Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to call a border poll in Northern Ireland; and if so, when.
Answered by Lord Duncan of Springbank
The UK Government remains fully committed to the Belfast Agreement. This includes the obligation for the Secretary of State to call a border poll if he believes there is majority support for a united Ireland. It is, however, the Secretary of State’s view that a majority of the people of Northern Ireland continue to support the current political settlement, including Northern Ireland’s position within the United Kingdom. As set out in the Government’s Northern Ireland manifesto at the General Election the circumstances set out in the 1998 Agreement that require a border poll on Irish unification are therefore not satisfied.