Asked by: Lord Caine (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will rule out stating the criteria that would be used to make an assessment as to whether the criteria requiring them to hold a poll in accordance with Schedule 1 to the Northern Ireland Act 1998 has been satisfied.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Captain of the King's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard (HM Household) (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Lords)
In accordance with the Good Friday Agreement and the Principle of Consent, Northern Ireland will remain part of the UK for as long as its people wish for it to be.
There is no clear basis to suggest that a majority of people in Northern Ireland presently wish to separate from the United Kingdom.
As set out in the Northern Ireland Act 1998, the duty to call such a poll rests with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland alone.
Asked by: Lord Caine (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 8 May (HL6823), what progress has been made on the independent public history examining UK Government policy in Northern Ireland during the Troubles; and what is (1) the current projected budget for this project, and (2) the timetable for completion.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Captain of the King's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard (HM Household) (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Government remains committed to an independent and objective examination of UK Government policy in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, and progress continues to be made. Supported by the project’s independent expert advisory panel, the recruitment of a team of historians is now in its final stages, and we expect to make further announcements on this in the near future. The total budget for the project is £3.6 million over its life cycle. The estimated timetable for completion is five years.
Asked by: Lord Caine (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 14 July (HL1786), whether they will now answer the question asked; and if the commitment in Annex B of the Command Paper Safeguarding the Union to publish a series of papers that make the case by sector for Northern Ireland’s place in the Union is still being pursued, what is the timetable for publication.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Captain of the King's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard (HM Household) (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Lords)
I refer the Noble Lord to the answer provided on 14 July (HL1786), which outlines how the referenced commitment is embedded throughout the continued work of the Government.
The implementation of several Government strategies have been accompanied by the publication of Northern Ireland-specific papers that evidence the mutual benefits of the Union and include long-term plans to support specific sectors. For instance, the launch of the Industrial Strategy in June 2025 was complemented by the publication of a Northern Ireland-specific paper. This paper analysed the Northern Ireland industrial sector, identified the key areas that add significant value to the UK as a whole, and outlined the long-term plan to support and grow the sector.
Through this approach, the Government is moving beyond high-level commitments to deliver tangible results that demonstrate the mutual benefits of Northern Ireland’s place in the Union.
Asked by: Lord Caine (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether proposed reforms to Northern Ireland’s political institutions will be discussed in accordance with paragraph 15 of the consultation paper Ground Rules for Substantive All-Party Negotiations, published on 15 March 1996, which states that negotiations will involve the British Government and the political parties and that the Irish Government would be kept informed of progress through agreed liaison arrangements.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Captain of the King's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard (HM Household) (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland recognises the growing discussion among the people in Northern Ireland and the Northern Ireland parties, about how the political institutions could work more effectively and collaboratively.
The UK Government remains open to discussing any proposals put forward by the parties that could command the widest possible support.
The Irish Government is a valued partner and co-signatory to the Good Friday Agreement. We remain in regular dialogue on a range of issues, through established fora.
Asked by: Lord Caine (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their policy on securing the ongoing status of Northern Ireland as an integral part of the UK; and what plans they have proactively to support and strengthen this status, including making the public case for it.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Captain of the King's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard (HM Household) (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Lords)
This Government continues to support Northern Ireland within the Union. We remain focused on delivering real, tangible benefits of the Union for everyone in Northern Ireland. This includes delivering economic growth in every postcode, providing practical support for families in Northern Ireland and across the UK, and working in partnership with the Northern Ireland Executive for the benefit of the people of Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Lord Caine (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made since 4 July 2024 on implementing the provisions on Memorialising the Troubles in Part 4 of the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Captain of the King's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard (HM Household) (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Government is committed to retaining Part 4 of the Legacy Act, which includes the oral history and other measures stemming from the Stormont House Agreement.
The full implementation of Part 4 was difficult in the challenging context created by the Legacy Act’s other provisions, which were widely opposed by all Northern Ireland political parties, victims’ groups and key stakeholders. That is why this Government’s focus has necessarily been on addressing the problems with the Legacy Act by ensuring a reformed and strengthened Legacy Commission can deliver for victims. This in turn will create the space for Part 4 measures to make a meaningful impact.
While preliminary work on these measures continues, progress has been made on two related initiatives: an Official History relating to the Troubles, and a project to digitise and make freely available online Troubles-related records held by The National Archives. A first batch of approximately 1,000 records was published in April 2026 and we expect further announcements on these projects in the near future.
Asked by: Lord Caine (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the European Union regarding the future of the Windsor Framework.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Captain of the King's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard (HM Household) (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Government is committed to building a closer and ambitious relationship with the EU, to the advantage of the whole of the UK. This includes through new agreements on agri-food, electricity and emissions trading, which will benefit Northern Ireland through the Windsor Framework by smoothing flows of trade, lowering prices and increasing choice for consumers.
The Government remains clear that Northern Ireland’s trading arrangements should serve to prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland, account for Northern Ireland’s unique circumstances, and in doing so protect its access to both the UK and EU markets. Only that way can we deliver the certainty for businesses that has made Northern Ireland one of the fastest growing parts of the UK.
Asked by: Lord Caine (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Northern Ireland regarding further reforms to the operation of the political institutions established under Strand One of the Belfast Agreement, as amended by subsequent Agreements.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Captain of the King's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard (HM Household) (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland remains committed to working with the Northern Ireland Executive to discuss all issues of interest, including ensuring the stability of devolved government, with the aim of improving public services and the sustainability of public finances.
Several of the Northern Ireland parties have set out proposals for reform and the Secretary of State looks forward to discussing them further.
Asked by: Lord Caine (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the work to date of Fleur Ravensbergen, Independent Expert on paramilitary group transition to disbandment, since her appointment on 23 September 2025.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Captain of the King's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard (HM Household) (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Lords)
Fleur Ravensbergen is undertaking this scoping exercise independently of the Government. To protect the independence of this role we have not been assessing her work as it progresses. We expect to receive her report in the Autumn and will take time to carefully and thoroughly consider it.
Asked by: Lord Caine (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Command Paper Safeguarding the Union (CP1012) and the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 7 July (HL1622), whether their commitment in Annex B to publish a series of papers that make the case by sector for Northern Ireland’s place in the Union has now been abandoned.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Captain of the King's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard (HM Household) (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Government is continuing to implement the Safeguarding the Union command paper and to support Northern Ireland's place in the Union. This commitment is embedded throughout the work of the Government and is focused on delivering for the people of Northern Ireland. We are going beyond setting out the value of Northern Ireland’s place in the Union on paper, by delivering real, tangible benefits of the Union for people in Northern Ireland.
For instance, via the recently launched Northern Ireland Defence Growth Deal. Through sectoral analysis, this initiative provides concrete benefits to the Northern Ireland defence industry, which will boost supply chains and support hundreds of highly skilled, well-paid jobs. In addition, the Government has provided Intertrade UK with £2.25 million over the next three years to help strengthen the UK internal market. This will include independent research into improving infrastructure and connectivity across the United Kingdom, one of the body's priorities in its published work programme.