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Northern Ireland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his contribution, but my understanding, and that of my officials who are concerned with this matter, is as I have just outlined to the House. His understanding appears to be different. There are issues on which we fundamentally disagree, but this is an issue on which I am just looking at the practicalities of the level of micro-management. I think that what I have said is the correct position; he may have a different interpretation. However, in both cases we are talking about situations that may occur in which, in effect, the First and Deputy First Ministers potentially would have to rat on their own parties as well. I am just looking at the mechanics of all this and trying to envisage circumstances in which such a thing could happen. My hon. Friend’s points undoubtedly have an element of validity, but I cannot envisage such circumstances. I would be grateful if he would not press his amendments to a Division. I will be happy to reflect on them with officials, and if other parties have views they can put them forward. I do not wish to comment in detail on a matter that several hon. Members have mentioned in passing, but I will put a couple of points on the record. There has been discussion about the relationship between the PUP and UUP and the announcements that were made. As I said before you took the Chair, Mr. Deputy Speaker, the matter is subject to legal discussion regarding the Assembly Speaker’s recognition of the UUP-PUP grouping as a party for Assembly purposes. She is likely to make a ruling later this week. I have heard what has been said about the political elements of the situation, but it would be inappropriate for me to comment in detail on the legality of the situation because that will be subject to the Speaker’s ruling in the Assembly. Given what has been said about the politics of any relationship, it is important that the Secretary of State has undertaken today to recognise the fact that the republican movement has taken steps. Admittedly, for some parties it has not gone far enough to move away from the violence that has occurred. Although there is more work to be done, the Independent Monitoring Commission reports indicate that the republican movement has taken serious steps to move away from criminality. What the Secretary of State has said today emphasises the importance of loyalist paramilitaries undertaking to go down the same route. It is not acceptable for me or the Secretary of State that a situation exists in which there is officially no ceasefire from loyalist paramilitaries. I ask both loyalist paramilitaries and dissident republicans—the Continuity IRA and Real IRA, which were mentioned by the hon. Member for South Antrim—to abandon immediately their activities that lead to potential terrorism, threats and murder. That was the point that the Secretary of State was making. The relationships between political parties in the Assembly are a matter for those parties and the legal judgment of the Assembly Speaker.