Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :

To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, if he will make an assessment of the implications for the Government's policies of the conclusions of the the paper, Northern Ireland and the UK’s Exit from the EU, What do people think, published by Queen’s University Belfast in May 2018.

The Prime Minister reaffirmed her commitments at Mansion House, recognising the unique circumstances in Northern Ireland, and our shared commitments to avoiding a hard border, including any physical infrastructure and related checks and controls between Northern Ireland and Ireland. The Prime Minister has also been clear that we must ensure the same unfettered access for Northern Ireland’s business to the whole of the UK’s internal market. We want a deal that works for all parts of the community in Northern Ireland.

We have always been clear from the outset that the best way to achieve this is through the overall relationship between the UK and the EU. We agreed in the Joint Report that a backstop option to avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland and maintain the economic integrity of the UK should be translated into legally binding text. The Prime Minister has been clear that the current drafting of the EU’s backstop proposal is unacceptable and we will bring forward our own proposal.