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732068

registered interest
date	22/06/2017
answering body	Northern Ireland Office
answering dept id	21
answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the performance of the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland following the two elections held in Northern Ireland this year.
tabling member printed	Lord Empey
uin	HL121
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/07/2017 answer text <p>The Electoral Office for Northern Ireland successfully administered two unscheduled elections during 2017. The Electoral Commission’s research with voters and campaigners found high levels of confidence that the Northern Ireland Assembly election held on 2 March 2017 was well-run.</p><p>The progress on the consultation on the future delivery of electoral services in Northern Ireland was unavoidably delayed owing to the need for the Electoral Office to focus on delivering the elections that have been held since the consultation closed in January, as well as the purdah periods which have also accompanied those elections. The Government and the Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland will continue to reflect upon the most appropriate point to issue a joint response to the consultation.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth grouped question UIN HL122 question first answered 03/07/2017 15:09:39 answering member 4282 label Biography information for Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
tabling member	4216 label Biography information for Lord Empey

732069

registered interest
date	22/06/2017
answering body	Northern Ireland Office
answering dept id	21
answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government whether they propose to proceed with a consultation on the future operation and deployment of the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland.
tabling member printed	Lord Empey
uin	HL122
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/07/2017 answer text <p>The Electoral Office for Northern Ireland successfully administered two unscheduled elections during 2017. The Electoral Commission’s research with voters and campaigners found high levels of confidence that the Northern Ireland Assembly election held on 2 March 2017 was well-run.</p><p>The progress on the consultation on the future delivery of electoral services in Northern Ireland was unavoidably delayed owing to the need for the Electoral Office to focus on delivering the elections that have been held since the consultation closed in January, as well as the purdah periods which have also accompanied those elections. The Government and the Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland will continue to reflect upon the most appropriate point to issue a joint response to the consultation.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth grouped question UIN HL121 question first answered 03/07/2017 15:09:39 answering member 4282 label Biography information for Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
tabling member	4216 label Biography information for Lord Empey

732070

registered interest
date	22/06/2017
answering body	Northern Ireland Office
answering dept id	21
answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to bringing forward legislation to prevent party workers distributing election material from standing immediately outside access point to polling stations in Northern Ireland.
tabling member printed	Lord Empey
uin	HL123
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/07/2017 answer text <p>The Government has not received any recent representations on the issue of party workers outside polling stations. However, the Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland will conduct a routine post-election review of all administrative procedures and the Electoral Commission will also report on the administration of the election in due course. The Government will consider any recommendations arising from the Chief Electoral Officer and the Electoral Commission carefully.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth grouped question UIN HL124 HL125 question first answered 03/07/2017 15:13:04 answering member 4282 label Biography information for Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
tabling member	4216 label Biography information for Lord Empey

732073

registered interest
date	22/06/2017
answering body	Northern Ireland Office
answering dept id	21
answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent of the rise in the number of proxy votes being applied for in recent elections in Northern Ireland; and what action they are taking to ensure fraud is detected and avoided.
tabling member printed	Lord Empey
uin	HL126
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/07/2017 answer text <p>The administration of proxy voting is an operational matter for the Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland who will conduct a routine post-election review of all administrative procedures. The Electoral Commission will also report on the administration of the election in due course. The Government will consider any recommendations about dealing with fraud from the Chief Electoral Officer and the Electoral Commission carefully.</p> answering member printed Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth question first answered 03/07/2017 15:10:55 answering member 4282 label Biography information for Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
tabling member	4216 label Biography information for Lord Empey

