Changes to NI law-making proposed

Lord Rooker said changes may be made to law-making

The way Northern Ireland laws are made at Westminster will be changed if devolution is not restored by 24 November, the government has said.

Lord Rooker said on Wednesday Orders in Council, which cannot be amended in detail, were "very unsatisfactory".

He said the government would introduce a system allowing orders to be amended in the light of views endorsed in the Commons and the Lords.

The move was welcomed by the former Ulster Unionist leader, Lord Trimble.

Concentrate

He said his party had been lobbying for the change "for the past 30 years".

Alliance Party leader, David Ford said the government should concentrate on getting the assembly up and running again, "instead of focussing on modifying direct rule".

"Reforming Westminster procedure is a positive step, but the government must focus on the work done by the Preparation for Government Committee," he said.