§ 9. Mr. TrimbleTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to improve the democratic accountability of the Northern Ireland Office. [9634]
§ Sir Patrick MayhewOur overall objective is, as part of a three-stranded process, to establish locally accountable political arrangements in Northern Ireland, on a widely accepted basis.
Until there is agreement on such arrangements and they are in place, I want to improve the democratic accountability of the Northern Ireland Office and the Northern Ireland Departments. I need therefore to consult the Northern Ireland parties which I shall shortly do. The remit of the Northern Ireland Grand Committee is, for example, an area with a promising potential.