Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many policy reviews and consultations the Northern Ireland Office has launched since the General Election on 4 July 2024; what the subject of each review is; what the anticipated timescales are for their completion; and whether any such reviews will be published in full.

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

In line with the requirements under Schedule 9 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, the Northern Ireland Office routinely publishes information on reviews in respect of any new, proposed or revised policies, and public consultations on GOV.UK.

Between 5 July 2024 and 12 March 2025, the Northern Ireland Office launched one public consultation on the use of Non-Jury Trials in Northern Ireland, which closed on 3 March 2025. This policy was also subject to an internal screening assessment of Non-Jury Trial Provisions under the Justice and Security (Northern Ireland) Act 2007.

In addition, the department published the findings of a statutory Review of the Operation of the Troubles Permanent Disablement Payment Scheme on 29 August 2024.

On 25 February 2025, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland announced the government’s intention to jointly, with the Irish Government, appoint an Independent Expert to carry out a scoping and engagement exercise to assess whether there is merit in, and support for, a formal process of engagement to bring about paramilitary group transition to disbandment. The appointment of the Independent Expert will be announced in due course, and it is expected that they will report back within 12 months of their appointment.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of value added tax (VAT) on independent school fees on voluntary grammar schools in Northern Ireland that offer boarding places that fall within the scope of VAT, compared to England where state run boarding places are exempt.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

To ensure parity with English state boarding schools, the UK Government has provided financial support to voluntary grammar schools in Northern Ireland providing an equivalent service to state run boarding in England, but for whom it was not possible to legislate for a carve-out from the VAT charge. This will ensure pupils boarding at these schools are on the same footing as those attending English boarding schools.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of increased employer National Insurance contributions on professional rugby league clubs competing in the Super League and the Championship.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

A Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) was published alongside the introduction of the Bill containing the changes to employer NICs. The TIIN sets out the impact of the policy on the exchequer, the economic impacts of the policy, and the impacts on individuals, businesses, and civil society organisations, as well as an overview of the equality impacts.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what criteria are applied when assessing levels of personal independence payment awarded to those suffering from myasthenia gravis resulting in severe mobility impairment.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Personal Independence Payment provides support based on the needs arising from a health condition or disability. Individuals can be impacted by their health conditions in different ways, so the assessment considers the effect on a person’s day to day life, rather than focusing solely on the health condition or impairment itself. As such, our focus is on ensuring that PIP assessors are experts in disability analysis rather than diagnosing a condition or its severity or recommending treatment options.

The PIP assessment criteria are set out in legislation. The assessment looks at how a long-term health condition or disability impacts on daily life across 12 activities, taking into account fluctuations over a 12 month period. The activities are grouped into two components, for daily living and mobility and within each activity a descriptor must be chosen to score an individual depending on how well they are able to perform the activity. Every claim to PIP is assessed against all 12 activities.