Justice and Security (Northern Ireland) Bill

I have some sympathy with Amendments Nos. 14, 15 and 18, because they are an ingenious way to try to resolve the issue of judicial involvement in the process of deciding on the mode of trial. However, it seems that the noble Lord is taking a sledgehammer to crack a nut. A much simpler approach would be either to ensure that there is judicial involvement in the first place, as we suggested in our Amendment No. 13, or to fully preserve the right to judicial review by getting rid of Clause 7 altogether. Although Amendment No. 16 is obviously welcome in that it extends the grounds for appeal, we would still prefer Clause 7 to be removed altogether.