Asked by: Lord Eames (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have for the governing of Northern Ireland in the event of failure to reach an agreement in the present inter-party talks conducted by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Dunlop
We remain focused on securing the resumption of devolved government in Northern Ireland. However in its absence it is ultimately for the UK Government to provide for political stability and good governance in Northern Ireland. If talks fail in their objectives and no agreement is reached following the Easter recess, we will have to consider a range of options. The Government has, however, been clear that when considering the options available, any form of joint authority would be incompatible with the consent principle committed to in the 1998 Belfast Agreement.
As the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland made clear in his statement to the House of Commons on 28 March, at a minimum we would seek to bring forward legislation to set a regional rate to enable collection of the rates to go ahead, and to take steps to provide further assurance around the budget for Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Lord Eames (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are satisfied that the current numerical strength of the Police Service of Northern Ireland is adequate to meet current demands.
Answered by Lord Dunlop
Staffing levels in the Police Service of Northern Ireland are a matter for the Chief Constable and PSNI’s budget is provided by the Department of Justice. However, we will always give our fullest possible backing to the men and women of the PSNI who do such a superb job. That is partly why this Government has provided specific Additional Security Funding totalling £230million in the last parliament and committed a further £160m in the current parliament.
Asked by: Lord Eames (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government to what extent the Northern Ireland Executive will be involved in any proposals to alter the status of the land border between the UK and the EU.
Answered by Lord Dunlop
As the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland have made clear, in putting into effect the decision of the people of the United Kingdom to leave the European Union the Government wants to ensure that the unique interests of Northern Ireland are protected. This is particularly the case in relation to the land border with the Republic of Ireland. In so doing we will engage fully with the Northern Ireland Executive.
Asked by: Lord Eames (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their current assessment of the significance of the possible changes in the status of the land border between the UK and the Republic of Ireland for commercial life in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Dunlop
The open border for people and businesses has served us well and no-one wants to see a return to the borders of the past. There is a strong will – within this Government, among the Northern Ireland parties and in the Irish Government – to preserve the common travel area and to ensure we get the right deal for trade in goods and services with the European Union. We must now focus on securing a deal that is in the interest of both of the UK and the Republic of Ireland.
Asked by: Lord Eames (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will consider publishing the papers on legacy issues shared by the parties during the recent Stormont House discussions.
Answered by Lord Dunlop
The UK Government is committed to establishing the legacy bodies set out in the Stormont House Agreement. We are considering whether further drafting or documentation should be published as part of an engagement process on how to move forward on this issue.
Asked by: Lord Eames (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Theresa Villiers, briefed Peers and MPs on the Northern Ireland political agreement prior to her statement to the House of Commons on 19 November and whether all, or any, Northern Ireland-based Members of both Houses were invited to attend.
Answered by Lord Dunlop
There was no briefing for Peers or MP’s prior to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland’s Statement to the House of Commons on Thursday 19 November.
An invitation to the briefing on the Northern Ireland (Welfare Reform) Bill held on Monday 23 November was circulated electronically to all Peers via the Usual Channels.
Asked by: Lord Eames (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the progress to date of the discussions initiated by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland with the political parties in the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Answered by Baroness Randerson
There has been positive and constructive engagement from all sides in the cross-party talks. However, differences of view between the parties remain on some significant issues, and a successful outcome will be very difficult to achieve.
Asked by: Lord Eames (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many retired members of the Police Service of Northern Ireland are at present employed by the Police Service of Northern Ireland; and on what terms.
Answered by Baroness Randerson
As the Noble Lord will be aware, policing matters in Northern Ireland are devolved and are the responsibility of the Department for Justice in Northern Ireland rather than the Northern Ireland Office.
The Noble Lord may therefore wish to direct his query to the Department of Justice at the following address:
Department of Justice, Room B5.16, Castle Buildings, Stormont, Belfast, BT4 3GS or by e-mail to private.office@dojni.x.gsi.gov.uk
Asked by: Lord Eames (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many serving members of police forces outside the United Kingdom are at present on secondment to the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
Answered by Baroness Randerson
As the Noble Lord will be aware, policing matters in Northern Ireland are devolved and are the responsibility of the Department for Justice in Northern Ireland rather than the Northern Ireland Office.
The Noble Lord may therefore wish to direct his query to the Department of Justice at the following address:
Department of Justice, Room B5.16, Castle Buildings, Stormont, Belfast, BT4 3GS or by e-mail to private.office@dojni.x.gsi.gov.uk