Clause 31 - Director of Public Prosecutions
Justice (Northern Ireland) Bill
12:15 pm
Mr Des Browne (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Northern Ireland Office; Kilmarnock and Loudoun, Labour)
With respect, I have no doubt that any aspect of any provision in any statute that allowed discretion would result in accusations being made about how the discretion was exercised. The responsibility on us as parliamentarians, and on me as a Minister, is to create a structure in which people are properly accountable for the exercise of the powers that they are given. The Bill should allow a proper line of accountability between the Attorney-General and the Assembly.
I firmly believe that, in the very remote likelihood that an Attorney-General would have a motive that could lead him to behave in the way suggested by the hon. Gentleman, the processes of parliamentary accountability would ensure that such a person would desist. In any event, I cannot imagine circumstances in which the Attorney-General would behave in that fashion.
Let me reinforce one aspect of the clause. I repeat that subsection (11) ensures that the director is directly accountable to the Northern Ireland Assembly for financial and administrative matters only. I also repeat that the Attorney-General will be accountable also for policy to the Northern Ireland Assembly.