Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether his Department has made an estimate of the potential cost to the public purse of repealing the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023.

Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

The Government, as part of the King’s Speech, committed to repeal and replace the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy & Reconciliation) Act 2023 (the Act). This legislation, which was taken through Parliament by the previous Government, is almost universally opposed, including by families of individuals who lost their lives whilst serving the State in Northern Ireland. Several provisions of that legislation have also been found to be unlawful by the domestic courts, including provisions relating to immunity. Litigation regarding the Act - which remains ongoing - has incurred significant cost to the public purse.

This Government is taking a different approach to that of the previous government, in seeking to implement legacy mechanisms that can comply fully with our human rights obligations and command confidence across communities. Through the Stormont House Agreement and New Decade, New Approach, £250 million has been allocated in order to deliver legacy mechanisms.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to approve the Merlin Out of Service Date Extension Programme.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Royal Navy’s Merlin helicopter Out-of-Service Date Extension Programme, to retain the capability in service from 2029-30 until 2040, is currently underway through standard Ministry of Defence processes. The Outline Business Case was approved in October 2023. A Review Note was approved in December 2024. Departmental Spend Control Approvals are currently considering whether to commit expenditure for this Programme in 2025-26. The forecast for a Full Business Case submission is in early 2027.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what approvals process is required for the Merlin Out of Service Date Extension Programme; and what the timescale is for that process.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Royal Navy’s Merlin helicopter Out-of-Service Date Extension Programme, to retain the capability in service from 2029-30 until 2040, is currently underway through standard Ministry of Defence processes. The Outline Business Case was approved in October 2023. A Review Note was approved in December 2024. Departmental Spend Control Approvals are currently considering whether to commit expenditure for this Programme in 2025-26. The forecast for a Full Business Case submission is in early 2027.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what role the Merlin Out of Service Date Extension Programme has in support of the Continuous At Sea Deterrent.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Merlin Out of Service Date Extension Programme supports the Continuous At Sea Deterrent by extending the operational life of the Merlin helicopter fleet until 2040.

These helicopters provide essential anti-submarine warfare capabilities, ensuring the security and readiness of the Royal Navy's deterrent patrols.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the annual payment for the lease of Diego Garcia under the proposed Chagos Islands agreement will be funded from the defence budget; and what impact this will have on the Government’s commitment to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The funding arrangements for the treaty are still being finalised and no decision has been made at this time.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of restoring the Loughgall inquest.

Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

The Government is committed to repeal and replace the almost universally opposed - and in many respects, unlawful - Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy & Reconciliation) Act 2023 (the Act). As part of this commitment, the Government has been consistently clear that we will propose measures to allow inquests previously halted by the Legacy Act to proceed, as set out in my written ministerial statements of 29 July 2024 and 7 October 2024, and in my oral statement of 4 December 2024.

Funding for coronial inquests, as a policing and justice matter, falls within the devolved competence of the Northern Ireland Executive. While there are also associated costs for Government departments, including in terms of resourcing our responses to disclosure requests from a coroner, it is important to note that such requirements also apply to cases that are investigated by the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery.

Through the Stormont House Agreement and New Decade, New Approach, £250 million has been allocated in order to deliver legacy mechanisms.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what formal agreements have been established with (a) the Department for Work and Pensions, (b) NHS England and (c) local housing authorities on the (i) acceptance and (ii) integration of the Digital Veterans ID card for priority service access; what technical standards will be used to ensure interoperability; and when it will become operational for those services.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The Digital Veteran Card will be launched this year as the first digital credential in the GOV.UK Wallet. The Ministry of Defence (MOD), in partnership with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, has robust governance arrangements in place overseeing its effective design and delivery, including ethical and security considerations.

The Digital Veteran Card continues this Government’s commitment to veterans, giving them swifter access to help and support available to them - from help with health, housing and employment to access to retail offers. It is in addition to the existing physical Veteran Card already held by over 250,000 former Service personnel across the country. The digital card will be entirely optional for our veterans.

It may also be helpful to further explain that the Digital Veteran Card is being developed jointly by the MOD and the Government Digital Service (GDS). It will use GOV.UK One Login which already allows users to securely prove their identity online to access Government services. The Digital Veteran Card will be saved securely in the GOV.UK Wallet, allowing veterans to show it to organisations on their smartphones and prove their eligibility to access services.

The GOV.UK Wallet follows industry standards for security, and further technical standards will be adhered to in order to ensure interoperability. The Veteran Card credential will enable a veteran to prove they are a veteran to an organisation without disclosing unnecessary information. This can reduce the sensitive information organisations might otherwise collect and therefore avoid unnecessary data sharing.

The security of our veterans, including those who served in sensitive operations, remains paramount. In designing the Veteran Card, The MOD has engaged across the sector, including veteran charities, associations and with veterans themselves. This shaped how the service is designed and what information is held on the Veteran Card; it will not include sensitive service history.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of verification interactions using the Digital Veterans ID card on the safety of veterans; and whether he has developed mitigations for potential risks.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The Digital Veteran Card will be launched this year as the first digital credential in the GOV.UK Wallet. The Ministry of Defence (MOD), in partnership with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, has robust governance arrangements in place overseeing its effective design and delivery, including ethical and security considerations.

