Select committee: Northern Ireland Affairs Committee
Conclusion 23
Second Report: New Decade, New Approach Agreement
Published 16 Jul 2020
Paragraph 70
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 bi-annual Cabinet delegation must facilitate meaningful, high-level engagement between the UK Government and the Northern Ireland Executive. To fulfil its aim of improving co-operation and collaboration between the two governments, the delegation’s agenda should include a: a) meeting between the UK Government and the Northern Ireland Executive, led by the Prime Minister, First Minister and deputy First Minister; b) break-out programme of bi-lateral meetings between Cabinet Ministers and their relevant Executive counterparts to discuss their portfolios and potential areas for co-operation between the Government and the Executive; c) plenary meeting of the UK Government and the Northern Ireland Executive, after which a Joint Statement should be published summarising the meeting of the delegation and that statement placed in the Libraries of both Houses of Parliament; d) discussion of progress made on the implementation of the New Decade, New Approach agreement should be on the agenda at each meeting of the bi-annual Cabinet delegation; and e) working group, to be established at the first meeting of the delegation, to consider additional institutional reforms that might help improve devolved government in Northern Ireland. In addition, a Report on each meeting of the delegation should be laid in the Libraries of both Houses of Parliament.
From: Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, Second Report: New Decade, New Approach Agreement (HC 160), paragraph 70, 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".