I thank the Deputy First Minister for his statement. With your permission, Mr Speaker, I will make a brief comment and then ask a question. The Minister's statement mentioned the health sector's consideration of the report of the acute hospitals review group. At least four Members from the two communities would issue a health warning on that. The Minister's statement described the health sector's initiative to consider the report of the acute hospitals review group in view of its suggestion about the potential for developing existing cross-border arrangements. It is a pity that Hayes did not totally examine that matter when he came to his conclusions about hospital provision in the south-west.

The statement also deals with work done in the agriculture sector to limit the spread of foot-and-mouth disease. Will the Deputy First Minister advise the House what actions have been taken in the North/South Ministerial Council's agriculture sector to control the spread of animal disease?

I am sure that relevant others will note the observations and comments in the first part of Mr Hussey's question. It is not for me to answer on the implications of the review of acute hospital services. However, regardless of how Members feel that the cross-border dimension was treated in the Hayes Report, the North/South Ministerial Council offers a relevant channel through which we can look at that, now that the review is the subject of further consultation.

My statement covers some of the developments that are taking place in agriculture. It says that we are moving to ensure that there are strong and effective controls in place to deal with any episodic outbreaks that may occur, that agreed and reliable controls can be applied, particularly in relation to animal health, and that people island-wide will have confidence in the system. Much of that work will follow from the lessons that were successfully learnt when dealing with the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak.

I welcome the Deputy First Minister's statement. Will he say whether the areas of North/South co-operation that are not working satisfactorily, such as Irish Lights and transport, were discussed at the Council? What measures are being taken to address their shortcomings?

The main focus of the meeting - as well as looking at the report that we agreed to publish - was to look at the operation of the Council and reflect strongly on the successful areas. Some other areas have been underdeveloped, and we will need to consider how to improve their operation and development.

Some of the issues with Irish Lights are not conducive to being dealt with on a North/South basis, and east- west issues are also involved. The Council must look at them again and come up with satisfactory arrangements for dealing with Irish Lights.

With respect to transport, we want to ensure that we act on the opportunities for useful co-operation. At some levels we are seeing effective co-operation in transport through some work that is not unrelated to the common chapter - for instance, the road from Larne right through to the border below Newry. However, we want to make sure that we have a more strategic approach than that. Therefore further proposals will be considered.

Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. Cuirim fáilte roimh an ráiteas agus roimh an chruinniú. When will the annual report mentioned in the Deputy First Minister's statement be published?

With regard to the North/South work in the matter of the acute hospitals review group, will Micheál Martin's 10-year strategy document also be viewed in this context for its North/South potential?

Finally, I ask the Minister to comment on whether these meetings take place too infrequently. Would quarterly meetings not be more practical and effective than six- monthly meetings?

I shall answer the Member's last question first. We know of the obvious political difficulties there have been with the greater frequency and reliability of plenary and sectoral meetings. The most important issue is not the frequency of the meetings, rather that there is substantive and practical business to conduct, both for the plenary itself and in reflecting the work that is going on at sectoral level. The next plenary meeting is planned for May.

More importantly, there are key meetings planned in the various sectoral formats. There is a work programme, which I referred to in my statement, agreed between now and then and, indeed, beyond. Rather than saying that there is one type of meeting that we have to have more of, the issue is that we have to have more of the meetings, in more of the formats, producing more benefits and producing more outcomes that are in everyone's interest.

The report should be published. If Members have not yet received it, it will not be long in winging its way to their pigeonholes.

I note with interest the reference to the national development plan by the Dublin Government. During a recent visit to the north-west, which included Derry, but not only Derry, local people and Derry City Council emphasised the importance of the national development plan and of taking the north-west region into account in the plan.

Was there much discussion about the national development plan? Was there any discussion about including the north-west in particular in the development of transportation links - not just road but also rail links - as this is an important and vital element to the development of that area?

