Northern Ireland Office

The East-West Council has met once since its formation on 26 March 2024. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland hopes to announce the next meeting shortly.

The Government recognises the vital and unique contribution made by Northern Ireland's defence and shipbuilding industries to UK national security. We are committed, as set out in Safeguarding the Union, to further including Northern Ireland companies in the UK defence network.

The Government recently announced a successful outcome in the negotiations over the future of Harland and Wolff. The commercial deal by Navantia is a significant investment in the UK's industrial base and will ensure delivery of the Ministry of Defence’s Fleet Solid Support programme.

We intend to showcase Northern Ireland’s thriving defence sector’s skills, industry, expertise and infrastructure through the ongoing Industrial Defence Strategy led by the Ministry of Defence. This will include sending signals that enhance the incentives for long-term investment in the UK in order to encourage private investment alongside public money.

The Government has made good progress towards supporting the digitisation and exhibition of media and historical archives that reflect the richness and diversity of traditions in Northern Ireland, as set out in Annex B of the Safeguarding the Union command paper, and intends to provide a further update on this work in the coming weeks.

The Government was pleased that the Tanáiste reconfirmed the government of Ireland’s commitment to cooperate with the Omagh Bombing Inquiry, in his statement on 28 January 2025.

Nothing can bring back those that were lost that terrible day in August 1998, but the Government wants to ensure that the Omagh Bombing Inquiry has every chance of success. The Irish Government’s commitment to cooperate with the Inquiry is crucial to that endeavour, and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has made this point directly in engagement with his counterparts.

Whether the establishment of a separate inquiry in Ireland is required to ensure that the families obtain the information they require is a matter for the Irish Government.

I hope to visit the US soon to build on the already strong partnership between the US and Northern Ireland - and indeed the whole of the UK - including in the crucial areas of trade and investment. The US has been pivotal in supporting peace, stability and prosperity for Northern Ireland, and we will continue working together, with the support of our Embassy in the US, to make Northern Ireland a great place to live, work and do business.

A well staffed and resourced PSNI is vital to the success and stability of Northern Ireland. I regularly engage with the Chief Constable and Justice Minister on issues of shared interest and concern.

The UK Government’s Autumn budget delivered a record £18.2 billion for the Northern Ireland Executive in FY 2025/26 – the largest settlement in real terms in the history of devolution.

Policing in Northern Ireland, apart from national security, is a devolved matter and the allocation of budget to the PSNI is a matter for the Northern Ireland Department of Justice (DoJ). I am aware that the DoJ is continuing to work closely with the Chief Constable and his team to build a robust case for the funding required to recover workforce numbers over the course of the current mandate.

We continue to support the PSNI and recognising the unique security situation in Northern Ireland, the UK Government will provide the PSNI with £37.8 million in Additional Security Funding in 2025/26, an increase from c£32m a year.

Public relations activity is a subset of communication spend. As such, this data is not held. The Government Communication Service encourages the prioritisation of low and no cost public relations activities wherever possible.

It is recommended that all external communications support should be procured through approved government frameworks, with strict controls in place to ensure cost-effectiveness.

The UK Government’s focus remains on working with the Executive and the Assembly to improve public services and generate economic growth.

We remain committed to ensuring the long-term stability of the Northern Ireland institutions and have no current plans to amend the Northern Ireland Act to change the mechanism for choosing an Executive.

Improving health outcomes across the UK is a priority mission for this Government. Although health is devolved in Northern Ireland, the Government has been clear that it wants to work with the Northern Ireland Executive to transform its public services and improve outcomes for people living in Northern Ireland.

UK Government Ministers regularly engage with Executive Ministers in Northern Ireland, including the Health Minister, to discuss plans to improve public services.

The statutory duties applicable to the Secretary of State in respect of the Stormont Brake are provided for in domestic law under Schedule 6B to the Northern Ireland Act 1998. This sets out the criteria against which any notification by MLAs is assessed.

The Historical Institutional Abuse (Northern Ireland) Act 2019 provides for a redress scheme for victims who suffered abuse while resident in these institutions in Northern Ireland.

The legislation was put in place by the previous UK Government due to the prolonged absence of the Northern Ireland Assembly during that period. As a devolved matter, however, it was drafted by The Executive Office, which is now responsible for administering the Scheme. The Executive Office is therefore the appropriate department to which the Honourable Member for Lagan Valley should direct her query.

The Northern Ireland Office does not hold any contracts with BFS Group Limited or subsidiary companies of BFS Group Limited.

The Department for Work and Pensions, as sponsor of the Health and Safety Executive, is the policy lead with regard to regulation of chemicals classification, labelling and packaging across the UK. In that role, the Department for Work and Pensions continuously assesses the adequacy of chemical packaging and labelling regulation across the whole of the UK and engages with industry accordingly. Analysis from this engagement was used as part of the Government’s assessment of the likely impacts of the Classification, Labelling and Packaging Regulation, and so informed the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland’s decision.

