Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the cost to the public purse was of feasibility studies conducted by their Department for projects that did not proceed in the last five years.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) manages its projects in accordance with the principles of HM Treasury’s Managing Public Money to ensure the effective and efficient use of public funds.
Following a review of departmental records for the last five years, the Northern Ireland Office has no such costs to report.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, for the total spend on (i) LinkedIn membership fees (ii) other subscriptions by his Department in the last financial year.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The total expenditure by the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) on (i) LinkedIn membership fees and (ii) other subscriptions for the financial year 2024/2025 was as follows:
Category | Total Expenditure (£) |
(i) LinkedIn membership fees | £0.00 (Nil Return) |
(ii) Other subscriptions (Media) | £5,939.52 |
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much his Department has spent on social media advertising by (a) influencer and (b) organisation in each of the last five financial years.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Northern Ireland Office has spent the following on social media advertising in the last five years:
2024/25 (to date): £0
2023/24: £0
2022/23: £29,395.01
2021/22: £10,500.00
Please note there was no spend on influencer marketing during this period.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many employees in his Department earn (a) £100,000 and (b) £166,000 or more per year.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Information on employees who earn over £100,000 can be found in the annual report and accounts. The most recent report can be found here. The 2024/5 annual report and accounts will be published later in the year.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what proportion of procurement contracts were awarded to UK companies in the 2024-25 financial year.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
In the 2024-25 financial year, the Northern Ireland Office has awarded all procurement contracts to UK companies.
Details of central government contracts above £12,000 for procurements commenced before 24 February 2025 are published on Contracts Finder (https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder).
Contracts procured under the Procurement Act 2023 above £12,000 inc. VAT are published on the Central Digital Platform Find a Tender service. This includes a note of the winning supplier (https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Search).
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many staff in his Department have permission to work remotely outside the UK; and in which countries those staff are based.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Northern Ireland Office does not have any employees working remotely from outside the UK. All staff are based within the UK.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many and what proportion of officials in his Department were hired via positive action schemes in the last financial year.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Northern Ireland Office works within the Civil Service Recruitment Principles, as regulated by the Civil Service Commission, to recruit using a fair and open process and appoint on merit.
The Department will only limit a campaign to a specific group as a form of positive action as a proportionate response to achieve a legitimate aim as defined in section 159 of the Equality Act 2010.
The Northern Ireland Office has not used any positive action schemes, as defined by the Equality Act, to support the hiring of those with protected characteristics in the last financial year.
The Civil Service is committed to a diverse workforce and culture of openness and inclusivity - not as ends in themselves but as means of delivering better outcomes to the citizens we serve.
The Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2022-25 Promoting Fairness and Performance, published in February 2022, is positioned as an essential lever to deliver a Modern Civil Service, where our values are to serve with integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality; driving our vision to be a skilled, innovative and ambitious Civil Service equipped for the future. This strategy sets out a broader definition of diversity, to include geographical, social and career backgrounds alongside the protected groups.
As set out in the Civil Service People Plan 2024 - 2027, we are committed to ensuring we attract, develop and retain talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds, to create a modern Civil Service, now and for the future.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many international (a) air miles and (b) flights have been completed by (i) Ministers and (ii) officials in their Department since 5 July 2024.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Data on ministers’ overseas travel and on senior civil servants’ business expenses is published on a quarterly basis. The latest publication can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nio-ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings-april-to-june-2024.
Information for the period July to October is due for publication shortly and will be available at: https://www.gov.uk/search/transparency-and-freedom-of-information-releases?organisations[]=northern-ireland-office&parent=northern-ireland-office.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many positions in his Department included (a) diversity, (b) inclusion, (c) equity and (d) equality in their job title in each of the last five years; and what the total cost of the salaries of each such job was in each of those years.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) has not held any positions with (a) diversity, (b) inclusion, (c) equity, and (d) equality in the job title in each of the last five years.