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1 month ago
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By Jayne McCormack
BBC News NI political correspondent
image copyrightEPA
image captionLord Frost will appear in person before the committeeThe UK's Brexit minister is being questioned by a Stormont committee.
Lord Frost, the UK's chief negotiator, is appearing in person before the Executive Office committee.
On Thursday he said the government will publish its plans for the future of the Northern Ireland Protocol in the next fortnight, before Parliament rises for the summer recess.
He said the EU had still not responded to 12 papers tabled by the UK.
The EU has said a temporary Swiss-style veterinary agreement for Northern Ireland, in which the UK continues to follow EU agri-food rules, could be a solution, but it has been rejected by the UK.
Colin McGrath, chairman of the Stormont Executive Office committee, said his focus during the session would be "drilling down" into the government's proposed plans.
The SDLP assembly member (MLA) said he expected Lord Frost to come to the committee prepared to present practical solutions to the challenges posed by the protocol.
Lord Frost's appearance at the committee comes just over a week after EU chief negotiator Maros Sefcovic gave evidence to MLAs about the post-Brexit Northern Ireland Protocol.
image copyrightReuters
image captionLord Frost's appearance at the committee comes just over a week after EU chief negotiator Maros Sefcovic addressed a Stormont committeeLast week, the EU agreed to a UK request to delay a ban on chilled meat products from Great Britain being sold in Northern Ireland.
Products such as chilled sausages were due to be prohibited from 1 July as a consequence of the protocol arrangement, but this has been postponed for another three months.
Lord Frost has said the UK and EU cannot have a constructive relationship until many outstanding issues with the protocol are solved.
The protocol is the part of the Brexit deal which keeps Northern Ireland in the EU single market for goods and means EU customs rules are enforced at its ports.
It was agreed by the UK and EU in October 2019 and was subject to further negotiation and agreement in 2020.
'Confident of finding balance'
Lord Frost helped to negotiate the protocol on behalf of the UK government, but previously said it was not being implemented as he intended.
At Thursday's event by the London-based think tank Policy Exchange, he said he was "confident" there were ways of finding a balance, but warned: "Obviously all options remain on the table for us."
The Labour leader is on his final day of a three-day visit to Northern Ireland.
"Of all of the discussions I have had with political leaders, community groups, those who are victims, the word that has come out of all of is a complete lack of trust in the government," he told the BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme.
"I think we've got to make this protocol work and we've got to find practical solutions, doing our very best to overcome the obvious problems."
