Professor Jonathan Tonge:

Yes. That is an excellent point about a citizens' assembly. Provision is made for the use of a citizens' assembly. I confess that initially I was cynical about deliberative democracy and citizens' assemblies but then I saw how well they have worked in your own jurisdiction in resolving very tricky problems indeed. I am a convert and I bring that zeal of the convert to the idea. There is provision within the New Decade, New Approach agreement for at least one item per year to be resolved via a citizens' assembly. I stand open to correction, but I believe it is up to the First Minister and the deputy First Minister to choose which topic could be put out to a citizens' assembly. I very much hope to see that implemented because it is there within the devolution restoration deal. It really ought to be implemented, and I hope it does not fall by the wayside.

On the extra powers, one of the problems with the regulatory collapse is that the assembly has been collapsed for 38% of the time since 2 December 1999. Amidst its good periods, there have, as we know, been really bad periods. One of the products of this is that the assembly has not acquired any significant new powers with the big exception - and I do not underestimate the importance of it - in 2010 of the devolution of policing and justice. Given the troubled history of the North, it was a phenomenal achievement to acquire those powers. The assembly has not acquired powers of any real significance beyond that. In the context of direct legislative powers, it has actually been overtaken by what was previously the national assembly for Wales and is not the Senedd. Until the Northern Ireland Assembly gets that stability from a prolonged period of sustained devolved government, it is not going to be given substantial new powers. It cannot be given that. It is a question of the sequencing. Longer term, however, it makes perfect sense to devolve more powers to the assembly.