​Stormont committee to hold new EU law inquiries - Steve Aiken says it's time it 'showed some teeth'

​Steve Aiken welcomed the decision of Sinn Fein and Alliance to “park their ideological boycotts” and hold inquiries – but Alliance MLA Eoin Tennyson said colleagues were trying to misrepresent the committee’s work, and risk bringing it “further into disrepute”.

After votes at Wednesday’s Windsor Framework Democratic Scrutiny Committee (WFDSC), MLAs will now investigate amended EU rules on defective products, as well as on labelling and packaging. This is amid concerns about greater trade divergence between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.

Under the Windsor Framework, the UK is now split into two regulatory zones for business, with Great Britain able to pursue its own path and Northern Ireland wedded to the EU single market – resulting in the Irish Sea border.

A string of EU law amendments came before the committee on Wednesday alone – including on cybersecurity and defective product compensation.

Ulster Unionist MLA Steve Aiken welcomed the decision of MLAs to hold the probes. He told the News Letter: “While EU directives 2024/2853 (Defective Products) and EU 2024/2865 (labelling and packaging) don't trip of the tongue, it was good to see, that both Alliance and Sinn Fein representatives, park their ideological boycotts and agree to inquiries on these significant matters.

“Those who have been following the committee proceedings ever its inception have seen virtually every inquiry, on many issues that will have a significant impact on everyday life in NI, blocked”. He said the decision to hold inquiries “marked a change in approach”.

The South Antrim MLA added: “Although it is early days yet to see whether this was just down to the many complaints these parties have been getting from the business community, or a genuine change in direction and a willingness to actually get down to the business of scrutiny. After all, the clue is in the name of the committee.

“However, those who hoped, with this newfound vigour, that the DSC would look at the new GPSR regulations (EU 2023/988) - that will have a direct impact on providing goods to Northern Ireland from the rest of our nation - will be disappointed. Despite the clear and significant distortion of trade that this will bring, the Alliance and SF members on the committee rejected an inquiry on it”.

Mr Aiken said that while “some progress was made”, it would be “good for the 'incurious' committee, to now show some teeth”.

However, Eoin Tennyson defended the committee’s work. He said: “I think a number of members on this committee risk bringing the committee into disrepute by regularly misrepresenting what this committee was established to do and what the terms of reference are.

“And I would also say chair that if people have a problem with the procedures of this committee, they need to speak to those members who negotiated it into existence, rather than casting aspersions on those of us who come to this committee regularly and faithfully implement the legislative provisions and the procedures set out”.

The Upper Bann MLA said criticism from other MLAs “risks bringing this Committee further into disrepute” and said it had “done a rather good job, actually” over recent months.

Unionist members have repeatedly asked for inquiries about legislation, but the Alliance Party and Sinn Fein, who hold a majority on the committee, have regularly rejected them.

Last week, Alliance claimed that sweeping EU emergency powers affecting Northern Ireland in the event of a crisis such as war or another pandemic should be scrutinised in Brussels and foreign capitals – not in Belfast.

The body, set up under the Windsor Framework, exists to examine proposed new and replacement EU acts which apply in Northern Ireland under the deal.