Minutes of Proceedings

The meeting began at 3.40 pm

1. Introduction

1.1 The Speaker welcomed members to his first meeting as Chair of the Business Committee and thanked them for supporting his election to that Office.

1.2 The Speaker alluded to the convention in the previous Assembly that a senior official from the Office of the First and Deputy First Minister attended meetings of the Business Committee as an observer. Members agreed that the Business Committee should again operate under this convention and, at the Committee’s invitation, Ms Rosalie Flanagan attended the meeting.

1.3 The Speaker referred members to the minutes of the final meeting of the Business Committee in Transitional format, advising that these had been signed off by the previous Speaker. Members noted the minutes and agreed that there were no matters arising from them.

2. Item 1 – Declarations of interest

2.1 The Speaker drew members’ attention to the requirement in Standing Orders that members declare any interest, before taking part in any proceedings of Assembly Committees, which is relevant to those proceedings. A form was provided to members, on which members could provide details of relevant pecuniary interests in order to satisfy the requirements of the ‘Guide to the Rules relating to the conduct of Members’.

3. Item 2 – Remit of the Business Committee

3.1 The Speaker advised that members had been supplied with a paper on the remit of the Business Committee, which included relevant references to Standing Orders, for their information and future reference.

4. Item 3 – Draft Order Paper for Wednesday 9 May 2007

4.1 Members agreed that there should be 11 Statutory Committees. Following discussions, it was agreed that the title ‘Committee of the Centre’ should be included in the draft motion, and that any consideration of a change to the name of that Committee should be a matter for the Committee itself, subject to the Assembly’s approval of an appropriate motion. Agreement was reached on the names of Business Committee members that were to appear on the Order Paper for this and for subsequent motions.

4.2 Members agreed that the motion on the establishment of the Audit Committee should appear on the Order Paper.

4.3 Members agreed that the motion on Assembly Commission membership should appear on the Order Paper.

4.4 Members were informed that, of the three, only the Assembly Commission motion required cross-community support. Members agreed that all three motions should be considered as Assembly business motions, and therefore not subject to debate.

4.5 Members agreed that two further items (appointment of Chairs and Deputy Chairs of the Statutory and Standing Committees) should be included on the Order Paper. Members were advised that while it was in order for a Member to take up such an office in writing, such correspondence should be provided to the Speaker in advance.

5. Item 4 – Membership of Statutory and Standing Committees

5.1 It was agreed that the two Committee membership motions should appear on the Order Paper. Members were reminded that the motions required two documents, showing the names of Members for each of the Statutory and Standing Committees, to have been agreed by the Business Committee.

5.2 Members reported their previous discussions on the breakdown, by party, of seats within Statutory Committees. Ms Ní Chuilín indicated that her party was prepared to agree to one suggested solution, in order that progress might be made. A matrix representing that solution was distributed to Members, who formally agreed to it. Members were asked to provide the Business Office with names of Members who would take their parties’ allocated seats. It was confirmed that after the membership of Committees was formally approved by the Assembly, names could be changed by a further motion in the Assembly.

5.3 Members agreed to meet privately immediately after the Business Committee to discuss membership of Standing Committees.

5.4 Members agreed that no further business should be added to the Order Paper, and that consideration of motions tabled in the Business Office should be deferred until the Business Committee met on 9 May.

6. Item 5 – Assembly Questions – lead-in times and draft guidance

6.1 The Speaker referred to the proposed lead-in times and draft questions rota, which, along with draft guidance, had been provisionally agreed by the Transitional Assembly Business Committee. Members signed off the guidance and other proposals, which included agreement that written questions should be tabled from Monday 14 April, and oral questions for the first three Ministers should be tabled from Monday 21 May to Tuesday 29 May with the first Question Time taking place on Monday 11 June. Members were advised that the guidance would issue to Members as soon as possible.

7. Item 6 – Motions and Amendments - Guidance

7.1 The Business Committee formally approved the guidance on motions and amendments and agreed its circulation to Members. It was confirmed that motions tabled during the time of the Transitional Assembly had fallen and that Members could table motions in the Business Office with immediate effect.

8. Item 7 – Adjournment debates - Guidance

8.1 The Business Committee formally approved the guidance on adjournment debates and agreed its circulation to Members.

9. Any Other Business

9.1 Following brief discussions, it was agreed that a paper, setting out potential dates for Assembly recess through to summer 2008, should be considered at the meeting to be held on 9 May.

9.2 The Speaker reminded Members that Standing Orders allowed each of them to appoint a substitute member who could attend meetings of the Business Committee in his or her absence. He urged Members to make their substitutes known to him as soon as possible.

9.3 Members were advised that the numbers of seats held by each party on and at the end of 8 May 2007 would be assumed to be the same as those held on 13 March 2007, when a list was provided to Members prior to the first meeting of the Transitional Assembly after the election, unless a Member alerted the Speaker to a change in his or her party membership before the end of the day.

9.4 Mr McCarthy suggested that new and substitute members should be alerted to the principle that matters discussed in the Business Committee should remain in confidence until the Committee’s decisions are publicly communicated on the Committee’s behalf 1.

10. Item 9 – Date and Time of next meeting

10.1 Members agreed to meet 30 minutes after the House rose on 9 May 2007

The Speaker brought the meeting to a close at 4.20 pm.

William Hay

The Speaker

1. Minutes of the Transitional Assembly Business Committee dated 19 September 2006