Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to legislate for language and cultural matters in Northern Ireland which are currently devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly.

The Government announced on 21 June in a Written Ministerial Statement (HLWS100) that should the Northern Ireland Executive not have progressed the legislation for the identity, language and culture package in the New Decade, New Approach agreement by the end of September, the UK Government will take the legislation through the UK Parliament in October 2021.

It is the Government’s preference that the Executive deliver its commitment on this carefully balanced package of measures, which was agreed to by the parties and helped to end the three-year political impasse in Northern Ireland.