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Northern Ireland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill

I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on Third Reading. Generally, my party welcomes the Bill, which is more miscellaneous than most of us expected. The Minister said that he has achieved what he set out to achieve, and that seems to have been his attitude every time that he saw a new draft or provision. None the less, the Bill usefully deals with the multitude of issues mentioned by the hon. Member for Tewkesbury (Mr. Robertson). Some of its provisions are essential, some are useful and some are convenient but, none the less, they all contribute to the whole. On behalf of my party, may I pay tribute to Ministers who have moved on from the Northern Ireland Office, hopefully to greater things as a result of the fine training that we gave them and the multi-faceted experience that they gained? May I welcome to the Front Bench the new Ministers with whom we hope to do good business in the months ahead? The Bill is interesting, as it does not have a central theme and changes gear in each part. I was disappointed that we did not manage to debate some of our new clauses because of the 6 o’clock deadline. That is especially true of the new clause that deals with the powers of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission. Notwithstanding the lack of debate, perhaps the Minister can take on board our efforts to give the commission powers that are available to other human rights commissions, especially in the south of Ireland, so that it can act in accordance with European Union requirements on human rights. The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission does not have investigatory powers to pursue people and papers.