Asked by: Lord Pendry (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the Supreme Court ruling in the case of <i>R (on the application of Miller and another) v Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union</i>, what steps they are taking to ensure that the views of all communities in Northern Ireland are taken into consideration when Article 50 is triggered.
Answered by Lord Dunlop
The Government will ensure that all views can be reflected in our analysis of the options for the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union and we are going to listen and talk to as many organisations, companies and institutions as possible to do this.
We have set up a new Joint Ministerial Committee on EU Negotiations, which brings together constituent parts of the United Kingdom to discuss issues stemming from the negotiation process which may impact upon or have consequences for the UK Government, the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government or the Northern Ireland Executive. The Committee met for the third time on 19 January.
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has regular meetings with the political parties in Northern Ireland to discuss the implications of the decision to exit the European Union. In addition, he established a Business Advisory Group in September to ensure that the views of the business community are reflected in the process of exiting the European Union. The Secretary of State has also had positive engagement with representatives of the voluntary and community sector.
All these views are being taken into consideration in the process leading up to the triggering of Article 50 and the preparations for the UK’s exit from the European Union.
Asked by: Lord Pendry (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the Supreme Court ruling in the case of <i>R (on the application of Miller and another) v Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union</i> and of the pending elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly, what discussions they have had with the government of Ireland regarding their roles as co-guarantors under the Good Friday Agreement.
Answered by Lord Dunlop
The Government remains fully and firmly committed to preserving and maintaining the Belfast Agreement, its successors and the institutions. The Government keeps in regular contact with the Irish Government on a range of issues in accordance with the well-established three stranded approach. Most recently, the Prime Minister met the Taoiseach on 30 January in Dublin.