Clause 2 - Board's policing objectives
Police (Northern Ireland) Bill [Lords]
10:45 am
I hoped for a moment that the hon. Gentleman was asking a rhetorical question—but he makes a valid point. In the immortal words of a former leader of his party, we are not the same as Finchley. What is happening to policing in Northern Ireland is not the same as what is happening in England and Wales, for one reason: there has been broad agreement that responsibility for policing and justice will, in effect, be devolved at some point to the new Administration in Northern Ireland. As a result, it is almost inevitable that legislation will be written with one eye on that eventuality. That is why Northern Ireland is different, and why it is necessary to ensure that the board has the status to make decisions that reflect the needs of Northern Ireland, rather than insisting on the technicalities that the hon. Gentleman mentions concerning the relationship between the Secretary of State and the Policing Board.