§ Mr. Proctorasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he has given any further consideration to the re-establishment of, and devolution of power to, an effective system of local government in Northern Ireland in line with that which exists in the rest of the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. PriorIt remains the Government's view that a system of devolved government drawing substantial support from both sides of the community offers the best hope of long-term stability in Northern Ireland. The Government do not believe that an augmented local government system would produce durable political arrangements in the Province.