Öpik calls for creation of “department of the nations”

By | Wed 23rd May 2007 - 11:00 am

Party press release:

The Liberal Democrats today called for the Department of Communities and Local Government to be merged with the Welsh, Scottish and Northern Ireland offices into a single government department.

The call comes following the successful reinstatement of devolution to Northern Ireland. The move could save taxpayers millions of pounds.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Wales and Northern Ireland Secretary, Lembit Öpik MP said:

“With devolution now successfully up and running in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, there is absolutely no need to keep wasting taxpayers’ money running four separate departments in London.

“The Government should now recognise that the devolved Parliament in Scotland and the Assemblies in Northern Ireland and Wales are here to stay by abolishing the separate departments in Whitehall.”

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4 Comments

  • Liam 23rd May '07 - 11:35am

    Aaah, good idea but then parts of this new department would overlap with the governance/electoral affairs of the Justice Ministry, and with this Government already famed for riding roughshod over matters democratic I can quite easily forsee electoral affairs being buried in some massive department like this sending out vote process altering SIs without much chance of scrutiny.

  • IanP 23rd May '07 - 2:02pm

    Rob,

    Hate to say it but it sounds rather Germanic.

  • Dom 23rd May '07 - 4:42pm

    Brilliant idea.

  • dreamingspire 23rd May '07 - 8:59pm

    Expand it to cover the whole of the EU, because we want to order them around as well (aah! – maybe only ’til end June). That could help with engaging with young persons of delightful disposition from eastern Europe.

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