OP 60-08/09

ORDER PAPER

TUESDAY 2 JUNE 2009

The Assembly to sit at 10.30 am

1. PRAYERS

2. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE BUSINESS

- Motion - Social Security (Incapacity Benefit) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2009

- Proposed: That the Social Security (Incapacity Benefit) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2009 be approved.

[Minister for Social Development]

3. COMMITTEE BUSINESS

(a) - Motion - Amend Standing Order 10(2) (a)

- Proposed: In Standing Order 10(2), leave out sub-paragraph (a) and insert -

'(a) there shall be a period for questions as set out in Standing Orders 20 and 20A;'

[Chairperson, Committee on Procedures]

(b) - Motion - Amend Standing Order 10(2) (c)

- Proposed: In Standing Order 10(2), leave out sub-paragraph (c).

[Chairperson, Committee on Procedures]

- Proposed: Leave out Standing Orders 19 and 20 and insert -

‘19. QUESTIONS

(1) A member may ask questions of –

(a) a Minister, on matters relating to the Minister's official responsibilities;

(b) a member representing the Assembly Commission, on matters relating to the Commission's official responsibilities.

(2) A question should not contain –

(a) statements of facts or names of persons, unless they are necessary to make the question intelligible and can be authenticated;

(b) arguments, inferences or imputations;

(c) adjectives, unless they are necessary to make the question intelligible;

(d) ironical expressions;

(e) hypothetical matter; or

(f) requests for expressions of opinion, legal or otherwise.

(3) A question may be –

(a) for oral answer (see Standing Order 20);

(b) for urgent oral answer (see Standing Order 20A); or

(c) for written answer (see Standing Order 20B).

(4) A question must –

(a) be in writing;

(b) indicate the type of answer sought, within the meaning of paragraph (3);

(c) be submitted to the Business Office by the member, or by the person authorised in writing by the member;

(d) be submitted by hand, by post, by email or by fax.

(5) A question must be answered as clearly and as fully as possible.

20. QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER

(1) Questions for oral answer for Ministers shall be taken between –

(a) 2.30 pm and 3.30 pm on those Mondays; and

(b) 3.00 pm and 3.30 pm on those Tuesdays;

on which the Assembly is sitting. Where questions for members representing the Assembly Commission are to be taken, they shall be taken after questions for Ministers.

(2) If for any reason the Assembly does not sit on a day when questions for oral answer would normally be taken, the Speaker may allocate additional time for questions on the nearest day when the Assembly does sit.

(3) The Speaker shall from time to time consult the Business Committee on the need to provide additional time for questions.

(4) A rota, agreed by the Business Committee, shall determine who should answer questions on a particular day.

(5) A member who wishes to ask a question of a Minister at a particular sitting shall submit his or her name in advance to the Speaker who shall select 15 members by ballot.

(6) Each member selected shall submit his or her question to the Business Office, and the Business Office shall publish the questions on the penultimate Friday before the day they are due to be taken.

(7) The Speaker shall determine, by means of a random selection, the order in which questions are taken. However, the first question may not be from a member of the same party as the Minister to whom it is addressed, unless all the questions are from members of that party.

(8) Answers may not be debated, but the member asking the question may ask a supplementary question. Further supplementary questions may be asked at the discretion of the Speaker.

(9) Where –

(a) the member who submitted the question is not present to ask it; or

(b) the question is not reached in the time allocated for questions;

the Minister or member representing the Assembly Commission to whom the question is addressed shall give a written answer. This question and answer shall be published in the Official Report (Hansard).

(10) No question shall be taken outside the time allocated for questions except a question which has not been answered in consequence of the absence, in exceptional circumstances, of the Minister or member representing the Assembly Commission to whom it is addressed.

(11) Where a question or supplementary question is asked of the First Minister and deputy First Minister which relates to a matter in respect of which the junior Ministers in the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister have been assigned a specific responsibility by the First Minister and deputy First Minister, the First Minister or deputy First Minister, as appropriate, may call upon a junior Minister in OFMDFM to answer the question. The First Minister or deputy First Minister shall be present in the Chamber during the time for questions for oral answer.

20A. QUESTIONS FOR URGENT ORAL ANSWER

(1) A question for urgent oral answer may be taken if, in the opinion of the Speaker, it is of an urgent nature and relates to a matter of public importance.

(2) A member may ask a question on the day it is submitted if -

(a) it is submitted before 10.30 am; and

(b) the Minister or member representing the Assembly Commission to whom it is addressed is given a minimum of four hours’ notice.

(3) Subject to paragraph (2)(b), the time for taking questions shall be at the discretion of the Speaker.

(4) Paragraphs (8) and (11) of Standing Order 20 shall apply to questions for urgent oral answer as they apply to questions for oral answer.

20B. QUESTIONS FOR WRITTEN ANSWER

(1) A member may submit up to five questions for written answer each working day, one of which may be for priority answer.

(2) Priority questions shall indicate whether an answer is sought within two, three, four or five working days.

(3) The Business Office shall publish all written questions.

(4) The Minister or member representing the Assembly Commission to whom a question is addressed shall answer it –

(a) by the end of ten clear working days after it is published; or

(b) in the case of a question for priority answer, by the end of two, three, four or five clear working days (as the case may be) after it is published.

(5) A question for priority answer should not request a large amount of historical or statistical information.

(6) The Minister or member representing the Assembly Commission to whom a written question is addressed shall cause the question and answer to be printed in the Official Report (Hansard).’

[Chairperson, Committee on Procedures]

4. PRIVATE MEMBERS’ BUSINESS

- Motion - Royal Mail

- Proposed: That this Assembly notes the proposals by the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform who plans a ‘joint venture’ between a foreign private operator and Royal Mail; objects to this proposal as it would not guarantee the necessary investment into the U.K. postal industry; and supports the Communication Workers Union campaign to ‘Keep the Post Public’.

[Mr A McQuillan]
[Lord Browne]
[Mr J Shannon]
[Mr G Robinson]

- Motion - Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority

- Proposed: That this Assembly calls on the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to review the powers available to the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA); and asks if the RQIA is using these powers effectively.

[Mr D McKay]
[Mrs M O’Neill]
[Mr J O’Dowd]

5. ADJOURNMENT

Environmental damage caused by gold mining operations at Cavanacaw, Omagh.

[Mr B McElduff]