APN 2 - 16/21: Procedure for the Election of a Speaker, Principal Deputy Speaker and Deputy Speakers

The Election of a Speaker, Deputy Speakers and Principal Deputy Speaker is on the Order Paper for:

Thursday 12 May 2016

The election will be conducted using the procedures set out in Standing Orders guided by Assembly precedent.

Procedure for the Election of the Speaker – Standing Order 4

• The outgoing Speaker, Mr Mitchel McLaughlin, will preside over the election and will commence by asking for nominations.
• Any Member may rise to propose that another Member is elected as Speaker.  If two or more Members rise to make a proposal the Speaker will look to the largest party first, in accordance with Assembly precedent.
• The Speaker will then ask for the first proposal to be seconded by another Member and if the proposal is not seconded, there is no valid nomination.
• Once seconded, the Speaker will verify that the candidate is willing to accept the nomination. There will not be an opportunity for speeches at this stage. 
• The Speaker will then ask for further proposals and follow the same procedure for each. When there are no further proposals, the Speaker will indicate that the time for proposals has passed and a debate may then take place.
• Members should indicate their intention to speak to the Business Office or to the Table in the usual way. Members may speak for up to 3 minutes and may not speak more than once. There will be no time limit on the debate.
• At the conclusion of the debate, the Speaker will put the question that the first candidate proposed shall be Speaker of the Assembly. The vote will be on a cross-community basis and any dissenting voices will result in a division.
• If the question is not carried, the Speaker will put the question in relation to the next candidate and so on, until a candidate is elected or all nominations are exhausted. Once a Speaker is elected, all other nominations automatically fall.
• If a Speaker is elected he/she will be invited to take the Chair and there will be an opportunity for him/her to address the Assembly briefly.  [There will be no further opportunity for party representatives to speak]. 
• If a Speaker is not elected, an Acting Speaker will be invited to take the Chair.

Procedure for the Election of Deputy Speakers – Standing Order 5

• The election will be presided over by the newly appointed Speaker or, if a new Speaker has not been elected, an Acting Speaker. The Acting Speaker will be the oldest Member of the Assembly not seeking to be elected as a Deputy Speaker.
• The procedure for electing the three Deputy Speakers is the same as for the Speaker.
• Any Member may rise to propose that another Member is elected as a Deputy Speaker.  If two or more Members rise to make a proposal the Speaker will look to the largest party first, in accordance with Assembly precedent.
• The Speaker will then ask for the first proposal to be seconded by another Member and if the proposal is not seconded, there is no valid nomination.
• Once seconded, the Speaker will verify that the candidate is willing to accept the nomination. There will not be an opportunity for speeches at this stage. 
• The Speaker will then ask for further proposals and follow the same procedure for each. When there are no further proposals, the Speaker will indicate that the time for proposals has passed and a debate may then take place.
• Members should indicate their intention to speak to the Business Office or to the Table in the usual way. Members may speak for up to 3 minutes and may not speak more than once. There will be no time limit on the debate.
• At the conclusion of the debate, the Speaker will put the question that the first candidate proposed shall be a Deputy Speaker of the Assembly. The vote will be on a cross-community basis and any dissenting voices will result in a division.
• If the question is not carried, the Speaker will put the question in relation to the next candidate and so on, until three candidates have been elected or all nominations are exhausted. Once three Deputy Speakers have been elected, all other nominations automatically fall.
• There will be no opportunity for speeches after the Deputy Speakers have been elected.

Procedure for the Election of a Principal Deputy Speaker – Standing Order 5A

• The nomination process will commence only after the successful election of three Deputy Speakers.
• The Speaker will commence by calling for a nomination. Any Member may nominate one of the three elected Deputy Speakers. There is no requirement for this to be the party nominating officer.
• If more than one Member rises to make a nomination, the Speaker will look to the largest party first, in accordance with Assembly precedent.
• There is no requirement for the nomination to be seconded and only one nomination will be accepted and dealt with at a time.
• The Deputy Speaker who has been nominated will be asked if he/she is willing to act as Principal Deputy Speaker.
• A debate relevant to that nomination may then take place if Members indicate in advance that they wish to speak. Members should indicate their intention to speak to the Business Office or to the Table in the usual way. The convention is that no more than one Member from a party will be called to speak on the basis that the debate is about a single nomination only.
• Members may speak for up to 3 minutes and may not speak more than once in each debate. There will be no time limit on the debate.
• At the end of the debate, the Question will be put on the nomination. Cross-community support is required.
• If the first nomination is not approved with cross-community support, the Speaker will call for a further nomination and the process will be repeated.
• There will be no opportunity to speak after a nomination is approved by the Assembly.