Committee of MPs to examine how well devolved institutions are working in Northern Ireland

As part of its inquiry, the cross-party Northern Ireland Affairs Committee (NIAC) is seeking the views of the general public as well as interested stakeholders.

The committee said it wants to hear from people from all walks of life on how well the various bodies, that were created as a result of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement (GFA) – including the NI Executive and NI Assembly – have performed to date and how they might be improved.

Signed on April 10, 1998, the GFA marked the end of the vast majority of the violence that had raged during 30 years of the Troubles – costing thousands of lives and leaving many thousands more injured and/or psychologically damaged.#

The committee’s investigation is set out in three strands focusing on:

· Strand 1: The power-sharing Executive and Assembly within Northern Ireland;

· Strand 2: North-south relations between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland;

· Strand 3: East-west relations between the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom.

The new inquiry will also examine what impact the GFA has had on UK-Irish relations over the 25 years and “whether people who do not identify as unionist or nationalist are served well by the deal”.

Committee chairman Simon Hoare said, “It seems hard to believe it’s 25 years since the people of Northern Ireland came together to build their future on the bedrock of peace that the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement created.

"Each and every day we must celebrate it and recommit to it.

“Next year provides an opportunity both to mark the occasion but also to review how it has worked, what it has achieved and where it could improve outcomes.”

Anyone wishing to contribute can submit evidence through at www.committees.parliament.uk before 5pm on December 8, 2022.

The committee has said it would welcome the submission of written evidence on a number of issues, including “how the institutions established under the Agreement might be reformed to address the challenges facing Northern Ireland today”.

Evidence submissions page