4th Special Report - The land border between Northern Ireland and Ireland: Government Response to the Committee’s Second Report

This is the government's response, published 15 June 2018.

Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.

The government says it is committed to avoiding a hard border and preserving the Common Travel Area, and points to the December Joint Report and draft Withdrawal Agreement text, while stating that the nature of the legal text on the 'backstop' remains under negotiation.

• On immigration controls for EU nationals, the government is "carefully considering a range of options" and "will set out initial plans in the coming months". It states that there are no routine immigration controls on journeys from Ireland to any part of the UK, "this will not change".
• On the Common Travel Area, it says rights are set out in domestic legislation and no Irish nationals will be required to apply for settled status. The Withdrawal Agreement will be transposed into domestic law "as appropriate", with proposals set out "in due course".
• On the North-South cooperation mapping exercise, the government is "committed to publishing the results" "as soon as they are available". It says the exercise remains part of ongoing negotiations and it is "hopeful that this will be concluded soon".
• On funding, it says the UK and EU will honour commitments to PEACE and Interreg VA under the current framework. It says it will "consult widely" on the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in 2018, and that exact funding mechanisms with the EU still need to be negotiated.

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