Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Northern Ireland Protocol

Wednesday 8 February 2023 · 5 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Ministerial discussions on the Northern Ireland protocol are frequent with Cabinet colleagues.
  • The claim that negotiations are concluded and a deal is pending is incorrect.
  • The Secretary of State aims to ensure inclusivity in future engagements with Northern Ireland parties.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Nia Griffith Lab Llanelli
Northern Ireland
Context

The question arises from ongoing discussions about the Northern Ireland protocol and its impact on communities in Northern Ireland.

Question

What recent discussions has he had with Cabinet colleagues on the progress of negotiations on the Northern Ireland protocol?

Answer from Chris Heaton-Harris

I have very regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on Northern Ireland matters, including and especially the protocol.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific details or timeline of recent discussions were not provided.

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Q2 Jeff Smith Lab Manchester Withington
Northern Ireland
Context

There are briefings suggesting the deal on Northern Ireland protocol is finalized and awaiting approval.

Question

It has been widely briefed that the negotiations are finished and the deal is waiting with the Prime Minister. Can he confirm whether this is true and whether he has seen the deal himself yet?

Answer from Chris Heaton-Harris

That is false.

Not addressed: Details about the status of negotiations were completely avoided.

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Q3 Nia Griffith Lab Llanelli
Northern Ireland Foreign Affairs
Context

During a visit to Belfast, nationalist parties were excluded from discussions on the Northern Ireland protocol.

Question

The Foreign Secretary is leading on negotiations that will affect all communities in Northern Ireland, but on his last visit to Belfast he froze out nationalist parties. Will the Secretary of State make sure that this does not happen again?

Answer from Chris Heaton-Harris

I thank the hon. Lady for her question, which goes to a bit of a dilemma. We are negotiating at this point in time on the protocol with the European Union, and Sinn Féin are a one-Ireland party. It was a representative from an EU member state who had been receiving a briefing about what the negotiations were looking like at that point in time, which would possibly have not been the best form in a negotiation.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The questioner's concern about excluding nationalist parties was acknowledged but no commitment to inclusion was given.

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Q4 Oliver Heald Con
Brexit Science & Technology
Context

The UK-EU Parliamentary Partnership Assembly highlights potential for further co-operation in areas such as research and energy.

Question

In the UK-EU Parliamentary Partnership Assembly, one point regularly made to us is that there is much scope for further co-operation on EU programmes such as Horizon. Is this something my right hon. Friend's colleagues say to him when he talks to them in Cabinet? Should that not be pointed out strongly to the European Commission?

Answer from Chris Heaton-Harris

I thank my right hon. and learned Friend for his question and for the work he does in chairing the UK-EU Parliamentary Partnership Assembly. He is absolutely right to point out that the Horizon programme, which we are unable to access at this point in time, is unbelievably valuable across the piece in the way that he states. Yes, I think everybody knows it is vital and that we need to come to a solution on the protocol that allows for discussions on our access to that programme and others to be back on the table.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The question about access to Horizon was acknowledged but no timeline or specific plan was provided.

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Q5 Laurence Robertson Con
Northern Ireland Foreign Affairs
Context

There are ongoing discussions about the Northern Ireland protocol and its implementation through Parliament.

Question

I appreciate that the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is the lead on this matter, but can he give us any idea of the timescale for when he might expect to conclude discussions with the European Union, and at which point he might consider getting the Northern Ireland protocol through Parliament?

Answer from Chris Heaton-Harris

The one thing we are being quite steadfast on, as well as trying to get a negotiated solution to this particular issue, is not commenting on timelines. My hon. Friend will have noticed that the smallest amount of progress was communicated to the world through a joint communiqué four or five weeks ago. Our illustrious friends in the media then wrote up what that might be, what the detail of the deal might be and that there was a deal. Elements of the media then went on to decapitate said deal. I am afraid that, until we get to the end of the negotiations and until we get somewhere—we are not there yet—we will not comment on timelines.

Not addressed: The question about a timeline for concluding discussions was completely avoided.

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