Confidential circular from Frederick H. Boland to all heads of missions
(except Holy See, Lisbon and London)
(221/150) (Confidential)

It is expected that the Second Reading debate on the Northern Ireland Bill - described as a bill to enlarge the legislative power of the Parliament of Northern Ireland - will shortly take place at Westminster.

Section 4 of the Government of Ireland Act 1920 provides that the Six Co. Parliament 'shall not have power to make laws except in respect of matters exclusively relating to the portion of Ireland within their jurisdiction', and expressly reserves to the British Government all treaty-making powers or relations with foreign States or with 'other parts of His Majesty's dominions'. Clauses 1 and 6 of the Northern Ireland Bill are designed to remove these limitations in so far as agreements for hydro-electric, drainage, transport, etc., schemes are concerned. The Bill is so drawn as to limit the agreement-making power to agreements with this part of Ireland. The other clauses relate to purely internal administration and are of no particular significance.

For your general guidance, our attitude towards the bill is briefly as follows. Any extension of the 1920 Act implying, as it must, the continuance of Partition is naturally extremely grievous to us. In existing conditions, however, in so far as the present bill limits the agreement-making power to agreements with this part of Ireland and to that extent recognises the natural economic and other unity of the country, it is all to the good.

200 British MPs, of whom the vast majority are members of the Labour Party, have tabled a motion declining to give the bill a second reading 'until such time as, in the opinion of the House, the Parliament of Northern Ireland so administers the Government of Ireland Act, 1920, as to provide democratic liberty and equality for the people of Northern Ireland'. You will see that the purpose of this motion is not to defeat the bill - it seems that there is no intention of pressing it to a division - but to draw attention to the undemocratic manner in which the Six Co. Authorities are using their present powers. From our point of view, the more publicity given to this question in the British House, the better.