The exchange that touched on the national development plan also reflected issues in the Programme for Government. It highlighted the fact that there is a common chapter between the national development plan in the South and the community support framework for Northern Ireland. That offers a facility for us to ensure some more concentrated co-operation in border areas, particularly in developments that would be common to and compatible with both the national development plan and the community support framework. The exchange that took place did not get down to the level of precise detail about transport sectors in particular regions or localities.

Discussions were held to compare issues arising from both strategic plans, and it was agreed that additional targeted work, which could be followed up at the appropriate interdepartmental or sectoral level, would be worthwhile.

Go raibh maith agate, a Chin Comhairle. The Deputy First Minister's statement is welcome, as is the fact that some agriculture issues have been raised. In the context of the cross-border, North/South workings of the Council, are all Departments, North and South, willing to work positively together on the eradication of animal disease? There was evidence of co-operation during the recent outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease. Will Departments have programmes and strategies in place in order to avoid situations such as we have had in the past? Brucellosis is a serious problem along the Cavan border, and it is essential that the two Governments work together to deliver a solution.

Animal health is an important issue that was well registered at the North/ South Ministerial Council meeting, as it has been throughout the agriculture sector. The Council's discussions focused strongly on the lessons learnt on how to control foot-and-mouth disease. There were also discussions on the need to develop a strategy for the control of animal movements on the island, something which underpins good animal health.

The meeting considered other issues, such as the need to improve the competitive position of the pig sector throughout the island. The progress made by the steering group on cross-border rural development was also noted. More detailed work on those and other agriculture issues will continue to be progressed.

Go raibh maith agate, a Chin Comhairle. I would like to address the issue of cross-border mobility. Did the Council discuss qualifications obtained by health professionals on the island as a whole, in the light of the Assembly debate on health and social services staff on 20 November 2001? When will the report be published? Go raibh maith agate.

No significant delay is expected in the publication of the report. It is a matter of housekeeping arrangements to ensure that it does not clash with other publications. There are arrangements to have a meaningful consultation, which is why the steering group is being kept in place.

Several mobility issues were identified, including benefits and qualifications. The focus was not on a single sector or group of workers. Issues relating to health workers will be followed through and competently addressed in the health sector. I understand that that work is continuing.

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North/South Ministerial Council: Education

I have received notice from the Minister of Education that he wishes to make a statement on the North/South Ministerial Council sectoral meeting on education held on 28 November 2001 in Dublin.

Following nomination by the First Minister and the Deputy First Minister, Dermot Nesbitt and I attended the third meeting on education of the North/South Ministerial Council, which was held in sectoral format in the Berkley Court Hotel, Dublin, on 28 November 2001. The Irish Government were represented by Dr Michael Woods TD, Minister for Education and Science. This statement has been approved by Dermot Nesbitt and is also made on his behalf.

The objectives of the meeting were to consider the outcome of research on cross-border school, youth and teacher exchanges; to review the progress made by the joint working groups, which were established at the first sectoral meeting on 3 February 2000, on underachievement in education, special education needs and teachers' qualifications; to consider several progress reports from the working groups and agree the priorities for their future work; and to make decisions on some specific actions, on which I shall elaborate later.

First, the Council took note of the scoping study carried out by the Centre for Cross Border Studies in Armagh on the extent and effectiveness of existing school, youth and teacher exchange programmes. The study was commissioned at our meeting in July last year, and the report was completed in the autumn. Its findings and recommendations were considered by interested organisations at a consultative conference, which took place on 18 October in Armagh.

With regard to the report and the outcomes of the conference, the Council agreed that there was a need for suitable processes to improve the ways in which school, youth and teacher exchanges are managed and facilitated and to improve the quality of such exchanges for participants. Therefore, we have agreed in principle to establish an advisory standing committee on school, youth and teacher exchanges with representation from across the various stakeholder groups. At its next meeting, the Council will consider proposals for delivery mechanisms and the composition of the standing committee.

