Minutes of Proceedings
Session: 2011/2012
Date: 15 November 2011
Venue: Assembly Chamber
No. 30-11/15
The Assembly met at 10.30am, the Principal Deputy Speaker (Mr Molloy) in the Chair.
1. Personal Prayer or Meditation
Members observed two minutes’ silence.
2. Private Members’ Business
2.1 Motion - Disparity in Community Background in Students Attending University
Proposed:
That this Assembly notes with concern the disparity in the number of students from a Protestant background attending universities in Northern Ireland; and calls on the Minister for Employment and Learning to explore why this is the case and to bring forward a strategy to address the issue.
Mr G Campbell
Mr A McQuillan
2.2 Amendment 1
Proposed:
Leave out all after ‘notes’ and insert:
‘the current background of students attending universities in Northern Ireland; calls on the Minister for Employment and Learning to take all appropriate measures to ensure that this balance reflects the relevant cohort of the population; and further calls on the Minister to work with the Minister of Education to address barriers to students accessing higher education.’
Mr T Lunn
Mr C Lyttle
Ms A Lo
Mr K McCarthy
2.3 Amendment 2
Proposed:
Leave out:
‘with concern’
Mr P Ramsey
Mrs D Kelly
Mr C McDevitt
Debate ensued.
Amendment No. 1 being put, the Amendment fell (Division 1).
Amendment No. 2 being put, the Amendment fell without division.
The Question being put, the Motion was carried without division.
The sitting was suspended at 12.27pm.
The sitting resumed at 2.00pm, with the Speaker in the Chair.
3. Question Time
3.1 Social Development
Questions were put to, and answered by, the Minister for Social Development, Mr Nelson McCausland.
3.2 Culture, Arts and Leisure
Questions were put to, and answered by, the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure, Ms Carál Ní Chuilín.
4. Private Members’ Business (Cont’d)
4.1 Motion - Roaming Charges
Proposed:
That this Assembly notes the importance of affordable telecommunication costs to achieving economic recovery; welcomes the recent reductions in roaming charges across Europe; further welcomes the European Commission's plans to abolish roaming charges by 2015; and calls for the immediate introduction of an all-Ireland telecommunications tariff to expedite this objective.
Mr P Flanagan
Mr D McKay
Ms S Ramsey
The Principal Deputy Speaker (Mr Molloy) took the Chair.
4.2 Amendment
Proposed:
Leave out all after ‘2015;’ and insert:
‘ and calls on the mobile network operators to abolish roaming charges in advance of 2015; and further notes that regulation of telecommunications on a UK-wide basis is key to a competitive Northern Ireland marketplace.’
Mr R Newton
Mr S Moutray
Mr G Dunne
Mr P Frew
Debate ensued.
The Deputy Speaker (Mr Beggs) took the Chair.
The Question being put, the Amendment was made without division.
The Question being put, the Motion, as amended, was carried without division.
5. Adjournment
Mr Alban Maginness spoke to his topic on Housing at the Girdwood Barracks site in North Belfast.
Proposed:
That the Assembly do now adjourn.
The Speaker
The Assembly adjourned at 5.10pm.
Mr William Hay
The Speaker
15 November 2011
Northern Ireland Assembly
15 November 2011
Division 1
Disparity in Community Background in Students Attending University - Amendment 1
Proposed:
Leave out all after ‘notes’ and insert:
‘the current background of students attending universities in Northern Ireland; calls on the Minister for Employment and Learning to take all appropriate measures to ensure that this balance reflects the relevant cohort of the population; and further calls on the Minister to work with the Minister of Education to address barriers to students accessing higher education.’
Mr T Lunn
Mr C Lyttle
Ms A Lo
Mr K McCarthy
The Question was put and the Assembly divided.
Ayes: 33
Noes: 58
Ayes
Mr Agnew, Mr Attwood, Mr Beggs, Mr D Bradley, Mr Byrne, Mrs Cochrane, Mr Copeland, Mr Cree, Mr Dickson, Mrs Dobson, Mr Durkan, Mr Elliott, Dr Farry, Mr Ford, Mr Gardiner, Mrs D Kelly, Mr Kennedy, Mr Kinahan, Ms Lo, Mr Lunn, Mr Lyttle, Mr McCallister, Mr McCarthy, Mr McClarty, Mr B McCrea, Mr McDevitt, Mr McGlone, Mrs McKevitt, Mr A Maginness, Mr Nesbitt, Mrs Overend, Mr P Ramsey, Mr Swann.
Tellers for the Ayes: Mrs Cochrane and Mr Lyttle.
Noes
Mr Allister, Ms M Anderson, Mr S Anderson, Mr Bell, Mr Boylan, Ms Boyle, Ms P Bradley, Mr Brady, Mr Buchanan, Mr Campbell, Mr T Clarke, Mr W Clarke, Mr Craig, Mr Doherty, Mr Douglas, Mr Dunne, Mr Easton, Mr Flanagan, Mr Frew, Ms Gildernew, Mr Givan, Mrs Hale, Mr Hamilton, Mr Hilditch, Mr Humphrey, Mr Irwin, Mr G Kelly, Ms Lewis, Mr Lynch, Mr F McCann, Ms J McCann, Mr McCartney, Mr McCausland, Mr I McCrea, Mr McElduff, Mr D McIlveen, Miss M McIlveen, Mr McLaughlin, Mr McMullan, Mr McQuillan, Mr A Maskey, Mr P Maskey, Lord Morrow, Mr Moutray, Mr Murphy, Mr Newton, Ms N í Chuil ín, Mr Ó hOis ín, Mr O ’Dowd, Mr Poots, Ms S Ramsey, Mr Ross, Ms Ruane, Mr Sheehan, Mr Spratt, Mr Storey, Mr Weir, Mr Wells.
Tellers for the Noes: Mr Buchanan and Mr McQuillan.
The Amendment fell.
Northern Ireland Assembly
Papers Presented to the Assembly on
15 November 2011
1. Acts of the Northern Ireland Assembly
2. Bills of the Northern Ireland Assembly
3. Orders in Council
4. Publications Laid in the Northern Ireland Assembly
5. Assembly Reports
6. Statutory Rules
(The department identified after each rule is for reference purposes only)
For Information Only:
- S.R. 2011/392 The Prohibition of Traffic (Lower Ormeau, Belfast) (Amendment) Order (Northern Ireland) 2011 (DRD)
- S.R. 2011/393 The Prohibition of Traffic (The Mount and Willowfield, Belfast) (Amendment) Order (Northern Ireland) 2011 (DRD)
7. Written Ministerial Statements
Review of DCAL’s Arms Length Bodies (DCAL)
8. Consultation Documents
The “EC Roadworthiness Directive” – Proposed Changes to the MOT Test (DOE)
