Northern Ireland (Executive Formation etc) Bill

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 2:41 pm on 29 November 2022.

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Photo of Chris Heaton-Harris Chris Heaton-Harris The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 2:41, 29 November 2022

I thank the hon. Gentleman for his intervention and for his message to me on the subject earlier. I completely understand the point he makes, but I am hopeful that we can do the work that needs to be done within the timeframe that we are setting down now.

Returning to the Bill, the second main thing it does is to clarify the decisions that civil servants in Northern Ireland Departments can take in the absence of Northern Ireland Ministers, so that decisions in crucial areas such as public sector spending and the maintenance of public services can continue to be taken in the absence of an Executive.