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Northern Ireland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill

These are essentially probing amendments. Schedule 2 requires that a nomination to the ministerial department with policing and justice functions must be approved by a cross-community vote of the Assembly: a vote in which a majority of Unionists, a majority of nationalists and a majority of all Assembly Members approve the appointment. However, by virtue of the Good Friday agreement and the Northern Ireland Act 1998, there are two ways in which a cross-community vote can be achieved. The first is the 50:50:50 method, outlined in the Bill, while the second requires that the vote is approved by 40 per cent. of Unionists, 40 per cent. of nationalists and 60 per cent. overall of Assembly Members voting. The first method of achieving a cross-community vote was designated in the 1998 Act to approve the appointment of the First Minister and the Deputy First Minister. As we have seen, there were difficulties in achieving a vote on that basis. Can the Minister confirm that it is the Government’s sincere intention to use that type of cross-community vote when the Assembly asks that policing and justice issues are devolved to it? If so, can he explain why that version was chosen, rather than simply using the wording"““a vote with cross-community support””" as set out in our amendment, leaving the Assembly with the flexibility to achieve such a vote by either method?