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Northern Ireland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill

I offer a broad welcome to the new clause. There is strong support in the community for the active commitment that the Secretary of State in particular is showing to moving the sustainable development agenda forward. It is clear that the new clause spins out of the sustainable development strategy launched last week. The Government are moving quickly to translate their commitments into legislation. That is welcome. I note that that contrasts with the Government’s long-standing commitment to consider issues such as the powers of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission. They are still reluctant to address such things in the Bill, yet something new can quickly spin into it. Perhaps the Minister will address that. Some of the details could be fine-tuned, in particular when it comes to putting things into practice. Hon. Members might know from what I have said before that I am not sure that putting sustainable development and its co-ordination into the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister is the best way of ensuring that the necessary co-ordination takes place. There is already a clutter of responsibilities in that Department that are not easy to manage in terms of co-ordination and liaison. This could add to the difficulties. My experience of the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister working with other Departments is that things can be cross-cutting, but they do not achieve the benefits of cross-cutting co-ordination. I hope that there is enough room for us to revisit that so that the Assembly and a restored Executive can make the best, most competent and most appropriate provisions for a rigorous approach to sustainable development by Government and non-governmental bodies.