730968

registered interest
date	21/06/2017
answering body	Northern Ireland Office
answering dept id	21
answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
hansard heading	Absent Voting: Northern Ireland
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government how many proxy vote applications there were in each Northern Ireland constituency for the general elections in (1) 2010, (2) 2015, and (3) 2017; and whether they intend to investigate possible electoral fraud in relation to proxy voting in Northern Ireland.
tabling member printed	Lord Maginnis of Drumglass
uin	HL3
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/07/2017 answer text <p>The administration of proxy voting is an operational matter for the Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland. All evidence received by the Chief Electoral Officer regarding possible electoral fraud is passed to the PSNI for investigation.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The following table has been provided by the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland and contains the number of proxy vote applications in each constituency in Northern Ireland for the Parliamentary general elections in 2010, 2015 and 2017:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Constituency </strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2010</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2015</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2017</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Belfast East</p></td><td><p>36</p></td><td><p>124</p></td><td><p>279</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Belfast North</p></td><td><p>91</p></td><td><p>177</p></td><td><p>739</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Belfast South</p></td><td><p>47</p></td><td><p>114</p></td><td><p>318</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Belfast West</p></td><td><p>115</p></td><td><p>168</p></td><td><p>1026</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>East Antrim</p></td><td><p>51</p></td><td><p>137</p></td><td><p>353</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>East Londonderry</p></td><td><p>62</p></td><td><p>143</p></td><td><p>360</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Fermanagh &amp; South Tyrone</p></td><td><p>470</p></td><td><p>1454</p></td><td><p>1707</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Foyle</p></td><td><p>159</p></td><td><p>339</p></td><td><p>1282</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Lagan Valley</p></td><td><p>47</p></td><td><p>87</p></td><td><p>230</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Mid Ulster</p></td><td><p>213</p></td><td><p>488</p></td><td><p>1127</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Newry &amp; Armagh</p></td><td><p>101</p></td><td><p>870</p></td><td><p>1304</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>North Antrim</p></td><td><p>71</p></td><td><p>224</p></td><td><p>507</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>North Down</p></td><td><p>63</p></td><td><p>85</p></td><td><p>193</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>South Antrim</p></td><td><p>58</p></td><td><p>106</p></td><td><p>285</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>South Down</p></td><td><p>130</p></td><td><p>203</p></td><td><p>564</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Strangford</p></td><td><p>41</p></td><td><p>73</p></td><td><p>197</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Upper Bann</p></td><td><p>65</p></td><td><p>135</p></td><td><p>322</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>West Tyrone</p></td><td><p>289</p></td><td><p>505</p></td><td><p>914</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Total</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2109</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>5432</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>11707</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth question first answered 03/07/2017 11:44:28 answering member 4282 label Biography information for Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
tabling member	648 label Biography information for Lord Maginnis of Drumglass

717926

registered interest
date	05/04/2017
answering body	Northern Ireland Office
answering dept id	21
answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
hansard heading	Northern Ireland Government
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have for the governing of Northern Ireland in the event of failure to reach an agreement in the present inter-party talks conducted by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
tabling member printed	Lord Eames
uin	HL6673
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2017 answer text <p>We remain focused on securing the resumption of devolved government in Northern Ireland. However in its absence it is ultimately for the UK Government to provide for political stability and good governance in Northern Ireland. If talks fail in their objectives and no agreement is reached following the Easter recess, we will have to consider a range of options. The Government has, however, been clear that when considering the options available, any form of joint authority would be incompatible with the consent principle committed to in the 1998 Belfast Agreement.</p><p> </p><p>As the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland made clear in his statement to the House of Commons on 28 March, at a minimum we would seek to bring forward legislation to set a regional rate to enable collection of the rates to go ahead, and to take steps to provide further assurance around the budget for Northern Ireland.</p> answering member printed Lord Dunlop question first answered 20/04/2017 12:23:59 answering member 4534 label Biography information for Lord Dunlop
tabling member	2793 label Biography information for Lord Eames

717943

registered interest
date	05/04/2017
answering body	Northern Ireland Office
answering dept id	21
answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
hansard heading	Terrorism: Northern Ireland
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many prosecutions for acts of terrorism in Northern Ireland were made (1) in each of the five years prior to the making of the Good Friday Agreement on 10 April 1998, and (2) in each year from the making of that Agreement until the devolution of policing and criminal justice on 12 April 2010.
tabling member printed	Lord Tebbit
uin	HL6690
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2017 answer text <p>Northern Ireland Office officials are currently undertaking a consolidation exercise to confirm the answer to these questions. I will write to my Noble Friend once this exercise has been completed.</p> answering member printed Lord Dunlop grouped question UIN HL6691 question first answered 20/04/2017 12:25:44 answering member 4534 label Biography information for Lord Dunlop
tabling member	952 label Biography information for Lord Tebbit

