Briefing note on the Northern Ireland (Ministers, Elections and Petitions of Concern) Bill: The Petition of Concern and Stormont’s’ other safeguards and vetoes
Published:
June 22, 2021
Policy Area(s):Democratic Governance
Keywords:Peace Process
This briefing note was prepared for the Second Reading of the Northern Ireland (Ministers, Elections and Petitions of Concern) Bill in the UK House of Commons. The bill deals with the Petition of Concern and a range of other assorted procedural issues related to devolution.
Our briefing welcomes any move to seek to return the Petition of Concern to its intended purpose, but we are also conscious the same problems that have led to the current legislation can simply manifest themselves through alternative veto mechanisms.
We would therefore urge MPs to also examine changes regarding the ‘St Andrews veto’ and the procedures for NI Executive Agenda items in the context of the present bill.
Read the full briefing here.