New Decade, New Approach: Third Update

Chris Heaton-Harris Excerpts

Wednesday 26th April 2023 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 making a written ministerial statement every six months setting out 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 the second on 20 October 2022. This is the third statement.

The NDNA agreement facilitated the restoration of the devolved institutions in January 2020 after three years of hiatus. It is deeply disappointing that Northern Ireland once again is in a period of political stalemate. Since the last statement, the UK Government have delivered the Windsor Framework, which fundamentally amends the text and provisions of the original Northern Ireland Protocol. This agreement delivers free-flowing trade within the whole United Kingdom, protects Northern Ireland’s place in the United Kingdom and safeguards the sovereignty for the people of Northern Ireland. It is now for the Northern Ireland parties to move forward and deliver the strong, accountable devolved institutions that those who elect them expect and deserve.

The UK Government will always work to uphold the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement and support political stability in Northern Ireland. To that end, 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;

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 5000 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 green lane, 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; 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;

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 joint UK and Ireland bid to host the 2028 European Championships.

The UK Government have provided a total financial package of £2 billion for New Decade, New Approach. This financial package includes a £1 billion Barnett-based investment guarantee for infrastructure investment and £1 billion in funding across key priorities as set out in the deal. Of the £1 billion in funding, over £769 million has been spent towards such outcomes as:

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

securing additional funding for the Executive in the 2020-21 financial year;

the creation of a new Northern Ireland Graduate Entry Medical School in Londonderry;

supporting the transformation of public services;

supporting low carbon transport in Northern Ireland, enabling the Department for Infrastructure to commit to ordering 100 low-carbon buses to be 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.

We have investigated options for the Connected Classrooms and Homecoming programmes and concluded that there is no viable delivery route for either programme that meets the key requirements of regularity, propriety, value for money and feasibility. Delivery of these programmes will, therefore, not be pursued at this time, although this will be kept under review.

Finally, in the absence of Executive progress on the matter, the UK Government passed the Identity and Language (Northern Ireland) Act in order to progress NDNA commitments relating to identity and language. This Act includes provisions to support the establishment of the Castlereagh Foundation.

The Government will continue to deliver their commitments and look forward to working with a restored Executive on the opportunities ahead.

[HCWS743]