Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee

The Elizabeth Cross was introduced by Her Late Majesty The Queen specifically for the next of kin of Regular and Reserve Armed Forces personnel and Royal Fleet Auxiliary personnel who have died on operations, or as a result of an act of terrorism, since 1 January 1948. The eligibility criteria for the Elizabeth Cross do not, therefore, extend to the next of kin of personnel who served in the Royal Ulster Constabulary, the Ulster Special Constabulary, or the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

All lives lost in the line of public duty are a tragedy. Work is continuing on an appropriate way to mark the contribution of all public servants who are killed while serving the people of the United Kingdom.

The joint UK and Republic of Ireland bid to host EURO 2028 was submitted to UEFA on 12 April 2023. The bid proposes 10 stadia, with the inclusion of Casement Park in Belfast enabling Northern Ireland to be a prospective host for the tournament, so that local communities can benefit from the considerable socio-economic benefits of hosting an event of this scale.

There has been a longstanding commitment in Northern Ireland as part of the regional stadium development programme to redevelop Casement Park – alongside the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park and Kingspan Stadium, which have already undergone improvements. Given the inclusion of Casement Park in the bid, HM Government is working closely with partners in Northern Ireland to ensure the redevelopment is adequately funded, delivered in good time, and complies sufficiently with UEFA’s technical requirements.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is the regulator for health and safety in Great Britain. The Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) is the equivalent regulator in Northern Ireland. HSE and HSENI have no plans to make operator crush prevention devices compulsory on sit astride all-terrain vehicles (commonly referred to as quad bikes) used on farms in UK. Machines supplied into the UK market must meet the Essential Health and Safety Requirements of the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008 and relevant Standards. Quad bikes are used in a range of workplace and leisure settings, not just agriculture. Both UK regulators continue to monitor and review available technology and the regulatory approaches employed in other countries. Their approach remains to drive employers to select the most suitable machine for the task based on their assessment of workplace risk, and to provide adequate training and helmets for users.

Yes, talks with the Government of Mauritius continue. The UK's priority is to ensure the long term continued effective operation of the joint UK/US military base on Diego Garcia. Mauritius has also publicly committed to this goal.

The UK is committed to defending Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all. We monitor the situation for religious and non-religious communities globally, including in Africa, and work with governments, including with the Nigerian Government to promote FoRB. The UK is a founding member of the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance (IRFBA), which is a government-level network committed to protecting and promoting FoRB, including raising awareness and conducting advocacy campaigns on prisoners of conscience. West African membership includes The Gambia, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo.

The UK Government, working side-by-side with the Government of Gibraltar, is committed to concluding a UK-EU treaty in respect of Gibraltar as soon as possible. The latest round of UK-EU negotiations took place on 13 and 14 December, further discussions are planned in the coming weeks. The UK is steadfast in our support for Gibraltar and will not agree to anything that compromises sovereignty.

There is currently no limit on how many times the Life in the UK test may be re-taken. The latest pass rate for the Life in the UK test is published in Visas and Citizenship data: Q3 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). The pass rate for applicants from Hong Kong is not available in a publishable format.

The Life in the UK test is important for anyone applying to settle permanently in the UK to ensure they have an understanding of the democratic principles underlying British society and aspects of our culture and traditions. We intend to set out our plans to review the Life in the UK handbook as part of wider nationality reforms in the first half of next year.

There is currently no limit on how many times the Life in the UK test may be re-taken. . The pass rate for applicants from Hong Kong is not available in a publishable format.

The Life in the UK test is important for anyone applying to settle permanently in the UK to ensure they have an understanding of the democratic principles underlying British society and aspects of our culture and traditions. We intend to set out our plans to review the Life in the UK handbook as part of wider nationality reforms in the first half of next year.

There is currently no limit on how many times the Life in the UK test may be re-taken.

The pass rate for the Life in the UK test for financial quarter 2022-23 is 68.5%. All pass rates for the Life in the UK test are published in Visas and Citizenship data: Q3 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). The pass rate for applicants from Hong Kong is not available in a publishable format.

The Life in the UK test is important for anyone applying to settle permanently in the UK to ensure they have an understanding of the democratic principles underlying British society and aspects of our culture and traditions. We intend to set out our plans to review the Life in the UK handbook as part of wider nationality reforms in the first half of next year.

The available information shows that, during the five quarters from 1 October 2021 to 31 December 2022, local planning authorities made 53 decisions on major public service infrastructure developments. Of these, 46 were decided on time: eight within ten weeks and 38 within the period agreed within a performance agreement.

Figures for the available quarters are available in the PS2 CSV open data file here.

'Potential for Critical Raw Material Prospectivity in the UK' was a study undertaken by the Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre, a programme sponsored by the Department for Business and Trade and delivered by the British Geological Survey. This report delivers on the Critical Minerals Strategy's commitment to collate geoscientific data and identify target areas of potential for critical minerals within the UK. It is a preliminary assessment, and its findings do not mean that the prospective areas identified will necessarily be targeted for exploration and mining. The Government is working with the British Geological Survey to understand next steps.

The Government recognises that many local planning authorities are facing capacity and capability challenges. To make sure that local planning authorities are able to deliver an effective planning service and our proposed reforms we are developing a programme of support, working with partners across the planning sector. The capacity and capability programme will seek to provide the direct support that is needed now, deliver training opportunities for existing planners, and further develop the future pipeline into the profession. In addition, we recently consulted on proposals to increase planning fees by 35% for major applications and 25% for all other applications to increase resourcing and improve the performance of local planning authorities.

The available information shows that, during the five quarters from 1 October 2021 to 31 December 2022, local planning authorities made 53 decisions on major public service infrastructure developments. Of these, 46 were decided on time: eight within ten weeks and 38 within the period agreed within a performance agreement.