717944

registered interest
date	05/04/2017
answering body	Northern Ireland Office
answering dept id	21
answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
hansard heading	Terrorism: Northern Ireland
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many persons convicted of acts of Northern Ireland-related terrorism have been granted early release from prison since 10 April 1998.
tabling member printed	Lord Tebbit
uin	HL6691
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2017 answer text <p>Northern Ireland Office officials are currently undertaking a consolidation exercise to confirm the answer to these questions. I will write to my Noble Friend once this exercise has been completed.</p> answering member printed Lord Dunlop grouped question UIN HL6690 question first answered 20/04/2017 12:25:44 answering member 4534 label Biography information for Lord Dunlop
tabling member	952 label Biography information for Lord Tebbit

717945

registered interest
date	05/04/2017
answering body	Northern Ireland Office
answering dept id	21
answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
hansard heading	Terrorism: Northern Ireland
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many letters of comfort were issued to on-the-runs (1) in the five years before 10 April 1998, and (2) between that date and 12 April 2010.
tabling member printed	Lord Tebbit
uin	HL6692
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2017 answer text <p>It is assumed that by ‘letters of comfort’ my Noble Friend means those letters issued under the administrative scheme introduced by the previous Labour Government which were intended to inform individuals that, as at the date of the letter, the recipient was ‘not wanted’ for questioning or prosecution in Northern Ireland or the rest of the UK.</p><p> </p><p>Prior to 10 April 1998, no such letters were issued. The first such letters were signed by Mr Jonathan Powell (the then Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff) and were sent to Sinn Féin on 15 June 2000. A total of 156 individual such letters were issued during the scheme, 144 were issued prior to 12 April 2010.</p><p> </p><p>The following table provides more detail of all letters that were issued.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong> 2000 </strong></p></td><td><p>During the year: (a) 2 individuals received the above mentioned letters from Jonathan Powell, the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff; (b) 0 individuals informed in writing by the Northern Ireland Office via Sinn Féin that they “would face arrest and questioning if they returned to Northern Ireland”.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong> 2001</strong></p></td><td><p>During the year: (a) 16 individuals received the above mentioned letters from the Northern Ireland Office; (b) 0 individuals informed in writing by the Northern Ireland Office via Sinn Féin that they “would face arrest and questioning if they returned to Northern Ireland”.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong> 2002</strong></p></td><td><p>During the year: (a) 17 individuals received the above mentioned letters from the Northern Ireland Office; (b) 19 individuals informed in writing by the Northern Ireland Office via Sinn Féin that they “would face arrest and questioning if they returned to Northern Ireland”.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong> 2003</strong></p></td><td><p>During the year: (a) 9 individuals received the above mentioned letters from the Northern Ireland Office; (b) 23 individuals informed in writing by the Northern Ireland Office via Sinn Féin that they “would face arrest and questioning if they returned to Northern Ireland”.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong> 2004</strong></p></td><td><p>During the year: (a) 0 individuals received the above mentioned letters from the Northern Ireland Office; (b) 0 individuals informed in writing by the Northern Ireland Office via Sinn Féin that they “would face arrest and questioning if they returned to Northern Ireland”.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong> 2005</strong></p></td><td><p>During the year: (a) 4 individuals received the above mentioned letters from the Northern Ireland Office (1 of whom had previously been informed that they were ‘wanted’); (b) 17 individuals informed in writing by the Northern Ireland Office via Sinn Féin for the first time that they “would face arrest and questioning if they returned to Northern Ireland” (in the cases of 12 of those individuals it appears that Sinn Féin had already been notified of that fact at a meeting). A further 46 are similarly informed during the year and had been also advised as such at an earlier time by the Northern Ireland Office.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong> 2006</strong></p></td><td><p>During the year: (a) 8 individuals received the above mentioned letters from the Northern Ireland Office (2 of whom had previously been informed that they were ‘wanted’); (b) 5 individuals informed in writing by the Northern Ireland Office via Sinn Féin that they “would face arrest and questioning if they returned to Northern Ireland”.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong> 2007</strong></p></td><td><p>During the year: (a) 58 individuals received the above mentioned letters from the Northern Ireland Office (35 of whom had previously been informed that they were ‘wanted’); (b) 0 individuals informed in writing by the Northern Ireland Office via Sinn Féin that they “would face arrest and questioning if they returned to Northern Ireland”.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong> 2008</strong></p></td><td><p>During the year: (a) 6 individuals received the above mentioned letters from the Northern Ireland Office (2 of them were on the Irish Government List and 1 had previously been informed that they were ‘wanted’); (b) 1 individual informed in writing for the first time by the Northern Ireland Office via Sinn Féin that they “would face arrest and questioning if they returned to Northern Ireland”; a further 7 individuals are similarly informed during the year and had also been advised as such at an earlier time by the Northern Ireland Office.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong> 2009</strong></p></td><td><p>During the year: (a) 21 individuals received the above mentioned letters from the Northern Ireland Office (2 of whom receive the same letter on two separate occasions, and 10 others of whom had previously been informed that they were ‘wanted’); (b) 5 individuals informed by the Northern Ireland Office via Sinn Féin that they “would face arrest and questioning if they returned to Northern Ireland”.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong> 2010</strong></p></td><td><p>During the year: (a) 11 individuals received the above mentioned letters from the Northern Ireland Office (4 of whom had previously been informed that they were ‘wanted’); (b) 5 individuals informed in writing by the Northern Ireland Office via Sinn Féin for the first time that they “would face arrest and questioning if they returned to Northern Ireland”. A further 29 individuals are similarly informed during the year and had also been advised as such at an earlier time by the Northern Ireland Office. In addition, 4 individuals are informed in writing by the Northern Ireland Office via Sinn Féin for the first time that they were “wanted for return to prison in Northern Ireland” but were “eligible to apply to the Sentence Review Commissioners for early release”. 2 of those 4 individuals had previously been informed that they “would face arrest and questioning if they returned to Northern Ireland”.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong> 2011</strong></p></td><td><p>During the year: (a) 1 individual received an above mentioned letter from the Northern Ireland Office (the individual had previously been informed that they were ‘wanted’); (b) 1 individual informed in writing by the Northern Ireland Office via Sinn Féin that they “would face arrest and questioning if they returned to Northern Ireland”.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong> 2012</strong></p></td><td><p>During the year: (a) 3 individuals received the above mentioned letters from the Northern Ireland Office (1 of whom had previously been informed that they were ‘wanted’); (b) 0 individuals informed in writing by the Northern Ireland Office via Sinn Féin that they “would face arrest and questioning if they returned to Northern Ireland”.</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Dunlop question first answered 20/04/2017 12:24:12 answering member 4534 label Biography information for Lord Dunlop
tabling member	952 label Biography information for Lord Tebbit

