For the best part of two years, public services in Northern Ireland have been under the control of civil servants. No elected politicians have been available to direct their work since the collapse of the Northern Ireland Executive in January 2017.
New Northern Ireland legislation was debated in the House of Lords on 30 October. Among other things, it extends the period in which talks involving the Northern Ireland parties can take place to permit yet another attempt to reach agreement on the re-establishment of devolved government.
Even if the talks succeed—and there are no grounds at present for great optimism—civil service rule in the Province will remain for months to come. In his speech in the debate on 30 October, Alistair Lexden repeated his long-held view that improvements should be made to the existing, highly unsatisfactory arrangements in Northern Ireland while the prolonged quest for the restoration of devolution continues its weary course.
Follow the link to read his speech… theyworkforyou