Asked by: Alex Burghart (Conservative - Brentwood and Ongar)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, with reference to his Department's publication entitled Safeguarding the Union, published on 31 January 2024, what progress his Department has made on the implementation of the measures set out in paragraph 43.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Government is committed to taking all steps necessary to protect the UK internal market. We continue to make significant progress on measures set out in paragraph 43 of the Safeguarding the Union Command Paper. Recent progress includes confirmation of the appointment of Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee as Chair of Intertrade UK; the establishment of the Independent Monitoring Panel; and statutory guidance to public authorities on how they should ensure they have special regard to Northern Ireland’s place in the UK internal market.
Asked by: Alex Burghart (Conservative - Brentwood and Ongar)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he plans to appeal against the judgment of the Belfast Court of Appeal in the challenge to the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023, delivered on 20 September 2024.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
On 7 October 2024, I laid a Written Ministerial Statement in Parliament providing the Government’s initial response to the Northern Ireland Court of Appeal’s judgment in Dillon & Others.
The statement can be found here: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2024-10-07/hcws108.
This is a complex and wide-ranging judgment with significant implications. The Government is therefore carefully considering its findings to inform a decision on the way forward.
Asked by: Alex Burghart (Conservative - Brentwood and Ongar)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, with reference to his speech of 7 September 2024, entitled A new chapter in the UK-Ireland relationship, when he plans to set out his plans to increase the independence of the Independent Commission on Reconciliation and Information Recovery.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The High Court found the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR) to be independent and capable of conducting human rights compliant investigations. The recent Court of Appeal judgment also recognised the structural independence of the ICRIR, while making declarations of incompatibility with the ECHR which the government is currently considering.
I have committed to exploring measures to further strengthen the ICRIR’s independence, and am consulting widely, including with victims, survivors and families, on a practical way forward that can command the broadest support.
Asked by: Alex Burghart (Conservative - Brentwood and Ongar)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, with reference to his oral statement of 11 September 2024 on Patrick Finucane Murder, Official Report, columns 842-3, when he plans to (a) appoint a chair of the inquiry and (b) have agreed terms of reference; and what steps he is taking to avoid unnecessary costs.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Government will follow due process under the Inquiries Act 2005 in establishing the inquiry into the death of Patrick Finucane. This will include the appointment of the Inquiry Chair and consulting him on the Terms of Reference.
As outlined in my oral statement of 11 September 2024, I have considered the likely costs and impact on the public finances. It is the Government’s expectation that the inquiry will - while doing everything that is required to discharge the State’s human rights obligations - avoid unnecessary costs given all the previous reviews and investigations and the large amount of information and material that is already in the public domain.
Asked by: Alex Burghart (Conservative - Brentwood and Ongar)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, with reference to his oral statement of 11 September 2024 on Patrick Finucane Murder, Official Report, columns 841-3, whether he is considering other requests for public inquiries into incidents from the Troubles.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Government considers all requests for public inquiries on a case-by-case basis.
As I outlined in my oral statement of 11 September 2024, there are exceptional reasons why I have decided to establish an inquiry into the death of Patrick Finucane.
Asked by: Alex Burghart (Conservative - Brentwood and Ongar)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent progress the Expert Advisory Panel for Public History of British Policy During the Northern Ireland Conflict has made.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The advisory panel continues to work under the published terms of reference. I was pleased to meet with the panel on 17 September to discuss details of the project.
Asked by: Alex Burghart (Conservative - Brentwood and Ongar)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, when he plans to appoint a new Veterans’ Commissioner for Northern Ireland.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
We are committed to continuing to support veterans in Northern Ireland, including through the Veterans Welfare Service NI and the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust. We will set out next steps for the appointment of a new Northern Ireland Veterans Commissioner in due course.
Asked by: Alex Burghart (Conservative - Brentwood and Ongar)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the Answer of 9 September 2024 to Question 3049 on Patrick Finucane, if he will publish copies of his letters to (a) Mrs Finucane and (b) the Court of Appeal.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
On Wednesday 11 September, I made an oral statement to Parliament announcing the Government’s intention to establish an independent inquiry into the death of Patrick Finucane. I have notified the Northern Ireland Court of Appeal of this decision and Mrs Geraldine Finucane’s agreement to it.
The matter is still live before the Court. As such, I do not currently intend to publish these letters. Should I choose to publish them in future, I would seek Mrs Finucane’s and the Court’s approval to do so.
Asked by: Alex Burghart (Conservative - Brentwood and Ongar)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will publish his request to the Court of Appeal in Northern Ireland for extra time to consider the ruling in the case of Geraldine Finucane v Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
I met with Mrs Finucane on 25 July to hear firsthand her views, during which I explained that I would likely be required to seek an extension to the timetable set by the Court. I then wrote to Mrs Finucane and the Court of Appeal setting out in detail the rationale for the extension request, most notably that, in light of the recent change in government, the requirement for cross-government consultation, the need for officials across government to provide new Ministers with a full briefing on the case, and the parliamentary summer recess period during August, it would not be possible to reach a government decision on a process for investigation of the relevant aspects of Patrick Finucane’s death, that would be compliant with Article 2 of the European Court of Human Rights, within the timescale set by the Court (ie. by 22 August 2024).
Mrs Finucane did not object to the Government’s request and the Court has granted the Government an extension to 27 September 2024 to respond to its judgement of 11 July 2024.
I want to ensure that the Government makes a decision on this case as soon as possible and that this decision takes account of the views of Mrs Finucane.
I will update the House on the Government’s position in due course.
Asked by: Alex Burghart (Conservative - Brentwood and Ongar)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will publish the letter from Sir Iain Livingstone on the discovery of new documents relevant to Operation Kenova.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The letter addressed to me from Sir Iain Livingstone regarding the discovery of new documents relevant to Operation Kenova has already been published on the Operation Kenova website.