Incidences of hate crimes and sectarianism are deplorable and have no justification. Nearly thirty years on from the Good Friday Agreement, there is no place for this kind of intolerance in Northern Ireland.

Issues relating to justice, including sectarianism and hate crime legislation and policy, are devolved matters. The Northern Ireland Office is committed to working with the Northern Ireland Executive to building a safer society in which current and future generations feel secure, respected and more reconciled.

Energy policy is devolved to the Northern Ireland Executive. To support renewable energy policies, in December 2025 Great British Energy provided £1.66 million to the Northern Ireland Executive. This will support public sector renewable energy projects. For example, the Further Education sector will benefit from clean energy through installation of Solar PV and battery storage technology at four further education colleges including, South West College, South Eastern Regional College, Northern Regional College and Belfast Met College.

The Northern Ireland Office currently allocates funding to support community initiatives through several grants. The Connect Fund supports organisations to strengthen civic East-West relations through a number of innovative projects and is ongoing with funding available on a yearly basis. NIO’s Engagement for Change Fund was recently awarded to the Women’s Resource and Development Agency for the ‘Grow, Lead, Change’ Project which will support community and voluntary sector organisations to more effectively champion their crucial work and the communities they serve. The forthcoming Community Partnership Fund will provide £1m across three years to established voluntary organisations to support grassroots community groups to develop ambitious ideas, build stronger networks and grow capability to access and deliver funding. The Grant Recipient will be announced later this year.

The Northern Ireland Office will continue to assess gaps in funding for local community initiatives, identifying opportunities for future provision.

A list of special advisers by department is published each year in the Annual Report on Special Advisers which is laid in parliament. In respect of part (b) to (d), to date, no delivery advisers have been appointed within the Northern Ireland Office via Direct Ministerial Appointments, as civil servants appointed by exception or as permanent civil servants appointed through open competition.

The UK Government is acutely aware of the importance of the UK-Ireland relationship. Since taking office, the Secretary of State has continued to build on the reset in relations. In August, he travelled to Dublin to meet with Irish Government counterparts, and held bilateral discussions with Minister McEntee at the recent British Irish Association conference in Oxford.

During the calendar year 2026 to date, one Senior Civil Servant away day has taken place at Hillsborough Castle. No associated social or team-building activity was incurred at public expense. The total cost of the event was £3,898.

It is not possible to provide an estimate for hours spent preparing Ministers to respond to Westminster Hall Debates. There will be differences in the Civil Service, Special Adviser and Ministerial time depending on the policy matter and length of the debate. Debates can also be cross-cutting and require resources from multiple departments or engage departmental bodies.

Since 2024, there has been no correspondence between Flint Global and Ministers or the Permanent Secretary.

The Legal Services Agency, an executive agency sponsored by the Northern Ireland Department of Justice, administers the provision of legal aid in Northern Ireland.

Questions on the adequacy of access to legal aid should be directed to the Department of Justice who conducted a fundamental review of legal aid in January this year.

There is regular engagement with the Northern Ireland Department of Justice to discuss areas of mutual interest and concern.

However, as a result of the devolution of policing and justice in 2010, the Department of Justice (DoJ) is primarily responsible for the operation of the prison estate in Northern Ireland.

The Northern Ireland Office does not operate any catering outlets or cafeterias within its office estate. Consequently, the Department does not generate food waste and does not monitor food waste levels.

The Government is continuing to implement the Safeguarding the Union command paper and to support Northern Ireland's place in the Union: this includes the East-West Council meeting again in January 2026; the allocation of £2.25 million for Intertrade UK over the next three years; the announcement of a pilot twinning programme between schools in England and Northern Ireland; and the launch of the Northern Ireland Defence Growth Deal in April 2026, which includes a £50 million investment to support well-paid and highly-skilled jobs.

I would also refer the Honourable Member to the answer provided by my Noble Friend Baroness Anderson to HL2297 on 28 July, which further outlined how Safeguarding the Union commitments are embedded throughout the work of the Government.

