All-party agreement will test Secretary of State's sincerity

4.36.38pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 27th Jun 2006

Alliance Chief Whip Kieran McCarthy

Alliance Chief Whip Kieran McCarthy has said that all-party Agreement on today's Business Committee to discuss the Review of Public Administration among those prepared to participate in Assembly debates must mean that the debate goes ahead - or the Secretary of State's lack of sincerity with the current process will be exposed.

The Strangford MLA stated: "Of all the parties which bothered to turn up at today's 'Business Committee' meeting and are prepared to participate in Assembly debates, we have all-party Agreement on the business for next week

• a single debate on the Review of Public Administration.

"The Secretary of State simply cannot argue there is not 'sufficient consensus'!

"We want to test whether the Government is serious about listening to the representatives of the people of Northern Ireland on the issues that count, or whether it is just playing games while committing to a two-party carve-up which will have no long-term viability.

"We want the people's voice on how Northern Ireland should be governed at all levels to be heard and listened to. The Secretary of State must allow us to do that if he is serious about an inclusive process."

ENDS