Figures for the available quarters are available in the PS2 CSV open data file here.

The administration of justice in Northern Ireland is devolved and a matter for the Northern Ireland Assembly. However, the Government notes that the Northern Ireland Department for Justice has proposed changes to strengthen the way that civil claims on behalf of minors are brought. No changes in this area are planned for England and Wales as children are already protected by the Civil Procedure Rules (CPR). Under the CPR a child must have a litigation friend to conduct proceedings unless the court orders otherwise, and settlements must be supported by legal advice as well as approved by the court which will direct how the money is dealt with and make a detailed assessment of legal costs payable.

Central to the liberalisation of the legal services market has been the creation of alternative business structures (ABS) in 2011, which allowed non-lawyers to become part owners of law firms. No specific assessment has been made of the impacts of non-solicitor investment in the legal services market. However, research suggests that ABS firms have benefited the legal services market by enabling external investment and bringing in external business and commercial expertise, and that these new, innovative providers have increased competition in the market.

While we have not made a direct assessment of the economic value of ABS, ONS data shows that legal services turnover has grown from £26 billion in 2011, to £41.6 billion in 2021. The number of ABS licences issued has also grown substantially in recent times, from 812 in 2016 to 1,861 as of the end of 2022.

The regulation of the legal profession, and more broadly legal services policy, is a devolved matter, and as such the UK government does not directly have a position, nor intention to intervene, in the regulation of legal professionals in Northern Ireland or the operation of the legal services framework. However, where possible the UK government does encourage cooperation between the various administrations and the sharing of best practice.

1. We do not currently have any plans to review the fees set down in the Commissioners for Oaths (Authorised Persons) Fees Order 1993.

2. On 10 January 2023, the Government published the response to its Review of the Statutory Charges which the police can levy when they have exercised their vehicle recovery powers. We will be introducing an increase of 28% to ensure that the vehicle recovery industry can continue to operate sustainably. This consultation did not cover the way in which the police use their power to order vehicle removal, or the operation of recovery schemes and contracts. These are operational matters for the police and National Highways.

In October 2021, the Northern Ireland High Court found that an Article 2 compliant investigation into the Omagh bombing had not taken place, citing four grounds which the Court held could give rise to plausible arguments that there was a real prospect of preventing the Omagh Bomb. The Gallagher judgement also expressed a desire that a simultaneous Article 2 compliant investigation occur in Ireland, though it recognised that it was not within the Court’s power to order a cross-border investigation.

In response to the findings of the Court, the Secretary of State announced in February 2023 that the Government would establish an independent statutory inquiry into the Omagh bombing. In June 2023, the Secretary of State appointed Lord Alan Turnbull as Chairman of the Omagh Bombing Inquiry. The Government continues working at pace to finalise the Inquiry’s Terms of Reference as soon as possible.

While this is, of course, a matter for the Irish Government, the UK Government is keen to understand what consideration it has given, since the Gallagher judgement, to the setting up of an investigation in Ireland to discharge its obligations under Article 2 of the European Convention of Human Rights. This issue was directly raised most recently by me at the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference on 28 November 2023.

This is one of several legitimate questions regarding the Irish Government’s record of dealing with legacy matters in its own jurisdiction.

Criminal prosecutions regarding alleged criminal conduct in Ireland during the Troubles is a matter for the Irish authorities.

The Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR) established by the UK Government’s Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy & Reconciliation) Act will conduct reviews into Troubles-related deaths and serious injury, with the primary objective of providing information to families, and victims and survivors.

The ICRIR will have all the necessary powers to conduct criminal investigations as part of any review, and will be able to refer cases relating to conduct which took place in the UK for prosecution in cases where conditional immunity from prosecution is not granted and sufficient evidence exists.

The legislation includes a requirement of full disclosure by UK bodies & agencies. Effective information recovery mechanisms for many families, however, will require the cooperation of both governments. The Government hopes, therefore, that the Irish Government will, in the absence of an alternative in place for dealing with Troubles-related incidents, support the work of the ICRIR in delivering better outcomes for victims and families across the UK and Ireland.

Following significant preparatory work after the publication of the New Decade, New Approach deal, it has become apparent that there is currently no viable delivery route for a connected classrooms programme that meets the key requirements of regularity, propriety, value for money and feasibility. Delivery of this programme will, therefore, not be pursued at this time though this will be kept under review.

The amount of funding requested to establish the Castlereagh Foundation will be a matter for the Office of Identity and Cultural Expression.

Policing is a devolved matter in Northern Ireland and the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s main budget is allocated by the Department of Justice from the Northern Ireland block grant.

The recent Budget that the Secretary of State set for Northern Ireland provides the Northern Ireland Department of Justice with a 3.1% uplift on its 2021-2022 budget with a total allocation of £1.18 billion.

Since 2010, the UK Government has also provided the PSNI with the additional security funding it needs to ensure that it has the resources to tackle the threat from Northern Ireland-related terrorism. This additional security funding ensures PSNI’s ability to tackle the terrorist threat while ensuring day-to-day policing is not compromised. The contribution for the financial year 2022/23 is £32 million. This is the same that has been provided each year since 2015/16. This continued level of Additional Security Funding for the PSNI from the UKG has been confirmed through to 2024/25.

In addition to the direct support to the PSNI through Additional Security Funding, the Government has also committed circa £8 million per year (through the spending review 2021 and New Decade New Approach funding) to the Tackling Paramilitarism Programme to match NI Executive funding until the end of the second phase of the Programme in March 2024. The Programme supports the Paramilitary Crime Task Force, which includes PSNI, the National Crime Agency and His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs.