Northern Ireland Assembly Friday 21 August 2009 Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister: Written Ministerial Statement The content of these written ministerial statements is as received at the time from the Ministers. It has not been subject to the official reporting (Hansard) process. OFFICE OF THE FIRST MINISTER AND DEPUTY FIRST MINISTER Westminster Draft Legislative Programme for 2009/2010 Published on 21 August 2009 The First Minister and deputy First Minister (Mr P Robinson and Mr M McGuinness): We wish to draw to the attention of the Assembly correspondence which we have received from the Rt Hon Paul Goggins MP, Minister of State at the Northern Ireland Office. In his letter of 27 July, he advises us of the publication of the UK Government’s Draft Legislative Programme, the Bills which it is proposed should apply to Northern Ireland including those which would require provisions to be agreed by the Executive on the recommendation of the relevant Minister and a legislative consent motion to be passed by the Assembly. The Draft Programme can be found at: http://www.hmg.gov.uk/media/27752/legislative_programme.pdf The Minister of State has commented: “Following the publication of the Draft Legislative Programme earlier this month, I thought it would be helpful if I wrote to you setting out which Bills we propose should apply to Northern Ireland and, of those, which would require provisions to be agreed by the Executive on the recommendation of the relevant Minister and a legislative consent motion passed by the Assembly.” Of course, at this early stage such a list can only be indicative, given that a number of the Bills have yet to be finalised. Three Bills are likely to require legislative consent motions for some or all of their provisions if they are to apply (or continue to apply) to Northern Ireland: Child Poverty Bill (introduced on 11 June); Digital Economy Bill; and Financial Services Bill. Also, the following four Bills, will apply to Northern Ireland, but are likely to relate only to matters that are at present excepted or reserved: Constitutional Reform and Governance Bill (introduced on 20 July); Bribery Bill Policing, Crime and Private Security Bill; and Cluster Munitions Prohibition Bill. Devolution of responsibility for policing and justice will of course alter the boundary between reserved and transferred matters and could therefore make it appropriate to seek legislative consent motions in other cases. I know that your officials (and those of other relevant Departments) and mine will continue to work closely together to ensure that the process of bringing legislative consent motions to the Assembly for decision works as smoothly as possible.” Copies of the Minister of State’s correspondence of 27 July are available in the Assembly Library. |