OP 45-08/09
ORDER PAPER
MONDAY 23 MARCH 2009
The Assembly to sit at noon
1. PRAYERS
2. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE BUSINESS
- Motion - Legislative Consent Motion - Saving Gateway Accounts Bill
- Proposed: That this Assembly endorses the principle of the extension to Northern Ireland of provisions of the Saving Gateway Accounts Bill dealing with the disclosure of information contained in clause 18(2) of the Bill as introduced in the House of Commons, and agrees that the Saving Gateway accounts be made an excepted matter under the Northern Ireland Act 1998.
[Minister for Social Development]
3. COMMITTEE BUSINESS
- Motion - Standing Committee Membership
- Proposed: That Mr Pat Ramsey replace Mr Patsy McGlone as a member of the Business Committee.
[Mr PJ Bradley]
(a) - Motion - Amend Standing Order 9
- Proposed: In Standing Order 9, leave out paragraph (2) and insert -
‘(2) If, at any time, a quorum is not present and the Speaker’s attention is directed to that fact, he or she shall order the division bells to be rung. If at the expiration of five minutes a quorum is present, it shall not be in order to direct the attention of the Speaker to the absence of a quorum for a period of one hour from that time.
(3) If at the expiration of five minutes a quorum is not present, the Speaker shall, without question put, either -
(a) suspend the Assembly to a later time; or
(b) adjourn the Assembly until the next sitting day.
(4) Where the Assembly is suspended under paragraph (3), the outstanding business on the Order Paper for that day shall be, subject to any direction of the Speaker to the contrary, the first business when the Assembly resumes.
(5) Where the Assembly is adjourned under paragraph (3), the outstanding business on the Order Paper for that day shall be, subject to any direction of the Speaker to the contrary, the first business when the Assembly next sits.’
[Chairperson, Committee on Procedures]
(b) -Motion - Amend Standing Order 18
- Proposed: Leave out Standing Order 18 and insert -
'18. MINISTERIAL STATEMENTS
(1) Ministers shall make statements to the Assembly on matters relating to their official responsibilities, which may be either -
(a) oral Ministerial statements (see Standing Order 18A); or
(b) written Ministerial statements (see Standing Order 18B).
(2) A statement shall be oral unless the Minister considers it appropriate to make a written statement, having regard to, among other things, whether the statement relates to a matter of public importance and when the Assembly will next sit.
18A. ORAL MINISTERIAL STATEMENTS
(1) The Minister shall deliver the oral Ministerial statement in the Assembly.
(2) The Minister shall make a written copy of the statement available to members as early as possible and in any event at least 30 minutes before delivering the statement in the Assembly. Where this has not been possible he or she shall state to the Assembly the reason.
(3) The written copy, whether or not embargoed, shall not be given to members of the news media before it is made available to members.
(4) Notice of a statement shall be given to the Speaker not later than, 9.30am on the working day before the day, or in cases of urgency 2½ hours before, it is due to be made and the Speaker shall communicate such information to members as soon as is practicable.
(5) After a statement has been delivered in the Assembly a period of questions on the statement, which shall last no more than one hour, may then ensue. The Speaker shall determine the period taking into consideration the content of the statement, the number of members wishing to ask questions and the pressure of other business.
(6) Statements shall ordinarily be made outside the time bands specified in Standing Order 10(2) for questions and adjournment debates. However, where a statement is of urgent public importance it may impinge upon those bands. In such cases, the Speaker shall make arrangements for appropriate additional time to be scheduled under Standing Order 10 for questions and/or an adjournment debate unless, by leave, the Assembly determines to dispense with this requirement.
18B. WRITTEN MINISTERIAL STATEMENTS
(1) The written statement shall be delivered to the Speaker not later than 24 hours (or in cases of urgency 2 ½ hours) before it is -
(a) made public; or
(b) given, whether or not embargoed, to members of the news media;
whichever comes first.
(2) The statement shall be included in the Official Report (Hansard).'
[Chairperson, Committee on Procedures]
(c) - Motion - Amend Standing Order 26
- Proposed: In Standing Order 26, leave out paragraph (3) and insert –
‘(3) Subject to Standing Order 27, the Speaker shall judge whether the question be carried or not by collecting voices.’
[Chairperson, Committee on Procedures]
(d) - Motion - Amend Standing Order 26
- Proposed: In Standing Order 26, leave out paragraph (5).
[Chairperson, Committee on Procedures]
(e) - Motion - Amend Standing Order 27
- Proposed: Leave out Standing Order 27 and insert -
(1) The Speaker shall direct that the lobbies be cleared and the division bells sounded if -
(a) he or she is unsure whether or not a question is carried following the collection of voices under Standing Order 26; or
(b) his or her judgement as to whether a question is so carried is challenged.
(2) Three minutes after this direction, the Speaker shall put the question again, and if paragraph (1)(a) or (b) still applies, he or she shall proceed as set out below. Otherwise he or she shall judge whether the question be carried in accordance with Standing Order 26(3).
(3) If, in the Speaker's opinion, his or her judgement is unnecessarily challenged, he or she may take the vote of the Assembly by calling upon the members who support and who challenge his or her judgement successively to rise in their places and he or she shall thereupon, as he or she thinks fit, declare the determination of the Assembly without proceeding as set out below.
(4) The Speaker shall call for the nomination of two tellers for each side of the question but, if within a reasonable time after this call -
(a) two tellers for one side but not the other have been nominated, the determination of the Assembly shall be that of the side which has nominated the two tellers;
(b) two tellers for each side have not been nominated, the question shall not be carried.
(5) After tellers have been nominated, the Speaker shall direct the Assembly to divide, “ayes” to the right and “noes” to the left, and that the division bells be again sounded.
(6) Four minutes after this direction, the Speaker shall direct that the doors from the corridors to the Chamber and lobbies are secured.
(7) When all members in the lobbies have voted, the tellers shall bring the division lists to the table clerks who will announce the result.
(8) A member may vote in a division although he or she did not hear the question put.
(9) A member shall not be obliged to vote.
(10) If the votes in a division are equal the question shall not be carried.
(11) If any member is present within the precincts of the Assembly and is disabled by infirmity from passing through a lobby, his or her name may be communicated by his or her party whip to the lobby clerks and tellers and may be included in the numbers counted.'
[Chairperson, Committee on Procedures]
(f) - Motion - Amend Standing Order 80
- Proposed: In Standing Order 80(2), line 8, after ‘and answers’ insert ‘and written Ministerial statements’
[Chairperson, Committee on Procedures]
4. QUESTION TIME
- 4.1 Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister
- 4.2 Environment
- 4.3 Finance and Personnel
5. PRIVATE MEMBERS’ BUSINESS
- Motion - Voting Registration Process
- Proposed: That this Assembly notes with concern the difficulties that many people, particularly young people, are experiencing when trying to register to vote; further notes that the Chief Electoral Officer has decided to seek additional information in all cases, despite the fact that all applicants submit personal identifiers and sign a declaration; and calls on the Secretary of State and the Electoral Office to simplify the registration process as a matter of urgency.
[Mr D McKay]
[Mr P Doherty]