Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what consultation they have undertaken with (1) the Northern Ireland Executive, (2) political parties, (3) businesses, and (4) other bodies, in Northern Ireland about the EU’s request to establish an office in Northern Ireland.

As set out in New Decade, New Approach, the Government has committed to ensuring that representatives from the Northern Ireland Executive are invited to be part of the UK delegation in any meetings of the UK-EU Specialised or Joint Committees discussing Northern Ireland specific matters which are also being attended by the Irish Government as part of the European Union’s delegation.

Accordingly, the Northern Ireland Executive attended the first meeting of the Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee held on 30 March and also attended at official level the first meeting of the Ireland/Northern Ireland Specialised Committee on 30 April.

The Protocol provides that the working arrangements to enable EU representatives to exercise their rights under Article 12(2) shall be determined by the Joint Committee, upon recommendation by the Specialised Committee.

The Paymaster General responded on behalf of HM Government to the Commission’s request on 27 April, and the letter is publicly available on gov.uk.

We will also engage closely with businesses and other stakeholders in Northern Ireland as we take forward work to prepare for the end of the Transition Period.