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Northern Ireland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill

I put my points to the House and that is one of the points that it is important to recognise. I draw the attention of hon. Members back to a point that I discussed earlier, which concerns the pledge of office. The pledge of office in place at present ensures that all Ministers must affirm, before taking any post, a commitment to non-violence and exclusively peaceful and democratic means. The current pledge of office can also be affected by IMC recommendations—and that is an important point. For example, if a future IMC report determined that individuals or organisations were not acting in the spirit of the pledge of office, safeguards are in place so that action could be taken.