Northern Ireland Office

The Secretary of State, Paul Murphy has today paid tribute to  who is stepping down as Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly due to his commitments as a member of the Independent Monitoring Commission.

In a letter to Lord Alderdice Paul Murphy commends him for his distinguished service to the Northern Ireland Assembly and for the skill and commitment he and other members are already bringing to the important role of the IMC. A copy of the text of the letter sent to Lord Alderdice from the Secretary of State is below.

TEXT OF LETTER TO LORD ALDERDICE FROM PAUL MURPHY

Thank you for your letter of this morning, indicating that you intended to step down from your post in the Assembly at the end of February, as the Independent Monitoring Commission, of which you are a member, prepares for its first publication.

I do of course fully understand the reasons that lead you to take this step now, and so bring an end to the very distinguished service that you have given to the Northern Ireland Assembly. That the Assembly was established so soundly, and that it operated with so great a measure of co-operation among all the parties, even when emotions ran high, owes, I believe, an enormous amount to your leadership. The calm authority with which you managed the most difficult debates was very widely admired, not only by those present, but many others who watched the proceedings from outside.

You have left a legacy of great value to the Assembly, and, like you, I hope that it can once again be drawn on as the Assembly resumes its functions, in the context of stable devolved government in a Northern Ireland entirely free from paramilitary activity.

You will in your new role, of course, have a contribution of great importance to make to securing that objective. I am very grateful for the skill and commitment that you and your colleagues are already bringing to the establishment of the Commission.