Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to maintain the place of Northern Ireland in the United Kingdom.

The UK Government is committed to delivering for all communities in Northern Ireland which is an important part of the United Kingdom.

The Spending Review provided the Northern Ireland Executive with £19.3bn per year on average, the largest settlement in real terms since devolution in 1998. On 22 April, we announced a £50m Northern Ireland Defence Growth Deal, which will help small and medium-sized businesses and start-ups in Northern Ireland by making it easier for them to enter the wider UK defence supply chain.

The Government is committed to protecting Northern Ireland’s place in the UK internal market. We are strengthening connections between Northern Ireland and Great Britain, and implementing the commitments in the Safeguarding the Union command paper.

As set out by the Chancellor at the Budget we are providing £16.6 million of new funding over the next three years for an Internal Market Package to boost trade between Northern Ireland and Great Britain. The Package, which will be delivered in partnership with the Northern Ireland Executive, includes £2.25 million of new funding for Intertrade UK to advise on and promote trade within the United Kingdom. This includes identifying and addressing barriers to trade within the UK internal market.

The Government is committed to upholding the Good Friday Agreement in letter and in spirit, including the principle of consent upon which it rests.