Recommendation 30

The lack of consideration for the circumstances in which the Executive and its Officials in Northern Ireland operate is of even greater concern to us and speaks to an on- going theme we found throughout this inquiry regarding the extent of consultation carried out by the DLUHC with Devolved Governments and stakeholders. We heard that the parameters for engagement set out by the Department in their initial phase of consultation were not compatible with section 75 of the 1998 Northern Ireland Act. Officials from Northern Ireland told us that the Department did not use existing structures for engagement in Northern Ireland and, because their engagement was not in line with the 1998 Act, officials were at risk of legal proceedings if they did engage. We have not had a satisfactory explanation from the Department on this matter and this issue remains unresolved.