Select committee: Northern Ireland Affairs Committee
Conclusion 17
Second Report: New Decade, New Approach Agreement
Published 16 Jul 2020
Paragraph 56
Addressed to Northern Ireland Office
Northern Ireland Affairs Committee New Decade, New Approach Agreement All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
The UK Government should work with the Northern Ireland Executive to support the development of schemes to promote knowledge exchange, best practice and institutional links between the Assembly and other UK legislatures. This support should include: • a scoping exercise considering the merits of establishing an Academic Fellowship scheme for the Northern Ireland Assembly; • consideration of the facilitation of secondment schemes between the Northern Ireland Civil Service and the civil services of other governments in the UK; and • examination of the provision of secondment opportunities between officials in the Northern Ireland Assembly and the secretariats of other devolved legislatures in the UK, as well as consideration on a case-by-case basis of secondment opportunities between the Assembly and the Oireachtas.
From: Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, Second Report: New Decade, New Approach Agreement (HC 160), paragraph 56, 16 July 2020
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 18 September 2020 (deadline 16 September 2020).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The Government states it is "in full agreement" with the Committee on the importance of implementing the New Decade, New Approach deal, but "cannot accept" the recommended long-term financial plan and does not accept a need to re-examine borrowing powers "at present".
- On funding, the Government says it has made £2 billion available to the Executive and that it is "for the Executive to set out how implementation of the commitments" for which it is responsible "will be funded". The Joint Board "remains the principal forum" for reviewing funding.
- On borrowing, the Government "does not accept that there is a need to re-examine borrowing powers at present", noting that the Executive decided not to access Reinvestment and Reform Initiative borrowing for Budget 2020-21.
- On the Independent Fiscal Council, the Government "accepts this recommendation fully" that it must operate independently. On its remit, it says "further work is being undertaken" so that decisions can be made on the exact scope of its work.
- The Secretary of State "will commit to writing to the Committee with an update on implementation by the end of the year" and is "happy to attend a one off oral evidence session" at "an appropriate point in the future".