Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment his Department has made of the success of the Northern Ireland centenary programme.

Answered by Conor Burns

The Government’s programme to mark the Centenary of Northern Ireland this year has been an enormous success, with the delivery of major cultural, sporting, business, community and academic events that have engaged people from all communities across Northern Ireland, the UK and internationally.

The programme has strengthened national recognition and international awareness of Northern Ireland’s unique and enduring contribution to the UK’s culture and economy, and promoted Northern Ireland as an increasingly great place to live, work, study and do business.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent discussions he has had with the Irish Government on the arrangements of events to mark the centenary year of the creation of Northern Ireland.

Answered by Conor Burns

As part of the New Decade, New Approach deal, the UK Government committed to mark the Centenary of Northern Ireland in 2021 in a spirit of mutual respect, inclusiveness and reconciliation, in line with the Principles for Remembering. The Centenary programme presents a unique opportunity to celebrate Northern Ireland’s contribution to the UK and highlight its people, places and products.

The Government’s approach has been to provide an opportunity to reflect on the past while building for the future, facilitating national recognition and international awareness of this significant anniversary, which represents not just the Centenary of Northern Ireland, but also of the United Kingdom as we know it today.

The Centenary Programme was devised to mark historical anniversaries, reflect on the historical aspects of the Centenary through an expert Historical Advisory Panel, and, through consultation with a cross community Centenary Forum, along with a number of other UK and international stakeholders, deliver a forward looking programme of events and support Northern Ireland on its path towards economic recovery following the Covid pandemic.

Representatives from the Irish Government’s Department for Foreign Affairs have been involved throughout, and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has had regular discussions with the Irish Government on a range of matters, including on marking the Centenary as an important milestone within the Decade of Centenaries.