Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether his Department has made an estimate of the potential cost to the public purse of repealing the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Government, as part of the King’s Speech, committed to repeal and replace the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy & Reconciliation) Act 2023 (the Act). This legislation, which was taken through Parliament by the previous Government, is almost universally opposed, including by families of individuals who lost their lives whilst serving the State in Northern Ireland. Several provisions of that legislation have also been found to be unlawful by the domestic courts, including provisions relating to immunity. Litigation regarding the Act - which remains ongoing - has incurred significant cost to the public purse.
This Government is taking a different approach to that of the previous government, in seeking to implement legacy mechanisms that can comply fully with our human rights obligations and command confidence across communities. Through the Stormont House Agreement and New Decade, New Approach, £250 million has been allocated in order to deliver legacy mechanisms.
Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of restoring the Loughgall inquest.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Government is committed to repeal and replace the almost universally opposed - and in many respects, unlawful - Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy & Reconciliation) Act 2023 (the Act). As part of this commitment, the Government has been consistently clear that we will propose measures to allow inquests previously halted by the Legacy Act to proceed, as set out in my written ministerial statements of 29 July 2024 and 7 October 2024, and in my oral statement of 4 December 2024.
Funding for coronial inquests, as a policing and justice matter, falls within the devolved competence of the Northern Ireland Executive. While there are also associated costs for Government departments, including in terms of resourcing our responses to disclosure requests from a coroner, it is important to note that such requirements also apply to cases that are investigated by the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery.
Through the Stormont House Agreement and New Decade, New Approach, £250 million has been allocated in order to deliver legacy mechanisms.
Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the hon. Member for Perth and North Perthshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what the latest estimate is of the cost of the restoration and renewal programme for the Palace of Westminster.
Answered by Pete Wishart - Shadow SNP Spokesperson (Home Affairs)
The cost estimate for the restoration and renewal (R&R) programme, including the restoration of the Palace and temporary accommodation for the House of Lords, will be determined as part of an outline business case (OBC), which is being prepared by the R&R Sponsor Body. The OBC is being developed in line with the resolutions agreed by both Houses in early 2018, which endorsed the Joint Committee on the Palace of Westminster's recommendation that a full and timely decant of the Palace was the best and the most cost-effective delivery option.
In June 2015 the Independent Options Assessment (IOA) was published. It was produced by a Deloitte-led consortium in 2015, and was then considered by the Joint Committee on the Palace of Westminster which published its report in 2016. Both these events predated the establishment of the shadow Sponsor Body in September 2018. For full decant, the IOA estimated indicative costs for comparative purposes at between £3.52 billion and £3.87 billion, and assumed a construction start date of 2020. It cautioned that no budget could be set until a detailed design brief and means of delivery were agreed, and that these figures should not be taken as setting or estimating a budget for the Restoration and Renewal Programme. The IOA was not intended to provide fully costed estimates for the programme as they would be contingent upon full surveys, inspections, designs and the agreement of requirements. To provide these is the purpose of the shadow Sponsor Body's outline business case.
Once the programme's scope, requirements and forecast benefits have been determined the proposed approach to the works, including a funding envelope and schedule, will be put before both Houses for decision in 2022 as required by section 7 of the Parliamentary Buildings (Restoration and Renewal) Act 2019. Throughout the development of the OBC there will be a rigorous review of all options and costs, in line with best practice established by the Infrastructure and Projects Authority and external reviews by the National Audit Office.