Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what information his Department holds on the (a) gender, (b) disability status, (c) sexual orientation, (d) marital status and (e) ethnicity of public appointments that it has made in each of the last five years.

Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)

My Department collects diversity information in line with its equality duties and the requirements of the Governance Code on Public Appointments for all public appointments set out in the Schedule to the Public Appointments Order in Council.

Information collected on appointments and reappointments is published annually by the Cabinet Office in the Public Appointments Data Report and can be found on GOV.UK. The Commissioner for Public Appointments also includes data in his annual report which is published at:

https://publicappointmentscommissioner.independent.gov.uk/publications/annual-reports/

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many (a) same and (b) opposite sex couples in Northern Ireland have converted their (i) marriage to civil partnership and (ii) civil partnership to marriage.

Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)

The General Register Office within the Northern Ireland Department of Finance is responsible for the administration of marriage and civil partnership law in Northern Ireland. They should be contacted for further information regarding this matter.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he is taking steps to prepare for potential legal challenges to the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 after the commencement of part 3 of that Act.

Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

Challenges against the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 have been heard in the High Court in 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.

However, following consideration of all aspects of the judgment, the UK Government has lodged an application 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.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many staff left his Department in each year since 2015.

Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)

The table below summarises the published Civil Service Statistics which includes the number of civil servants who have left the Northern Ireland Office since 2015.

The Cabinet Office has recently launched the new Civil Service People Plan 2024 - 2027, which demonstrates our commitment to developing and retaining the key skills the Civil Service needs, both now and in the future.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what progress has been made in establishing and making operational the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery on 1 May, in particular with regard to (1) assuming responsibility for Northern Ireland Troubles reinvestigations from Operation Kenova and the Police Service of Northern Ireland, and (2) replacing inquests.

Answered by Lord Caine - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

As I set out in a Written Ministerial Statement on 17 April, I can confirm that the ICRIR’s operational functions will be commenced and the Commission will be able to receive requests and carry out reviews as planned on 1 May 2024 - the point at which the Legacy Act automatically ends current investigations and inquests. From this date, following a request in accordance with the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023, the ICRIR will carry out reviews of Troubles-related deaths and serious injuries that occurred between 1966 and 1998.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what progress has been made on the memorialisation strategy for Northern Ireland.

Answered by Lord Caine - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Government is committed to the memorialisation measures set out in Part 4 of the Legacy Act and elsewhere. While our focus since Royal Assent of the Act has been on establishing the ICRIR, we know these wider measures are also essential to deliver for victims and families in Northern Ireland. Further to previous announcements on Public History and the project to digitise Troubles-related Government files, we will set out further details in due course.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will hold discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive on the adequacy of resources for tackling NHS waiting times in Northern Ireland.

Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)

The Government stands ready to support the Executive to reduce unacceptably long waiting times. The Government has made £3.3bn available to the Executive to spend on its priorities, including over £30m to address healthcare waiting lists.

I am clear that tackling waiting lists and stabilising health services in Northern Ireland is the start of a much bigger challenge in transforming services for the longer term. Innovative strategic thinking is needed to find solutions that will balance budgets and improve all public services across Northern Ireland. The Government is excited to work with Executive Ministers on plans that will deliver for Northern Ireland.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what progress he has made on ensuring the long-term availability of veterinary medicines in Northern Ireland.

Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)

The Government’s priority is to secure a long-term sustainable solution on veterinary medicines. To that end, we wish to pursue such a solution through discussions with the EU, as well as preparing for safeguards in all scenarios. We have set up a Veterinary Medicines Working Group to advise the Government on solutions and are grateful for your expertise as a member of this group. The Working Group has met twice and aims to report in a timely manner by June.

In the meantime, we have put in place a grace period arrangement until the end of 2025 which supports continuity of supply to Northern Ireland.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

What discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the date of the commencement of the Corporation Tax (Northern Ireland) Act 2015.

Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)

In the Safeguarding the Union Command Paper, the UK Government committed to a rapid, focused process, on the implementation of corporation tax devolution through a new Joint Exchequer Committee.

The Committee will take forward urgent work on this process. However, the devolution of corporation tax alone will not solve the financial challenges facing Northern Ireland. The Executive needs to make difficult decisions around revenue-raising and public service transformation to put Northern Ireland’s finances on a sustainable footing.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment he has made of the impact of the Spring Budget 2024 on Northern Ireland.

Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)

The Spring Budget underlined the UK Government’s commitment to Northern Ireland and to the Union.

The Executive will be able to spend additional Barnett funding of £100 million for 2024-25, on top of the £3.3 billion spending settlement.

It announced over £1 billion of new tax reliefs for creative industries across the UK, which is great news for NI’s creative industry businesses.

Another £2 million was announced to boost global investment and trade, building on the successful NI Investment Summit held last September.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on the redevelopment of Casement Park.

Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for 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. We remain committed to ensuring EURO 2028 leaves a lasting legacy across the UK.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the deadline for uncompleted inquests and civil litigation into Troubles-era offences under the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 on victims.

Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

From 1 May, victims and families can directly refer their cases to the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery for review and I strongly encourage them to do so.

The Commission will have extensive powers to conduct thorough investigations and will deliver better outcomes for victims and families than the current system.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, What assessment he has made with Cabinet colleagues of the potential merits of extending the Contract for Difference scheme to Northern Ireland.

Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)

Energy policy is devolved in Northern Ireland and is the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Executive Department for the Economy. The Department for the Economy (DfE) held a consultation on Design Considerations for its own bespoke Renewables Support Scheme in February 2023 which included seeking views on having a Contracts for Difference scheme in Northern Ireland. Consultation responses were recently published on 9 April 2024. DfE states that having considered the consultation responses, it will design a new Renewable Electricity Support Scheme for Northern Ireland which builds upon the support schemes across Great Britain, Ireland, and Europe. Northern Ireland has a vital role to play in helping the UK reach net zero by 2050.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the informal implementation group for the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement set up with Sinn Féin is still in existence; and when it last met.

Answered by Lord Caine - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The group to which the Noble Baroness refers no longer exists.

Relevant documents relating to this issue are freely accessible in the National Archives at Kew, to which the Noble Baroness might wish to refer. The Government takes seriously its obligations under the Public Records Act 1958.

Found: Group, the Department of Health, the Home Office, Scottish Executive, Welsh Assembly Government and Northern

Found: has considerable engagement with a range of Whitehall Departments including the Treasury, the Northern

Found: Those have been very well engaged through the Northern Ireland Office.

Found: With the support of the Northern Ireland Office, my officials have liaised with the relevant Northern

Found: the Rt Hon Chris Heaton-Harris MP appeared before the committee to give evidence on the work of the Northern

Found: Ireland Office, and Minister of State, Cabinet Office The Rt Hon Steve BARCLAY MP Secretary of State

Found: below .Scotland's Commissioner Landscape - A Strategic Approach, SB 24-18 31Table 7: Commissioners in Northern