Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the impact of the Belfast Agreement 1998 on the UK and Irish legal systems.

The Belfast Agreement paved the way for power-sharing in Northern Ireland and set out a plan for devolved government in Northern Ireland on a stable and inclusive basis.

The Agreement is made up of two inter-related documents, both agreed in Belfast on 10 April 1998:

1. a multi-party agreement by most of Northern Ireland's political parties;
2. an international agreement between the British and Irish governments (the British-Irish Agreement).

The Agreement set out a series of provisions relating to a number of areas including:

• The status and system of government of Northern Ireland within the United Kingdom. (Strand 1)
• The relationship between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. (Strand 2)
• The relationship between the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom. (Strand 3)

Key provisions of the Belfast Agreement 1998 were brought into effect by the Northern Ireland Act 1998.