Question reference: S5W-26968
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for East Kilbride, Scottish National Party
- Date lodged: 14 January 2020
-
Current status: Answered by Michael Russell on 21 January 2020
Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the commitment set out by the UK Government in the paper, New Decade, New Approach, that "as part of wider work examining funding options to support preparedness for entering new trading arrangements with the [EU] and support for businesses, [it] will engage specifically with the [Northern Ireland] Executive", whether the UK Government has invited it to engage at a similar level.
Answer
The Scottish Government have been clear that, to date, engagement in relation to the future relationship negotiations has been woefully inadequate. Despite the commitment set out by the UK Government in relation to the Northern Ireland Executive, and previous commitments made by the UK Government to all devolved administrations in the context of the Joint Ministerial Committee (EU Negotiations), we have not been invited to engage meaningfully or at the level now foreseen for Northern Ireland. At a recent meeting of that committee in London I reiterated the point that the Scottish Government must be involved in the negotiations in order to ensure that Scottish interests are adequately protected. The question around the role of the devolved administrations in the future relationship negotiations was raised as far back as February 2018 and yet remains unresolved almost two years later.