Northern Ireland Office written question – answered at on 24 March 2026.
James Cartlidge
Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he plans to proceed with the implementation of the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 (Remedial) Order 2025.
Hilary Benn
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
On 22 January, the House of Commons approved the Remedial Order, which will remove the conditional immunity provided to terrorists by the previous Government’s immunity scheme.
The scheduling of the debate in the House of Lords will be announced in the usual way.
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Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
The House of Commons is one of the houses of parliament. Here, elected MPs (elected by the "commons", i.e. the people) debate. In modern times, nearly all power resides in this house. In the commons are 650 MPs, as well as a speaker and three deputy speakers.
The house of Lords is the upper chamber of the Houses of Parliament. It is filled with Lords (I.E. Lords, Dukes, Baron/esses, Earls, Marquis/esses, Viscounts, Count/esses, etc.) The Lords consider proposals from the EU or from the commons. They can then reject a bill, accept it, or make amendments. If a bill is rejected, the commons can send it back to the lords for re-discussion. The Lords cannot stop a bill for longer than one parliamentary session. If a bill is accepted, it is forwarded to the Queen, who will then sign it and make it law. If a bill is amended, the amended bill is sent back to the House of Commons for discussion.
The Lords are not elected; they are appointed. Lords can take a "whip", that is to say, they can choose a party to represent. Currently, most Peers are Conservative.
