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Northern Ireland Bill (Allocation of Time)

I accept that the right hon. Gentleman makes that point in good faith, but first, it concentrates more on the powers of appointment than on the powers of removal, and secondly I do not think that the circumstances that he mentioned do strengthen the Justice Minister’s position, because whatever undertakings might be given at the time of the appointment, none of us knows what is around the corner. Earlier, the Secretary of State spoke about frivolous removal, but the removal need not be frivolous. It might be removal on the basis of substantial and important political issues. No other Minister can be removed in that way or for that reason, and I see no reason why the Justice Minister should be put in a different position. As we all know from our daily experience in this place, the fact is that Justice Ministers and Home Secretaries are often called on to take very difficult decisions—decisions that probably, in an ideal world, they would choose not to take. They do so because they are in a secure position, however, and because they have to. If a Justice Minister is vulnerable to a populist movement within the Assembly, they will not be able to take the difficult decisions that a Justice Minister might be required to take. In that most important sense, the standing of the Minister within the Executive is diminished.