Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Governance

Wednesday 8 February 2023 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Government introduced the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation etc) Act to support governance in the absence of locally elected Ministers.
  • Northern Ireland Departments receive guidance to help them function effectively in the current governance vacuum.
  • The Secretary of State met with Dith and his family, acknowledging their position regarding organ donation legislation.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Stephen Farry
Northern Ireland Democracy & Elections
Context

The question arises from the lack of a functioning devolved government in Northern Ireland, leading to uncertainty about how public services are managed.

Question

What steps the Government are taking to help ensure good governance in Northern Ireland?

Answer from Chris Heaton-Harris

Northern Ireland is best governed through locally elected and accountable Ministers operating in the devolved institutions. In their absence, we introduced the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation etc) Act and published guidance to provide Northern Ireland Departments with the support that they need to make limited but necessary decisions to maintain the delivery of public services that operate in the public interest.

Answered
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Q2 Stephen Farry
NHS Northern Ireland
Context

The Organ and Tissue Donation (Deemed Consent) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 was not passed due to the absence of a functioning devolved government, affecting public health policy.

Question

Will the Secretary of State listen to voices across Northern Ireland MPs and other stakeholders urging him to act through Westminster to make the Organ and Tissue Donation (Deemed Consent) Act effective in Northern Ireland?

Answer from Chris Heaton-Harris

I was honoured to meet Dáithí and his family last week. I obviously understand the position in which the family find themselves. There is a piece of secondary legislation that should have been passed by the Northern Ireland Assembly. The easiest route for this to happen—the quickest route by which Dáithí can get the result he requires, through the passage of that secondary legislation—is via the Assembly coming back and passing it, but we are looking at all options. I have asked officials in my Department to see what we can do.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Secretary did not confirm specific actions or timelines for implementing the organ donation act through Westminster despite acknowledging ongoing discussions.

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