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Northern Ireland Bill (Allocation of Time)

May I add to my voice to the attempt to end any doubt on the part of the hon. Member for Orkney and Shetland (Mr. Carmichael) about what may lie behind the appointment of a Justice Minister by the method that is chosen, or indeed the removal of the Justice Minister? Neither the First nor the Deputy First Minister will wish to do anything other than give full support to a Justice Minister, especially a Justice Minister who will have been appointed by a more democratic method than any other Minister in the Executive and who will therefore be harder to dismiss. If there were any difficulty in the process, of course the prospective Justice Minister could talk to the First and Deputy First Ministers about what lay ahead to ensure a clear understanding of the nature of any potential removal from the job. If necessary, the Assembly itself—not the House of Commons—would have power to change its Standing Orders, through its Committee on Procedures, to make whatever relevant change was necessary.