Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps the Government is taking to ensure the restoration of devolved government in Northern Ireland before the UK leaves the EU; and if she will make a statement.

Following the Oral Statement on 6 September, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland set out the Government’s clear plan to bring about a restored Executive, and has been engaging regularly with the five main parties in Northern Ireland to establish the basis for moving into the next round of more formal talks.

To that end the Secretary of State met the five main Northern Ireland parties, the Irish Government and church leaders on Monday 8 October and will continue to work with all parties to bring about the devolved power-sharing Executive that we all want to see.