Committee publication · Correspondence · 15 April 2026
Correspondence with the Secretary of State relating to oral evidence taken on 4 March 2026, dated 10, 12 March and 9 April 2026.
Summary
Secretary of State Hilary Benn responds to the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee's written questions following oral evidence on 4 March 2026. He addresses five policy areas: the Northern Ireland Growth Coordination Group's work on economic growth and industrial strategy; legacy resourcing concerns, disclosure safeguards, and the firewall between the proposed ICIR and Legacy Commission; security and policing arrangements under the new National Police Service; Windsor Framework implementation including democratic scrutiny timelines and business support; and measures to address funding gaps in the Local Growth Fund affecting 64 voluntary organisations.
Key findings
- The Government confirms the Northern Ireland Growth Coordination Group meets regularly (first in May 2025, again 1 April 2026) to coordinate reserved and devolved economic levers, with particular focus on Industrial Strategy implementation and defence sector engagement.
- On legacy resourcing, the Government asserts funding responsibility lies with the Department of Justice and Northern Ireland Executive; funding for PSNI increased by £113 million as part of record £19.3bn annual allocation to Northern Ireland.
- The proposed Information Retrieval body (ICIR) and Legacy Commission will be entirely separate with statutory firewalls: Clause 73 of the Bill prevents disclosure of information sources and prevents information obtained by ICIR being used in Legacy Commission investigations.
- Creation of the National Police Service will not substantively change counter-terrorism or serious organised crime policing in Northern Ireland; NCA jurisdiction and PSNI operational independence remain unchanged; Home Office will work with Department of Justice on implementation arrangements.
- Government will give legislative effect to Windsor Framework Democratic Scrutiny Committee timeline flexibility through Statutory Instrument in latter half of 2026; identified three funding routes for voluntary sector gap: PEACEPLUS 'Change Maker' and 'Empowering Communities' bids, MHCLG economic inactivity funding, and potential Executive support.
Tone
ProceduralTopics
Key actors
Hilary Benn (Secretary of State for Northern Ireland), Tonia Antoniazzi (Chair, Northern Ireland Affairs Committee), Dr Julie Harrison (Permanent Secretary, Northern Ireland Office), Matthew Patrick MP (Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State), Dr Caoimhe Archibald MLA (NI Minister for the Economy), Northern Ireland Policing Board, Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB), PSNI (Police Service of Northern Ireland)
Notable line
“… it is impossible, given the range of perspectives on legacy, to give everybody everything that they want.”
Key Quotes
“The NIGCG is an official-led working group tasked with the coordination of policy and engagement to promote economic growth in Northern Ireland.”
“As I noted in the evidence session, the vast majority of the over 1,000 cases formerly within the remit of the PSNI Legacy Investigation Branch no longer form part of its caseload, allowing the police service to focus its investigative resources elsewhere.”
“Clause 73(3) of the Bill is clear that the ICIR must not disclose the name or identity of any individual from whom the ICIR has received information.”
“… it is impossible, given the range of perspectives on legacy, to give everybody everything that they want.”
“The creation of the National Police Service (NPS) will see the NCA and Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) move into the NPS. However, there will be no substantive change to how Counter-Terrorism and serious organised crime policing works in Northern Ireland currently …”
“We will continue to engage with the Assembly as we develop specific proposals, and the Government expects to give legislative effect to these commitments in the latter half of this year through a Statutory Instrument to amend Schedule 6B NI Act 1998 accordingly.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