Report of the Ad Hoc Committee on the COVID 19 Response

Session: Session currently unavailable

Date: 24 March 2022

Reference: NIA 207/17-22

Report of the Ad Hoc Committee on the COVID 19 Response.pdf (288.31 kb)

This report is the property of the Ad Hoc Committee on the COVID 19 Response. Neither the report nor its contents should be disclosed to any person unless such disclosure is authorised by the Committee.

Ordered by the Ad Hoc Committee on the COVID 19 Response to be published on 24 March 2022.

Report: NIA 207/17-22 Ad Hoc Committee on the COVID 19 Response.

Powers and Membership
Report
Appendices

Powers and Membership

Powers

The Ad Hoc Committee can receive oral statements from Ministers on matters relating to the COVID-19 response and can question Ministers on such statements.

Membership

The Committee membership includes all members of the Northern Ireland Assembly. The Chairperson of the Committee is the Speaker or, in his absence, a Deputy Speaker.

Report

1. On 31 March 2020, further to a motion tabled by the party whips and the representative of the smaller parties and independent Members, the Assembly resolved:

That, as provided for in Standing Order 53(1), this Assembly appoints an Ad Hoc Committee to receive oral statements from Ministers on matters relating to the COVID-19 response and to question Ministers on such statements.

Composition: All Members of the Assembly shall be members of the Committee. The Chairperson of the Committee shall be the Speaker or, in his absence, a Deputy Speaker.

Quorum: The quorum shall be five members, including the Chairperson.

Procedures: The Committee may not meet on days when the Assembly is sitting. The procedures of the Committee shall otherwise be such as the Chairperson may determine. Any report of the Committee shall be limited to its minutes of proceedings together with the minutes of any evidence taken before it.

Time Frame: Unless the Assembly previously resolves, the Committee shall exist for a period of 12 months.

The establishment of this Ad Hoc Committee does not prevent Ministers from continuing to make statements to the Assembly in line with the provisions of Standing Order 18.

2. On two subsequent occasions (22 March 2021 and 27 September 2021), the Assembly resolved to extend the time frame for the committee. The consequence of these extensions was that the committee was in existence from 31 March 2020 until the dissolution of the Assembly on 28 March 2022.

3. During this period the committee held a total of 15 meetings. The first of these was held on 7 April 2020; the last was held on 15 April 2021.

4. The minutes of proceedings of these meetings are included at Appendix 1 and available on the Ad Hoc Committee’s minutes of proceedings section of the Assembly website.

5. The minutes of evidence of these meetings are included at Appendix 2 and are available on the Ad Hoc Committee’s minutes of evidence page on the Assembly website.

6. The Speaker, as Chairperson of the Ad Hoc Committee on the COVID-19 Response, periodically issued guidance for members on the procedures of the committee. The latest version of that guidance, which issued in March 2021, is included at Appendix 3.

Appendices

Appendix 1: Minutes of Proceedings

View Minutes of Proceedings from meetings of the Ad Hoc Committee on the COVID 19 Response:

Appendix 2: Minutes of Evidence

View Minutes of Evidence from meetings of the Ad Hoc Committee on the COVID 19 Response.

Appendix 3: Guidance for Members on the Procedures of the Ad Hoc Committee on the COVID 19 Response (Updated March 2021)

Purpose

The Ad Hoc Committee on the COVID 19 Response (the Committee) provides the Assembly with the ability to receive statements from Ministers on days when the Assembly is not sitting.
The Committee can only receive statements from Ministers on matters relating to the COVID-19 response.
The Committee can conduct no other business than to receive these statements and to question Ministers on them.

Advance planning

The Executive has been advised that as much advance notice as possible should be given if a Minister is likely to wish to make a statement to the Ad Hoc Committee in order that arrangements can be made for the Committee to sit.
The Executive has therefore been asked to provide a provisional schedule each week of any Ministers who wished to make statements to the Ad Hoc Committee that week.
The Chairperson will consider the information provided by the Executive and determine on which days that week the Ad Hoc Committee shall meet, which Ministers shall make statements and at what time. This information will then be shared with members at the start of the week.
The Chairperson may agree to schedule additional statements or even additional meetings of the committee (over and above those notified in the provisional schedule) to take account of Ministers needing to update the Assembly on recent or unforeseen developments.

Giving Notice to Make a Statement to the Ad Hoc Committee

The usual time for meeting will be in the afternoon.
A notice to make a statement should be received as early as possible but no later than 24 hours before the statement is due to be made in order for the Chairperson to make arrangements for the Committee to meet and to give notice to Members.
In emergency circumstances, and usually with at least 24 hours’ notice, the Chairperson may agree either to remove a statement from the agenda of a committee meeting or to cancel a meeting of the committee.
The Chairperson will also communicate notice of a meeting to the public.
Ministers may request to make statements to the Ad Hoc Committee on more than one non-sitting day each week.
There may be more than one statement made at each committee meeting.
Ministers may request to make joint statements.

Requirements in Advance of the Meeting

Ministers will be expected to make electronic copies of their statements available to the Chairperson (via the Speaker’s office) in advance of the committee meeting.
The statement will need to be emailed to the Speaker’s Office, as soon as it is available, and no later than one hour in advance of the committee meeting beginning.
The statement will then be provided to all members by the Chairperson in advance of the committee meeting beginning.

Format

The meeting will take place in the Assembly Chamber.
The statement will be made from a podium in front of the Speaker’s table.
The committee meeting will be broadcast in the same way as plenary sittings are broadcast.
The meeting will begin with the Chairperson drawing Members’ attention to the agreed minutes of the previous meeting.
Following this, the Chairperson will invite the Minister to make a statement to the Committee.

Chairperson

The Chairperson of the Committee shall be the Speaker or, in his absence, a Deputy Speaker.
If neither the Speaker nor any Deputy Speaker is able to chair a meeting of the Ad Hoc Committee, the meeting shall be chaired by a temporary Chairperson.
The temporary Chairperson shall be the member, present at the meeting, who has served the Assembly the longest number of days, and in the case of a tie, the oldest of the longest-serving members present. Ministers and junior Ministers are not eligible to be considered as temporary Chairpersons.

Questions to the Statement

Following the statement there will be a period for members to ask the Minister questions on the statement.
Usually this period will be an hour.
However, if in advance of the meeting the Minister requested an alternative period of the time and with a satisfactory rationale, the Chairperson may decide to allow for that alternative period of time.
If the Chairperson thinks that not all Members may be accommodated within an hour, he may decide upon an extended time period.
In any case, before the Minister makes the statement the Chairperson will announce the period of time available for questions.
It will be for the Chairperson to determine the order in which members are called to ask a question and how they should indicate that they wish to be called.
The Chairperson may decide to allow (a) supplementary questions or (b) additional questions if there is remaining time after all members have asked their initial questions.

Attendance by Officials

A Minister making a solo statement can be accompanied by no more than one key official to participate in the proceedings.
In such cases, only the Minister will make the statement.
However, a Minister accompanied by a key official may ask that official to answer any question.

Differences from a Plenary Sitting

As a committee meeting, the Standing Orders in relation to plenary business do not apply.
No other business other than that on the agenda can be considered.
There will be no Order Paper and no Prayers.

Impact on Normal Assembly Procedures

Ministers will continue to make oral statements to the Assembly at its scheduled plenary sittings, in line with the provisions of Standing Order 18A.
Nothing in these arrangements would prevent a Minister from making a written Ministerial statement under Standing Order 18B where that Minister considered it appropriate to make a written statement.

Privilege

Under Section 50 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, for the purposes of the law of defamation, absolute privilege applies equally to:
- the making of a statement in proceedings of the Assembly; and
- the publication of a statement under the Assembly’s authority.
The term ‘proceedings of the Assembly’ includes the work of committees and therefore includes the Ad Hoc Committee on the COVID-19 response.

Remote participation

Members of the Committee may participate remotely. However, prior notice must be provided to the Speaker’s Office.
Parties are expected to manage attendance at the Committee to enable social distancing in line with the seating arrangements agreed for the Chamber.

Further guidance

Should members require any further guidance, they should email the Speaker’s Office (speakersoffice@niassembly.gov.uk).

You may re-use this publication (not including images or logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Northern Ireland Assembly Licence.

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This Report can be made available in a range of formats including large print, Braille etc. For more information please contact:

Clerking and Member Support Office

Northern Ireland Assembly

Parliament Buildings

Ballymiscaw

Stormont

Belfast BT4 3XX

Email: committee.office@niassembly.gov.uk