Northern Ireland Assembly Election - Statement

Part of the debate – in the House of Lords at 4:22 pm on 17 January 2017.

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Photo of Lord Empey Lord Empey UUP 4:22, 17 January 2017

My Lords, the Minister will be aware that the Assembly has not agreed a budget for next year, and organisations that rely on government aid are sending out redundancy notices. Can he also clarify one point? I accept that he does not wish to contemplate failure or direct rule. However, there are only 14 days from the time the Assembly meets to the time there is another election call. In those circumstances, will he now take the opportunity clearly and unequivocally to rule out any prospect of any form of joint authority as a long-term solution should a failure occur after this election?