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Northern Ireland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill

I hope that the hon. Gentleman will reflect on the fact that during my tenure in this job, I have tried to listen to what parties have said. On occasions, we cannot always agree and it is not possible to do so. In response to the consultation on some of the matters that we will deal with later, in Committee next week or on the Floor of the House tomorrow, I had four, five or possibly six different views from different parties. It is impossible to reach a consensus on every issue on all occasions, but I assure the hon. Gentleman that I intend to consult on who should be eligible and how anonymous registration should be applied to Northern Ireland. That will happen in the light of the ongoing consultation by the DCA on the same matters, which are being considered by this House and another place in the context of the current Bill dealing with electoral matters in the United Kingdom, which was referred to earlier. I assure the hon. Gentleman that that consultation will take place. There will be an opportunity for parties in Northern Ireland, the official Opposition, the Liberal Democrats and anybody else to comment on those matters. I will produce the Order in Council at a later date for approval—in a manner that I know is unsatisfactory to hon. Members—to ensure that we try to get some consensus on these matters. Having heard what right hon. and hon. Members have said today about anonymous registration, I think that there will be the potential for agreement and consensus on the scope, the criteria and the implementation of the provisions. I understand the unhappiness with the Order-in-Council procedure, but I have an open mind on the precise details of the scheme, which is why we are going to consult. We are clear that only genuinely vulnerable individuals should be able to benefit from such a scheme. DCA is currently carrying out its own consultation. I very much hope that Members will support that. I hope that that has given hon. Members some assurances.