Government questioned as Northern Ireland deadlock continues
13 February 2019 (updated on 13 February 2019)
Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary Tony Lloyd has asked an urgent question on devolution in Northern Ireland. There has been no devolved government in Northern Ireland for over two years.
The devolved government and assembly in Northern Ireland have not been in place since January 2017. This was the result of disagreements between parties in Northern Ireland - in particular the two governing parties - the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Sinn Féin.
Northern Ireland has a power-sharing system, in which parties from the two largest communities join together to lead the executive.
Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley told the House, "I am continuing to work tirelessly towards my absolute priority of restoring fully functioning devolved government in Northern Ireland".
Speaking about Northern Ireland's devolved institutions, Lloyd said,
"we need to seize this time to put the sustained effort into making sure we see the restoration of those institutions. Alternatively, this House will have to begin to make those decisions".
- Watch Parliament TV: urgent question on devolution in Northern Ireland
- Read Commons Hansard: restoring devolution in Northern Ireland
- Read Commons Library Briefing: Devolution in Northern Ireland, 1998-2018
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