Brexit: Belfast Agreement

Lord Kilclooney Excerpts

Thursday 8th September 2016 Lords Chamber

[Viscount Younger of Leckie]

The first thing to say to reassure the noble Lord is that the UK will continue to have all the rights, obligations and benefits that membership brings—including receiving European funding—up to the point at which we leave the EU. We recognise that many organisations across the UK which are in receipt of EU funding, or expect to start receiving it, want reassurance about this. The Chancellor of the Exchequer has confirmed that structural investment funds projects, signed before the Autumn Statement, and the Horizon research funding that has been granted, will be guaranteed.

[Lord Kilclooney (CB)]

My Lords, as someone involved in the negotiations of the Belfast agreement, can I ask the Minister whether the Council of Europe Convention for the Protection of Human Rights is a requirement in the Belfast agreement? Secondly, since there are now more people from Poland than from the Republic of Ireland living in Northern Ireland, will both those with Irish passports and those with Polish passports be guaranteed their future in Northern Ireland after Brexit?

[Viscount Younger of Leckie]

I can only repeat what I said in my first Answer which is that the Belfast agreement remains intact and we do not envisage any changes.