§ 25. Mr. DowdTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to include the people living on the mainland of the United Kingdom in any consultation over the status of Northern Ireland.
§ Sir Patrick MayhewThe status of each of the constituent parts of the United Kingdom is a matter for Parliament and, to that extent, the people living on the mainland of the United Kingdom already participate in consultation over the status of Northern Ireland. The Government's policy is that the status of Northern Ireland should be determined in accordance with the democratic wishes of its own people, and I have no plans to broaden the consultation.