Lords Committee to visit Northern Ireland to listen to local voices on the Windsor Framework

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 Steve Aiken OBE MLA, Ulster Unionist Party 

12:00 AM  

• Eóin Tennyson MLA, Alliance Party Deputy Leader 

2:00 PM  

• Matthew O'Toole 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 Gavin Robinson 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: 

1. 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
   
   
2. The effectiveness of structures and mechanisms in place for Northern Ireland stakeholders to engage with the Windsor Framework
   
   
3. 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
   
   
4. Expectations of the Independent Review of the Windsor Framework, led by Lord Murphy of Torfaen
   
   
5. 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
   
   
6. Effectiveness of the Stormont Brake and the applicability motion procedure
   
   
7. The role and function of the Northern Ireland Assembly's Windsor Framework Democratic Scrutiny Committee
   
   
8. 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:  

1. 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  
   
   
2. 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.