Fourth Update on New Decade, New Approach

Monday 15th April 2024 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Chris Heaton-Harris)]

During the passage of the Northern Ireland (Ministers, Elections and Petitions of Concern) Act in the House of Lords, the Government committed to updating the House on progress made on the commitments in New Decade, New Approach (NDNA) we have delivered on to date. The first of these statements was published on 23 March 2022 and this is the fourth statement.

In December 2023, the Government held intensive discussions with the political parties in an attempt to reach agreement on how the Executive can return on a stable financial footing. A comprehensive financial package worth a significant £3.3 billion was agreed. This funding sets Northern Ireland on a sustainable footing with a bright future ahead. Over £700 million of reprioritised and new UK funding streams were made available to the restored Executive for public services transformation which includes NDNA Transformation funding and uncommitted Unique Circumstances funding. This funding is available to the Executive to help transform public services to meet the needs of people across Northern Ireland.

On 31 January, the UK Government published a Command Paper (CP1021) setting out measures to strengthen the UK internal market and Northern Ireland’s place in the Union. Following this, the Northern Ireland Assembly was recalled on 3 February, leading to restoration of fully functioning devolved government in Northern Ireland after a two-year absence.

The UK Government are pleased that devolution has been restored in Northern Ireland and strengthened by a deal that will:

Further protect Northern Ireland’s place in the UK;

Promote and strengthen the UK internal market;

Recognise the importance of the connections across the United Kingdom now and in the future; and

Help put public services on a sustainable footing.

In parallel, we have continued to implement the commitments we signed up to in NDNA. Since January 2020, the UK Government have:

Published four reports on the use of the Petition of Concern mechanism;

Passed the Northern Ireland (Ministers, Elections and Petitions of Concern) Act to implement the institutional reforms agreed in NDNA;

Passed the Internal Market Act 2020;

Held a meeting of the Board of Trade in Northern Ireland;

Held the Northern Ireland Investment Summit which was led by the Department for Business and Trade in partnership with the Northern Ireland Office and Invest Northern Ireland in September 2023;

Announced an £18.9 million investment in NI’s cyber security industry, supporting NI’s development as a global cyber security hub and the target of achieving 5,000 cyber security professionals working in Northern Ireland by 2030;

Renegotiated the Protocol and restored the free-flow of trade from Great Britain to Northern Ireland through a new UK internal market system, ensuring that Northern Ireland remains an integral part of the UK internal market;

Ensured that Northern Ireland can access the trade deals the UK is striking across the world;

Invited representatives of the Northern Ireland Executive to all meetings of the UK-EU Joint and Specialised Committees;

Changed the rules governing how the people of Northern Ireland bring their family members to the UK, enabling them to apply for immigration status on broadly the same terms as family members of Irish citizens;

Appointed Danny Kinahan as the first Northern Ireland Veterans Commissioner in September 2020;

Passed the Armed Forces Act which further enshrines the Armed Forces Covenant in law;

Conducted a thorough review of the Aftercare Service, the purpose of which was to consider whether the remit of the service should be widened to cover all HM Forces veterans living in Northern Ireland with service-related injuries and conditions;

Marked Northern Ireland’s Centenary in 2021 with a £3 million programme of cultural and historical events, including the delivery of the Shared History Fund and schools planting project;

Passed the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act to provide greater information, accountability, and acknowledgment to victims, survivors, and families, through a framework which will deliver effective legacy mechanisms while complying with our international obligations;

Appointed the right hon. Sir Declan Morgan KC as Chief Commissioner of the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery following recommendations from the three Chief Justices across the UK;

Accepted the recommendation for Peter Sheridan to be appointed as Commissioner for Investigations of the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery;

Brought forward regulations to ensure designated Union Flag flying days remain in line with those observed in the rest of the UK;

Recognised Ulster Scots as a National Minority under the Council of Europe Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities;

Provided £2 million in funding for NI Screen’s Irish Language and Ulster Scots Broadcast funds, which support a range of film, television and radio programming;

Passed the Identity and Language (Northern Ireland) Act which will encourage and promote respect and tolerance for all of Northern Ireland’s diverse identities, cultures, and traditions;

Established a new hub—Erskine House—in the heart of Belfast, increasing the visibility and accessibility of UK Government Departments in Northern Ireland;

Reviewed the findings of the Renewable Heat Incentive Inquiry Report to consider its implications for the use of public money in Northern Ireland; and

Continued to foster closer ties and better collaborative working across sectors such as tourism, sport and culture, including through the successful joint UK and Ireland bid to host the 2028 European Championships.

To date, the Government have spent approximately over £800 million towards such outcomes as:

Bringing an end to the nurses’ pay dispute in January 2020;

Securing additional funding for the Executive in the 2020-2021 financial year;

The creation of a new Northern Ireland Graduate School of Medicine in Londonderry; supporting the transformation of public services;

Supporting low-carbon transport in Northern Ireland, enabling the Department for Infrastructure to order 100 low-carbon buses which have been deployed in Belfast and Londonderry; and

Addressing Northern Ireland’s unique circumstances through projects and programmes that tackle paramilitarism, promote greater integration in education, support economic prosperity, and support linguistic diversity.

The Government are now working to deliver the financial package agreed with the parties entitled to form an Executive in December 2023, and the suite of commitments as set out in the “Safeguarding the Union” Command Paper published in January 2024. To this end, the Government look forward to working together with the newly restored Executive to deliver for the people of Northern Ireland.

[HCWS394]