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Select committee: Northern Ireland Scrutiny Committee

Strengthening Northern Ireland’s Voice in the context of the Windsor Framework

Closed Opened 13 Mar 2025 Closed 25 Mar 2026

Northern Ireland Scrutiny Committee Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗

Inquiry scope (the committee's words)
The new House of Lords Norther Ireland Scrutiny Committee is conducting an inquiry into strengthening Northern Ireland’s voice in the context of the Windsor Framework. The Windsor Framework includes a complex institutional architecture, which has evolved over a number of years. The new Committee’s inquiry hopes to bring clarity to this picture so that opportunities to strengthen the voice of Northern Ireland can be made more accessible, to stakeholders, policymakers and politicians alike. This new inquiry will take full account of the evidence taken by the former European Affairs Sub-Committee on the Windsor Framework. Report: Northern Ireland after Brexit: Strengthening Northern Ireland’s voice in the context of the Windsor Framework (1st Report, HL Paper 182) Goverment Response Debate

Where it stands

The inquiry is closed, opened 13 March 2025.

The committee has published 1 report, most recently 1st Report - Northern Ireland after Brexit: Strengthening Northern Ireland’s voice in the context of the Windsor Framework on 15 October 2025.

The government's response

Published 9 February 2026. The deadline was 6 February 2026.

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

The Government welcomes the Committee's report as a "comprehensive study" and responds in detail, citing its response to the Independent Review of the Windsor Framework and its stated commitment to the Windsor Framework and the UK internal market.

  • On stakeholder engagement, the Government "accepts the need for better joining-up in our sectoral engagement" and will undertake a mapping exercise between the Cabinet Office and Executive Office.
  • It has established a new Northern Ireland Business Stakeholders Group, which met for the first time in December 2025, and says an enhanced 'one stop shop' for SMEs will be delivered "within the next financial year".
  • It states it will not pursue a UK-developed database of EU rules, as it does "not believe this would deliver the same value" as an enhanced support offer for SMEs.
  • On transparency, it does not believe publishing the outcomes of official-level meetings is "necessary or proportionate", and considers the level of focus on UK-EU bodies "correct and proportionate".

Read the government's response ↗ Report an error

Reports

All reports

Evidence

  • 6 oral evidence sessionsLatest 25 June 2025
  • 14 witnesses
All evidence

Recent activity

Meetings and visits

Reports

1 report

Oral evidence sessions

6 sessions

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Date Session and witnesses Source
25 Jun 2025
Oral evidence session
Rt Hon Nick Thomas-Symonds MP · Cabinet Office, The Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP · Northern Ireland Office 		View ↗
18 Jun 2025
Oral evidence session
Mr Matthew O'Toole MLA · Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), Rt Hon Gavin Robinson MP · Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) 		View ↗
21 May 2025
Oral evidence session
Dr Richard Corbett CBE, Former MEP, Professor Catherine Barnard · University of Cambridge, Professor John Erik Fossum · University of Oslo 		View ↗
30 Apr 2025
Oral evidence session
Celine McStravick · Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action (NICVA), Ian Jeffers · Commission for Victims and Survivors Northern Ireland 		View ↗
26 Mar 2025
Oral evidence session
Mr Alexander Kinnear · Ulster Farmers' Union, Roger Pollen · Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) in Northern Ireland 		View ↗
19 Mar 2025
Oral evidence session
Dr Clare Rice · School of Social and Political Science, University of Edinburgh, Mr George Peretz KC BL · Monckton Chambers, Roderick Crawford · Policy Exchange 		View ↗

Who gave evidence

14 witnesses

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WitnessOrganisationSessions
Celine McStravick · Chief Executive Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action (NICVA) 1
Dr Clare Rice · Research Fellow School of Social and Political Science, University of Edinburgh 1
Dr Richard Corbett CBE, Former MEP Not recorded 1
Ian Jeffers · Commissioner Commission for Victims and Survivors Northern Ireland 1
Mr Alexander Kinnear · Parliamentary Officer Ulster Farmers' Union 1
Mr George Peretz KC BL · Barrister Monckton Chambers 1
Mr Matthew O'Toole MLA · SDLP's Leader of the Opposition Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) 1
Professor Catherine Barnard · Professor of European Law University of Cambridge 1
Professor John Erik Fossum · ARENA Centre for European Studies University of Oslo 1
Roderick Crawford · Senior researcher Policy Exchange 1
Roger Pollen · Head of FSB in Northern Ireland Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) in Northern Ireland 1
Rt Hon Gavin Robinson MP · Leader Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) 1
Rt Hon Nick Thomas-Symonds MP · Minister for Constitution and European Relations Cabinet Office 1
The Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP · Secretary of State Northern Ireland Office 1

Correspondence

8 letters

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PublishedDirectionLetter
18 Dec 2025 To committee Letter from Lord Carlile of Berriew to Rt Hon HiIary Benn MP (Secretary of State NI) re Independent review of the Windsor Framework, 17 December 2025
18 Dec 2025 To committee Letter from the Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland re ‘Strengthening NI’s Voice’ and the Independent Review of the Windsor Framework, 16 December 2025
11 Dec 2025 To committee Letter from Lord Carlile of Berriew to Ciara Ferguson MLA, Chair of Windsor Framework Democratic Scrutiny Committee, 11 December 2025
11 Dec 2025 To committee Letter from Ciara Ferguson MLA, DSC Chair re: Recommendations in the Independent Review of the Windsor Framework and the House of Lords Northern Ireland Scrutiny Committee Report, 28 November 2025
23 Oct 2025 To committee Letter from Lord Carlile of Berriew to the First Minister and deputy First Minister, 23 October 2025
19 Sep 2025 To committee Letter from Lord Carlile of Berriew to Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP and Rt Hon Nick Thomas-Symonds MP, re follow-up on 25 June evidence session, 18 September 2025
23 Jul 2025 To committee Letter from Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP (Secretary of State for Northern Ireland) and Rt Hon Nick Thomas-Symonds MP (Minister for the Cabinet Office) re: follow-up on 25 June evidence session, dated 21 July 2025
25 Jun 2025 To committee Letter from Lord Carlile of Berriew to Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland re Lord Murphy's report publication, 25 June 2025

Meetings & visits

5 items

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DateTypeDetailSource
17 Sep 2025 Formal meeting (private meeting) Not recorded · Room 4A, Palace of Westminster
10 Sep 2025 Formal meeting (private meeting) Not recorded · Room 2A, Palace of Westminster
9 Jul 2025 Formal meeting (private meeting) Not recorded · Room 3, Palace of Westminster
13 Jun 2025 Formal meeting Not recorded · Belfast
12 Jun 2025 Formal meeting (private meeting) Not recorded · Newry