Justice and Security (Northern Ireland) Bill

Deadlock is the notion that comes more readily to my mind in those issues, but, again, who knows what the future will hold? The Deputy First Minister might well be the hon. Member for Foyle rather than his counterpart in Mid-Ulster. He is certainly making a fist of it. The Ulster Unionist party has tried to position itself in relation to the DUP, looking to the left and to the right wondering which way to go, and has dithered, doddled and fallen as a result. The hon. Gentleman has looked at his party’s position in relation to Sinn Fein and decided that he wants to be more extreme than Sinn Fein. It is a hard act to follow, but he is attempting to do it. Who knows what will happen within the nationalist community, what the elections will show in that regard, and the implications not just for this legislation, but for the Assembly itself? I want to turn to the triple lock, where some of the confusion seems to arise. The DUP negotiated the triple lock mechanism some years ago, and it is a sensible piece of legislation. It ensures that the First Minister must approve the devolution of powers before the matter gets to the Assembly, that the Assembly must approve the devolution of powers by a majority of both designations, and that this House must approve the devolution of powers. The Minister has made it abundantly clear that there will be no devolution of policing and justice unless the Assembly asks for the powers to be devolved.