Next week, (Thurs 12 and Fri 13 June) the House of Lords Northern
Ireland Scrutiny Committee will visit Newry and Belfast in
Northern Ireland to hear firsthand from local businesses,
retailers, community representatives and elected Northern Ireland
politicians about their experiences of the Windsor Framework.
The visit is part of the Committee's ongoing inquiry into Strengthening
Northern Ireland's voice in the context of the Windsor
Framework.
On Friday 13 June the Committee will
also hold public evidence sessions at Belfast from 10am in
Room 29, Parliament Buildings.
Following an invitation to the five
largest Northern Ireland political parties, giving evidence to
the Committee will be:
Friday 13 June:
10:00
AM
-
Dr
OBE MLA, Ulster Unionist
Party
12:00
AM
-
MLA, Alliance Party Deputy
Leader
2:00
PM
-
MLA, Social Democratic and Labour Party Assembly Leader and
Leader of the Opposition
The Committee will also hear from
Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Rt Hon MP in Westminster on 18
June and has extended an invitation to give evidence to Sinn
Féin.
The Committee are expected to ask
questions on the following:
-
The extent to which the voices of
Northern Ireland politicians, officials and business, retail
and community stakeholders are currently being heard in the
context of the Windsor Framework
- The effectiveness of structures and mechanisms in place for
Northern Ireland stakeholders to engage with the Windsor
Framework
- How announcements at the UK-EU Summit on 19 May of a
potential SPS agreement, the linking of EU and UK emissions trade
systems and UK participation in the EU internal electricity
market would impact Northern Ireland and interact with the
Windsor Framework
- Expectations of the Independent Review of the Windsor
Framework, led by
- The operation of measures announced in the ‘Safeguarding the
Union' command paper such as the working group with the NI
Executive, the UK East-West Council, Intertrade UK and the
Independent Monitoring Panel
- Effectiveness of the Stormont Brake and the applicability
motion procedure
- The role and function of the Northern Ireland Assembly's
Windsor Framework Democratic Scrutiny Committee
- Opportunities for direct Northern Ireland engagement with EU
structures, for example between the Northern Ireland Executive
and the European Commission or the Northern Ireland Assembly and
the European Parliament
Transcripts of the meetings in
Stormont will be taken for subsequent publication on the
Committee's website.
Notes to
editors:
- Full details of the Committee's inquiry and its call for
evidence is available on its website: https://committees.parliament.uk/call-for-evidence/3619
- This inquiry will take full account of the published evidence taken by the former House of Lords European Affairs
Sub-Committee on the Windsor Framework in May 2024.