Northern Ireland

Lord Caine Excerpts

Wednesday 27th November 2024 Lords Chamber

Asked by

[Lord Caine]

To ask His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to strengthen Northern Ireland’s position within the United Kingdom.

[Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Lab)]

My Lords, before I answer the Question, I will take a moment to share my sympathies with all those who have been affected by flooding as a result of Storm Bert over the weekend. The storm and resulting flooding are, of course, very concerning and distressing for those affected, and I pay tribute to the noble Lord, Lord Caine, for his work on the flooding experienced in Northern Ireland last year.

The Government are committed to delivering for all communities in Northern Ireland by resetting the relationship with the NI Executive and working collaboratively to transform public services and champion investment opportunities. This Government will work tirelessly to fully realise one of our greatest achievements, the Belfast/Good Friday agreement, and its vision for reconciliation, equality, respect for rights and parity of esteem, making Northern Ireland more prosperous, more inclusive and safer for everybody.

[Lord Caine (Con)]

My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness for her kind words and I associate myself with what she said about the flooding. A key commitment in Annexe B of the Safeguarding the Union Command Paper in January is for the Government unashamedly to make the positive case for Northern Ireland’s place within the United Kingdom. This was to be supported by papers setting out the considerable mutual benefits—political, economic, social, cultural and security—gained by Northern Ireland being an integral part of the union. Can the noble Baroness confirm that these remain firm government commitments? Can she update the House on the schedule for publication of these papers and the steps being taken to ensure their widespread circulation in order to counter the arguments of those seeking constitutional change?

[Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Lab)]

My Lords, this Government believe that Northern Ireland is a core part of the United Kingdom. As regards our commitments and those made in Safeguarding the Union, we are not reneging on any of the Command Paper commitments but remain committed to implementing the Windsor Framework in good faith and taking forward commitments in a way that best delivers for the people of Northern Ireland. I will come back to the noble Lord on the timetable for publication; we are still working.