What is a Legislative Consent Motion?
A legislative consent motion is a motion which seeks the agreement of the Assembly to the UK Parliament considering provisions of a bill which deal with a devolution matter. It is tabled in the Business Office by the Northern Ireland Executive Minister whom the devolution matter concerns, or a Member of the Assembly in certain circumstances. The motion is published on AIMS Portal on the Assembly’s website.
The debate is the opportunity for MLAs to set out the arguments for and against the granting of consent for the UK Parliament to legislate on the devolution matters. By convention, debates on legislation, including those on legislative consent motions, are not subject to time limits. At the end of the debate, MLAs vote on whether to give legislative consent.
