Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the total expenditure has been on the upkeep and maintenance of Stormont House since the Northern Ireland Office vacated the building in 2022; and what future plans his Department has for the use or disposition of the property.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Stormont House is owned and managed by the Northern Ireland Executive. Consequently, the Northern Ireland Office has incurred no expenditure on the building's upkeep or maintenance since vacating the premises in 2022.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will hold discussions with the International Road Transport Union on the extent of ongoing road haulage difficulties that exist for transportation of freight between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
I have met with a range of businesses and representative bodies, including those dealing with the movement of goods by road, and I remain committed to continuing this discussion. HM Revenue & Customs has also been engaging regularly with the International Road Transport Union, and their members directly, to provide bespoke support.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the Answer of 24 November 2025 to Question 92498 on Terrorism: Northern Ireland, what the evidential basis is that removing immunity from prosecution of perpetrators of crimes during the Troubles will increase the likelihood of them giving testimony on unsolved murders of which they have knowledge; and what assessment he has made of the compatibility of (a) information disclosed by individuals to the ICIR being inadmissible in criminal and civil proceedings with (b) the work of the ICIR not impinging on criminal investigations.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Government has not removed the prospect of immunity from prosecution for any individual. The provisions in the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 were found to be incompatible with our human rights obligations and never commenced. I refer the Honourable gentleman to my answer of 24 November 2025 pursuant to Question 92498.
Regarding the Independent Commission on Information Retrieval, clause 72(5)(c) of the Troubles Bill is clear that it must not do anything which would risk having, or would have, a prejudicial effect on any actual or prospective legal proceedings in any part of the United Kingdom or Ireland.
This is supported by clause 75, which ensures that the ICIR cannot accept a request in relation to a case where an investigation is required for the purposes of ECHR compatibility, or where the Legacy Commission is conducting a criminal investigation. If the ICIR accepts a request, but that case is subsequently subject to a criminal investigation by the Legacy Commission, the ICIR must cease exercising its functions in relation to that case.
This approach to ‘sequencing’ between the Legacy Commission and the ICIR will ensure that the discharge of our ECHR obligations and the conduct of criminal investigations will not be prejudiced by the information retrieval process available through the ICIR.
In any case, the inadmissibility provisions attached to the ICIR relate only to information provided to it. It does not confer immunity on any individual. That means that, while information provided to the ICIR cannot be used in criminal and civil proceedings, individuals to which that information relates can still be subject to legal proceedings should evidence be obtained via other means.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the statutory basis of Operation Denton.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
In 2019, the Barnard Judgment at the Northern Ireland Court of Appeal [2019] (NICA 38) set out the requirement for an independent review of the activities of the so-called ‘Glenanne Gang’. In discharge of the Judicial instruction, the then Chief Constable of the PSNI requested that the enquiries were conducted by Jon Boutcher, who at the time was the Officer in Overall Command of Operation Kenova. Operation Denton commenced in February 2020.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether Operation Denton's report findings will be permitted to adjudicate on the criminality of members of the armed forces and security services; and what assessment they have made of the application of article 6 the European Convention on Human Rights on the right to a fair trial, given that Operation Denton is not a police investigation.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Operation Denton is a thematic review, not a criminal investigation. As per its Terms of Reference, “the discovery of matters amounting to possible criminal misconduct which may be amenable to further criminal investigation will be brought to the attention of the Chief Constable of PSNI by the OIOC.”
In 2019, the Barnard Judgment at the Northern Ireland Court of Appeal [2019] (NICA 38) set out the requirement for an independent review of the activities of the so-called ‘Glenanne Gang’. The then Chief Constable of PSNI requested that the enquiries were conducted by Jon Boutcher, who at the time was the Officer in Overall Command of Operation Kenova. Operation Denton commenced in February 2020.
I understand the Operation Kenova and Operation Denton reports are nearing completion and will be passed to the PSNI soon. The PSNI will then consider the final details around publication of the reports.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will confirm what statutory basis Operation Denton operates upon when it publishes its report.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
In 2019, the Barnard Judgment at the Northern Ireland Court of Appeal [2019] (NICA 38) set out the requirement for an independent review of the activities of the so-called ‘Glenanne Gang’. In discharge of the Judicial instruction, the then Chief Constable of the PSNI requested that the enquiries were conducted by Jon Boutcher, who at the time was the Officer in Overall Command of Operation Kenova. Operation Denton commenced in February 2020.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether Operation Denton investigators travelled to Dublin on 8 October, and if so, whether they briefed campaign groups on their findings and confidential material.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
It is not for the Government to comment on the internal operational practices of Operation Denton or any other independent review or investigation.
I understand the Operation Kenova and Operation Denton reports are nearing completion and will be passed to the PSNI soon. The PSNI will then consider the final details around publication of the reports.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 Windsor Framework on local airports.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Windsor Framework gives Northern Ireland unique dual market access which ensures the free movement of goods across the UK and the EU, whilst maintaining the frictionless movement of people and goods on the island of Ireland.
Duty-free shopping is not available between Northern Ireland and the EU, as it would require the application of personal allowances and associated border checks, to prevent the uncontrolled flow of tax-free goods into either Northern Ireland or the EU.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the Answer of 16 October 2025 to Question 81262 on Connect Fund: Northern Ireland, how many of the 24 applications to the Connect Fund were successful.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Connect Fund has continued to receive a positive reaction from the voluntary and community sector and I am glad to see many innovative projects are already underway. In the August window, 24 applications were received with 11 of these subsequently awarded funding.
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 discussions with the European Union on barriers to selling poppies under the Windsor Framework.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Government engages with the European Union on a range of issues on a regular basis. I can confirm that there are no barriers to selling poppies in respect of the Poppy Appeal under the Windsor Framework, and the Government has updated the relevant GOV.UK guidance to reflect this.