Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Randerson on 15 January (HL3951), what groups supported the setting up of a panel on parading in North Belfast and which groups did not.

The SDLP, Sinn Fein and nationalist residents groups had stated publicly that they would not engage with the proposed panel on parading in north Belfast announced by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on 7th October 2014. Ballysillan LOL 1891 and the West Belfast UPRG also issued statements rejecting the proposed panel.

Other unionist groupings have indicated that they would have been prepared to support the panel, but only if they had confidence in the panel members appointed.