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Northern Ireland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill

I know exactly the spirit in which that was intended, and I take the Minister’s assurance in exactly those terms. Why will not the Government lay in the Library all the other commitments that they have given in this regard, so that the rest of us can at least see what they are and, if necessary, debate them in the Chamber? A member of the SDLP sought under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to gain sight of the various side deals, many of which presumably affect strand 1 institutions and matters such as the devolution of justice and policing. However, we were deniedsight of any of those documents on the ground that their disclosure might colour or jeopardise the Government’s relationship with the Irish Republic. Yet they deal solely with strand 1 matters, which the DUP says that it is very good at safeguarding, saying that there is no Irish Government interest or input in them. We cannot have sight of any of the deals that were, according to Sinn Fein, done and dusted, and that obviously matter so much, according to the hon. Member for Belfast, East, on the ground that they affect the relationship with the Irish Government. We as legislators have the right to know where all this is coming from, as well as wanting to see where it is all going to. The SDLP wants a process of equals, because that is the only way to build trust. It is the only way to make progress. That is why we ask the Government to live up to the commitment that they made to inclusive negotiations in Parliament this month, and to let all see all. The Minister will be glad to hear that, by contrast, the SDLP is happy to support Government amendments Nos. 2, 3 and 7. These allow for the possibility of a single Minister to be elected by cross-community support and by parallel consent. That said, that might not be our preferred option for the appointment of a justice Minister. However, if the point of the Bill is to provide for a menu of options from which the parties may choose, that option should be included. The reason for all this difficulty, and the reason why nearly all of us have been caught trying to put the cart before the horse, is that the Government have launched us into legislating for these options at a time when the parties have not been truly negotiating and debating them. That is why the Minister is having difficulty in presenting the Bill, and why the rest of us are having difficulty in presenting our amendments. We say again, however—as we have in our support for the Liberal Democrat amendments Nos. 14 and 15—that the vote should involve either version of cross-community support, and not parallel consent alone. We also have difficulties with Government amendment No. 4, which limits to one the number of Departments that have joint, rotating or single cross-community elected Ministers. We do not want more joint Ministers in more Departments, but the Government have gone too far in removing the possibility that, if the Assembly decides on two separate Departments for justice and policing, there could be a single Minister in each Department, elected by cross-community support. Again, I must stress that we are not advocating two separate Departments, but that might be a choice that the Assembly wishes to make. If two Departments were created under d'Hondt, we do not see why the same should not be done if the Assembly decided to have single Ministers in separate Departments voted in by cross-community support. The Minister has stressed that he wants the legislation to go forward. We have some difficulties with it, but we are not going to create more difficulty for him or for anyone else. We ask that he considers carefully the points that we have made. I have answered his unfair misrepresentation of our amendments as having the effect of removing completely powers from the First and Deputy First Minister in respect of justice Ministers. We are trying to get a balance of responsibility and rights between parties, and between the First and Deputy First Minister. I therefore commend our amendments, and the spirit of them, to the Minister for further consideration.