Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many legacy civil suits that (1) they are subject to, and (2) relate to the Troubles, are currently before the courts in Northern Ireland; how many were settled in 2021; what amounts were paid to applicants that year; and what was the cost in legal aid.

There are over 1,000 legacy civil claims against state agencies, including those at the pre-action stage, all of which relate to the Troubles.

The Northern Ireland Office was a co-defendant in two legacy civil claims in 2021 that were settled. The amounts paid will remain confidential as per the terms of the settlements.

The Northern Ireland Office does not hold information on the settlement of legacy civil claims faced by other Government Departments.

Legal aid applications are considered by the Legal Services Agency Northern Ireland and payments are administered by the Department of Justice. As such, we are unable to comment on the costs relating to legal aid.