Special education, where the initial focus has been on autism and dyslexia, is an important area of the Council's work. It took note of the progress report from the joint working group and agreed several specific actions. The Council is keen to promote dialogue and joint working between the professionals involved in that field, particularly at a strategic level. We wish to see the development of specialist programmes for teacher exchanges. In addition, the Council decided to fund the development of videos for the parents of children with autism and dyslexia and CD-ROMs for their teachers. The videos and CD-ROMs will provide advice and guidance for parents and teachers.

The Council also considered a report from the teachers' superannuation working group, which was set up to examine the feasibility and implications of establishing an agreement for the transfer on a North/South basis of the superannuation benefits of teachers who move between the jurisdictions to live and work. There is potential for agreement on this, and we agreed further work to be undertaken by the working group to progress the matter.

The report from the teachers' qualifications working group, which was established by the Council to examine a range of issues related to teacher mobility, was also considered. We welcomed the intention of teachers and education professionals, North and South, to collaborate on a range of issues of common interest.

The Council welcomed the greater flexibility in the requirements for proficiency in Irish for teaching posts in the South. It also noted that some steps have been taken that underpin the conclusions of the working group. Those include the Teacher's Registration Council's granting general recognition of several qualifications that are awarded by the University of Ulster. The Council also agreed further work to be undertaken by the working group.

In another key area, the Council again noted the report from the literacy and numeracy working group. Literacy and numeracy skills are vital to enable access to the rest of the curriculum. It is important to learn from one another as we develop our respective policies and strategies. We have shared our experiences of the reading recovery programme and the new materials that we have produced to help children improve their mathematics skills. The Council noted that the working group would be considering a recent evaluation of the reading recovery programme published by the University of Strathclyde. The working group will later present to the Council proposals for the development of the programme, together with proposals for the production of interactive training materials for literacy teachers. The Council agreed a further programme for the working group.

Unless children attend school and are encouraged to remain there after the age of 16, they cannot achieve their full potential. The Council considered areas for co-operation to promote attendance and retention, and endorsed the joint working group's proposals for the dissemination of good practice in that regard. The Council also agreed to run a home/school/community pilot project in the North, aimed at improving parental involvement in their children's education. The project will draw on the considerable experience of similar programmes that operate in the South, such as those in north Dublin and Dundalk.

Children have a fundamental right to be safe and protected while in school and elsewhere, and to be free from the risk of abuse while in the care of teachers, youth leaders and others. The Council believes that the issue of child protection in these islands must be addressed. It noted the joint working group's report on the matter. It has agreed that there is a need for confidential mechanisms, North and South, to register those teachers and other education workers who are regarded as being unsuitable to work with children and young people. The Council recognised that the issue is a complex one; it agreed that all jurisdictions must collaborate to reach an effective solution and that appropriate legislation will be required. My Colleague Bairbre de Brún has published a consultation document on legislative proposals to place existing pre-employment checks on a statutory footing. We will also create mechanisms to provide adequate safeguards for our children. Any proposal on our part would require separate but complementary legislation, North and South.

The Council welcomed the availability of over five million euros under measure 5.5 of Peace II to promote school and youth co-operation. Officials in both Departments have been working closely to establish the necessary administrative procedures to enable joint bids under that measure to be made by the two Departments of Education for cross-border projects.

The Council agreed the text of a communiqué that was issued after the meeting, and a copy has been placed in the Assembly Library. The next meeting of the Council is planned for April 2002. I look forward to returning to the Assembly with a further progress report at that time.

I welcome the section of the Minister's statement on the fundamental right of children to be protected from child abuse. The Minister will be aware of the concerns about young children who were sent to Australia and other countries in the middle of the last century.

I support the Minister's statement. However, I am concerned about the right of children to be safe and protected from the excesses of their peers. Teachers, youth workers, and others have a right to work in a reasonable environment free from disruptive behaviour. Will future education sector meetings consider the issue of discipline in schools?

At present, discipline does not come under the remit of the education sector of the North/South Ministerial Council. However, the potential for developing that was evident in the Programme for Government.

