Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the commitments in the Belfast Agreement 1998, what representations they have received from the Irish government about the continuing status of Northern Ireland as part of the UK.

The Government has regular discussions with the Irish Government on a range of issues in accordance with the well-established three stranded approach laid out in the Belfast Agreement. As one of the negotiators of that Agreement, the Noble Lord is aware that Northern Ireland’s constitutional position is based on the principle of consent, which is fully supported by both the United Kingdom and Irish Governments.

The Belfast Agreement stated that “the present wish of a majority of the people of Northern Ireland, freely exercised and legitimate, is to maintain the Union and, accordingly, that Northern Ireland’s status as part of the United Kingdom reflects and relies upon that wish”. The Government has no reason to believe that there has been any change in this position.