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Northern Ireland Bill

I am sorry; I am always reluctant to disagree with the hon. Lady, but I do not regret it at all. A body consisting of 108 elected Members of the Legislative Assembly will meet, and I do not know what we could call it other than an Assembly. I am encouraged by early discussions with the parties to believe that there is a serious intention to make the Assembly work. Today we are making available an illustrative set of initial Standing Orders, on which we shall work further before 15 May. They can readily be supplemented at a later stage if need be, and if parties or individual Members have any comments, we shall be glad to take them on board. I am ready to refer to the Assembly a range of matters that will feature among the key concerns of a new devolved Administration. As I have said, we would take account of the Assembly’s views on such matters, especially if they had cross-community support. They might include education reform, local government reform, water charges or rates rises. They might also include modifications to the institutions. Northern Ireland’s business community has presented the Prime Minister and me with an interesting policy agenda for economic reform. We have suggested that it would be a suitable matter for business leaders to present to the Assembly soon after 15 May. Obviously, if the Assembly were then to work on and agree a serious and costed economic policy reform programme, the Government would be obliged to consider it seriously. We have been pressed to say that we would automatically give effect to views expressed by the Assembly. We as a Government are accountable in this place for the good government of Northern Ireland pending the restoration of devolution, and it would be wrong for us to have our hands tied completely. We cannot be accountable both to this Parliament and to an Assembly that is not even fully restored, and where there is little incentive to make the tough decisions that are needed. It is obvious, however, that a cross-community view from the Assembly would be very influential with us. The sooner devolution is restored, the sooner the Assembly will have complete authority over such issues. I have been pressed to say why we are proceeding on matters such as education and local council reform when the Assembly could and should determine those matters. My answer is that our measures are absolutely necessary in the public interest and as I am far from certain that some of their most vociferous opponents are actually willing to restore the Assembly, why should I let them have their cake and eat it by delaying the reforms? Either they want to determine these policies, or they do not. If they do, let them get on with it and restore the institutions as soon after 15 May as possible. The longer they delay, the more irreversible these reforms will be, and the more I will have to decide the detail rather than leaving it to Assembly Members. It is their choice, not mine.