The education sector will consider school discipline, and steps have already been taken in the North to deal with the issue. The Council understands the pressures and stresses that the difficult issue of discipline creates for teachers. I am willing to explore the issue more fully with our colleagues in the South.

I am particularly interested in the Minister's comments on the targeted home/school/ community pilot project, which is aimed at improving parental involvement in their children's education. I appreciate the importance of that. How far advanced are arrangements for the pilot project? What is the scale of the project, where will it operate and what range of schools and community elements is involved?

This is a comparatively new innovation, and it has been led by the South. We have been keenly interested in the work that has been done, both in Dublin and in Dundalk. We are proceeding with haste because the project will bring considerable value to us all. There is an increasing recognition on the island that the connections between home and school, and between community and school, are vital. We have learnt that lesson in the North. It is too early to say what areas will be piloted, but we are seriously considering the matter. The House will be informed of our plans when final decisions have been made.

Go raibh maith agate, a Chin Comhairle. Cuirim fáilte roimh an ráiteas seo. I welcome the Minister's statement, which was one of the more comprehensive North/South Ministerial Council sectoral meeting statements that have been made in the House. I look forward to progress reports from the advisory standing committee on school, youth and teacher exchanges as work continues in those areas. Can the Minister detail his plans to encourage the promotion of literacy and numeracy in schools both North and South? Are the sectoral meetings held frequently enough to be effective and practical?

Several Members mentioned the frequency of the meetings. It is important to meet regularly to ensure that the work that occurs between meetings - and, in our case, with the working groups that have been established between the two Departments - is progressing to our satisfaction. I am pleased with the work carried out by the working groups.

Everybody knows that literacy and numeracy are the keys to the rest of the curriculum and other areas of learning. It is important to consider how North and South can best co-operate to ensure that we learn from each other as we take forward our respective policies and strategies. The literacy and numeracy group recognises the benefits of exchanging documents and other materials relating to the promotion of literacy and numeracy in schools.

The group also recognises the benefits of key personnel, North and South, attending relevant conferences and seminars on existing or new developments in the other jurisdiction. That has already led to the attendance of teachers at key training events, including summer schools. A strategic approach will be considered for future events. Arrangements have been established, North and South, to secure the exchange of materials and the notification of events.

Two initiatives are already operating on a cross-border basis. One is the Pushkin Prizes, which encourage creative writing among young people. It is not only young people who are being encouraged. On Friday, I attended the launch in Derry of an anthology of work by teachers from all over the island. It was most encouraging to see people at the chalk face of education being keenly involved in releasing children's imagination, and unlocking their own creativity and that of the children.

The other initiative is the Children's Books Ireland research project, which will provide valuable information on children's reading habits and will inform future policy decisions. Those two schemes are exciting innovations that can be built on in the future.

I thank the Minister for his interesting statement, which contained several important points. However, I want to raise a number of concerns. Why have I, as a member of a party outside the Executive and as a member of the Education Committee, received the information on the statement only today? That is despite the fact that such subjects as underachievement and special educational needs have been included in our work programme. I have mentioned such overlapping previously. Has any consideration been given to creating a system that would facilitate more frequent communication between the Council and Assembly Committees?

Before I call on the Minister to respond, I must point out that there is a procedural issue involved. It would be improper for the Minister to make statements to Committees on the outcome of North/South Ministerial plenary meetings or other meetings before bringing them to the House. Of course, the Minister may choose subsequently -

Yes.

Order. The Minister may choose subsequently to engage in discussion with the relevant Committee - any Minister may do so. Nonetheless, I must say that it is important that Ministers do the House the courtesy of making statements in the House. The Minister is doing that, as his Colleagues have done. It would not be proper to make the statements elsewhere - in Committee or outside the House. The House must appreciate what Ministers are doing.

I will, of course, ask the Minister whether he wishes to respond.

I am sorry if I put the question in the wrong way.

The Speaker has explained the dilemma faced by all Ministers. The mechanism was agreed and has been established for some time. We have a duty to ensure that we go through the proper mechanisms by informing the Executive and the House. Any problems should be explored in the round by all of us.

Regarding special education, the Minister said that the Council "decided to fund the development of videos for the parents". Who will develop those videos, and how will they be distributed?

Subsequently, he said that "We have shared our experiences of the reading recovery programme". Are those the experiences of Ministers, teachers or civil servants?

The Minister referred to new materials that have been produced. Are copies of those materials readily available to teachers in Northern Ireland, and are they compatible with the Northern Ireland curriculum?

I thank the Member for those three questions.

It is vital that we provide as much information as possible to parents and teachers, and the videos and CD-ROMs will be important aids in doing that. The special educational needs working parties have a duty to provide us with progress reports on their work. In many ways, we depend on receiving that information before decisions can be taken.

We must all share details of good practice, and North and South must learn from each other. The establishment of the working parties has been an important development. They have done much good work, building on the good work done by officials from both Departments of Education long before the Good Friday Agreement. We are learning all the time, and we are keen to see that the working parties produce materials that are consistent with the education that we provide, in the South as well as in the North.

I congratulate the Minister on the comprehensive nature of the report on North/South education co-operation, particularly in those areas that have caused teachers great frustration for many years. I welcome the five million euros from the EU Peace II programme for the promotion of school and youth co-operation. I encourage the Minister to increase co-operation on youth exchanges on a North/South basis. Does he agree that that co-operation could help to improve community relations, particularly among young people on the island of Ireland?

A formal call for projects that might avail of the money announced will be made in the new year. Allowing time for completion of the application and selection process, it is anticipated that the funding should be available to the successful projects before the end of March 2002. The sum of 5·3 million euros is a considerable amount of money. The Department wants people to come forward with innovative schemes and approaches to build on the good work that has been done recently.

Members know that since the Good Friday Agreement, in particular, more people have been travelling between the North and the South. That is vital and valuable. It makes a worthwhile contribution to increasing pupils' and teachers' understanding of important issues.

Members know that many of these different contacts were conducted on a one-to-one basis, and the good work of bodies such as Co-operation Ireland made an immense contribution to increasing understanding. However, as the Council has established an advisory standing committee on school, youth and teacher exchanges, we can look forward to a much more cohesive and co-ordinated approach to the work. It is exciting, and the atmosphere is conducive to our work. This work will benefit community relations, both in the North and throughout the island of Ireland, and that is essential. There are clear and encouraging signals that educationalists of all descriptions - North and South - appreciate the importance of movement between the northern and southern jurisdictions and the formulation of schemes that can bring people together.

Go raibh maith agate, a Chin Comhairle. As my Colleague said, the statement is comprehensive and detailed. In its future programme, the Council will undertake important work that relates to education in both parts of Ireland. Child protection and special education are of particular interest to all Members, especially the Committee for Education. The cross-border group's study is a powerful piece of research that will benefit everyone. What was the main issue to emerge from it?

Child protection is vitally important. Minister Woods and I accept the need for additional measures to enhance the already stringent mechanisms which keep track of individuals who may be unsuitable for involvement in any aspect of education.

We are moving steadily to ensure that we deal with this. At the same time, we must bear in mind the fact that this is a complex and sensitive matter concerning people's rights. We have a responsibility to ensure that we deal with it in a sensible way.

Employing authorities are required to carry out a criminal records check before making an offer of employment. That is vital, and it must be applied to all who are involved in children's education or who have substantial access to children, whether they are volunteers or prospective school staff. The Department also carries out a check of List 99 when a teacher is to be included on a payroll for the first time. We are trying to put a mechanism in place that will allow us to track people all over the island. The system should also recognise the importance of contact with England, Scotland and Wales. I also suggest that we establish contact with education authorities further afield, given some of the recent cases on the European mainland.

It is vital that we move in a sensible way and implement the optimum child protection measures. When the work is complete, I am satisfied that we will have achieved the optimum arrangements to secure the protection of our children.

I welcome the Minister's comprehensive statement. I noted with particular interest the report of the teachers' qualifications working group, which was established by the North/South Ministerial Council to examine a range of issues relating to teacher mobility. Progress is being made, which is very helpful. However, it does not go far enough on this small island, where there is a need for teacher mobility. The Republic of Ireland also needs additional teachers, so is it not absurd that we have not achieved full and mutual recognition of teachers' qualifications on both sides of the border? Will the Minister set a target for achieving that objective? It stretches the credulity of many that teacher qualifications are not fully recognised on both sides of the border.

Under European Union Directives, we have already gone a long way towards mutual recognition of qualifications. The South accepts graduates from certain teacher training courses here. It will be useful to see if it is practicable to extend this further. The key issues are the quality of the training provided and the competence of teachers.

We must remember that this work is all new. The working groups were established only recently and because of the Good Friday Agreement. The agreement challenges us all about ending division on the island of Ireland. In education, that includes the difficulties that teachers face, both North and South. We have a duty and a responsibility to make life easier for teachers and to ensure maximum mobility across the island. We and the working groups are challenged to do that. I am very confident that the Member's concerns about teachers' qualifications and the mobility of teachers can be resolved through the good work of these groups.

I thank the Minister for his report. Can he say how much more flexibility now exists as regards Irish language proficiency requirements for teaching posts in the Irish Republic? Is there flexibility on a range of teaching subjects, or for specific posts only?

In response to a question for oral answer on 25 September 2000, the Minister gave a commitment to provide the Committee for Education with a summary of the issues discussed at each education sectoral meeting of the North/South Ministerial Council. Will he fulfil that commitment, and when will the Committee for Education receive that information?

The Member's second question relates to a point made by Mrs E Bell. I wish to advise the House that, like all Ministers who attend North/ South Ministerial Council meetings, I am bound by the rules that have been established by the Executive and the Assembly. In following those procedures, I am more than willing to ensure that, after we have reported to the House, the Committee for Education receives as full a report as possible on the business that was conducted at a sectoral meeting.

The requirement for proficiency in the Irish language is now limited to teachers in primary schools and secondary level teachers in Gaeltacht schools, or teachers who are required to teach through the medium of Irish. In addition, individuals are now afforded a five-year period in which to satisfy the requirement for proficiency in Irish and, of course, the differential rates of pay will end, pending the acquisition of a certificate. The authorities in the South are addressing this matter, and we are keen to ensure that every encouragement is given to ensure a proper mobility of teachers between North and South.

Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. I also welcome the Minister's statement. I am heartened that he has mentioned children's right to be free from the risk of abuse while in schools or in teachers' care. What impact will the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety's proposed Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults Bill have on the education sector?

My officials have worked closely with Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety officials on the proposals for the Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults Bill, and consultation is ongoing. The comprehensive proposals are intended to cover those who work with children, including teachers and others employed in education. The main proposal is to establish a statutory list of people who are unsuitable to work with children. As far as employees in education are concerned, that will not dispense with the need to carry out a criminal records check on each teacher or employee. As indicated in the consultation paper, the Bill will create a broad equivalent to the Protection of Children Act 1999 and part 7 of the Care Standards Act 2000 in England and Wales. Through the Bill, and mirroring the approach adopted in the Protection of Children Act 1999, the Department of Education proposes amending the regulatory powers contained in the Department's primary legislation to allow the Department to draw up regulations to strengthen specific safeguards in the education sector where appropriate. The drafting of any such regulations will involve separate consultation in due course.

Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. I thank the Minister for his positive report, which we welcome. We are pleased to note the progress on the various joint working groups, particularly those dealing with autism, literacy and numeracy, and the teachers' superannuation working group, which I trust will focus on the important issue not only of cross-border qualifications, but of benefits harmonisation. Can the Minister elaborate on the purpose of the superannuation working group and the options that it is considering?

