 (TACT), which clearly states what constitutes proscribed activity (including in support of a proscribed group). The law is applicable in all parts of the UK.

The Government is absolutely clear that support for proscribed organisations is unacceptable. The proscription of Palestine Action does not diminish the right to lawfully protest or support Palestinian rights. This government upholds the democratic right that people must be free to express their views, but they should do so within the bounds of the law.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to prevent antisemitic hate speech at rallies and to prosecute those engaged in such speech.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

Antisemitism has no place in our society, including at rallies, and the Government is committed to tackling it in all its forms.

The police have a range of powers under public order legislation to deal with threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour intended to stir up hatred on the grounds of race or religion and decisions on prosecutions are for the independent Crown Prosecution Service.

The government is committed to ensuring there are consistent, high standards in police training and leadership to help maintain public trust and confidence. That is why the Home Office continues to fund the College of Policing to deliver support to forces and improvements to leadership and training standards through the National Police Leadership Centre.

The College of Policing sets national guidance and standards for policing in England and Wales, including publishing Authorised Professional Practice on hate crime. This Authorised Professional Practice provides guidance on how police should respond to hate crimes and promotes a proportionate and consistent approach that upholds the rights of victims and protects free speech. While the College sets the overall framework, individual police forces are responsible for determining their own local delivery of training.

Police forces are operationally independent, but we expect them to use these standards, tools and guidance, and to work closely with the Crown Prosecution Service to ensure robust charging decisions and prosecutions in cases of antisemitic hate crime.

The Home Secretary launched an independent review of public order and hate crime legislation on 5 October. The Review is being led by Lord Ken Macdonald KC of River Glaven, supported by former Assistant Chief Constable Owen Weatherill.

The review will ensure police powers remain fit for purpose, are used consistently, and strike the right balance between the right to freedom of expression and peaceful protest, and the need to prevent disorder and keep communities safe.

It will address whether the existing legislation is effective and proportionate, whether it adequately protects communities from intimidation and hate and whether it strikes a fair and sustainable balance between the right to freedom of expression and peaceful protest, and the need to prevent disorder and keep communities safe.

The review is currently underway and is expected to conclude in Spring 2026.