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Northern Ireland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill

The hon. Gentleman knows that the Government have given previous commitments that devolution of policing and criminal justice will happen. The Bill sets the framework for that. Part of the 1998 Act relates to that framework. As the Minister now, I am saying to the Committee, as we said on Second Reading, that, if at some point in the future, when the Assembly is reconstituted—as I hope that it will be by November—and if it wishes to have devolved to it criminal justice and policing, if the Secretary of State wishes to agree to that and if the House of Commons supports it, devolution will take place. I can confirm that it is possible under the 1998 Act to do what the amendment seeks to do, and I recommend that the hon. Member for Tewkesbury (Mr. Robertson) withdraws his amendment.