Proceedings of the Committee on the Preparation for Government

18 August 2006

Minutes of the meeting held on Friday, 18 August 2006 in Room 144, Parliament Buildings.

In the Chair: Francie Molloy

Present: Dominic Bradley
Francie Brolly 
Gregory Campbell MP
Derek Hussey
Danny Kennedy
Patricia Lewsley
Naomi Long
Kieran McCarthy
Dermot Nesbitt
John O’Dowd
Pat O’Rawe
Ian Paisley. Jnr
Edwin Poots

In Attendance: Nuala Dunwoody (Clerk Assistant)
Martin Wilson (Principal Clerk)
Joanne Adair (Assistant Clerk)
David Douglas (Clerical Officer)
Pauline Innes (Clerical Officer)
Patricia Casey (Senior Researcher)

Observing: Jim Wells (Chairperson)

Stephen Barr (UUPAG researcher)
Stephen Farry (Alliance researcher)
Eilish Haughey (SDLP researcher) 
Mark Neal (UUPAG researcher)
Philip Weir (DUP researcher)

The meeting commenced at 10.03 am.

1. Apologies

Mr Durkan MP (Mrs Lewsley attended the meeting as SDLP representative in place of Mr Durkan MP)

Mr McDonnell, MP (Mr Bradley attended the meeting as SDLP representative in place of Mr McDonnell)

Mr Ford (Mr McCarthy attended the meeting as Alliance representative in place of Mr Ford)

Ms Gildernew MP (Mrs O’Rawe attended the meeting as Sinn Fein representative in place of Ms Gildernew MP)

Dr McCrea MP (Mr Poots attended the meeting as DUP representative in place of Dr McCrea MP)

Mr McNarry (Mr Nesbitt attended the meeting as UUPAG representative in place of Mr McNarry)

Mr McFarland (Mr Hussey attended the meeting as UUPAG representative in place of Mr McFarland)

Mr Murphy MP (Mr O’Dowd attended the meeting as Sinn Fein representative in place of Mr Murphy MP)

Mr McGuinness, MP (Mr Brolly attended the meeting as Sinn Fein representative in place of Mr McGuinness, MP)

Lord Morrow (Mr Campbell MP attended the meeting as DUP representative in place of Lord Morrow)

Mr Hussey joined the meeting at 10.05 am

2. Previous Minutes

The minutes of the meeting of 11 August 2006 were agreed.

3. Matter Arising

The Committee noted a response from the Editor of Debates regarding a question from Mr Nesbitt on whether the ‘comings and goings’ on members could be recorded in the Official Report.

Members noted the research paper on the introduction of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) into domestic legislation in the Republic of Ireland.

4. Rights and Safeguards

Formation of a Round Table Forum on a Bill of Rights

Mrs Lewsley proposed that the committee should support, in principle, the formation of a Round Table Forum to help establish the creation of a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland. There was not consensus and the proposal fell.

Parades

It was agreed to defer for future consideration the issue of whether the Assembly might wish to have devolved with policing and justice ‘appointments to the Parades Commission and its operation’.

5. Discussion on Equality and Shared Future Issues

Equality

Each party gave a short presentation on the issue of Equality.

Mr Hussey left the meeting at 12.24 pm

It was agreed that equality measures need to be implemented to address objective need and current trends to avert future problems and that all interested parties, including Government, should be fully committed to addressing this issue.

The meeting was suspended at 12.31 pm

The meeting reconvened at 12.53 pm

Mrs O’Rawe made the following proposals:

‘That the Northern Ireland Act 1998 should be amended to give the Equality Commission enforcement powers’.

‘That all public bodies should be designated to comply with Section 75’.

‘That the British Government needs to establish an independent recruitment and selection panel for the Equality Commission to ensure the Commission is representative and balanced in its composition’.

There was not consensus and the proposals fell.

It was agreed that the Ulster Unionist Party paper ‘Equality: Labour Market Issues’ should be placed on the Preparation for Government Committee pages of the Assembly website.

Good Relations/Shared Future

Each party gave a short presentation on the issues of Good Relations and a Shared Future.

Mr O’Dowd left the meeting at 12.56 pm
Mr Hussey rejoined the meeting at 1.00 pm
Mr Poots rejoined the meeting at 1.14 pm

Ms Long proposed that all parties should endorse the aspiration of having a single shared education system in Northern Ireland. There was not consensus and the proposal fell.

Mr Wells left the meeting at 1.56 pm
Mr Bradley left the meeting at 2.15 pm

Mr McCarthy proposed that all parties should endorse the Shared Future Framework Document (March 2005) and the Shared Future Action Plan (April 2006) and regard their implementation as critical to political progress. There was not consensus and the proposal fell.

It was agreed that all parties should stress their commitment to building a Shared Future.

Mr McCarthy left the meeting at 2.20 pm

Mrs O’Rawe proposed that the Equality Commission should be identified as the primary body responsible for promoting Good Relations. There was not consensus and the proposal fell.

It was agreed that all parties call for an immediate stand down of all paramilitary organisations as the best contribution to a Shared Future.

6. Next Meeting

The Committee will next meet at 10.00am on Monday 21 August 2006 in Room 144, Parliament Buildings to discuss Institutional issues. The next meeting dealing with rights, safeguards, equality and victims issues will be held on Friday 25 August. This will be an all-day meeting with lunch provided.

The meeting adjourned at 2.24 pm