Submission to the AERC’s Review into Assembly and Executive Reform

The Centre for Cross Border Cooperation has responded to the call for evidence issued by the Northern Ireland Assembly Executive Reform Committee (AERC) on its review into Assembly and Executive Reform.

The Centre is strongly of the view that the interdependence of the institutions created under all three strands of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement must be carefully considered when proposals for changes in Strand One are being developed.

Moreover, in order for them to be sustainable, any proposed changes must have cross-party support as well as the support of the co-guarantors of the 1998 Agreement.

When the Assembly and Executive have collapsed over the past 25 years their absence has been shown to have a detrimental impact on the Strand Two institutions, with meetings of the North South Ministerial Council (NSMC) being suspended. Despite the challenges presented by the absence of NSMC meetings, the North South Implementation Bodies have an unbroken record of working alongside the North South Ministerial Council Joint Secretariat and officials from their sponsor departments to deliver on priorities agreed by Ministers at the NSMC prior to the periodic suspensions of the Strand One institutions. There have, however, been practical impacts on the Bodies when Northern Ireland Executive Ministers have been unavailable to approve crucial operational matters due to the Executive and Assembly being absent, whilst these periods have also left the Bodies without new policy direction.

The submission was authored by Dr Anthony Soares (Director) and Aidan Campbell (Research Programme Development Manager).

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