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Northern Ireland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill

I understand perfectly well the situation in which the hon. Gentleman found himself last June. It is a situation that any of us could find ourselves in, and I am sure that it was a complete nightmare for him, because he had to fight the election so late. I am looking very carefully at the situation with regard to the Bill from the Department for Constitutional Affairs, which is currently before another place. I understand that it extends to Northern Ireland, but I will seek advice on all the clauses. I would not want to mislead him, so I will write to him. It is my understanding, and certainly my hope, that the provisions relating to his postponed election last June would be applicable to Northern Ireland, but I want to check on the details and report to him in due course, if I may, because it is a Department for Constitutional Affairs Bill, for which I have no direct responsibility. As I have said to hon. Members generally, the proposals that we want will ensure that the rights of citizens in Northern Ireland are the same as those of citizens in the rest of the United Kingdom. As Members have said, it is important that an elector whose safety would be at risk if he or she were identifiable on an electoral register should be allowed to register anonymously. That will require detailed and careful technical consideration. In addition, as Members have noticed—I pay tribute to their forensic abilities—the Electoral Administration Bill is still being considered by another place. As the relevant provisions in that Bill might be amended, we wish to examine in detail the final proposals that come before the House before we look at how to apply them to Northern Ireland. In the light of those considerations, we have concluded that it makes sense to wait until the approach for Great Britain is finalised, in another place, before we seek to define any detail of how any scheme will apply to Northern Ireland. That is not exactly a new approach. Section 84(1) of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, which this clause amends, already allows for provisions to be made by Order in Council in respect of certain matters relating to elections. Let me address the point about Orders in Council. Having been in the job for 11 months, I know that Order-in-Council provisions are unsatisfactory to Members from all parties. Indeed, dare I say it, they are occasionally unsatisfactory to the Government as well. In discussions that I have had upstairs on modification orders, we have already agreed to consider how we can best deal with the question of Orders in Council. Very often, the procedure is unsatisfactory. In this case, however, I want to reassure right hon. and hon. Members that although the Government are seeking an Order in Council at a later date, we intend to consult widely on the proposals that will construct the Order in Council relating to anonymous registration. We want to ensure that when we introduce anonymous registration in Northern Ireland, it has the support of the political parties and the electors of Northern Ireland. We want to ensure that we consult fully on how we take that proposal forward. I hope to undertake a consultation very shortly on who should be eligible for anonymous registration, how that registration will apply and what criteria should be brought into play. As the hon. Member for Belfast, East (Mr. Robinson) has mentioned, domestic violence might be a criterion. As other hon. Members have mentioned, the issue might be threats of intimidation, or the break-in at Castlereagh, for example. There are a whole range of issues that we want to consider. With due respect to the whole of the United Kingdom, we might want to consult on some matters specific to Northern Ireland. I will certainly bring forward a widespread consultation on that as soon as possible, prior to the introduction of the Order in Council.