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Written question asked by Baroness Deech (Crossbench) on Thursday, 5 July 2018, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 19 July 2018. It was answered by Lord Callanan (Conservative) on Thursday, 19 July 2018 on behalf of the Department for Exiting the European Union.

Brexit: Northern Ireland

Question

To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the draft withdrawal agreement published on 28 February by the European Commission, what assessment they have made of (1) the possibility of Northern Ireland remaining subject to some EU laws after Brexit without any elected representation in the EU institutions, and (2) whether such an outcome would be consistent with British obligations under Article 3, Protocol 1 of the European Convention on Human Rights, as interpreted and applied in the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in Matthews v UK, 1999.

Answer

Following our exit from the EU, the UK will no longer be a Member State and will no longer have elected representation in the EU institutions. With regard to the Northern Ireland Protocol to the draft Withdrawal Agreement, the UK has been clear, and has reaffirmed, that we are committed to turning all of the commitments in the December Joint Report into legally binding text in the Withdrawal Agreement. Negotiations are ongoing and the Government has set out our proposed approach on the customs element of the backstop, the Temporary Customs Arrangement. The Government is committed to accelerating discussions on the backstop, alongside intensifying negotiations on the future relationship.

Any negotiated outcomes will need to be compatible with our international obligations under the European Convention of Human Rights.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL9276
Session
2017-19
Subjects
EU law Northern Ireland Brexit
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk