Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government in what circumstances they involve the government of Ireland in matters relating to Strand 1 (democratic institutions in Northern Ireland) of the Multi-Party Agreement under the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement.

This Government remains fully committed to the long-established three-stranded approach to Northern Ireland affairs, dating back to the 1990s. This Government has always maintained that Strand One issues are for the UK Government and the Northern Ireland parties to determine.

The Agreement makes clear that the Northern Ireland Assembly is the prime source of authority in respect of all devolved responsibilities.

As set out in the Agreement, in recognition of the Irish Government’s special interest in Northern Ireland and of the extent to which issues of mutual concern arise in relation to Northern Ireland, there are meetings of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference concerned with non-devolved Northern Ireland matters, on which the Irish Government may put forward views and proposals.