HC Deb 16 December 2002 vol 396 c547W
Mr. Dodds

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what criteria were applied when assessing which Northern Ireland legislation would be brought forward by means of Order in Council. [86622]

Mr. Paul Murphy

My main concerns are to ensure that the people of Northern Ireland are not disadvantaged by the suspension of the devolved institutions and that the good work on legislation started by the Executive and the Assembly is not wasted. If the institutions are not restored in the interim, my ministerial colleagues and I will do our utmost to deliver the bulk of the Executive's legislative programme at Westminster in a timeframe as close as possible to that envisaged by the Assembly.