APPENDIX 39
Memorandum by the Northern Ireland Office
For many years, it has been the practice of the Northern
Ireland Office and its satellite organisations to consult widely
on matters of public policy and service delivery; the sensitivities
of Northern Ireland politics and society have made that approach
a real necessity. The guidance contained in the Cabinet Office's
booklet "How to conduct consultative exercises"; was,
therefore, readily adopted throughout the Department. By way of
example, I am enclosing three notes giving details of consultation
exercises carried out in the past three years, namely:
— the preparation of the report of
the Review of the Criminal Justice System in Northern Ireland,
a key requirement of the Good Friday Agreement, which was published
just recently, and on which we are consulting at present (see
Annex A);
— the steps taken to involve the public
in the development of the "Drug Strategy for Northern Ireland
(1998)" along with the lessons learnt from that process (see
Annex B); and
— the efforts the Compensation Agency
for Northern Ireland puts into ensuring its services are geared
to its claimants and their legal representatives' needs (see Annex
C).
These three exercises will provide the Committee
with a good insight into our approach to public consultation on
matters with political, operational and service delivery dimensions
respectively. I know that the consultation exercises carried out
in respect of the reports on the Independent Commission on Policing
in Northern Ireland (Patten Report—September 1999), another
key element of the Good Friday Agreement, and the Review of the
Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme for Northern Ireland (June
1999) were no less rigorous and extensive.
I hope this information is helpful. Please do
not hesitate to contact my office if you require further information.
Peter Mandelson
Secretary of State
20 April 2000
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