Source · Select Committees · Northern Ireland Affairs Committee
Recommendation 2
2
Accepted
Paragraph: 10
Belfast/Good Friday Agreement an exceptional achievement, not an inevitable outcome of peace.
Conclusion
In its 25th anniversary year, we acknowledge the achievement of those who negotiated and agreed the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, which brought peace to Northern Ireland after three decades of conflict. We recognise the considerable leadership and bravery shown, especially by the leaders of the Northern Ireland parties and peacebuilders, including women’s groups, in Northern Ireland, and commend the constructive and determined attitude shown by the leaders of the British and Irish governments. Twenty-five years on, there is a temptation to see the achievement of peace as an inevitable outcome, but while the foundations were laid in the years leading up to 1998, reaching a settlement with broad consensus was far from a foregone conclusion. As we look to the future, we remain mindful of the hard work that was necessary in order to achieve agreement, and of the fact that in the modern media environment, such an outcome might not have been possible.
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledged the achievements of the Agreement and detailed its existing work to strengthen governance and stability in Northern Ireland, including measures from the 2020 New Decade New Approach deal and the 2022 Act, while reaffirming its commitment to the three-strand approach.
Paragraph Reference:
10
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
8. The Government recognises the challenges the report highlights in balancing cross- community governance with institutional stability in Northern Ireland. The Government’s long-standing approach is to work with the locally elected parties in Northern Ireland, on the basis of cross-community consent, to make necessary changes to the governance arrangements in Northern Ireland to enable the more effective operation of the institutions. The New Decade New Approach deal of 2020 included measures to strengthen transparency and accountability. The Northern Ireland (Ministers, Elections and Petitions of Concern) Act 2022 delivered on commitments made under New Decade New Approach and addressed concerns about the operation of the Petition of Concern mechanism to reduce its use and to return it to its intended purpose as set out under the Agreement. This safeguard is intended to ensure that all communities can participate and work together successfully in the operation of the Northern Ireland institutions and are protected when the Assembly legislates, and to prevent one party from blocking measures or business. It is important that consideration of Northern Ireland’s governance arrangements continues to engage the voices that represent communities across Northern Ireland. 9. Discussion on the titles and nomination process for First Minister and deputy First Minister has been ongoing since the St Andrews Agreement in 2006 changed the nomination process. The way the Executive operates requires the First Minister and deputy First Minister to work together, to consider and accommodate the perspectives of all communities and to compromise where disagreement may occur. 10. The proposal to nominate the Speaker (Presiding Officer) of the Assembly and to nominate “Joint First Ministers” on a supermajority basis would, on the basis of the current sizes of the political parties, stop any single party in the Assembly from preventing these nominations going forward. However, this would also represent a significant departure from the original cross-community protections of the Agreement, which the Government believes would require significant consultation and consideration. 11. The report also recommends that the Government consult the Irish Government on any proposed changes to the Northern Ireland Act 1998. We remain committed to upholding the long established three-strand approach to Northern Ireland affairs, meaning that any reforms to the devolved, strand one, institutions are primarily for the Northern Ireland parties and the UK Government. We would, of course, also seek to ensure that the Irish Government were engaged in the event of substantive reform of the Agreement in line with established practice. b) Recommendations for a review of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement