§ Mr. Robert McCartneyTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which delegates to the forum have submitted their resignations to him and which have had their names submitted for removal by their party's nominating representatives; and which nominating representatives he has changed and for what reasons. [7187]
§ Mr. AncramThirteen members of the forum have written to my right hon. and learned Friend purporting to tender their resignation from the forum. They are the hon. Member for South Down (Mr. McGrady), Ms Brid Rodgers, Mr. Patsy McGlone, Mr. Hugh Carr, Mr. Mark Durkan, Mr. Donovan McClelland, Mr. Tommy Gallagher, Mr. Frank Feely, Mr. Arthur Doherty, Mr. Alisdair McDonnell, Mr. Alban Maginness, Ms Dorita Field and Mr. Sean Farren.
No delegates have had their names submitted for removal by their party's nominating representative.
Since the talks started to Secretary of State has made one change concerning nominating representatives. Following a number of representations he concluded that Councillor Mark Langhammer, who was originally designated as the nominating representative of Labour had ceased to be
the Leader … or otherwise the most appropriate person to act on behalf of Labour",the statutory criterion for the post of nominating representative. The Secretary of State also concluded that that criterion was met by Mr. Malachi Curran. Notice that Mr. Curran was nominating representative of Labour appeared in the Belfast Gazette of 16 August.