Minutes of Proceedings

1. Minutes of the meeting held on 12 June 2007

1.1 The minutes of the meeting held on 12 June were agreed and signed by the Speaker.

2. Matter Arising

2.1 On the matter referred to in paragraph 2.1 of the minutes (attendance of Junior Ministers at the Business Committee) members agreed a letter for issue to the First Minister and deputy First Minister. The letter contained the following conditions for Junior Ministers’ attendance:

• that they would attend as observers, and not voting members;
• that they would participate in discussions only at the invitation of the Chair or in response to a Committee member (and only on matters relating to Executive business); and
• that the arrangements would be reviewed after three months.

It was agreed that it was a matter for the Junior Ministers as to whether they attended the next meeting of the Business Committee (i.e. the last before summer recess) or attended meetings from September onwards.

2.2 Referring to paragraph 4.1 of the minutes, the Speaker reported his view that Members should wear ‘business attire’ in the Chamber, but that he intended to be flexible regarding this convention where conditions in the Chamber were causing concern to Members. It was agreed that the requirement to wear business attire should extend to those in the Officials’ Box.

3. Arrangements for plenary meetings in week commencing 25 June

3.1 Members were referred to draft Order Papers for Monday 25 June and Tuesday 26 June.

Executive Business

3.2 The Business Committee agreed to schedule the Final Stages of the Budget Bill and the Welfare Reform Bill on the Order Paper for Monday 25 June.

3.3 Members also agreed to schedule the Second Stage of the Taxis Bill on the Order Paper for Tuesday 26 June.

Committee Business

3.4 Members noted that no Committee business had been tabled.

Private Members’ business

3.5 Members agreed that one Private Member’s motion should be scheduled for debate on Monday 25 June, and three on Tuesday 26 June. Members considered a number of motions.

3.6 By consensus, the motion on ‘Carers’ (C Hanna) was selected for Monday 25 June.

3.7 By consensus, the motion postponed from Monday 18 June (‘Pay parity for Further Education lecturers’ (P Butler, M Brady)) was selected as the first debate under this item on the Order Paper for Tuesday 26 June. Also by consensus, two further motions were selected (in this order) for Tuesday 26 June:

• ‘Transformation Fund’ (Lord Morrow); and
• ‘Pension Provision for former RUC Part-Time Reserve’ (Mr McNarry).

3.8 Members provisionally agreed that a motion on ‘Racial Equality Strategy’ (A Lo, N Long, S Farry) should be selected for inclusion in the following week’s Order Papers.

3.9 Members agreed an Adjournment debate for 26 June – ‘Recent flooding in East Belfast’ (Sir Reg Empey), Mr McNarry having clarified that the topic related to insurance matters.

3.10 There was brief discussion about the potential for rotating, among parties, the selection of motions and adjournment topics. No formal proposal was considered, however.

4. Any Other Business

4.1 Members were advised that the Co-Chair of the British-Irish inter-Parliamentary Body (BIIPB) had written to the Speaker seeking nominations of five Full Members, and four Associate Members, to the body. The Speaker agreed to supply a copy of the letter to members, who agreed to defer discussions on how the nominations might be made until the next meeting.

4.2 Members’ agreed a draft rota for Question Time from September to December 2007. The limited time available to Members to table questions to the first six departments was noted, as was the limited time available to the first three departments to prepare answers to their questions. It was agreed that the rota should be circulated to Members before summer recess.

4.3 Members’ attention was drawn to a letter received from the Chairperson of the Committee for Social Development (on the conduct of the motion on Accelerated Passage for the Welfare Reform Bill) and of the Speaker’s reply. Members were reminded that while the Business Committee allocated time to debates, individual MLAs should report their interest in contributing to a debate to party whips, who in turn should reflect these interests in the Business Committee.

4.4 Through provision of a further copy of the All Party Notice, members were reminded of the forthcoming meetings relating to the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and the Northern Ireland Assembly and Business Trust.

4.5 The Speaker drew members’ attention to a short paper referring to correspondence from the Committee on Procedures on the possible provision of a facility for written Ministerial statements. The Speaker asked members to consider the paper and to bring any views they may have, on the principle of having written statements, to the next meeting.

4.6 Mr McNarry reported that concerns had been expressed by his party colleagues regarding the relationship between the Executive and the Assembly, and asked whether or not the Speaker would facilitate discussion among party whips regarding these concerns. The Speaker indicated that it would not be appropriate for him to do so, but noted that whips should be able to discuss matters with each other outside the formal arrangements of the Business Committee. Mr McNarry undertook to speak to other whips in due course.

Dr McDonnell and Mr McCarthy left the meeting at 2.00pm and 2.04pm respectively.

4.7 Mr Maskey raised the issue of Business Committee papers (other than the agenda and draft minutes) not being available to members prior to the meeting. Members were reminded that the No-day-named list of motions and the list Adjournment topics were produced half-an-hour before the meeting commenced, and that other papers were not available before Monday afternoon. An undertaking was given to supply papers to members in advance of the meeting, where possible.

5. Date and Time of next meeting

5.1 Members agreed to meet immediately following the lunchtime suspension on Tuesday 26 June in Room 106.

The Speaker brought the meeting to a close at 2.05 pm.

William Hay
The Speaker