He said: “The Safeguarding the Union command paper that led to the restoration of power-sharing - one year ago today - was the result of painstaking negotiations, hard work and political courage.
“This UK Government is committed to protecting Northern Ireland’s place in the UK internal market, and we will continue to make progress in delivering Safeguarding the Union and taking forward the basis on which devolution was restored.
“I commend all those who are working to make sure Northern Ireland fulfils its full potential; and for our part the Government is committed to working in partnership to deliver for Northern Ireland within our United Kingdom”.