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Northern Ireland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill

I beg to move amendment No. 30, page 13, line 41, leave out ‘and justice’. It is a delight to be back in the Chamber to discuss the Bill and I am sure that the Minister shares those sentiments. He had a lively and enjoyable time yesterday, so I am sure he was impatient to get today’s business under way. Clause 19 is the central feature of the Bill and proposes the devolution of policing and justice to Northern Ireland. It was the measure’s original core, around which all the other miscellaneous elements have been wrapped to give the clause some cover and the Bill some substance. As drafted, the clause is curious because it provides that"““if an Act of the Assembly . . . establishes a new Northern Ireland department and . . . the purpose of the Department is to exercise functions consisting wholly or mainly of devolved policing and justice functions””," there will be two options. If the Assembly decides that policing and justice is to be devolved to it, the clause proposes that either two Ministers ““acting jointly”” should look after only one Department or that one Minister with a junior Minister should do it and rotate every six months. I would dearly appreciate an explanation from the Minister of how we have reached the presumption that there will be only one Department.