What impact has the Ireland/Northern Ireland Protocol and Brexit had on the peace process and the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement?

From 4:00pm the committee will hear evidence from:

• Jonathan Powell, Chief of Staff to Prime Minister Tony Blair (1995-2007) and Chief British Negotiator on Northern Ireland (1997-2007)
• Louise Coyle, Director, Northern Ireland Rural Women’s Network
• Tom Kelly, Columnist, Irish News.

They will be giving evidence to the committee’s introductory inquiry into the operation of the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland.

This evidence session will be held remotely and streamed on Parliament TV.

The questions the committee is likely to ask include:

• What impact has the Protocol had on community identity in Northern Ireland?
• Can the recent violence in Northern Ireland be attributed to the Protocol coming into force?
• What are the key concerns that have arisen from the operation of the Protocol for communities on all sides in Northern Ireland?
• How well is the Protocol’s operation understood within the communities of Northern Ireland?
• Since January how well has the UK Government, Northern Ireland Executive and EU engaged with community representatives as regards the operation of the Protocol?
• What practical steps can the UK and EU take, including through the Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee and Ireland/Northern Ireland Specialised Committee, to respond to the concerns of the people and communities of Northern Ireland?

More on this inquiry

Last week the committee took evidence from: Dr Esmond Birnie, Senior Economist, Ulster University; Professor Katy Hayward, Professor of Political Sociology, Queen’s University Belfast; and Professor Peter Shirlow, Director, Institute of Irish Studies, University of Liverpool. You can watch the sessions back on Parliament TV.

The committee’s work can be followed on its website and via Twitter.