Northern Ireland Office

Latest News (from Department Twitter Feed)

24 Oct 2020, 2:24 p.m.: There will be no border in the Irish Sea between GB & NI. The NI Protocol explicitly prevents the creation of one. More than half of NI's external trade is with the rest of UK, which is why the UKIM Bill guarantees businesses in NI will have unfettered access to rest of UK market https://t.co/zKTeyupEQD - Link
24 Oct 2020, 2:19 p.m.: @SJAMcBride There will be no border in Irish Sea between GB & NI. The NI Protocol explicitly prevents the creation of one. More than half of NI's external trade is with the rest of the UK, which is why the UKIM Bill guarantees businesses in NI will have unfettered access to rest of UK market - Link

Northern Ireland Office Commons Appearances

Oral Answers to Questions is a regularly scheduled appearance where the Secretary of State and junior minister will answer at the Dispatch Box questions from backbench MPs

Other Commons Chamber appearances can be:

Urgent Questions where the Speaker has selected a question to which a Minister must reply that day
Adjornment Debates a 30 minute debate attended by a Minister that concludes the day in Parliament.
Oral Statements informing the Commons of a significant development, where backbench MP's can then question the Minister making the statement.

Westminster Hall debates are performed in response to backbench MPs or e-petitions asking for a Minister to address a detailed issue

Written Statements are made when a current event is not sufficiently significant to require an Oral Statement, but the House is required to be informed.

Most Recent Commons Appearances by Category

Date	Type	Title
Sep. 30	Oral Questions	Oral Answers to Questions
Sep. 08	Urgent Questions	Northern Ireland Protocol: UK Legal Obligations
May. 20	Westminster Hall	Immunity for Soldiers
Jul. 15	Adjournment Debate	Northern Ireland Motorsport Taskforce Report

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Northern Ireland Office has not tabled any Bills during the current Session.

Northern Ireland Office - Laid Secondary Legislation

Dates	Department	Title	Type
Laid 22 Oct 2020 In Force 7 Dec 2020	Northern Ireland Office	Marriage and Civil Partnership (Northern Ireland) (No. 2) Regulations 2020 Parliamentary Status - Text of Legislation	Made negative procedure
These Regulations enable civil partners to convert their civil partnership into a marriage where the civil partnership was formed under the law of Northern Ireland and the civil partners are of the same sex.
Laid 22 Oct 2020 In Force Not stated	Northern Ireland Office	Law Enforcement and Security (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 Parliamentary Status - Text of Legislation	Draft affirmative procedure
The Law Enforcement and Security (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/742) are to make amendments addressing deficiencies arising from the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the EU. This instrument makes further amendments, in the fields of explosive precursors and firearms, in order to implement the Northern Ireland/Ireland Protocol to the Withdrawal Agreement (“the Protocol”).

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Petitions addressed by Northern Ireland Office

Current Signatures	Title	Petition Deadline
608,152 Petition Closed	Leave the EU without a deal in March 2019. Gov Responded - 14 Dec 2018 Debated on - 14 Jan 2019	17 Apr 2019 closed 1 year, 6 months ago
We are wasting Billions of pounds of taxpayers money trying to negotiate in a short space of time. Leaving the EU in March 2019 will allow the UK good time to negotiate more efficiently. The EU will be more eager to accept a deal on our terms having lost a major partner.
150,324 Petition Closed	Immunity for soldiers who worked in Northern Ireland. Gov Responded - 1 Apr 2019 Debated on - 20 May 2019	13 Sep 2019 closed 1 year, 1 month ago
Do not prosecute the military for its work in Northern Ireland. Our military should be excused all criminal investigations after a period of time.
66,971 Petition Closed	Leave the EU now Gov Responded - 27 Nov 2018 Debated on - 14 Jan 2019	14 Dec 2018 closed 1 year, 10 months ago
The Government is not going to achieve a satisfactory outcome from its negotiations with the EU. We should walk away now. No Deal is better than a bad deal.

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Northern Ireland Office Select Committee

Northern Ireland Office Select Committee Home Page

Select Committees are a formally established cross-party group of backbench MPs tasked with holding a Government department to account.

At any time there will be number of ongoing investigations into the work of the Department, or issues which fall within the oversight of the Department. Witnesses can be summoned from within the Government and outside to assist in these inquiries, and the Select Committee will occasionally publish formal reports of their findings.

Open Inquiries

New Decade, New Approach Agreement Unfettered Access: Northern Ireland and customs arrangements after Brexit Addressing the Legacy of Northern Ireland’s past: The UK Government's New Proposals Cross-border co-operation on policing, security and criminal justice after Brexit Brexit and the Northern Ireland Protocol

Closed Inquiries

Agriculture Brexit and Northern Ireland Implications of the EU withdrawal agreement and the backstop for Northern Ireland Changes to NI Renewable Heat Incentive payments Consultation on Stormont House Agreement Education funding in Northern Ireland Existing passport processes Funding priorities in the 2018-19 Budget: Health Historical Institutional Abuse Support for UK Victims of IRA attacks that used Gaddafi supplied Semtex and weapons: Follow-up Organised crime gangs in Northern Ireland Tourism in Northern Ireland Update from the Police Service of Northern Ireland Work of the Secretary of State

Recent Select Committee Publications

Thu 31 Dec 2020 - Call for Evidence
Wed 21 Oct 2020 - CBC0006 - Cross-border co-operation on policing, security and criminal justice after Brexit
Wed 14 Oct 2020 - Correspondence from the Department of Finance (Northern Ireland), relating to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, 08-10-2020
Wed 14 Oct 2020 - Correspondence from the Department of Finance (Northern Ireland), Northern Ireland Executive future funding priorities, 08-10-2020
Wed 14 Oct 2020 - 7 October 2020

Northern Ireland Office Publications

Most Recent Publications

Date	Title	Type
Oct. 22	Returning Officers' Expenses, NI: Statement of Accounts 2019-20	Transparency
Oct. 12	Joint Statement Following Covid-19 Quad Meeting	News and Communications
Oct. 09	Centenary bodies meet to discuss plans for Northern Ireland’s anniversary	News and Communications

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Northern Ireland Office Written Questions

Written Questions are submitted by Members of Parliament and the House of Lords to receive information or updates from a Department.

Departments are required to respond in a timely fashion and provide a response or requested information. Written Questions can compel detailed and specific information to be produced, and are frequently used as the source of news stories about the work of a Department.

Latest Written Question

Date	Title	Questioner
21 Oct 2020, 11:10 a.m.	Simon Hoare MP (Conservative - North Dorset)	Simon Hoare MP (Conservative - North Dorset)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the Answer of 15 October to Question 102124 on Terrorism: Northern Ireland, if he will publish the (a) community groups, including victim support groups, (b) religious leaders, (c) academics and (d) representatives of civic society met by Ministers and officials; and on what dates those meetings took place. Answered by Mr Robin Walker - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office) The Government is committed to publishing details of ministers’ meetings with external organisations, including those listed, on a quarterly basis. Publications for the Northern Ireland Office can be found on Gov.UK.

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