13. To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what effect he expects the transfer of responsibilities to the devolved Assembly to have on the future size of the Northern Ireland Office; and what estimate he has made of the likely change in administrative costs. (132695)

The Northern Ireland Office—as distinct from the 11 Northern Ireland Civil Service Departments—will be relatively unaffected by the restoration of devolution on 8 May, although there will be a reduction in the NIO ministerial team.

The eventual devolution of policing and justice functions will, of course, have a much greater impact on the size of the NIO. When that happens, the respective administrative funding streams attached to those functions will devolve with them.