Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 14 July (HL1786), whether they will now answer the question asked; and if the commitment in Annex B of the Command Paper Safeguarding the Union to publish a series of papers that make the case by sector for Northern Ireland’s place in the Union is still being pursued, what is the timetable for publication.

I refer the Noble Lord to the answer provided on 14 July (HL1786), which outlines how the referenced commitment is embedded throughout the continued work of the Government.

The implementation of several Government strategies have been accompanied by the publication of Northern Ireland-specific papers that evidence the mutual benefits of the Union and include long-term plans to support specific sectors. For instance, the launch of the Industrial Strategy in June 2025 was complemented by the publication of a Northern Ireland-specific paper. This paper analysed the Northern Ireland industrial sector, identified the key areas that add significant value to the UK as a whole, and outlined the long-term plan to support and grow the sector.

Through this approach, the Government is moving beyond high-level commitments to deliver tangible results that demonstrate the mutual benefits of Northern Ireland’s place in the Union.