Recommendation 6

In the 25 years since their inception, numerous attempts have been made at strengthening the viability and stability of the Strand One institutions in complex and challenging political circumstances. The successor agreements—and subsequent legislative alterations to the institutions—serve to illustrate the delicate context in which the institutions operate and the near-constant effort required from the Northern Ireland parties and the British and Irish governments to facilitate their continued existence. We recognise that they have not had all-party consensus or involvement and remain the subject of continued criticism. It is also apparent that it is difficult for the institutions to reform themselves without the input of the British and Irish governments. Nonetheless, the very existence of successor agreements and the changes they have instituted illustrates that reform of the Agreement’s institutions is possible, even if such reform is piecemeal and sometimes lacking in implementation. (Paragraph 40) Strand One - an evaluation