AQW 2203/16-21

Ms Paula Bradshaw
Alliance Party
South Belfast

Tabled Date: 01/07/2016
Answered On Date: 11/08/2016
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the First Minister and deputy First Minister to outline (i) what position the Executive Office has adopted on Northern Ireland retaining full access to the European Single Market; and (ii) what discussions they have had with the First Minister of Scotland and Mayor of London on the subject.

Answer:

The priority of the Executive is to ensure that our interests are protected.

We have asked the Head of the Civil Service to establish individual departmental teams at senior level to consider the potential implications for each department. We also asked him to put in place an overarching central administrative and political governance structure that will report directly to us.

These teams will liaise with Whitehall, Irish and EU counterparts to ensure we get the best possible deal we can.

We spoke with the First Minister of Scotland on the day of the outcome of the referendum. We also met with the Scottish First Minister, along with other leaders of the British Irish Council Administrations, at an extraordinary BIC summit meeting on 26 July to consider the outcome of the referendum on EU membership. A copy of the communique for the meeting is available at https://www.britishirishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/communiqu%C3%A9s/Cardiff%20Communique%20FINAL.pdf