Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what progress the Government has made in negotiations with the EU on the practical arrangements to implement the Northern Ireland Protocol of the EU Withdrawal Agreement; and if he will make a statement.

On 20 May 2020, the UK Government set out our approach to implementing the Northern Ireland Protocol in the Command Paper ‘The UK’s Approach to the Northern Ireland Protocol’. We are committed to meeting our obligations under the Protocol and, as we do, our priority remains protecting Northern Ireland’s place in our United Kingdom, and preserving the huge gains from the peace process and the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement.

The EU published a technical note on the implementation of the Protocol on Ireland / Northern Ireland on 30th April, which can be found on the Commission’s website here.

The first meeting of the Specialised Committee on Northern Ireland took place on 30 April, following the first meeting of the Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee.

We stand ready to work with the EU in a constructive and collaborative spirit, building on our initial engagements in the Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee and Ireland/Northern Ireland Specialised Committee.