NI Assembly in the 'lower divisions'

By Mark Simpson BBC NI political correspondent

I travelled to Scotland to see how devolution there compared with the Stormont Assembly.

It was like suddenly arriving in the Premier League after many years spent in the lower divisions.

The quality of debate at question time at the Scottish Parliament was way above what happens at Stormont.

Everything seemed to be sharper - the questions, the answers and, surprisingly, the tongues.

Presiding Officer Sir David Steel

What is more, there was a real atmosphere in the chamber as tables were thumped, papers were waved and fingers were pointed.

The presiding officer, Sir David Steel (Liberal Democrat), showed just how liberal he really was by allowing the parliamentary antics to continue.

It all added to the intensity of the debate. When ministers could not be heard, Sir David clamped down on the hecklers, but he was not afraid to allow lively exchanges to take place.

Of course, a noisy debate does not necessarily mean a high quality debate. But on this occasion, there were some worthwhile points being made amid all the theatrics.

'Healthy debate'

The main clash was between First Minister Jack McConnell and SNP leader John Swinney.

They had a healthy debate, in more ways than one, about hospital waiting lists.

Also on the agenda was the state of the civil service, and, on a lighter note, whether Scots should support England in the World Cup.

More than 200 people were watching from the public gallery. One woman turned to her friend afterwards and said: "That was thrilling!"

Perhaps, the word "thrilling" is going a little too far.

Nonetheless, it was certainly better than the average question time at Stormont. Food for thought then for Northern Ireland's First and Deputy First Ministers, David Trimble and Mark Durkan, who just happened to be there last Thursday too.

Mark Durkan was impressed with Question Time

The absence of an official opposition at Stormont means that assembly debates tend to be less confrontational, and less of a political event.

There is not the same level of public interest in Question Time. At this week's session, just 13 people turned up to watch.

Scotland has a higher level of devolution compared to Northern Ireland, with ministers having the power to raise taxes as well as control the legal system and the police.

Extra powers could be in the pipeline for Stormont in the coming years, so the two prominent Northern Ireland visitors came to listen and learn.

Overall impressions of the Scottish experience were positive. Mr Trimble said it had been useful to find out how they had dealt with their review of local authorities and quangos - something which will begin shortly at Stormont.

Mr Durkan was struck by a number of aspects of Scottish devolution, including question time, and hinted that changes could be made at Stormont to improve the amount of inter-action.

Secure future

One advantage that Stormont has over Edinburgh is its custom-built parliament building. The Scots have borrowed a chamber from the Church of Scotland while construction is completed on a new building - at a cost of almost £300m.

Naturally, security is tighter at Stormont and the average visitor does not have the same freedom which he or she has when at the Edinburgh parliament.

Speaking of security, the biggest point which Scotland has in its favour is its secure future.

The 129 MSPs (Members of the Scottish Parliament) do not need to worry about devolution collapsing any minute over issues like decommissioning, paramilitary targeting or street violence.

The lack of stability at Stormont is perhaps the main reason why devolution in Northern Ireland has yet to fulfil its potential.

The problems of the past have often dominated the agenda, rather than the opportunities for the future.

In Scotland, as in Northern Ireland, devolution has had its teething problems too, with resignations, disputes over salaries and inter-party rivalry.

Another thing that MSPs and MLAs have in common is that they both face elections in May next year.

In Scotland, the big question will be - can the Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition survive?

In Northern Ireland, the question will simply be - can devolution survive?