Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what are the protective measures for veterans proposed in the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill to distinguish between veterans and those responsible for terrorist violence.

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

All of the protections that the Government has announced are being introduced in order to protect and ensure fair treatment of any veteran who is asked to engage with legacy mechanisms.

Measures set out in the legislation, including the right to give evidence remotely and having regard to the welfare of witnesses, will necessarily apply to others. This will ensure, for example, that former police officers are able to avail of these measures.

Some other non-legislative measures will apply only to veterans, including the protection from cold calling and the safeguard that ensures veterans do not have to give unnecessary evidence on historical context and general operational details.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, for what reason he has adopted a different approach to Pride in Place Programme Phase 2 funding in Northern Ireland than in Wales and Scotland.

Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

Although phase two of the Pride in Place programme will not be delivered in Northern Ireland, corresponding funding will be made available in Northern Ireland through the Local Growth Fund, with a total UK Government investment of £45.5m per annum over the Spending Review period.

This decision was made in consultation with the Northern Ireland Executive.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the official closing date under section 14 of the Inquiries Act 2005 was for the public inquiries entitled (a) Robert Hamill Inquiry and (b) Billy Wright Inquiry.

Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

Section 14(1) of the Inquiries Act 2005 sets out that for the purposes of the Act, an Inquiry comes to an end either:

(a) on the date, after the delivery of the report of the inquiry, on which the chairman notifies the Minister that the inquiry has fulfilled its terms of reference, or

(b) on any earlier date specified in a notice given to the chairman by the Minister.

In the case of the Robert Hamill Inquiry, the original Inquiry Chair, Sir Edwin Jowitt, advised the then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, the Rt Hon Owen Paterson MP, on 25 February 2011, that the Inquiry Panel had fulfilled its Terms of Reference. However, following announcement by the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland in December 2010 of criminal proceedings against three individuals on charges of perverting the course of justice, it was agreed that the Inquiry Report would not be published or submitted to the Secretary of State until the conclusion of those legal proceedings. At that point, the Report was placed in a secure independent location, only accessible to the Inquiry Chair, Secretary and Solicitor. These legal proceedings have now concluded. A new Chair, Sir John Evans, was appointed on 7 October 2024 due to Sir Edwin unfortunately being unable to continue in the role. Steps are now being taken to publish the report.

The Billy Wright Inquiry report was published on 14 September 2010 with the Inquiry Chair, Lord MacLean, advising the then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, the Rt Hon Owen Paterson MP on 12 December 2010 that the Inquiry had fulfilled its Terms of Reference in line with section 14 of the Inquiries Act 2005.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, for the total spend on (i) LinkedIn membership fees (ii) other subscriptions by his Department in the last financial year.

Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

The total expenditure by the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) on (i) LinkedIn membership fees and (ii) other subscriptions for the financial year 2024/2025 was as follows:

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, with reference to the policy papers entitled Spending Review 2025, published on 30 June 2025, and Budget 2025, published on 28 November 2025, what their Department’s capital Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) will be in each year of the Spending Review period; how much capital funding has been allocated to each of their Department’s programmes; and how much and what proportion of the capital DEL allocation remains unallocated in each year.

Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

The Northern Ireland Office’s Capital Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) settlements for the Spending Review period are set out below. Regarding the unallocated portion of the budget; currently, we have no unallocated CDEL in each year of the Spending Review period.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce administrative burdens on businesses moving goods from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.

Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

The Government announced at the Autumn Budget a £16.6m package of measures to support businesses to move goods within the UK internal market, including a comprehensive ‘one stop shop’ regulatory support service and additional funding for Intertrade UK.

On 3 December, we announced with the EU that SPS identity checks on retail goods would now be reduced from 10% to 8%, further smoothing flows of trade. Looking ahead, the Government is also negotiating a new sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement with the EU that is set to remove routine checks on animal and plant products moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he has held discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive on the potential merits of a National Library for Northern Ireland.

Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

Responsibility for libraries in Northern Ireland is a devolved matter. My Ministerial colleagues in the Northern Ireland Office and I hold regular meetings with Northern Ireland Executive Ministers, including the Communities Minister, to discuss areas of mutual interest. I welcome discussion about the potential merits of a National Library for Northern Ireland, although thus far no discussions on this topic have been held.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the (a) name, (b) job title, (c) annual remuneration, (d) time commitment and (e) expected end date is for each direct ministerial appointment in his Department.

Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

Within my Department, the following direct ministerial appointments have been made to non-statutory offices:

Intertrade UK - Chair and Members

Name and Job Title: Baroness Arlene Foster, Chair of Intertrade UK

Annual Remuneration: N/A

Time Commitment: Approximately 1 day per month

Expected End Date: 18 months from date of appointment. The Chair may be reappointed for no more than 18 months (so may serve for a maximum of three consecutive years).

Names and Job Title: Dr Esmond Birnie, Kirsty McManus, Suzanne Wylie, Roger Pollen, Angela McGowan - Members of Intertrade UK.

Annual Remuneration: N/A

Time Commitment: Approximately 1 day per month

Expected End Date: 18 months from date of appointment. Members may be reappointed for no more than 18 months (so may serve for a maximum of three consecutive years).

Windsor Framework Independent Monitoring Panel

Names and Job Title: Alastair Hamilton (Chair), Anna Jerzewska, Aidan Reilly - Chair and Panel Members of the Windsor Framework Independent Monitoring Panel.

Annual Remuneration: N/A

Time Commitment: The Panel is expected to report to the Government on a six-monthly basis and therefore Panelists should have the capacity to do so.

Expected End Date: 24 months from date of appointment with the possibility of an extension subject to Ministerial agreement.

Give veterans the same protection from prosecution as given to suspected IRA terrorists by Tony Blair's amnesty.

Found: Defence Department and to Environment, Food & Rural Affairs; and a decrease in WPQs to the Northern Ireland Office

Found: In the case of the Draft Remedial Order, the Northern Ireland Office has provided an accompanying statement

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps are being taken to improve the condition of derelict buildings in town centres.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

This Government is committed to supporting town centre regeneration including bringing derelict buildings back into use through targeted investment. Our Pride in Place programme is delivering significant funding to help communities thrive, create vibrant town centres, and celebrate local heritage, as part of phase 1 of the programme, which included funding for Northern Ireland.

As part of Phase 2 of the programme, corresponding funding will be made available, and MHCLG and the Northern Ireland Office will work in partnership with the NI Executive to determine the appropriate delivery approach, of which further detail will provided in due course

We will continue to work closely with local partners to ensure this funding delivers lasting benefits for businesses and residents, helping to strengthen high streets and foster pride in local places.

Found: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Q3 2025 Northern Ireland Office

Found:

Found: 91.20879120879121 90.68585944115156 89.42006269592476 88.81889763779527 86.99619771863118 Northern Ireland Office

Found: Part of role as the Lords Spokesperson for NIO.

Found: Part of role as the Lords Spokesperson for NIO.

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