Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he has had discussions with the US ambassador on opportunities to attract increased US investment to Northern Ireland; and what steps his Department is taking to facilitate such investment.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Government engages regularly with the US administration to promote investment opportunities in Northern Ireland and I met the US Ambassador in Northern Ireland in July. Recent major investments, like Bank of America’s Belfast expansion, bringing with it over 100 jobs, confirm the significant interest in Northern Ireland from US businesses and investors. The UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal provides an important framework to reduce trade barriers, ensuring Northern Ireland remains an attractive destination for American firms.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he plans to provide additional funding to address regional disparities the availability and quality of in social housing in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Social Housing policy is devolved to the Northern Ireland Executive and is the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive and the Department for Communities.
This Government has provided the Executive with a record £19.3 billion per year on average over the Spending Review period. It is for the Executive to allocate this money in line with its priorities.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential economic impact of the Windsor Framework on businesses in Northern Ireland trading with Great Britain.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Government is committed to the Windsor Framework and protecting the UK internal market.
Over 15,000 businesses are now registered to take advantage of facilitations for freight and parcels under the Windsor Framework, and the Windsor Framework Independent Monitoring Panel reported last year that 96% of goods moved by freight between Great Britain and Northern Ireland in the first half of 2025 did so within the UK internal market system.
The frequency of identity checks on agri-food products was recently reduced from 10% to 8% of consignments. We are also negotiating an SPS agreement with the EU that will smooth flows of trade still further, protect the UK’s internal market, reduce costs for businesses and improve consumer choice in Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many visits has each Secretary of State made to Northern Ireland since taking office.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Northern Ireland Office holds the following information:
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has travelled to Northern Ireland on 54 occasions since taking office.
The Prime Minister has visited Northern Ireland twice since taking office.
The Chancellor has visited once.
The Foreign Secretary has visited once.
The Secretary of State for Education has visited once.
The former Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, visited once.
The former Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Pat McFadden, visited twice.
The former Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, Peter Kyle, visited twice.
In addition, there have been 37 visits by other members of the Government to Northern Ireland since 5 July 2024.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what progress has been made in discussions with the United States administration regarding the initiative outlined in the Windsor Framework and Safeguarding the Union document to establish a US Customs and Border Protection pre-clearance facility at Belfast International Airport; and what the anticipated timeline for such negotiations would be.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
As part of commitments within the Windsor Framework and the Safeguarding the Union Command Paper, the then-Government committed to “enter into exploratory talks with the United States Administration on the options for introducing pre-clearance checks on customs and immigration for passengers travelling on direct flights from Belfast International Airport and destinations in the USA.”
I can confirm that this was raised with the US Administration, but the decision ultimately rests them.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the total expenditure has been on the upkeep and maintenance of Stormont House since the Northern Ireland Office vacated the building in 2022; and what future plans his Department has for the use or disposition of the property.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Stormont House is owned and managed by the Northern Ireland Executive. Consequently, the Northern Ireland Office has incurred no expenditure on the building's upkeep or maintenance since vacating the premises in 2022.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what resources she could make available to the (a) Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, (b) Police Service of Northern Ireland and (c) Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service in the event of a major wildfire outbreak in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
I pay tribute to all those who work to tackle and support recovery from major wildfire outbreaks like those seen recently in the Mourne area.
This Government has provided the Northern Ireland Executive with a record £18.2 billion settlement for 2025-26. That translates into over £1.5 billion more in 2025-26 and the largest settlement in the history of devolution.
It is for the Executive to allocate the funding in line with its priorities and to address emerging challenges.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether his Department plans to take steps to commission a public inquiry into the Kingsmill shooting of 5 January 1976.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Coroner in the Kingsmill Inquest delivered clear and detailed findings on 12 April 2024, setting out that this was a horrific and sectarian terrorist atrocity carried out by the IRA with absolutely no justification.
While these findings will have provided important information to the families, I also recognise that there remain unanswered questions. We now await the publication of the Police Ombudsman’s report into the Kingsmill shootings.
I would encourage any family still seeking answers in respect of this or any other Troubles-related death or serious injury to speak to the independent Commission about how they might be able to help.