Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to make cross-community consent mandatory in all Stormont decisions.
Answered by Lord Caine - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The principle of cross-community consent applies to matters for which the Northern Ireland Assembly is responsible. Trade is not one of those matters. This approach is entirely compatible with the Belfast Agreement.
We remain fully committed to the Agreement which ensures that the future of Northern Ireland is decided by the democratically expressed wishes of the people of Northern Ireland and reaffirms our commitment to the principle of consent.