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Northern Ireland Bill

I welcome this Bill, which is a means to an end, not an end in itself. I understand the concerns raised by the hon. Member for North Down (Lady Hermon), but the Ulster Unionist party has in the past supported the establishment of talking shops. Indeed, it was its former leader who proposed the establishment of the Northern Ireland Forum for Political Dialogue, and I do not recall it raising major objections to such a body. We hope that the Assembly will move quickly to address issues that are doubtless of as much concern to the constituents of the hon. Member for North Down as they are to mine. Even if, initially, we are only talking about those issues, that is better than sitting on our hands while direct rule Ministers take decisions that we disagree with strongly. I hope that we can reach a consensus on some of these issues quickly, and that the Government will act on that basis. We want a devolved Government to be restored in Northern Ireland as quickly as possible.