The bill will ensure politicians stick to their promises

The Independent Monitoring Commission Bill will set up a four-man body to ensure that ministers can be penalised if the rules of the Good Friday Agreement are breached and that politicians stick to their promises.

Secretary of State Paul Murphy has said it is a crucial element in London and Dublin's plan for restoring devolution, which was suspended last October amid allegations of IRA intelligence gathering in the Stormont government.

The bill was backed by 325 votes to seven.

It was opposed by the Democratic Unionist Party and some anti-Agreement Ulster Unionists, including Jeffrey Donaldson, who argue the bill permits external interference in Northern Ireland's internal affairs.

But MPs from both sides of the Commons on Wednesday accused ministers of "railroading" the bill through the House.

The plans, which were contained in the British-Irish joint declaration earlier this year, are designed to kick start the political process and build confidence in power-sharing.

Under the old system such measures required cross-community support.

The new proposals would give powers to the secretary of state to expel ministers if the monitoring body produced an unfavourable report.

PROPOSED MEMBERS Richard Kerr - ex-CIA deputy director John Grieve - former anti-terrorist squad chief Lord Alderdice - Stormont Speaker Joe Brosnan - retired Irish civil servant Unionists urged to accept body

Mr Murphy told the Commons that a compressed timetable for the passage of the bill was necessary in the interests of political advance.

He said: "We very much hope that it will be possible for elections and a restoration of devolved government to take place as soon as possible and the passage of this bill will help to maximise the chances of that progress in the near future."

Democratic Unionist Party leader Ian Paisley attacked the timetabling of the bill saying the people of Northern Ireland were being treated "in a disgraceful manner".

"This legislation proposes to allow another sovereign state to have an unprecedented say in the internal affairs of the Northern Ireland Assembly."

Nationalists object to handing powers to secretary of state

Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble said in broad terms his party backed the bill.

Mr Trimble said that the legislation would have no impact until the devolved institutions were restored.

He questioned what would happen if there were not sufficient "acts of completion" for that to take place.

Mr Trimble added: "There is a danger here of deferral - the government ought to know that it can't and it ought not let that deferral occur."

The SDLP's Seamus Mallon said he was in favour of sanctions, adding: "I saw how difficult it was to sit in a situation where the very basic rules of politics were flouted before your eyes on a daily basis."

But he said the legislation was "a contrivance" designed to bridge a political inability to make the Assembly make decisions.

Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams has said his party will not co-operate with the new body, as it gives powers to the secretary of state which he did not have under the Agreement.

Scrutiny

On Monday, the bill was passed at committee stage in the Lords by 129 to 117.

The commission will report on the IRA and loyalist ceasefires every six months and scrutinise the government's programme of demilitarisation and complaints about political tactics which threaten the stability of the devolved institutions.

The four-member body will comprise of Richard Kerr, a former deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Commander John Grieve, former head of the Metropolitan Police's anti-terrorist squad, Stormont Speaker Lord Alderdice and retired Irish civil servant Joe Brosnan.

However, only the British Government's nominees - Lord Alderdice and John Grieve - will examine how devolved ministers and Northern Ireland parties are honouring their commitments under the Good Friday Agreement.

The commission arose out of discussions on the joint declaration earlier this year involving London and Dublin and the political parties.