COMMITTEE ON PROCEDURES
Minutes of Proceedings
Tuesday, 6th October 2009
Room 144, PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS
Present:
Lord Morrow (Chairperson)
Mr Mervyn Storey (Deputy Chairperson)
Mr Mickey Brady
Mr Francie Brolly
Lord Browne
Mr Raymond McCartney
Mr David McClarty
Mr Adrian McQuillan
Mr Sean Neeson
Mr Ken Robinson
In Attendance:
Mrs Mairead Mageean (Assembly Clerk)
Mr Jim Beatty (Assistant Assembly Clerk)
Mrs Vivien Ireland (Assistant Assembly Clerk)
Ms Sharon Greene (Clerical Supervisor)
Ms Leanne Johnston (Clerical Supervisor)
Ms Dagmar Walgraeve (Clerical Officer)
The meeting opened at 2.00pm in open session.
1. Apologies
None.2. Draft Minutes of the meeting held on 15 September 2009.
Agreed: The draft Minutes of the meeting held on 15 September 2009 were agreed.
3. Matters Arising
(a) The Committee was updated on the provision of information on Assembly business on monitors and TV screens within the building.
(b) The Committee noted the papers detailing how individuals and organisations may address adverse comments made in the Assembly which are recorded in the Official Record.
Mr Brolly, Mr McCartney and Mr Storey joined the meeting at 2.04pm.
4. Policing and Justice
(a) The Committee noted the response of 30 September 2009 from the Committee on Standards and Privileges on the issue of sanctions against members.
(b) The Committee considered the response of 22 September 2009 from the Assembly and Executive Review Committee requesting an update on the development of Standing Orders on the transfer of policing and justice powers.
Agreed: It was agreed to provide the Assembly and Executive Review Committee with an update.
(c) The Committee noted the response of 29 September 2009 from the Assembly and Executive Review Committee agreeing to carry out a review of judicial appointments and removals before May 2012.
5. Freedom Of Information Requests – 20 day Limit
The Committee was informed of the statutory requirement to issue a response within 20 working days of receipt of an FOI request and the potential difficulties in meeting the deadline when committee meetings are held monthly.
Agreed: It was agreed that authority would be delegated to the chairperson and/or deputy chairperson to submit views on releasing or withholding the information required to respond to an FOI request if it is not possible for the committee to deal with the matter within the 20 day limit. The Committee would be informed of any views submitted and provided with a copy of the full response at the next meeting.
6. Availability of Speaker and Deputy Speakers
The Committee considered the lack of a Standing Order to enable a plenary sitting to take place if the Speaker and Deputy Speakers were not available to take the chair during Assembly business.
Agreed: It was agreed that the longest serving, oldest member present should be invited to take the chair. The draftsperson will be asked to draft new Standing Orders urgently. Members will contact the Clerk to the Committee if they have any further suggestions.
7. Standing Orders 66, 67, 68 and 74
The Committee considered a number of proposed changes to these Standing Orders.
Agreed:
(a) Standing Order 66(1) should be amended to read ‘Visitors may be admitted only to such places as may be reserved for them by the Speaker’.
(b) The term ‘Public Gallery’ should be used in Standing Order 66(3) and (4).
(c) One catch-all phrase should be used in Standing Order 66(4) to describe recording equipment and other technology.
(d) The word ‘visitors’ should be replaced with ‘members of the public’ where that word is used and Standing Order 66(5) should be deleted, subject to seeking advice from the draftsperson.
(e) ‘Officers of the Assembly’ should be replaced with ‘staff of the Northern Ireland Assembly Commission’ in Standing Order 66(5).
(f) Standing Order 67 should be amended to remove any reference to the ‘Assembly’ and replaced with ‘ Parliament Buildings or any place where committees choose to carry on business.’
(g) Standing Order 68 should be amended to (i) reflect changes in job titles (ii) allow lawful removal of persons and (iii) make the SO gender neutral.
(h) Standing Order 74 should be amended to clarify the role of the Speaker, to define the equipment that the media may bring in to Parliament Buildings and to reflect the new arrangements for the media. To broaden the coverage of the Standing Order, members were content that the Standing Order covers all media and not just news media.
8. AOB
Members were advised that the Business Committee had agreed that the Committee’s amendments to Standing Orders 57, 69 and 81 would be debated on Monday 12 October 2009. These amendments relate to the revised Code of Conduct which comes into effect from 12 October 2009.
9. Date, Time and Place of next meeting
The next meeting of the Committee will be at 2.00pm on Tuesday, 3 November 2009 in Room 144, Parliament Buildings.
The Chairperson adjourned the meeting at 2.21pm.
Lord Morrow,
Chairperson, Committee on Procedures