The Digital Veteran Card continues this Government’s commitment to veterans, giving them swifter access to help and support available to them - from help with health, housing and employment to access to retail offers. It is in addition to the existing physical Veteran Card already held by over 250,000 former Service personnel across the country. The digital card will be entirely optional for our veterans.

It may also be helpful to further explain that the Digital Veteran Card is being developed jointly by the MOD and the Government Digital Service (GDS). It will use GOV.UK One Login which already allows users to securely prove their identity online to access Government services. The Digital Veteran Card will be saved securely in the GOV.UK Wallet, allowing veterans to show it to organisations on their smartphones and prove their eligibility to access services.

The GOV.UK Wallet follows industry standards for security, and further technical standards will be adhered to in order to ensure interoperability. The Veteran Card credential will enable a veteran to prove they are a veteran to an organisation without disclosing unnecessary information. This can reduce the sensitive information organisations might otherwise collect and therefore avoid unnecessary data sharing.

The security of our veterans, including those who served in sensitive operations, remains paramount. In designing the Veteran Card, The MOD has engaged across the sector, including veteran charities, associations and with veterans themselves. This shaped how the service is designed and what information is held on the Veteran Card; it will not include sensitive service history.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what (a) governance structure and (b) ethical oversight mechanisms have been established for the Digital Veterans ID card.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The Digital Veteran Card will be launched this year as the first digital credential in the GOV.UK Wallet. The Ministry of Defence (MOD), in partnership with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, has robust governance arrangements in place overseeing its effective design and delivery, including ethical and security considerations.

The Digital Veteran Card continues this Government’s commitment to veterans, giving them swifter access to help and support available to them - from help with health, housing and employment to access to retail offers. It is in addition to the existing physical Veteran Card already held by over 250,000 former Service personnel across the country. The digital card will be entirely optional for our veterans.

It may also be helpful to further explain that the Digital Veteran Card is being developed jointly by the MOD and the Government Digital Service (GDS). It will use GOV.UK One Login which already allows users to securely prove their identity online to access Government services. The Digital Veteran Card will be saved securely in the GOV.UK Wallet, allowing veterans to show it to organisations on their smartphones and prove their eligibility to access services.

The GOV.UK Wallet follows industry standards for security, and further technical standards will be adhered to in order to ensure interoperability. The Veteran Card credential will enable a veteran to prove they are a veteran to an organisation without disclosing unnecessary information. This can reduce the sensitive information organisations might otherwise collect and therefore avoid unnecessary data sharing.

The security of our veterans, including those who served in sensitive operations, remains paramount. In designing the Veteran Card, The MOD has engaged across the sector, including veteran charities, associations and with veterans themselves. This shaped how the service is designed and what information is held on the Veteran Card; it will not include sensitive service history.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which veteran organisations representing people who served in sensitive operations were consulted during the discovery phase of the Digital Veterans ID card; how their feedback was incorporated; and what design changes resulted.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The Digital Veteran Card will be launched this year as the first digital credential in the GOV.UK Wallet. The Ministry of Defence (MOD), in partnership with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, has robust governance arrangements in place overseeing its effective design and delivery, including ethical and security considerations.

The Digital Veteran Card continues this Government’s commitment to veterans, giving them swifter access to help and support available to them - from help with health, housing and employment to access to retail offers. It is in addition to the existing physical Veteran Card already held by over 250,000 former Service personnel across the country. The digital card will be entirely optional for our veterans.

It may also be helpful to further explain that the Digital Veteran Card is being developed jointly by the MOD and the Government Digital Service (GDS). It will use GOV.UK One Login which already allows users to securely prove their identity online to access Government services. The Digital Veteran Card will be saved securely in the GOV.UK Wallet, allowing veterans to show it to organisations on their smartphones and prove their eligibility to access services.

The GOV.UK Wallet follows industry standards for security, and further technical standards will be adhered to in order to ensure interoperability. The Veteran Card credential will enable a veteran to prove they are a veteran to an organisation without disclosing unnecessary information. This can reduce the sensitive information organisations might otherwise collect and therefore avoid unnecessary data sharing.

The security of our veterans, including those who served in sensitive operations, remains paramount. In designing the Veteran Card, The MOD has engaged across the sector, including veteran charities, associations and with veterans themselves. This shaped how the service is designed and what information is held on the Veteran Card; it will not include sensitive service history.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he expects the sustainment contract for E-7 Wedgetail to be signed.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The sustainment contract for E-7 Wedgetail will be established once the Full Business Case is approved.

I also refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 5 February 2025 to Question 26433 to the right hon. Member for Rayleigh and Wickford (Mark Francois).

Found: Denyer Irene Campbell Abtisam Mohamed Dame Siobhain McDonagh Chris Law Sir Bernard Jenkin Mr Mark Francois