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Northern Ireland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill

I cannot give way, because I must complete the point. [Interruption.] I hope that it will be; we will have to discuss those matters later. [Interruption.] These matters will be discussed by the usual channels, as the hon. Gentleman will know. The chief electoral officer’s independence has been mentioned. The proposal will bring the chief electoral officer into line with other modern approaches and modern terms and conditions of appointment. Again, I hope that that will reassure the hon. Gentleman. Donations to political parties were mentioned in some detail. That part of the Bill makes provision for the reforms outlined in the Government’s response to the consultation paper on 24 January. We have been clear that we want to ensure that the regulation of donations to political parties in Northern Ireland is effective and to bring Northern Ireland into line with the rest of the United Kingdom. However, there are significant changes that, I hope, hon. Members welcome. The hon. Members for Montgomeryshire, for Belfast, South (Dr. McDonnell) and for South Staffordshire and my hon. Friend the Member for South Down mentioned the transitional period and the need to tackle intimidation and donor intimidation. We have put in place partial transparency, whereby the report will be put to the Electoral Commission for the period up to 2007 for the very reason that we want to ensure that there is the possibility that individuals lack intimidation. That will also give parties the chance to let the new arrangements bed in before we move to full transparency. As was mentioned by several hon. Members, including the hon. Member for Montgomeryshire, we are in discussion with the Irish Government about their arrangements in the Republic of Ireland and how they impact on our own arrangements. Indeed, that matter was covered at the recent British-Irish governmental conference in London. I hope that those matters will be resolved to positive effect in due course. The hon. Member for North Down mentioned the Freedom of Information Act 2000, and I hope that I can assure her that that Act will not override any prohibition on the disclosure of information in the Bill. Section 44 of the 2000 Act will exempt information from disclosure if that is prohibited by another Act, and I hope that that covers the points that have been raised. The date of the Assembly election was mentioned by the hon. Members for South Staffordshire, for Belfast, East and for Lagan Valley (Mr. Donaldson). My right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland have made it clear very strongly that 2006 is decisive in the process of restoring the Assembly in Northern Ireland. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I, along with Irish colleagues, are engaged in intensive discussions with the political parties about how we can make progress, with a view to an early restoration of the Assembly. We hope that progress will be made soon, and in the context of early progress, an early election could be needed. The Bill contains provision to enable an Assembly election to take place earlier than May 2007 if required. I am glad that hon. Members welcome the potential for that to happen. The relevant clauses will be taken on the Floor of the House. The order could be taken in Committee, unless the usual channels wish it to be considered elsewhere. The extent of the amnesty period for arms decommissioning was mentioned by the hon. Members for Lancaster and Wyre, for Belfast, East and for North Down. As far as the Government are concerned, Provisional IRA decommissioning is on track. That is debateable, I know, and reports are forthcoming on the subject, but the provision in the Bill is focused on loyalist weapons. I concur with the hon. Lady and others that loyalist paramilitary activity must be condemned and that murder is murder, but loyalist weapons are out there and it is essential that we make provision for them. I condemn the use of those weapons and I hope that we will not need to invoke the procedure in the Bill—I hope that action will be taken much earlier—but while those weapons remain we need to make provision to allow further time for decommissioning. In addition, dissident groups such as Continuity IRA and Real IRA may be able to avail themselves of the provision. The strand amendments were mentioned by the hon. Members for Belfast, East, for Foyle and for Belfast, North. In the past couple of months we have had serious discussions about strand issues and I have had two meetings in Belfast with colleagues from all parties. My right hon. Friends the Secretary of State and the Prime Minister and others do not rule out amending the legislation, and I take the points made about having specific legislation. We are considering all those matters and we shall discuss them further with all the parties. We have to consider what would be a suitable vehicle for legislation. Our view has always been that if there is an opportunity to legislate through an amendment or a separate Bill, we shall take it, and if there is agreement, we will take advantage of it. However, we need to consider those matters in some detail for the future. I am pleased that the prospects for Northern Ireland’s economy have been mentioned, because I do not want us to lose sight of those aspects of the Bill. Several of the Bill’s provisions underline the Government’s commitment to securing the future of Northern Ireland. The single wholesale electricity market was mentioned by the hon. Members for Belfast, South and for East Antrim and welcomed by the Conservative Front-Bench spokesmen. The creation of a single wholesale electricity market is a long-standing aim of both Governments and has been a prominent feature of recent British-Irish intergovernmental conferences. We want that market to be established for the pragmatic reasons that all hon. Members understand: it will help the mutual economy of north and south and bring social benefits in future. The business community and the Confederation of British Industry want it to work, and so do the Government. The Bill contains strong measures on energy. The hon. Members for Belfast, South and for East Antrim welcomed the fact that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has established a £59 million package of support in an environment and renewable energy fund to enhance and accelerate renewable development and deployment in Northern Ireland. The Bill includes provision to amend existing legislation to provide financial assistance for energy purposes and give a massive boost to renewable energy in Northern Ireland. The Government’s commitments to increase borrowing capacity, which was mentioned by the hon. Member for Lagan Valley, are extremely important, because whatever else happens, Northern Ireland needs to compete on the global stage. The single electricity market, increasing expenditure on renewables and ensuring that we have the ability to support Northern Ireland’s economy will be crucial in future. I welcome the commitment to the Chief Constable’s sole corporation. There are many miscellaneous provisions in the Bill, which is a positive measure for Northern Ireland. It is a good Bill that will help planning for Northern Ireland’s future, and I commend it to the House. Question put and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Second time.