Lord Dunlop: I understand what the noble Lord, Lord Empey, said. It is a matter of fact that there have been round table discussions on issues like the Programme for Government and budget setting which were chaired by the head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service. As regards the process going forward, that is something which my right honourable friend the Secretary of State is actively exploring with the...
Lord Dunlop: I do not want to speculate on what might happen afterwards. Our focus is on the talks that we want to hold in the hours and days ahead.
Lord Dunlop: I do not want to repeat what I have said already about the Prime Minister’s involvement and I am afraid that I am not privy to her forward diary, so I cannot answer the noble Lord’s question directly.
Lord Dunlop: First, I thank the noble Lord and the noble Baroness for their comments. I agree with many of the sentiments they expressed. I think that the whole House will agree that the people we should have in the forefront of our mind today are the people of Northern Ireland. In the recent Assembly elections they voted overwhelmingly for strong, stable and inclusive devolved government, and it will be...
Lord Dunlop: My Lords, with permission I shall repeat a Statement made by my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in the other place. The Statement is as follows: “Since the Northern Ireland Assembly election on 2 March, I have been engaged in intensive talks with the political parties and the Irish Government, in line with the well-established three-stranded approach....
Lord Dunlop: There is no amnesty, immunity, or exemption from prosecution. This Government is clear that the rule of law applies to everyone equally and where there is evidence of wrongdoing this should be pursued. The UK Government remains committed to the establishment of the new bodies proposed in the Stormont House Agreement, which will address the legacy of the past in Northern Ireland in ways that...
Lord Dunlop: The issues around the provision of property for sale, jobs and welfare allowances in Ireland are matters for the Irish Government. The UK and Irish governments meet regularly both at ministerial and official level to discuss issues of mutual interest and concerns including matters relating to human rights in Northern Ireland and Ireland.
Lord Dunlop: The Northern Ireland Office does not have any land or buildings which it owns, leases or controls which it is seeking to dispose of.
Lord Dunlop: Political stability in Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the UK Government. The Government remains focused on securing the resumption of devolved government and the formation of an Executive within the statutory timeframe of 27 March. It is not speculating on any other outcome.
Lord Dunlop: Political stability in Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the UK Government. The Government remains focused on securing the resumption of devolved government and the formation of an Executive within the statutory timeframe of 27 March. It is not speculating on any other outcome.
Lord Dunlop: The Government has made a commitment to release surplus government owned property with capacity of at least 160,000 homes and raising at least £5 billion from land and property disposals by 2020. The details of the government land and property released over the previous financial year will be published as part of the Transparency Review in summer 2017.
Lord Dunlop: The Government remain fully committed to the Belfast Agreement and its successors. We will continue to work with the Northern Ireland Executive and Irish Government for a prosperous and peaceful Northern Ireland in the time ahead, with a shared commitment to wanting to avoid a return to the borders of the past and to finding a practical solution to facilitate the continued free movement of...
Lord Dunlop: My Lords, a little over two years ago people in Scotland voted decisively to remain part of our United Kingdom in a referendum. The UK Government remain of the view that there should not be a further referendum on independence. Even at this late hour we call on the Scottish Government to take it off the table. Another referendum would be divisive and cause huge economic uncertainty at the...
Lord Dunlop: I am sure that the noble Lord received a very good Scottish education. Regarding the negotiations, Nicola Sturgeon said yesterday that she wanted the UK to get a good deal. I can think of nothing more calculated to undermine the achievement of a good deal than holding a divisive and disruptive independence referendum during the last six months of one of the most important peacetime...
Lord Dunlop: I know that the noble Lord’s reputation goes before him, so I thank him for that offer. I strongly agree with what he said. We must respect the result of the independence referendum that took place in 2014. As Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon said, it was a once-in-a-generation vote. Both sides signed the Edinburgh agreement, which committed to respect that result. Only two-and-a-half years...
Lord Dunlop: The UK Government and the Prime Minister could not be clearer: we do not think there that should be a further referendum on independence, for all the reasons that the noble Lord and others have given. Even at this late stage, the Scottish Government can and should take that referendum off the table.
Lord Dunlop: I very much agree with my noble friend. The Prime Minister will work tirelessly to secure the best possible deal for the whole UK and, as she has said, for every part of it. This is a time to work together to that end, not to sow division and difference.
Lord Dunlop: Yes, I agree with the noble Baroness. I meet many Scottish businesses and have yet to find one which thinks that it is a good idea to engender such uncertainty by calling for another independence referendum. It should be a matter of concern for all of us that the economic data for Scotland show that the Scottish economy is lagging behind the rest of the UK. Those data started coming out...
Lord Dunlop: The problem for us is an SNP Government, with their one-track mind, using the pretext of Brexit to pursue their obsession with taking Scotland out of the United Kingdom. We know that the UK market is worth four times more to Scottish businesses than the EU market.
Lord Dunlop: Some very positive investment announcements have been made regarding the Clyde. It is the centre of excellence for surface warship building and that would not happen if Scotland were ripped out of the United Kingdom.
