Lord Dunlop: I have made the position on a Scottish referendum absolutely clear. With regard to Northern Ireland, there are clear mechanisms under the Belfast agreement for the holding of a border poll. My right honourable friend the Northern Ireland Secretary has been very clear that the conditions for such a poll do not exist.
Lord Dunlop: All political debates should take place with courtesy and respect; the Government would obviously want to promote and uphold that. The key question here, however, is whether there should be another Scottish independence referendum. The Government are absolutely clear that there should not be.
Lord Dunlop: The Belfast Agreement commits the Irish Government to ensuring an equivalent level of protection for human rights in Ireland to that established in Northern Ireland by the Agreement. As a result of this commitment, the Irish Government established the Irish Human Rights Commission, which in November 2014 merged with the Equality Authority to form the Irish Human Rights and Equality...
Draft Air Weapons and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2015 (Consequential Provisions) Order 2017 – Lord Dunlop.
Lord Dunlop: I thank all noble Lords who have taken part in the debate on this amendment, relating to the right of the people of Northern Ireland to identify themselves as British or Irish or both, under the Belfast agreement. It is always a pleasure to follow two former Secretaries of State who have so much experience of this issue. I also mention the eloquent contributions from, among others, the noble...
Lord Dunlop: My Lords, I welcome the noble Lord, Lord Murphy, to the Front Bench. He played a hugely important role in negotiating the Belfast agreement and he brings huge authority to this debate. I also thank all those who have taken part in the debate on this group of very important amendments relating to Northern Ireland. All the contributions have been thoughtful, sincere and passionate. I pay...
Lord Dunlop: As a Government we are committed to continuing to work with the parties to pave the way for the return of a strong, stable power-sharing Executive after the election. Agreeing a budget for 2017/18 and further years will be a matter of priority for any new Executive formed.
Draft Scottish Fiscal Commission Act 2016 (Consequential Provisions and Modifications) Order 2017 – Lord Dunlop.
Lord Dunlop: The Government will ensure that all views can be reflected in our analysis of the options for the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union and we are going to listen and talk to as many organisations, companies and institutions as possible to do this. We have set up a new Joint Ministerial Committee on EU Negotiations, which brings together constituent parts of the United Kingdom to...
Lord Dunlop: The Government remains fully and firmly committed to preserving and maintaining the Belfast Agreement, its successors and the institutions. The Government keeps in regular contact with the Irish Government on a range of issues in accordance with the well-established three stranded approach. Most recently, the Prime Minister met the Taoiseach on 30 January in Dublin.
Lord Dunlop: These questions are a matter for the Irish Government. However, it is my understanding that: the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, like the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, is a UN ‘A status’ accredited National Human Rights Institution, structured and operated in accordance with the Paris Principles; that the Republic of Ireland ratified the Council of Europe Framework...
Lord Dunlop: The Northern Ireland Office does not hold this information. Operational matters relating to criminal investigations in Northern Ireland are the responsibility of the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland. The Government is committed to the implementation of the bodies set out in the 2014 Stormont House Agreement which will be under legal obligations to examine legacy...
Lord Dunlop: My Lords, the current situation is unsatisfactory, focusing disproportionately on the 10% of deaths caused by the police and Armed Forces rather than on the 90% caused by terrorists. This Government are committed to implementing the legacy bodies proposed in the Stormont House agreement to ensure a balanced, proportionate and fair approach to addressing Northern Ireland’s past. The...
Lord Dunlop: First, I recognise my noble friend’s great experience of these matters, having himself served, as he said, in the Armed Forces in Northern Ireland and as a Minister in the Northern Ireland Office. We remain unstinting in our admiration and support for the police and the Armed Forces. We clearly want to build consensus on the way forward on how to deal with the past. I do not think that it...
Lord Dunlop: Re-establishing a fully functioning Executive after the election is an absolute priority for the Government. As I have said in this House many times before, we will leave no stone unturned to achieve that. Dealing with legacy is absolutely one of those issues where we require fully functioning devolved institutions. We need to build on the discussions that the Secretary of State has already...
Lord Dunlop: The DPP is independent, and prosecutorial decisions are independently taken. I do not think it would be right for me to comment further.
Lord Dunlop: First, I would like to make clear my admiration for the dedication, professionalism and courage shown by soldiers and police officers in Northern Ireland throughout the Troubles. As we made clear in our 2015 Northern Ireland manifesto, this Government will never forget the debt of gratitude we owe them and will never accept any form of equivalence between those who upheld democracy and the...
Lord Dunlop: My Lords, following the resignation of Martin McGuinness last week, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has proposed a date for elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly on 2 March in accordance with his responsibilities under relevant legislation. As the Secretary of State made clear in Parliament yesterday, Northern Ireland needs strong and stable devolved government to continue...
Lord Dunlop: My Lords, first, I take this opportunity to wish John Hume a happy 80th birthday today. As the House will know, he, along with my noble friend Lord Trimble. was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in the 1998 Belfast agreement. My noble friend Lord Lexden raises an important point. I can confirm that the Government remain fully committed to the Belfast agreement, including the...
Lord Dunlop: I do not accept the premise of the noble Lord’s question. Both the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland have been very actively engaged in talking to the Taoiseach and the parties in Northern Ireland. We will continue to leave no stone unturned to ensure that we are in the best possible position after the election to re-establish a fully functioning Executive.
