Lord Murphy should examine the role of Stormont's Windsor Framework committee - says its UUP member Steve Aiken

​The UUP MLA, who sits on the Assembly’s Windsor Framework Democratic Scrutiny committee (WF DSC), says he should explore the “non workings” of the body.

He has been a frequent critic of the attitude of Sinn Fein and Alliance colleagues – particularly in relation to their opposition to inquiries on new regulations applied here by Brussels under the protocol arrangements.

This week the government announced that a review – triggered by unionist opposition to continuing the arrangements in a Stormont vote – would be led by the Lord Paul Murphy.

Mr Aiken told the News Letter he “should acquaint himself with the non-workings of the WF Democratic Scrutiny Committee. On Thursday, thanks largely to the absence of an Alliance & SF member, the committee agreed to conduct two inquiries.

“The first is on reporting of plants coming into NI from the rest of our country and the need for digital reporting. On the face of it, a minimal change, but yet another cumulative administrative burden that adds to the divergence across the Irish Sea.

“The second, on control and classification on construction materials was clearly significant and will have detrimental impacts; so great that even the Alliance representative saw the merit of at least investigating the issue rather brandishing the blanket ‘it’s all Brexits’ fault’.”

Mr Aiken speculated that officials from the departments of finance, infrastructure and DAERA may have been “taking their cue from their ministers” by not attending to give evidence.

He urged Lord Murphy to “critically examine just what is the point of the WF DSC if it can’t even manage the most basic scrutiny”.

The Windsor framework requires checks and customs paperwork on goods moving from GB into NI – and keep the NI goods market aligned with and regulated by the European Union.