§ Lord Tebbitasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they accept any obligation to ensure impartiality in the conduct of the Northern Ireland referendum. [HL1891]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Northern Ireland Office (Lord Dubs)I can comment only on the position of the Government. I made it clear on a number of occasions prior to the referendum that our approach was to treat all the parties involved in the referendum on an equal basis. We wanted to see, and were pleased that there was, a yes vote, but we took the position throughout the campaign that how people chose to vote on 22 May was entirely a matter for them.