COMMITTEE ON PROCEDURES
MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS
TUESDAY, 23 MARCH 2010
ROOM 144, PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS
Present:
Lord Morrow MLA (Chairman)
Mr Mickey Brady MLA
Mr Billy Leonard MLA
Mr Raymond McCartney MLA
Mr David McClarty MLA
Mr Adrian McQuillan MLA
Mr Sean Neeson MLA
Mr Declan O’Loan MLA
In Attendance:
Mrs Mairead Mageean (Assembly Clerk)
Mr Colin Jones (Assistant Assembly Clerk)
Ms Dagmar Walgraeve (Clerical Officer)
Apologies:
Lord Browne MLA
Mr Ken Robinson MLA
The meeting opened at 2.00 pm in open session.
1. Apologies
Apologies are stated above.
2. Draft Minutes of the Meeting on 2 March 2010
Agreed: for publication on the Assembly website.
3. Matters Arising
None.
4. Standing Order 20(1) Additional Question Time Slot
Members noted that, at the meeting on 2 March 2010, the Committee had considered a request from the Speaker, on behalf of the Business Committee, asking the Committee on Procedures to consider an amendment to Standing Order 20, to facilitate an increase in the number of weekly Question Time slots for Ministers from three to four.
Members considered a paper detailing the rationale for an additional slot, the options available and the impact these would have on plenary arrangements.
Agreed: that drafting instructions will be issued to the draftsperson, reflecting the Committee’s preference for Question Time on Tuesdays to be from 2.30pm – 3.30pm and that the first draft of revised Standing Orders will be considered at the next meeting, with a view to implementing the new arrangement by the start of the next Assembly session in September 2010.
5. Review of Effectiveness of Assembly Question Time
Members noted that, at the meeting on 2 March 2010, the Committee had considered correspondence from the Speaker, suggesting that the Committee may wish to reconsider the imposition of time limits on the length of Ministerial responses during Question Time.
Members considered the views of their respective parties on the issue, together with the potential options available and their impact on the number of questions answered during Question Time.
Agreed: that individual time limits will be set both for the Minister’s response to the lead question (up to two minutes) and to supplementaries (up to one minute) and that the Chairman will write to both the Speaker and the Executive, informing them of the Committee’s intentions.
6. Standing Order 10 Extending Sitting Times on Mondays
Members noted that there had been occasions recently when Oral Ministerial Statements, Urgent Oral Questions and Matters of the Day had been taken in plenary, which subsequently impacted significantly on timings on Mondays, when business must end by 7.00pm unless it has previously been agreed to suspend Standing Orders. Consequently, if a motion had not been tabled to suspend Standing Orders 10(2) to 10(4) for the day, either business at the end of the day could not be completed or an item of business could not be moved. It was noted that this situation also arises when debates, which are not time limited, run longer than anticipated and that this may happen more often in the future as more legislation is likely to be brought before the Assembly.
Agreed: that Standing Orders will be amended to allow the sitting to continue beyond 7.00pm on a Monday by providing that a Minister, in relation to Executive business, or a member of the Business Committee, in relation to all other business, may move that the sitting may continue until all items of business have been disposed of.
Agreed: that such a motion will require cross-community support.
Agreed: that drafting instructions will be issued to the draftsperson and that the first draft of revised Standing Orders will be considered at the next meeting, with a view to implementing the new arrangement by the start of the next Assembly session in September 2010.
7. Departmental Performance on Answering Assembly Questions
Members noted that, following the Committee’s Inquiry into Assembly Questions, the Committee had agreed to periodically review departmental performance on answering written questions. Members considered information on departmental performance for the period April 2009 – December 2009, together with a response from the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister’s Executive Services Directorate, relating to the calculation of the cost of providing a response.
Agreed: that the Committee on Procedures will continue to monitor performance in this area, but that concerns remained around the method used for calculating the cost of providing responses, and answers subsequently not being provided on the grounds of disproportionate cost; information is to be provided on the number of occasions on which Departments did not provide an answer citing disproportionate cost.
8. Forward Work Programme
Members considered the Committee’s forward work programme and noted that the Committee may also need to consider the accountability arrangements for both the Attorney General for Northern Ireland and the Public Prosecution Service, in relation to the Assembly, in the near future.
Agreed: that the updated work programme will be published on the Assembly’s website.
9. Correspondence
Members noted a recent article on the work of the Committee, published in Agenda NI.
10. Any Other Business
Members noted Mr Leonard’s declaration of interests as recorded in the Register of Members’ Interests.
11. Date, Time and Place of Next Meeting
Members noted that the next scheduled meeting will be held on Tuesday, 4 May 2010 at 2.00 pm in Room 144, Parliament Buildings, although there was a possibility that the Committee may need to meet prior to this.
The Chairman adjourned the meeting at 2.49pm.