Whilst MLAs are required to have taken steps to consult businesses, other traders and civic society affected by the regulation in question prior to making their notification, on 20 January the Government set out its commitment to take any future steps necessary to avoid new barriers that would affect supplies of such products into Northern Ireland. It made this commitment in recognition of the concerns raised by Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly about a specific regulation on Chemical Classification, Labelling and Packaging. The consultation will happen as soon as possible and will determine what further actions are considered necessary to safeguard the UK internal market.

The Government will launch this consultation as soon as possible. The Secretary of State has committed to write to the Chair of the NI Assembly’s Windsor Framework Democratic Scrutiny Committee to advise of the opening of the consultation. The consultation will take place in good time before the relevant mandatory provisions of the regulation take effect.

Sections 46 and 47 of the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 have been found by the Northern Ireland courts to be incompatible with the UK’s human rights obligations. The Government is committed to bringing forward new legacy legislation and as part of this we are looking at all conceivable options for addressing the complex issue of Interim Custody Orders and related compensation claims, in a lawful way.

I can confirm that the Government has refreshed training programmes and materials for both the Home Civil Service and the Diplomatic Service on the Good Friday Agreement and successor agreements, as set out in the Safeguarding the Union command paper. The new training materials are currently being rolled out across the UK Government.

The Carltona principle is an extremely important one which should continue to be upheld, and the Government remains committed to bringing forward legislation in relation to the legacy of the Troubles that is lawful and human rights compliant.

On 4 December 2024, the Secretary of State laid a proposal for a draft remedial order, which represents the first step towards fulfilling the Government’s commitment to repeal and replace the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023. The remedial order, if adopted by Parliament, will remedy all of the human rights deficiencies in the Act identified by the Northern Ireland High Court in February 2024 in the case of Dillon and Others and one further deficiency - the prohibition on civil proceedings - identified by the Court of Appeal in September 2024.

The Government will also introduce primary legislation when parliamentary time allows, to implement other measures to ensure that the Government fulfils the commitments it has made, including to reform the independent Commission and further strengthen its independence and its powers.

The Government continues to have detailed discussions with the Irish Government on our commitment to repeal and replace the Legacy Act. The Irish Government is an essential partner in this process and we are seeking to agree a way forward, underpinned by the principles set out in the Stormont House Agreement. The full participation of both the UK and Irish governments in all legacy mechanisms is important if we are to provide as much information as possible for as many families as possible across the UK and Ireland who lost loved ones in the Troubles.

Intertrade UK will serve as a non-statutory advisory body that supports the East-West Council (EWC) in promoting all internal UK trade.

We will be providing further details on the membership of the group and how the work of the group will be taken forward in due course.

The Secretary of State acted fully in accordance with the applicable legal duties in relation to the notification provided to him under the terms of Schedule 6B to the Northern Ireland Act 1998. As such, this was a decision for the Secretary of State taken solely on the basis of the notification provided and he did not discuss it with the European Commission.

The standard clearance processes were followed when the Government decided to withdraw the ECHR aspects of the appeal in Dillon & others following the ruling of the Northern Ireland High Court. This included sections 46 and 47 of the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023.

Sections 46 and 47 of the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 have been found by the Northern Ireland courts to be incompatible with the UK’s human rights obligations. The Government is committed to bringing forward new legacy legislation and as part of this we are looking at all conceivable options for addressing the complex issue of Interim Custody Orders and related compensation claims, in a lawful way.

The Northern Ireland Office offers paternity leave to its staff from their first working day if the employee has worked continuously for the Civil Service for at least 26 weeks by the 15th week before their baby is due.

To be eligible for occupational paternity pay, staff must be in paid service at the time the paternity leave starts and have completed at least one year’s paid service in the Civil Service at the expected week of childbirth (EWC).

As with any changes to employment legislation, internal policies and processes will be updated as appropriate in preparation for when the Employment Rights Bill 2024 comes into effect.

No. The Civil Service Management Code states that, ‘Departments and agencies may only grant shared parental leave in accordance with the statutory requirements governing eligibility for this category of leave.’ However, some staff could qualify for statutory shared parental leave on their first day of service with a particular department because they already have service with another department.

As with any changes to employment legislation, internal policies and processes will be updated as appropriate in preparation for when the Employment Rights Bill 2024 comes into effect.

All dismissals are handled in line with current legislation and appropriate Codes of Practice. Where an employee feels they may have been unfairly dismissed, appropriate internal appeal routes may be instigated.

Where an employee is unable to solve a problem internally they may be able to go to an employment tribunal to claim unfair dismissal, as set out in legislation.

This position will be reviewed when unfair dismissal rights are updated in line with proposals in the Employment Rights Bill.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is at the heart of the Government’s plan to kickstart an era of economic growth, transform how we deliver public services, and boost living standards for working people across the Country.

Northern Ireland Office Ministers do not use AI. A small number of officials in the department have carried out a time-limited test of the use of AI for taking meeting notes and summarising information. AI is not available to Northern Ireland Office officials at present and is the subject of ongoing discussions.

The appointment of a new Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland is a matter for the First Minister and deputy First Minister.

