Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the (a) Windsor Framework and (b) Northern Ireland Protocol on businesses in North Down constituency; and what steps his Department is taking to help support those businesses.

The Government is committed to the Windsor Framework and to protecting the UK internal market. The Framework guarantees unfettered access for Northern Ireland’s businesses to the UK market on a permanent basis.

The Windsor Framework also provides a long-term basis for traders to do business, with over 9,000 firms signed up to the UK Internal Market Scheme and many taking advantage of the support provided by the Trader Support Service.

Traders will benefit further when the UK internal market system is implemented in the New Year. The Government will continue to work constructively with stakeholders to ensure that the arrangements set out under the Windsor Framework work well for businesses and people.