Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he has had recent discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive on NHS Dentist provision.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
I regularly engage with the Northern Ireland Executive on the importance of delivering good quality, accessible healthcare in Northern Ireland. As Health and Social Care, including dental services, is a devolved matter, the Northern Ireland Department of Health (DoH) is responsible for these services.
Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he plans to make additional funding available to the Police Service of Northern Ireland to meet the costs arising from the 2023 data breach.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
It is for the Northern Ireland Executive to set a budget for Departments, and for the Minister for Justice to allocate funding to the Police Service of Northern Ireland. The Government is providing the Executive with a record settlement over the Spending Review period, averaging £19.3bn per year. This is the largest in the history of devolution.
On 17 December 2025, the Northern Ireland Executive committed to providing £119m to the Department of Justice to fund the costs of the data breach.
Concerns about the implications of costs associated with the data breach should be raised via the existing mechanisms in the Department of Justice and the Department of Finance.
Asked by: Gavin Robinson (Democratic Unionist Party - Belfast East)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many requests have been (a) made by the ICRIR to An Garda Síochána since their establishment and (b) answered.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR) is an independent body. As such, the Government does not hold this operational information and the Right Honourable Gentleman may wish to request it from the Commission directly.
Asked by: Graham Leadbitter (Scottish National Party - Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the Answer of 4 December 2025 on Question 95787 on the Prime Minister, what is the estimated total departmental spend by his department to supporting the Minister for the Union in their role since the office was established.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Northern Ireland Office does not provide any direct financial support to the Minister for the Union.
Jan. 28 2026
Source Page: Letter from the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland regarding Windsor Framework decision under Schedule 6B Northern Ireland Act 1998Jan. 28 2026
Source Page: Letter from the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland regarding Windsor Framework decision under Schedule 6B Northern Ireland Act 1998