Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, with reference to the number of EU border checks completed in Northern Ireland, if he will have discussions with his EU counterpart on taking a more pragmatic approach towards the Northern Ireland Protocol.

The Ireland/Northern Ireland Protocol (‘the Protocol’) is a unique solution to complex challenges. To work, it must be given effect in a pragmatic, practical and proportionate way. That is how we ensure it can meet its core purposes: to uphold the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement in all its dimensions, safeguard Northern Ireland’s integral place in the United Kingdom, and prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland.

This has been the basis on which the UK Government has continued to give effect to its obligations under the Protocol, conscious of the need to minimise its impact on everyday lives in Northern Ireland - as the Protocol itself sets out.

There have been difficulties in the operation of the Protocol, and we are working through the structures of the Withdrawal Agreement to seek to resolve these. The UK and EU were able to use the Ireland/Northern Ireland Specialised Committee on 26 March to take stock of outstanding issues. Lord Frost and Vice President Šefčovič, and their respective teams, remain in close contact as we move forward. Issues remain, but our aim is to find common sense, risk-based approaches that enable us to agree a pragmatic way forward that substantially eases the burdens on Northern Ireland.