Committee on Procedures

MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS

TUESDAY 28 SEPTEMBER 2010
ROOM 144, PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS

Present:
Lord Browne (Chairperson)
Mr Mickey Brady MLA
Mr Paul Butler MLA
Mr Billy Leonard MLA
Mr David McClarty MLA
Mr Adrian McQuillan MLA
Lord Morrow MLA
Mr Ken Robinson MLA

In Attendance:
Mrs Mairead Mageean (Assembly Clerk)
Ms Leanne Johnston (Clerical Supervisor)
Ms Dagmar Walgraeve (Clerical Officer)

Apologies:
Mr Thomas Burns MLA

The meeting opened at 1.30pm in public session.

1. Apologies.

Apologies are detailed above.

2. Draft minutes of meeting on 14 September 2010.

Agreed: For publication on the Assembly website.

Mr Robinson joined the meeting at 1.31pm.

Mr McQuillan joined the meeting at 1.32pm.

3. Matters arising.

Members expressed concern about the content of Ministers’ responses at Question Time and discussed the Speaker’s role in ensuring that answers are satisfactory. Members asked if this issue could be examined in further detail.

Agreed: The Committee agreed that answers at Question Time should be monitored.

4. Inquiry into the participation of the Attorney General in proceedings of the Assembly.

The Committee took evidence from:

The Attorney General’s Office

Mr John F Larkin QC Attorney General for Northern Ireland

Mr Maurice Dowling and Mr Eamonn McConville Officials, Attorney General’s Office

Mr Brady left the meeting at 14.06pm

Mr McClarty left the meeting at 14.06pm

The Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister

Mr Noel Lavery and Mr Tony Canavan, Officials, Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister

A question and answer session ensued for each set of witnesses. The Chairperson thanked the witnesses for attending.

5. Obtaining party views on how they wish to see the Attorney General being accountable to the Assembly.

The Chairperson advised the Committee that, as part of the Terms of Reference for the Inquiry to inform Standing Orders in relation to the Attorney General, Committee members are asked to seek the views of their Parties on how they would want the Attorney General to be accountable to the Assembly.

Agreed: Members agreed to seek their Parties’ views and advise the Clerk of their position by no later than 13 th October 2010.

6. Arrangements for publishing the Committee’s Report.

Committee members considered the options for taking forward the Report on the Inquiry to inform Standing Orders in relation to the Attorney General. The options available to the Committee are to either both print and publish a report for debate in the Chamber or to use the report to inform Standing Orders. Members also considered a Public Notice to be placed in the local papers and/or on the website.

Agreed: The Committee agreed to use the Report to inform the drafting of Standing Orders which will be then debated in the Chamber and agreed the Public Notice to be placed on the website only.

Mr Leonard requested if the Committee could contact the Community on the Administration of Justice (CAJ) and the Law Centre NI to advise them of the Inquiry.

Agreed: The Committee agreed to email the CAJ and Law Centre NI to inform them of the details on the Inquiry in relation to the Attorney General.

7. Correspondence

The Committee considered and noted correspondence which included memos from it to the Standards and Privileges and the Justice Committees about the Attorney General Inquiry.

8. Any other business.

The issue of the Speaker’s powers in relation to Personal Statements in the House was discussed. Several members requested that the Committee researches what the procedures are in other places to compare the Speakers’ powers in each area and to identify if additional powers are required.

Agreed: That research would be carried out to identify the procedures in other jurisdictions and that the findings would be brought to the Committee for further consideration.

The Committee was advised that with effect from 6 th October 2010 secretariat support will be provided by the Business Office.

9. Date, time and place of next meeting.

The next meeting will be held on Tuesday 5 th October 2010 at 1.30 pm in Room 144 Parliament Buildings.

The Chairperson adjourned the meeting at 14.41pm.

Lord Browne
Chairperson, Committee on Procedures.
5 October 2010

14 September 2010 / Menu