Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether the Government is taking steps to support voluntary search and rescue organisations in Northern Ireland, including K9 Search and Rescue (NI); and whether he has had discussions with relevant departments on the provision of funding to assist such organisations in carrying out their work.

Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

Co-ordination of land and inland water rescue is devolved, with search and rescue policy the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Department of Justice and co-ordination of land and inland water search and rescue operations falling to the Police Service of Northern Ireland. I have had no discussions on the provision of funding to assist such organisations but understand that the Northern Ireland Department of Justice provides approximately £100,000 of grant funding each year, which is shared across the current nine voluntary search and rescue organisations to help to sustain their capability.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the answer of 4 September 2025, to Question 70519, on Public Inquiries, what has been the total public cost to date of the Inquiry into the preventability of the Omagh bombing.

Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

The Government has the deepest sympathy for all of those affected by the Omagh bomb in August 1998. It was a terrible atrocity committed by the Real IRA at a time when the people of Northern Ireland were looking to a future without violence. Our thoughts are with those who have taken part in the hearings to date and particularly with all those victims affected by the events of that terrible day more than 27 years ago.

The Omagh Bombing Inquiry is an independent statutory public inquiry, established to investigate whether the bombing could reasonably have been prevented. While I am the Sponsor Minister for the Inquiry, it is rightly independent from Government. Inquiry spend is therefore an operational matter for the Inquiry which they publish on their website on a regular basis.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how they assess clauses 89 and 90 of the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill to be compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights, in light of sections 46 and 47 of the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 being found incompatible by the Northern Ireland High Court in Dillon and others.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The High Court found the provisions which concerned Interim Custody Orders in sections 46 and 47 of the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 to be incompatible with our obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights.

As set out in the written ministerial statement [HCWS1063] made by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on 18 November 2025, we have carefully considered the High Court ruling and have tabled an alternative approach with clauses 89 and 90 to address the erroneous interpretation made in Adams regarding the application of the Carltona principle.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many civil claims relating to the Northern Ireland Troubles are currently directed against each government department; how many of these were blocked by the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 and will be unblocked by the proposed Remedial Order; and what are those departments' annual budgeted estimates for payment of settled legacy claims and costs.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

There were approximately 800 civil cases ongoing at the time of introduction of what was then the Legacy Bill on 17 May 2022. These remained untouched by the restrictions imposed by the Legacy Bill. Following introduction of the Bill, a further 230 cases were lodged, which were then halted when the Legacy Act came into force. Of these 230 cases, approximately 120 relate to the Ministry of Defence. These cases would be able to be resumed as a result of the Remedial Order taking effect.

The Northern Ireland Office does not hold a further breakdown of such civil cases, nor the budgeted estimates for payment of settled legacy claims for individual departments.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what aspects of the Safeguarding the Union Command Paper (CP 1021), published on 31 January 2024, have been (1) fully implemented, (2) partially implemented, and (3) not implemented.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Government is committed to continuing to take forward the Safeguarding the Union command paper, and to protecting Northern Ireland’s place in the UK Internal Market.

We continue to make progress on the implementation of the commitments made in the command paper. For instance, the digitisation of the News Letter was completed last year and there remains no Border Control Post at Cairnryan. In January, the East-West Council met for the third time where the Government announced there would be a pilot for the UK school twinning programme, which is being developed between the UK Government’s Department for Education and the Northern Ireland Executive’s Department of Education.

Other recent steps include the allocation of £2.25 million for Intertrade UK over the next three years and the opening of round two of the Connect Fund to support community and voluntary groups. In line with commitments made in the command paper, in December the Government published our response to Lord Murphy’s Independent Review of the Windsor Framework, and is now taking action on all of its recommendations.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many departmental employees were on performance management plans in (a) 2023, (b) 2024 and (c) 2025.

Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

The Northern Ireland Office is committed to thorough performance management and has in place robust processes to ensure that those who fall below the expected standards are supported to improve in a timely manner. To this end, there have been no employees on a formal performance development plan in 2023, 2024, and 2025.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment has been made of the potential benefits derived to Northern Ireland people and businesses from the Belfast Office operational since December 2024.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

HM Treasury has not made a standalone assessment of the benefits of the HMRC Belfast office, but having an operational presence in Belfast supports access to HMRC services, engagement with local businesses and stakeholders, and the effective administration of the tax system in Northern Ireland.

Found: ‘Estimates of the population for the UK, England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland - Office for

Found: ‘Estimates of the population for the UK, England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland - Office for

Found: Service 180000 - 184999 Harrison Julie Permanent Secretary/CEO Permanent Secretary of the Northern Ireland Office

Found: Secretary/CEO

Found: 184999HarrisonJuliePermanent Secretary/CEOPermanent Secretary of the Northern Ireland OfficeThe Northern Ireland Office

Found: appointments are made jointly by Defra, Welsh Government, Scottish Government, and DAERA and Northern Ireland Office

Found: Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland Office of the Secretary of State for Wales Northern Ireland Office

Found: Authorities/ District Councils; Health and Safety Executive/Health and Safety Executive Northern Ireland; Office

Found: Authorities/ District Councils; Health and Safety Executive/Health and Safety Executive Northern Ireland; Office

Found: Business, Scottish Government and Matthew Patrick MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Northern Ireland Office