Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent discussions he has had with political parties in Northern Ireland on equal marriage for same-sex couples.

Both mine and the Secretary of State’s position on this issue is clear and well known: me and the Secretary of State voted in support of equal marriage in England and Wales and like the Prime Minister hope this can be extended to Northern Ireland in the future. Me and the Secretary of State believe marriage should be a fundamental and common right across the UK.

However, the fundamental position remains that equal marriage is an entirely devolved issue in Northern Ireland and one that the UK Government would like a restored Assembly to resolve.