Mr. William O'BrienTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will amend the draft Ports (Northern Ireland) Order 1993 so as to make the exercise of the proposed powers to privatise ports in Northern Ireland compulsorily subject to the affirmative parliamentary procedure.
§ Mr. AtkinsThis issue has been raised in a number of the representations received during the consultation period on the draft Ports (Northern Ireland) Order 1993. The responses have been extremely wide-ranging and I am considering them in detail before taking any decisions on the way forward.