We do not routinely publish this data, as has been the case under successive administrations. All Business Units within the Northern Ireland Office have a responsibility to carefully manage official hospitality costs and demonstrate good value for money.

Details of ministerial and senior official hospitality are published on a quarterly basis, and are available on GOV.UK.

Decisions regarding parades in Northern Ireland are an operational matter for the Parades Commission for Northern Ireland in line with the legislation contained within the Public Processions (NI) Act 1998. Details of any determinations made by the Commission are published on their website as a matter of course. The Parades Commission continues to have the full support of the Government.

The Government is committed to implementing the Windsor Framework and to taking all steps necessary to protect Northern Ireland’s place in the UK internal market. Commitments made in the Safeguarding the Union command paper support this objective, and the Government continues to make progress in delivering them.

This Government is committed to resetting relationships with the devolved Governments.

While public services are the responsibility of the Executive, we want to be a supportive partner. In the Northern Ireland Office, we are working to promote greater collaborative working between the UK Government and the Executive so that we can deliver improvements for the people of Northern Ireland.

This Government is committed to implementing the Windsor Framework in good faith and to protecting Northern Ireland’s place in the UK internal market. We are currently considering the best way to take forward the approach referred to in Annex B of the Safeguarding the Union command paper.

The statutory framework for donations to UK political parties explicitly provides for Northern Ireland parties to receive donations from eligible people and organisations based in Ireland. These provisions are consistent with the principles set out in the Good Friday Agreement, particularly those relating to equality and respect for the different political traditions on the island of Ireland.

The Government has no plans to change these rules.

The Secretary of State for Education reaffirmed the Government's commitment to the development of a twinning programme, as set out in the command paper, at the last UK Education Ministers' Council hosted in Lisburn, Northern Ireland on 20 November 2024. Work is ongoing to develop and deliver the programme.

In line with the requirements under Schedule 9 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, the Northern Ireland Office routinely publishes information on internal reviews in respect of any new, proposed or revised policies, and public consultations on GOV.UK.

Between 5 July 2024 and 5 January 2025, the Northern Ireland Office launched one public consultation on the use of Non-Jury Trials in Northern Ireland, which is currently ongoing, and completed an internal screening assessment of Non-Jury Trial Provisions under the Justice and Security (Northern Ireland) Act 2007.

In addition, the Department also published the findings of a Review of the Operation of the Troubles Permanent Disablement Payment Scheme on 29 August 2024.

The Government plans to apply the UK CBAM across the whole UK, including Northern Ireland, from 2027. The UK will continue to work with international partners, including the EU, to ensure our approach is implemented in a way that works for businesses.

The EU's CBAM could only apply in Northern Ireland with the agreement of the UK and in line with the democratic safeguards of the Windsor Framework.

The Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB) is an independent organisation within the motor industry and separate from the UK Government. The Northern Ireland Office has no role in decisions relating to the investigation and payment of claims, which are the responsibility of the MIB.

Royal Portrush will stage the 153rd Open Golf Championship in 2025, providing another outstanding showcase for golf in Northern Ireland. The 148th Open, held at Royal Portrush nine years ago, became the biggest sporting event ever held in Northern Ireland, delivering a combined economic and media benefit of more than £100 million to the region.

I have asked my officials to contact Invest NI to discuss this. I would also encourage the Honourable Member to share any suggestions he has to enhance any existing investment promotion with the Department for Business and Trade.

The Growth mission is the number one priority of the Government. That is why we are working closely with the Northern Ireland Executive to create a thriving, competitive and regionally balanced economy in Northern Ireland through increased investment, job creation, and higher living standards.

There are no ongoing industrial disputes within the Department or our arm's length bodies connected to the Department.

It will be a matter for Lord Murphy to consider the programme of work of the Review. In line with the Terms of Reference, the Review will be obliged to consult with a range of stakeholders, including Northern Ireland political parties, and can engage with the Assembly and its committee functions as it considers appropriate.

This Government is absolutely committed to ensuring the smooth flow of goods across the UK Internal market. The General Product Safety Regulations largely formalise the reality of how businesses are already operating in the UK so the government expects consumers in Northern Ireland generally to be able to access goods as before.

On 3 December, the Department for Business and Trade’s Office for Product Safety and Standards published guidance for businesses on the application of the Regulation in Northern Ireland, which makes clear that authorities will continue to take a proportionate, risk-based, and intelligence-led approach to regulating the NI market, prioritising unsafe products.

DBT will continue to engage businesses directly to ensure they are familiar with the guidance and that the Government is supporting them to trade freely across the whole of the UK.

Regrettably, given the amount of time wasted by the previous Government, Casement Park could not be built in time for the Euros. The risks of not completing it on time were unacceptably high. While the redevelopment of Casement Park is a devolved policy matter, we are continuing to engage with all partners involved in the project, including the Northern Ireland Executive and the GAA, and assessing the options available.

The Windsor Framework removes the need for customs declarations for the overwhelming majority of parcels sent by businesses in Great Britain to consumers in Northern Ireland and instead, parcel carriers will continue to collect standard commercial data required.

There are, of course, no customs declarations requirements for parcels sent between private individuals within the UK.