Lords Committee to question Northern Ireland political parties on the impact of the Protocol
Tuesday 24 May 2022
As part of its follow-up inquiry into the impact of the Protocol, the Lords Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland Committee will this week begin taking evidence from senior representatives of the five largest political parties in the Northern Ireland Assembly.
From 3:10pm Wednesday 25 May, the Committee will hear from the SDLP, Alliance Party and Sinn Féin, with further evidence sessions with the Ulster Unionist Party and the DUP to follow in two weeks’ time.
These sessions follow on from 5 May Northern Ireland Assembly elections, and the Government’s subsequent announcement of its intention to bring forward legislation to deal with the perceived negative impact of the Protocol.
Wednesday's evidence session will take place in Committee Room 4 and will be available to watch live on Parliamentlive.tv.
On Wednesday 25 May the Committee will hear from:
3:10pm - Matthew O’Toole MLA, SDLP
4:10pm - Sorcha Eastwood MLA, Alliance Party
5:10pm - Declan Kearney MLA, Sinn Féin
The Committee will subsequently hear evidence from Doug Beattie MLA, Leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, and Sir Jeffrey Donaldson MP, Leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, at its meeting on Wednesday 8 June.
Possible question topics include:
- Each party’s position in relation to the Protocol
- Assessment of the economic, political and social impact of the Protocol, and evolving community attitudes towards it
- Reactions to the UK Government’s announcement of its intention to “introduce legislation in the coming weeks to make changes to the Protocol”
- Whether the EU’s proposals to modify the Protocol go far enough.