Part of the debate – in the House of Commons am 12:00 am ar 13 Rhagfyr 1973.
I thank you for your guidance, Mr. Speaker. I make the point because I have additional comments on the orders, particularly on the main order on modifications of enactments, which has 14 articles and several schedules and runs to 27 closely printed pages. It would be inappropriate to go through that in detail at this stage.
This is the only opportunity which the House has to consider what will become an Act of Parliament, and there will be no opportunity in Committee, or on Report, further to consider and amend the orders. I hope, therefore, that the House will give adequate time for consideration of the orders.
One of the orders refers to Ministries. Yet the Bill which we are now considering refers to the heads of Departments. My point is a simple one. Is my right hon. Friend prepared to accept that the heads of Departments are, in fact, Ministers? In the Council of Ireland there will be Ministers from the South of Ireland. Will they be matched by Ministers from the north of Ireland, or by heads of Departments? This may be a small point, but it may be felt in Northern Ireland that it would be an improvement in terminology to refer to heads of Departments in the new Assembly at Stormont as Ministers.
Another point of detail on which I seek clarification concerns the creation of new Ministries. Will this come under the Act or the amending Bill?
I turn now to the package. The main problem in Northern Ireland is security. Therefore, I hope that, now that the package has been accepted and the Assembly and Executive are to come into existence and the Council of Ireland is to be set up, my right hon. Friend will come down from the fence. There is a feeling in Northern Ireland that in the past 20 months the Secretary of State has occupied a position as more of an arbitrator between the two sides. It is also felt that the Prime Minister performed this function during the Sunningdale conference.
Now that the Assembly is being set up and the Executive will be formed, will my right hon. Friend accept that the natural consequence of these changes should be that the British Government should speak and act on behalf of Northern Ireland as though it was part of the United Kingdom? In negotiations with the South of Ireland, will the British Government treat the South of Ireland as a foreign country, which, by its own wish, it became many years ago and even opted out of the Commonwealth after the last war? Will the British Government negotiate on behalf of Northern Ireland, recognising it fully as an integral part of the United Kingdom?
With regard to law and order, what is the timetable relating to control of the police? I welcome the statement that the control of the police will be returned to Northern Ireland.