TUESDAY 17 OCTOBER 2006
IN ROOM 106, PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS

MINUTES

The meeting began at 12.50 pm

Present: The Speaker (Chair)
Mr B Armstrong
Mr M Copeland
Mr J Dallat
Mrs D Dodds
Mr K McCarthy
Mr C Murphy

Present (secretariat): Mr A Moir The Clerk
Mr J Reynolds Deputy Clerk

In attendance: Mr P Moore Clerk of Business
Mr R Good Adviser to the Speaker
Ms C McGivern Director of Legal Services
Ms F Leneghan Assistant Private Secretary to
the Speaker

Observers: Mr J Wells Deputy Speaker
Mr I Kerr NIO
Mr N Jackson OFMDFM

1. Minutes of the meeting held on 3 October 2006

1.1 The minutes of the meeting held on 3 October were agreed and were signed by the Speaker.

2. Matters Arising

2.1 Referring to Paragraphs 4.1 and 4.2 of the minutes, the Speaker reminded members of their agreement that certain documents should be delivered to party offices, rather than being placed in Members’ pigeon-holes, in an effort to reduce the postage costs being incurred by the Assembly. The new arrangement had begun on 9 October, following the issue of an All Party Notice.

2.2 The Speaker asked members to alert their party staff to the reason behind the new approach, and, if the new arrangement was causing particular problems, for members to raise the matter at a subsequent meeting of the Business Committee, or to ask their party representative to raise it at the next meeting of the Speaker’s Advisory Group.

3. Arrangements for forthcoming plenary meetings

3.1 Members noted the Secretary of State’s letter of 5 October in which he clarified that he would not direct a meeting of the Assembly during weeks commencing 9 and 16 October. Members discussed the second report that had emanated from the work of the Economic sub-group of the Preparation for Government Committee, and the likelihood of a final report from that sub-group. It was noted that the earliest possible date for debate on a final report would be in week commencing 30 October. Members also considered motions contained in the no-day named list.

3.2 The DUP suggested that the second report from the work of the Economic sub-group could usefully be debated in plenary as a way to create further impetus towards achievement of an economic package. Sinn Féin noted that the economy had already been the subject of two debates, and that further debate might follow completion of the sub-group’s final report. Furthermore, the party believed that the sub-group’s second report was clearly intended to inform the previous week’s negotiations, rather than as a subject for plenary debate. In the party’s view, substantial work had come out of St Andrews and parties should concentrate on that work, as opposed to the distractions of plenary debates and the no-day named list of motions.

3.3 The UUP offered no comment on the DUP suggestion, and initially proposed that motions on the ‘Review of Public Administration’ and on ‘European Directives’ should be recommended for debate as a priority. These proposals were subsequently withdrawn. The SDLP reported that while the party was keen to get down to business following St Andrews, on issues including those proposed for debate, the SDLP would need to review the outcome of the planned first meeting of the new Programme for Government Committee before it would endorse any recommendations for debate. The Alliance party suggested that parties should concentrate on the programme set out at St. Andrews, and that it would be pointless, given the Secretary of State’s previous refusals, to make recommendations relating to motions that appeared on the no-day named list.

3.4 The DUP and SDLP suggested that an additional meeting of the Business Committee may be appropriate later in the week. The Speaker undertook to consider this in light of events, and to inform members as soon as possible if she believed an additional meeting was necessary.

Mr Murphy left the meeting at 1.05 pm

3.5 The parties agreed that week commencing 30 October should not be set aside for Halloween recess, as would normally have been the case in the Northern Ireland Assembly

4. Any Other Business

4.1 Members were advised that the Secretary of State had directed that the Business Committee establish a new Committee (the Programme for Government Committee), for the purpose of agreeing priorities for a restored Executive. Members were further advised that this was consistent with Standing Order 11C (a).

4.2 Members also noted the Secretary of State’s further directions:

• that the new Committee should meet on 17 October 2006 (at 2pm) and at future dates to be determined by the Committee;
• that the Committee should be chaired initially by one of the Chairs of the Preparation for Government Committee; and
• that the new Committee’s procedures shall be determined by the Committee itself.

4.3 The UUP sought clarification on whether or not the new Committee was a stand-alone Committee, with its own identity signified by distinct chairing and clerking arrangements. Members were advised that, from contact with the NIO, it was understood that the new Committee was indeed separate from the Preparation for Government Committee.

4.4 Two members (representing the SDLP and DUP) indicated their intention to bring the matter back to their party groups. Other members were content to endorse these arrangements (and the new Committee’s purpose) in fulfilment of the Business Committee’s obligations according to Standing Orders.

5. Date, Time and Venue of Next Meeting

5.1 Notwithstanding the possibility of an additional meeting, the Committee agreed to meet on Tuesday 24 October 2006 at 12.30 in Room 106, Parliament Buildings.

The Speaker brought the meeting to a close at 1.20 pm.

The Speaker