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Northern Ireland Bill

moved Amendment No. 1:"Page 1, line 9, at end insert ““, including matters relating to the implementation bodies, as defined in section 55(3) of the 1998 Act””" The noble Lord said: The purpose of the Bill is to create a devolved Assembly in Northern Ireland. In that process, there is a preliminary period when confidence must be created, an idea which I understand and support. The purpose of my amendment is to create confidence in an area in which scandals have abounded—the cross-border bodies. The Bill says that the Secretary of State may refer items to the Assembly during its initial period. I understand that that could include the activities of the cross-border bodies. However, I would like to be slightly more specific so that pressure is put on the cross-border bodies about what precisely is going on. Cross-border bodies are an essential part of the Belfast agreement. Command document 4705 of the agreement states:"““an Assembly in Northern Ireland, a North/South Ministerial Council, implementation bodies, a British-Irish Council and a British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference and any amendments to the British Acts of Parliament and the Constitution of Ireland—are interlocking and interdependent and that in particular the functioning of the Assembly and the North/South Council are so closely inter-related that the success of each depends on that of the other””." I am not sure what success is being considered here, because most of the cross-border bodies have done very little, spent a lot of money and, in the recent case of InterTradeIreland for instance, have been accused of putting pressure on a small number of Protestant or unionist employees. They have written to the Secretary of State to ask for some kind of inquiry. My amendment would bring some kind of control and stability to a number of the bodies. The implementation agreement, Command document 4706, states in reference to Waterways Ireland:"““In exercising its functions the Body””—" that is, Waterways Ireland—"““will at all times act in accordance with any directions (whether of a general or specific nature) given by the NSMC””." From an Answer to a Parliamentary Question, I have discovered that, during the six years of the existence of that cross-border body, the council has been given no directions at all. So it is bound to be out of control. I have indicated previously that a litany of problems exists at Waterways Ireland, including bullying, appointments on a religious and/or political basis, the rewriting of reports and even the proposed move of its headquarters to the Irish Republic. All this is regrettable. My amendment would allow some UK involvement in the oversight of what is going on here. The difficulties at Waterways Ireland have moved on and it is widely believed by members of staff in Waterways Ireland and by those who are on the periphery that the organisation is now being run by the Knights of Columbanus, even with the support of an organisation called Opus Dei. This is extremely embarrassing and damaging to the whole concept of the Belfast agreement. Is not accepting my amendment a small price to pay to achieve some sort of clarity on these issues, so allowing confidence to return? I beg to move.