717241

registered interest
date	03/04/2017
answering body	Northern Ireland Office
answering dept id	21
answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
hansard heading	Terrorism: Northern Ireland
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Dunlop on 27 March concerning the amnesty against prosecution for members of the IRA, whether the administrative scheme of comfort letters sent to on-the-runs has been terminated; and if so, when.
tabling member printed	Lord Tebbit
uin	HL6542
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/04/2017 answer text <p>In March 2014, the then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland first announced that the administrative scheme established by the former Labour Government into the so-called ‘on the runs’ was at an end. This was repeated in a statement to the House of Commons following publication of a detailed report into the scheme by Lady Justice Hallett in July 2014 (HC Deb 17 July 2014 Col 1040). It was further confirmed in a statement to the Commons on 9 September (HC Deb 9 September 2014, columns 779-789). In her report, Lady Justice Hallett concluded that “The administrative scheme did not amount to an amnesty for terrorists…Suspected terrorists were not handed a ‘get out of jail free’ card”. This Government has always been clear. In May 2010, had we at any time been presented with a scheme that we thought amounted to an amnesty, immunity or exemption from prosecution, we would have stopped it immediately. As far as those who received letters are concerned, the Government made very clear in the statement on 9 September 2014 that “Those who received individual or composite letters, or any other form of indication, stating that they were “not wanted” and who derived comfort from that should cease to derive any such comfort. In short, the recipients should cease to place any reliance on those letters” (Col 779). This Government believes in the application of the rule of law without fear or favour - where there is evidence sufficient to warrant prosecution people will be prosecuted.</p> answering member printed Lord Dunlop question first answered 10/04/2017 13:34:41 answering member 4534 label Biography information for Lord Dunlop
tabling member	952 label Biography information for Lord Tebbit