British government to ‘track progress’ of Irish implementation of deal that restored Stormont

The British government has said it will track every three months the Irish Government’s progress on implementing Dublin’s commitments under the deal that restored the Stormont institutions two years ago.

Conor Burns, minister of state at Britain’s Northern Ireland Office, said he would speak to his counterparts in Dublin about increasing transparency over how the New Decade New Approach (NDNA) agreement is being implemented.

“We do obviously take an interest in what the Irish undertook…In the quarterly review meetings to track the progress of the implementation of NDNA, the Irish Government’s commitments will be part of that process and those will be published,” he told the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee at Westminster.

“I’m very happy to give the committee an undertaking that I will reach out to counterparts within the Irish Government to make them aware of the interest in the undertakings that they have given as a partner within NDNA.”

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The agreement, negotiated by Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney and former Northern Ireland secretary Julian Smith, ended a three-year suspension of the institutions that followed Sinn Féin’s withdrawal of Martin McGuinness as First Minister in 2017. As part of the deal, the Government made commitments on investment in Border areas, cross-border transport links, language, culture and promised to introduce “necessary implementing legislation in the Oireachtas, to deal with the legacy of the Troubles” and support reconciliation.

Mr Burns said on Tuesday: “Some of the commitments that the Irish Government undertook, particularly around transport infrastructure are things that are good for in that sense - I don’t use this as a political term - the island of Ireland. We recognise Northern Ireland’s central place in the United Kingdom but people travel within the island and have family across the island, both traditions by the way.”

Mr Burns repeated the British government’s call for the DUP to reverse its decision to withdraw Paul Givan as First Minister. And he said the DUP’s action, taken in protest against the Northern Ireland protocol, would not change Britain’s approach to negotiations with the European Commission.

“I have to say very candidly that the [BRITISH]Government is clear on our intentions with the Commission on the protocol and the withdrawal of the First Minister will not fundamentally alter the [BRITISH]Government’s determination to carry on engaging with the Commission to find resolution, to find solutions to the situation in Northern Ireland, recognising the uniqueness of the position of Northern Ireland as part of the United Kingdom single market but also buttressing against the single market of the European Union in the form of the Irish Republic,” he said.

“From a UK Government point of view, in terms of protocol conversations, the plan is clear and the plan is continuing to be played out led by the foreign secretary.”

In response to a question from the SDLP’s Claire Hanna, Mr Burns confirmed that the British government would legislate at Westminster for a language and cultural package, indicating that it would come before the Assembly elections in May.

“It is our expectation that this is not going to be passed by Stormont before the end of the mandate and dissolution and we are absolutely expecting that we are going to have to do this at Westminster. And we remain committed to bringing this legislation forward in Westminster,” he said.

“I think we can all agree and it is the [BRITISH]Government’s position that this is completed and doesn’t become a contentious element of what is already going to be a fairly contentious election campaign.”