Source · Select Committees · Northern Ireland Affairs Committee
Recommendation 19
19
Rejected
Paragraph: 98
Incorporate evaluation of community designation's impact on cross-community governance into Review.
Recommendation
We note with interest the lively discussion both within and without this inquiry regarding the future of community designation and its application to voting procedures in the Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive. As already acknowledged, Northern Ireland has changed since 1998 and the understanding employed by the Agreement of what should constitute cross-community government is in need of an update. There is merit in removing designations and, with safeguards, introducing, for example, qualified majority voting to ensure support throughout the Assembly. However, Northern Ireland remains a society with sectarian divisions and we believe that it would not be appropriate for us to pass judgment on the future of the overall role that community designation plays in the institutions. While we believe reforms can—and should—soon be made which could improve the stability of the institutions in the short to medium term, we recommend that the Government incorporates into the Review a full evaluation of the effect of community designation in facilitating effective, stable and—in the broadest sense—cross-community governance in Northern Ireland.
Government Response Summary
The government rejects incorporating a full evaluation of community designation into a review of the Agreement, stating that such a review is not being considered at this time and that cross-community protections are vital.
Paragraph Reference:
98
Government Response
Rejected
HM Government
Rejected
Rejected for now. Given the recent restoration of the Northern Ireland Executive, a review of the Agreement, or amendment of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 is not being considered at this time. While the Government’s focus has been firmly on the immediate restoration of the devolved institutions, we do recognise the challenges the report identifies concerning the stability of the institutions. Any discussion of reforms, including on the subject of timing, should be carefully considered and command the support of the whole community in Northern Ireland. The Agreement has been vital, and it should continue to be a living document. Any significant reform requires widespread consent, led by the people of Northern Ireland and their representatives. Voices from the UK or Irish Governments should not be at the forefront of calls for reform. Matters relating to Strand One institutions remain a matter for the UK Government along with the NI parties. The Committee’s recommendation for the review to include the institutions’ ability to provide effective and stable government with broad cross-community inclusion is noted; cross-community protections are vital, and any movement away from the current system requires whole community support. Regarding Strand Three (PM attendance at BIIGC/BIC), these bodies already meet regularly, and the Prime Minister attended in 2022; the Government is committed to utilising Strand Three to its full potential. For Strand Two (NSMC/implementation bodies), we are committed to upholding all strands, but any review of Strand Two should be led by ministers in Northern Ireland and Ireland. The Government recognises the interest in a Citizen’s Assembly and civic engagement, and has listened to community views. It notes that the Northern Ireland Assembly and local councils are democratically chosen representative bodies. The Government welcomes the Committee’s recognition of the success of the 38th summit of the British-Irish Council in November 2022.