East–West Council
| Formation | 26 March 2024 |
|---|---|
| Legal status | Joint committee |
| Purpose | Intergovernmental relations |
Region served | United Kingdom |
Membership | UK Government Northern Ireland Executive |
| Pat McFadden | |
Deputy Chair: Northern Ireland Secretary | Hilary Benn |
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The East–West Council was established in 2024 as part of the Northern Ireland Executive reformation with a purpose to improve links between Northern Ireland and rest of the United Kingdom.[1]
Purpose
[edit]According to the Government of the United Kingdom its missions include:[2]
- Sharing "best practice" between Great Britain and Northern Ireland on economic inactivity and offering advisory support to implement "major projects"
- Recommending interventions on east–west investment and assessing existing funding and investment strategies
- Improving international investment to Northern Ireland
- Bolstering east-west connectivity
History
[edit]The idea of forming an East-West Council was first proposed by Democratic Unionist Party Leader Jeffrey Donaldson in October 2023 as a prerequisite to restoring a power-sharing executive in Northern Ireland. Donaldson hoped that the proposed body would "bring together representatives from across the United Kingdom", on a "regular basis" to "discuss and collaborate on opportunities for enhanced co-operation".[3] Plans for the council were outlined in a command paper published by the UK government in February 2024.[4] Devolved government was restored in Northern Ireland on 3 February 2024 when a first minister, deputy first minister and executive were nominated by the Northern Ireland Assembly. The East-West Council met for the first time on 26 March 2024 at Dover House in London.[5]
Membership
[edit]The council is made up of representatives from the UK central government, Northern Ireland Executive, business and civil society.[6] It was chaired by the Minister for Intergovernmental Relations.[7]
Meetings
[edit]| Date | Chair | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 26 March 2024 | Michael Gove | Dover House, Westminster |
References
[edit]- ^ "Inaugural meeting of East-West Council". GOV.UK. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
- ^ "New UK East-West Council meets for the first time". BBC News. 2024-03-26. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
- ^ "Sunak says east-west council proposed by DUP has 'considerable merit'". 18 October 2023.
- ^ https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65ba3b7bee7d490013984a59/Command_Paper__1_.pdf
- ^ McCormack, Jayne; Hughes, Brendan (26 March 2024). "New UK East-West Council meets for the first time". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
- ^ "First East-West Council meeting to take place by the end of March, says DUP". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. 2024-02-28. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
- ^ "East-West Council set for inaugural meeting". ITV News. 26 March 2024.
See also
[edit]- Intergovernmental relations in the United Kingdom
- Intertrade UK
- Prime Minister and Heads of Devolved Governments Council
- British-Irish Council
- British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference
- British–Irish Parliamentary Assembly
- Council of the Nations and Regions
- Northern Ireland Assembly
- North/South Inter-Parliamentary Association
- North/South Ministerial Council
External links
[edit]| Secretary of State |
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| Minister of State |
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| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State | ||
| Advocate General |
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| Non-departmental public bodies | ||