Official Report (Hansard)

Session: 2012/2013

Date: 18 June 2013

PDF version of this report (135.51 kb)

Assembly and Executive Review Committee

 

Review of D'Hondt, Community Designation and Provisions for Opposition

 

The Deputy Chairperson: Members, I propose that we consider for agreement the final text of the draft of the report, section by section.  Are members agreed?

 

Members indicated assent.

 

The Deputy Chairperson: Are members content with the covering pages in the "Introduction" section of the report?

 

Members indicated assent.

 

The Deputy Chairperson: Are members content with the "Committee's Approach to the Review" section of the report?

 

Members indicated assent.

 

The Deputy Chairperson: Are members content with the "Committee Consideration" section of the report?

 

Members indicated assent.

 

The Deputy Chairperson: Are members content with the "Committee Analysis and Conclusions" section of the report?

 

Members indicated assent.

 

The Deputy Chairperson: Are members content with the "Executive Summary" section of the report?

 

Members indicated assent.

 

The Deputy Chairperson: Are members content with appendices 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 of the report?

 

Ms Ruane: Sorry, which appendix?

 

The Deputy Chairperson: Appendices 1 to 6.

 

Ms Ruane: What page is it on?

 

The Deputy Chairperson: It is not in this —

 

The Committee Clerk: The appendices were e-mailed to all members because they contain the evidence in such depth.

 

Mr Beggs: Are they just the evidence?

 

Ms Ruane: So, it is just the papers?

 

The Committee Clerk: Factual records, yes, of the evidence received.

 

The Deputy Chairperson: Do we have formal agreement on appendices 1 to 6?

 

Members indicated assent.

 

The Deputy Chairperson: The final version of the report will be proofread one last time before the report is ordered to print.  Are members content that the Committee secretariat make any change to typos and to the format of the report, as and when necessary?   Such changes will have no effect on the substance of the report and are purely for the purposes of formatting and accuracy of text.  Are members agreed?

 

Members indicated assent.

 

The Deputy Chairperson: The extract of minutes of proceedings and minutes of evidence — Hansard — from today's meeting will have to be included in the report.  Are members content that Stephen and I, as Chairperson and Deputy Chair, approve the extract of the minutes of proceedings from today's meeting for inclusion in the report?

 

Members indicated assent.

 

The Deputy Chairperson: Are members content that the first edition of today's Hansard record of the review be included in the report, as there is insufficient time for members to review the transcript and provide comments on it?

 

Members indicated assent.

 

Mr Sheehan: I propose that a copy of the final embargoed report be forwarded to the Secretary of State and to the First Minister and deputy First Minister as soon as it is available.  Are members content that the Committee secretariat forward an embargoed electronic version of the report, as soon as it becomes available, with an appropriate covering letter from the Chairperson to the Secretary of State and the First Minister and deputy First Minister?

 

Members indicated assent.

 

The Deputy Chairperson: We now consider the draft motion on the report tabled for debate in the Assembly.  At this stage, if the Committee wish to have the report before the Assembly before summer recess, the probable dates are 1 July or 2 July.  Are members content with the wording of the draft motion?

 

Members indicated assent.

 

The Deputy Chairperson: In anticipation of the report being debated, a media operational notice will be drafted to be issued the week prior to the debate.  It will indicate the date of the debate, the indicative timing, when available, and state that the report will be embargoed until the start of the debate.  Are members content that a media operational notice to that effect be drafted and issued the week prior to the debate?

 

Members indicated assent.

 

The Deputy Chairperson: Finally, are members content that the Committee order that its report on the review of d'Hondt community designation and provisions for opposition be printed following today's meeting and that hard copies be kept to a minimum, in the interest of efficiency?  Are members also content that a note be put to the Business Office today, signalling that an embargoed manuscript copy of the report will be laid in the Business Office by close tomorrow?

 

Members indicated assent.

 

The Deputy Chairperson: I advise members that the report should be returned by the printer and distributed to all MLAs by midweek next.  The report will, of course, be embargoed until the debate on it commences in plenary sitting.

 

Mr Beggs: May I have clarification?  Are we printing the summary report with the CD, rather than the whole report, as is normal practice?   It would be very bulky to print the whole evidence.

 

The Committee Clerk: In keeping with normal practice, it will be a CD.

 

Mr Beggs: OK.

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