Former aide says Northern Ireland institutions need faster decisions

A former senior civil servant in Northern Ireland said she fears for the functioning of the Stormont institutions and called for faster decisions on regional matters. She said people in Northern Ireland deserve action and decisions that have sometimes been delayed by bureaucracy inside the power-sharing bodies.

She left Northern Ireland after being passed over for the top civil-service post in 2020.

Proposals for local leadership The former civil servant said Northern Ireland should create metro mayors similar to those in England, giving them more authority to make regional decisions. She suggested at least two such posts, one in Belfast and one in Londonderry.

She spoke at a panel event organized by the Social Democratic and Labour Party that examined constitutional change and marked the tenth anniversary of Brexit.

Comments on policing and devolution An Irish justice minister said he would have no issue with the Police Service of Northern Ireland continuing to operate if voters chose Irish unification. He said retaining two police forces on the island could bring benefits.

The minister added that a unity referendum could occur before the end of the decade if political structures in Great Britain changed. He cited the possibility of a government that might leave the European Convention on Human Rights and end Northern Ireland's current status.

A former first minister of Wales also spoke at the event and said he hoped a future prime minister would abolish the posts of secretaries of state for Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, describing them as territorial roles.