Other Bodies

Other legislatures and bodies have shown interest in the implications of UK withdrawal from the EU on Northern Ireland and the implementation of the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland. Legislatures with a particular interest include the United States Houses of Congress as well as certain national parliaments in EU Member States.

In addition, the work of the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Senedd on Brexit-related matters includes consideration of the actual or potential impact of the Protocol on Scotland and Wales respectively, and UK inter-governmental relations more generally.

The most relevant examples of international and devolved legislatures scrutiny of the Protocol and its implementation are noted below.

Date	House/Committee	Activity	Notes
01.12.2022	Scottish Parliament: Plenary	Northern Ireland Protocol Bill	Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture, Angus Robertson, answered questions about the Scottish Government interactions with the UK Government about the NIP Bill.
22.11.2022	Welsh Senedd: Plenary	Northern Ireland Protocol Bill LCM	Members of the Senedd debate a Legislative Consent Motion on the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill.
17.11.2022	Scottish Parliament: Plenary	Brexit (Impact on Devolution)	MSPs debated the impact of Brexit on devolution.
27.10.2022	Welsh Senedd: Plenary	Northern Ireland Protocol LCM	Members of the Senedd debate a Legislative Consent Motion on the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill.
27.10.2022	Scottish Parliament: CEEAC Committee	Northern Ireland Protocol Bill	Committee heard from Dr Ruth Fox, director, Hansard Society; Sir Jonathan Jones KC, senior consultant, Linklaters LLP; and Dr Oliver Garner, research fellow, Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law on the NIP Bill.
30.06.2022	Scottish Parliament: CEEAC Committee	Implementation of the Ireland / Northern Ireland Protocol	Committee heard from Head of NI Chamber of Commerce and Industry Stuart Anderson, Chief Executive of John Thompson and Sons Ltd Declan Kearney, and Research Fellow at Queen's University Belfast Dr Lisa Claire Whitten, about implementation of the Protocol.
29.06.2022	Scottish Parliament: Plenary	Northern Ireland Protocol Bill	MSPs debated the implications of the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill legislation introduced by the UK government in Westminster which would give Ministers powers to disapply aspects of the Protocol in domestic law.
04.05.2022	Scottish Parliament: Plenary	Northern Ireland Protocol	Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon answered MSP questions on the Protocol.
19.05.2021	French Assemblée Nationale: Committee on Foreign Affairs	Oral Evidence: European and Foreign Affairs [FR]	Committee heard from Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Jean-Yves Le Drain. On Brexit, Minister Le Drain outlined his plans to travel to Dublin with the Secretary of State, Clément Beaune, to underline support for the Protocol and to reiterate to the British government that they must respect all the commitments made in the Protocol and in the TCA; and, if this was not the case, restrictive and discriminatory measures provided for in the WA and/or TCA would be implemented.
17.05.2021	US Senate: Plenary	Senate Resolution (S.RES.117)	A resolution expressing support for the full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement or the Belfast Agreement, and subsequent agreements and arrangements for implementation to support peace on the island of Ireland.
05.05.2021	US Congress: Committee on Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Europe, Energy, the Environment and Cyber	Oral Hearing: Reaffirming the Good Friday Agreement	Committee heard from co-founders of the Northern Ireland Women’s Coalition – Professor Monica McWilliams and Jane Morrice – and former US Special Envoy for Northern Ireland, the Honorable Mitchell Reiss.
20.04.2021	German Bundestag: Plenary	Bundestag Resolution (19/28793) [GER]	A resolution on the outcome of the negotiations between the EU and UK on future relations. The resolution recalls the political importance of the Protocol to the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement; states that it secures peace and stability on the island of Ireland and protects the Belfast ‘Good Friday’ Agreement; and underlines the importance of the UK upholding its commitments under the Withdrawal Agreement and Protocol.
10.02.2021	French Assemblée Nationale: Committee on European Affairs	Oral Evidence and Examination of Texts: The New EU-UK Relationship [FR]	Committee examined the texts of decisions reached by the UK-EU Joint Committee in December 2020 on the implementation of the Protocol. Committee also heard from OFCE economist Catherine Matthieu, Associate Professor at Paris Dauphine University, Duncan Fairgrieve and Professor at University of Paris, Pauline Schnapper on the post-Brexit UK-EU relationship.
08.12.2020	Scottish Parliament: Plenary	Brexit Readiness	Scottish Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, Europe and External Affairs, Michael Russell, gave an update to the Chamber on Brexit readiness in advance of upcoming end of the transition period. EU-UK Joint Committee decisions on the implementation of the Protocol were mentioned.
07.10.2020	Scottish Parliament: Plenary	United Kingdom Internal Market Bill	Scottish Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, Europe and External Affairs, Michael Russell, set out the Scottish Government position regarding legislative consent on the UK Internal Market Bill – debate included consideration of the UK Government proposal to disapply aspects of the Protocol.
17.09.2020	French Assemblée Nationale: Committee on European Affairs	Oral Evidence: European Affairs [FR]	Committee heard from Secretary of State for European Affairs Clément Beaune on various issues including regarding the UK government’s introduction of the UK Internal Market Bill with proposals to disapply aspects of the Protocol. Beaune and the Committee expressed serious concerns about the UK’s approach.
20.01.2020	Welsh Senedd: External Affairs and Additional Legislation Committee	Report: The Withdrawal Agreement Implications for Wales	A report on the implications of the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement on Wales; includes specific analysis of the Protocol.
22.10.2019	Scottish Parliament: Scottish Government LCM	Legislative Consent Memorandum: EU (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill	An LCM outlining Scottish Government position on the EU (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill. Regarding the Protocol, the LCM states that “Northern Ireland is getting a special deal” and expresses concern that Scotland is “being put at a competitive disadvantage to Northern Ireland” – the Scottish Government recommend that the parliament does not consent to the Bill.