NIO Ministers engage regularly with Cabinet colleagues on a variety of issues including European Union Regulations applying in Northern Ireland under the Windsor Framework, such as the European Union food supplement regulations..

The UK Government is negotiating a new strategic partnership with the EU called a sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement. It is the Government’s intention that the agreement will take effect in mid-2027. Legislation relating to food supplements and the addition of vitamins and minerals to foods is within scope of the SPS agreement.

An SPS agreement would mean that legislation in-scope of the agreement in Great Britain, would dynamically align with equivalent legislation in the EU. This also means that regulations for businesses in both Great Britain and Northern Ireland will be aligned.

Therefore, if EU Food Supplements Regulations are updated in the future to include maximum levels of vitamins and minerals, these regulations in Great Britain will be updated, too.

NIO officials maintain regular contact with the Parades Commission Secretariat as part of sponsorship arrangements, and regularly receives information from the Commission regarding corporate matters, such as budgeting and corporate risks. Corporate matters are discussed regularly with the Secretariat.

The Commission’s decision-making regarding parade notifications is independent. In response to recent judicial review proceedings, the Secretary of State commissioned a judge-led review. The review will examine the Commission's decision-making procedures to ensure decisions are evidence-based, transparent, robust and fair, and that procedural defects identified are addressed.

As the Secretary of State set out in his Written Ministerial Statement of 2 September, although the terms of reference are still being finalised, the Judge-Led review will concentrate on the Commission's decision-making procedures - placing particular emphasis on ensuring that decisions are evidence-based, transparent, robust and fair in order to eradicate the procedural defects that were identified.

The legal framework of the parading sector, as set out in the Public Processions (Northern Ireland) Act 1998, remains outside the scope of this review.

Further information on the Judge-Led review will be published in due course.

The Northern Ireland Office publishes details of departmental spending over £25,000 on GOV.UK as part of its routine transparency data. A specific spend category for ‘Advertising, Marketing and Communications’ is available in these reports. This information can be accessed at the following link, which separates the data by month and year: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/nio-spending-over-25000-data-collection

Without targeted campaigns, millions of citizens would miss out on services, rights, and support to which they are entitled.

Campaigns across government have included the NHS Fit for the Future campaign which directly benefits patients by informing them how, where, and when to access transformed health services. The Defence investment campaign also generates thousands of skilled jobs and millions in regional economic growth through awareness.

Today’s media landscape is unrecognisable compared to even a decade ago, and the way the public receives information and communicates has changed drastically in this time.

The Government has a duty to engage with the public where they are, using channels and voices they trust to ensure all citizens can access government services, information and support - meeting audiences where they are. The total spend by the Northern Ireland Office on social media influencers is nil since July 2024.

Content Creators are paid fairly for their services, time and expertise in content creation. Their work reaches people directly on the channels they use daily. Without targeted campaigns, millions of citizens would miss out on services, rights, and support to which they are entitled.

The guidelines for influencer and content creator marketing were created by the Government Communication Service and first published internally in November 2023.

The Parades Commission performs a vital and complex quasi-judicial role in what can often be sensitive and difficult circumstances. Over the past three decades, Northern Ireland has made significant progress in easing tensions surrounding parades.

However, the recent High Court ruling has highlighted clear procedural defects. The Secretary of State met with the Commissioners on 1 September to discuss their response. Having considered it, he is satisfied that the issues raised are being taken seriously and that progress is being made.

To provide public assurance, support the Commission and ensure its operational framework is legally sound and procedurally fair, the Secretary of State has ordered an independent judge-led review into the Commission’s decision-making procedures and organisational governance.

This will strengthen the Commission’s immediate and future work. In the meantime, the current commissioners have the full backing of the Secretary of States. It is in the public interest that they continue their critical functions as we work together to restore public trust in this vital institution.

The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) complies with all efficiency reporting requirements set out by HM Treasury. The NIO is not required to publish quarterly efficiency reporting.

The Northern Ireland Office does not use branded promotional merchandise with no expenditure recorded since the Government Chief Commercial Officer letter was sent. Information on branded goods and merchandise spent by its arm’s length bodies is not collated or held centrally.