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Written Question
EU Law: Northern Ireland
Wednesday 15th March 2023

Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what would happen in Northern Ireland under the Windsor Framework if the UK diverged and changed its regulations from those in the EU.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

The Windsor Framework safeguards the UK internal market and its core principles of market access. It removes constraints on UK-wide policymaking on alcohol duty, enabling NI to benefit from cuts on the duty on a pint of beer. There is a brand new green lane maintaining UK food safety standards, meaning the same food on supermarket shelves in NI and GB. Medicines will be provided across the UK on the basis of licences from UK authorities. Northern Ireland will now be able to take full advantage of the UK's new trade deals around the world and will remain out of the Common Agricultural Policy and Common Fisheries Policy.

Inherent in this new way forward is the prospect of significant divergence between the two distinct economies on the island of Ireland - from food and drink to plants and pets, building on the existing differences in every area of economic and political life such as services, migration, currency and taxation. This will require increased market surveillance North-South in some instances to ensure that there is no abuse of these arrangements to move goods across the international border from Northern Ireland into Ireland, and new requirements on Ireland and other EU Member States to ensure that sensitive products such as food are not moved illegally across that international border.

Speech in Lords Chamber - Mon 07 Nov 2022
Northern Ireland Protocol Bill

"My Lords, I shall make a short comment on Amendment 40 proposed by the noble Baronesses, Lady Suttie and Lady Ritchie of Downpatrick. It says that

“this section does not have effect unless it has previously been approved by a resolution of the Northern Ireland Assembly.”

Surely that is not …..."
Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown - View Speech

View all Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (DUP - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Northern Ireland Protocol Bill
Speech in Lords Chamber - Mon 07 Nov 2022
Northern Ireland Protocol Bill

"My Lords, I shall add a few remarks. The constitutional position of Northern Ireland within the United Kingdom is a very important issue for many people in Northern Ireland, and certainly for the unionist population. There is no doubt whatever that the protocol is undermining and has undermined Northern Ireland’s …..."
Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown - View Speech

View all Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (DUP - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Northern Ireland Protocol Bill
Speech in Lords Chamber - Mon 07 Nov 2022
Northern Ireland Protocol Bill

"I thank the noble Baroness. That then begs the question: why is it not in her amendment? Why is it simply the consent of the Northern Ireland Assembly, which in fact removes it from cross-community consent? That is not what they are talking about here. If it had been, it …..."
Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown - View Speech

View all Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (DUP - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Northern Ireland Protocol Bill
Speech in Lords Chamber - Wed 02 Nov 2022
Northern Ireland Protocol Bill

"My Lords, this is the third day we have been debating the Northern Ireland protocol and I know Members may be tired or exhausted, but it seems from a unionist point of view that a lot of Members of this House are either tone deaf or totally blind—because they desire …..."
Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown - View Speech

View all Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (DUP - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Northern Ireland Protocol Bill
Speech in Lords Chamber - Mon 31 Oct 2022
Northern Ireland Protocol Bill

"My Lords, having listened to the debate thus far, I have again noticed that a number of noble Lords seem to be exercised about the DUP’s well-known opposition to the protocol. To be clear, not one unionist or unionist party in Northern Ireland accepts the protocol. Rather than just mentioning …..."
Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown - View Speech

View all Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (DUP - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Northern Ireland Protocol Bill
Speech in Lords Chamber - Mon 31 Oct 2022
Northern Ireland Protocol Bill

"I thank the noble Lord for his intervention, but I want to develop the point on the Matthews case and the human rights.

In the Matthews case, the party at fault was not the EU, which was not a contracting party to the ECHR, but the United Kingdom Government, who …..."
Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown - View Speech

View all Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (DUP - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Northern Ireland Protocol Bill
Written Question
Developing Countries: Food Aid
Thursday 9th June 2022

Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assistance they are providing to transport grain out of Ukrainian silos and into countries on the verge of famine.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

We are urgently working with the UN, the G7 and the international community to explore the best solutions to extract the 25 million tons of grain currently stuck in Ukraine. We continue to work with the Ukrainians and other international partners to find ways to resume the export of grain from Ukraine and to the countries that desperately need it.

Speech in Lords Chamber - Wed 18 May 2022
Queen’s Speech

"My Lords, I shall base my remarks on the issue of trade and investment, with specific reference to Northern Ireland.

In the executive summary accompanying the gracious Speech, Her Majesty’s Government set out their intention to grow the economy and address the cost of living, and in the present circumstances …..."
Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown - View Speech

View all Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (DUP - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Queen’s Speech
Speech in Lords Chamber - Tue 17 May 2022
Northern Ireland Protocol

"My Lords, although I welcome the Foreign Secretary’s Statement, there is no doubt that resolute action to deal with this deeply offensive protocol must be taken. Firm and welcome words alone will not satisfy the community that certainly I come from. My colleagues and I await the proposed legislation and …..."
Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown - View Speech

View all Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (DUP - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Northern Ireland Protocol