EDM 1164: Clarification of the criteria for a border poll

That this House notes the recent comments by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, indicating that the decision to call a referendum on Irish unity could be based on opinion polls; further notes that these comments were published in an AgendaNI article and come at a time of renewed political sensitivity around the issue; recognises that under the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement and the Northern Ireland Act 1998, the decision to call such a referendum rests solely with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, who must be satisfied that a majority in Northern Ireland would likely express a wish to leave the United Kingdom and form a united Ireland; and calls on the Secretary of State to clarify the official position of the Government on the criteria used to trigger a border poll in order to maintain public confidence in the impartiality and legality of the process.