Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government when they intend to bring forward the statutory regulations to address unrestricted access for business from Northern Ireland exporting goods to elsewhere in the UK.

As set out in the ‘New Decade, New Approach’ deal to restore the Northern Ireland Executive, the Government is committed to legislate to guarantee unfettered access for Northern Ireland’s businesses to the whole of the UK internal market, and ensure that this legislation is in force for 1 January 2021.

The Government recognises that there are still questions about the detail and how the deal will be operationalised. That is why this commitment is so important.

It is of course vital that Northern Ireland businesses are closely involved in the next stage of this work and we will establish robust channels with both Ministers and officials to ensure this over the coming months. We will also engage in detail with the Executive on measures to protect and strengthen the UK internal market.