When Northern Ireland legislation was going through the Lords in February and March, Alistair Lexden—in conjunction with his Ulster Unionist colleague and friend, Lord Empey—put forward the case for strengthening the devolved power-sharing Assembly in the Province by making provision for the creation of a formal Opposition within it, which does not exist at the moment.
In a speech in Northern Ireland on April 16, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Theresa Villiers, said: “I would like to thank my colleagues Lord Empey and Lord Lexden for using the House of Lords debates on the Northern Ireland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act to move this issue forward in a significant way”. It is hoped that progress will be made in the Northern Ireland Assembly in due course.