No comment from Dublin on internal NI role - as Doug Beattie accuses Alliance of trying to 'pick apart' the Belfast Agreement

Earlier, the Alliance Party told the News Letter that Dublin had a “legitimate” role in issues such how first ministers are elected.

The row follows a report by the NI Affairs Committee said recommended changes to the operation of Stormont should happen in “close consultation” with the Irish government.

“I’m really sick of people trying to pick apart the Belfast / Good Friday Agreement. They do so at the detriment of the whole agreement. Because every time you change something or you do something – it will have an effect elsewhere", Mr Beattie told the BBC Nolan Show.

He added: “It's quite clear that Strand One decisions need to be made with the UK government and the Northern Irish elected individuals. That’s quite clear. If you look at what the Irish department for foreign affairs says – they make that also very clear – that any decisions involving Strand One are for the British government and for those elected representatives to make those decisions. And that would of course include the Northern Ireland Office. So I think we need to stick with that. I think it’s a dangerous precedent to try to pick it apart and undermine the Belfast / Good Friday Agreement in this manner.”

The Upper Bann MLA said consultation with the Irish government on strand one issues is still input – whether direct or indirect. “You’ve got strand two and three – and they should absolutely be involved in that. But strand one is quite clear – it’s the internal workings here in Northern Ireland. That’s for the UK government, our sovereign government and for those elected representatives here in NI. So lets not pick it apart just because we know we need reform.”

Asked by Stephen Nolan whether the changing of first minister titles is an internal Northern Ireland affair or not, the Alliance Deputy Leader Stephen Farry said: “The Irish government need to have a say over how we determine the formation of an Executive. Because if you don’t have an Executive – we don’t have strand two, we don’t have a fully functioning strand three”.

Mr Farry also said: “Strand One doesn’t stand in a bubble. Strand One is linked to Strand Two and Strand Three – so whenever Strand One is down the rest of the Good Friday Agreement isn’t functioning properly.” He added: "Consultation is not the same as permission . Obviously legislation has to be taken through Westminster so in terms of the actual decision making around this, that’s a matter for the UK government. But the Irish government are a factor in this – we can’t put our head in the sand”.

The North Down MP told the BBC that: "The Irish government do have a role. A consultative role in particular around strand one. But they have a wider role as co-guarantor of the Agreement as a whole”.

Asked by Mr Nolan what ‘close consultation’ would look like, Mr Farry said “What we would like to see is a review. A comprehensive review of the agreement put in place – involving both the UK and Irish governments.”

Mr Farry argued that any review process should be driven by both governments. He said: “And ideally we would like to see an independent chair brought in to convene that review process”. He said that even if an Assembly or Executive returned in the next few weeks, the danger of collapse still existed, so “we have to get this sorted to avoid another crisis”.