At present a teacher moving to take up a job in either the North or the South cannot add his previous service to his new employment for the purpose of calculating pension benefits. This is an obstacle to mobility, and its removal would benefit all teachers, North and South.

The options being considered revolve around the central difficulties that many teachers face. In examining the possible alternatives the working group has indicated that it aims to ensure that teachers moving between the jurisdictions, with the consequent transfer of accrued pension rights, will be awarded benefits in the receiving scheme broadly equivalent in value to the benefits that would have been received in the surrendering scheme. This approach will prove equitable and will address the need to ensure that the arrangements finally agreed are not more favourable in one or other of the jurisdictions otherwise teachers would be encouraged simply to take advantage of the more favourable terms.

Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. I welcome the Minister's statement and the continuing co-operation between the two Departments. I especially welcome the fact that the Department of Education and Science in Dublin has dedicated measures in the Peace II programme to provide funding for approved projects in support of cross-border schools and youth co-operation. When will this funding be available to the schools and youth projects? Go raibh maith agat.

As I said earlier in answer to another question, a formal call for projects will be made in the new year, allowing for projects to complete the application and selection processes. It is anticipated that funding should be available for successful projects before the end of March 2002.

That brings to an end questions to the Minister on his North/South Ministerial Council statement.

On a point of order, Mr Speaker. I want to raise a matter about the indicative timings shown on the monitors. You will be aware, and will appreciate, that many Members use the monitors to find out when statements will be made or when Assembly business will take place. Having had to undertake duties outside the House this morning, I read the monitor, which indicated that the Minister's statement would be made shortly after 1.00 pm. Clearly that is not going to happen. I missed the statement and have been unable to ask relevant questions. I ask you to consider the indicative timings that appear on the monitors.

There are a number of issues. The question of indicative timings has raised itself again and again. Indicative timings are nothing more than that. They were actually meant to give the Whips - not the Members - some kind of guidance. The difficulty is that people treat them as if they are Holy Writ and imagine that business will operate according to them. If the indicative timings are on paper, business will almost certainly not operate to them - it never does, and that has been increasingly so in recent weeks.

The Member raises the question of matters on the monitors, and I will look into that. If they are being displayed on the monitor in a way that is misleading to Members, that is exceedingly unhelpful and is something that must be looked at.

There are two ways in which ministerial statements can be treated as far as our business is concerned. One is the way in which we have treated them until now, which is that, insofar as possible, they are taken as the first items of business on the day, and there can be up to an hour for questions on them. If there is less, we move onto the next item of business. That can sometimes be difficult for Ministers, because they may find that previous Ministers do not provoke as many questions as were thought, and that they, therefore, have to rush back to the House. Since the outset, the Assembly has operated in that way - the House moves immediately to the next item of business, and ministerial statements are taken first.

There is another way that we could operate; we could give a time in the way that is described by the Member. We could say that a ministerial statement will take place at a convenient time after a particular point on the clock - for example, a convenient time after 1.00 pm. The Member must, however, realise that if a matter is in process at that stage, that matter must then proceed to its conclusion. For example, if the Programme for Government debate today were to start at 12.45 pm, it would then continue for some hours. The first possible convenient time after 1.00 pm would be after Question Time at 4.00 pm. I am not sure whether that would actually convenience the Member more. However, whatever arrangement we have, we must operate to that arrangement, otherwise no one will know where they are.

If it is the case that the monitors are misleading in the way that they have described something, then something must be done about that. I undertake, to the Member and to the House, to look into that matter.

On a point of order, Mr Speaker. You will be aware that there is crucial business running parallel to the functioning of the Assembly, in which Members are expected to participate. I am talking about Committees. You will also be aware that ministerial statements were available this morning and that Members had an opportunity to read them and digest the contents, yet critical, important business relating to constituents could not be asked of the Ministers. That was because the relevant Members - in this case me - were not present during the reading of the statement. Do you accept that that is unfair towards my constituents? They could not have their questions answered.

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