Northern Ireland (St Andrews Agreement) Bill

The hon. Gentleman raises an important point. We do not want gridlock in the Assembly; we want effective decision making. Any ministerial decision now, as the Government can testify, can be subject to judicial review and scrutiny by the court. I faced that as Minister with responsibility for finance and the Under-Secretary of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Inverclyde (David Cairns), has succeeded in winning a case of possible judicial review this very day. It can happen in all areas. The simple fact is that, as we have seen in the House today, we need a ministerial code to regulate relationships between the different parties. I commend the Bill to the House, and I urge my hon. Friend the Member for Foyle to withdraw his amendment.