Member's statement: Windsor Framework Democratic Scrutiny Committee

Member's statement by Dr Steve Aiken OBE on 1 October 2024.

MLA

Dr Steve Aiken OBE

Party at the time

Ulster Unionist Party

Date

1 October 2024

Type

Member's statement

Business

Members' Statements

Heading

Windsor Framework Democratic Scrutiny Committee

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4562218

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Members will be aware, first from the media last week and from the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) yesterday, that our Government have confirmed their decision not to proceed with the introduction of UK-wide "Not for EU" labelling from October 2024; today, indeed. Members may or may not be reassured by our Government's commitment to safeguarding the supply of goods within our own country and their intention to protect consumer choice. Obviously, in light of the commitment that was made and then broken to city deals, that is something that we should all monitor closely. The commitment that was made by the NIO to monitor the UK internal market to track and, if necessary, intervene to protect the availability of goods in Northern Ireland is something that we should also monitor. Frankly, however, we have no details to work to or to allow us to assess the level of trade disruption that that might engender. The NIO has also stated that it will publish statutory guidance to stop public authorities overzealously operationalising the implementation of the Windsor framework to the detriment of the UK's internal market. We have no idea of what is in that guidance, where it applies, whom it applies to or any degree of legal compliance. That is something that you would expect our Northern Ireland Executive and Assembly to monitor. I have, regrettably, remarked on far too many occasions how remarkably incurious the Windsor Framework Democratic Scrutiny Committee is here on everything from obligatory motions to any desire to horizon-scan the Windsor framework for how it would have any significant impact on life in Northern Ireland. That we should be proactive is something that our constituents, business community, farmers and consumers expect us to be. After several weeks of no notification and examining our travel plans to Brussels, this week, at the Democratic Scrutiny Committee, our Northern Ireland public can watch us examine cats' and dogs' traceability and further details on our visit to the EU Commission. I will write to the Chair of our Committee today to ask, under any other business, for us to, again, stop being incurious and examine all elements of significance of the Windsor framework and how it affects Northern Ireland, but I strongly expect that, yet again, our Sinn Féin and Alliance members will decide that that is outside our remit. As an Assembly that should be dedicated to doing what is best for Northern Ireland, that lack of curiosity should be a matter of concern for us all.

418 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:15 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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