Northern Ireland – in the House of Commons at on 24 July 2024.
Desmond Swayne
Conservative, New Forest West
Whether he plans to review the Windsor framework agreement.
Hilary Benn
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
No. We are committed to implementing the Windsor framework in good faith in partnership with the EU, and to taking all steps necessary to protect the UK internal market. We are also looking to negotiate a sanitary and phytosanitary veterinary agreement with the EU, which could help.
Desmond Swayne
Conservative, New Forest West
Will the Secretary of State commit to all the provisions of the “Safeguarding the Union” agreement?
Hilary Benn
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
I already set out my answer to that in response to Alex Burghart. We are taking forward those commitments, but we can make progress by working in partnership with the European Union. What was achieved recently on dental amalgam is a good example of precisely that.
Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
