Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to secure an agreement with parties in Northern Ireland regarding trading arrangements between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom, and what assessment they have made of the consequential impact for the United Kingdom as a whole.

The Government has engaged extensively with relevant stakeholders in Northern Ireland and has sought to address the specific concerns of the DUP prior to and during negotiations to facilitate the return of devolved governments. These discussions have focussed, in the main, on strengthening Northern Ireland’s place in the UK Internal Market. As outlined by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on the 19th December, from the Government’s perspective, the talks on all the issues of substance have effectively been concluded. The Government now stands ready to introduce a package of measures that have been worked on together should the DUP reach a decision to proceed.