Minutes of Proceedings

The Assembly met at noon, the Speaker in the Chair.

1. Prayers

Members observed two minutes' silence.

2. Members' Statements

Under Standing Order 24A, the following Members made a statement to the Assembly;

Mr Colm Gildernew

Mr Keith Buchanan

Mr Justin McNulty

Mr Mike Nesbitt

Ms Kellie Armstrong

Mr Alex Easton

Ms Ciara Ferguson

Mr Gary Middleton

Ms Cara Hunter

Dr Steve Aiken

Mr John Blair

Mrs Deborah Erskine

Ms Emma Sheerin

Mr Daniel McCrossan

3. Public Petition

3.1 Reassessing Contact Tracing in Schools

Mr Justin McNulty was granted leave, in accordance with Standing Order 22, to present a Public Petition regarding Reassessing Contact Tracing in Schools.

4. Assembly Business

4.1 Motion: Committee Membership

Proposed:

That Mrs Deborah Erskine replace Mr Jonathan Buckley as a member of the Committee for Health; and that Mr Thomas Buchanan be appointed as a member of the Committee for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs.

Ms Joanne Bunting
Mr Trevor Clarke

The Question being put, the motion was carried.

4.2 Motion: Committee Membership

Proposed:

That Miss Aisling Reilly be appointed as a member of the Committee for Communities.

Mr John O'Dowd
Ms Sinéad Ennis

The Question being put, the motion was carried.

5. Ministerial Statement

5.1 October Monitoring Round

The Minister of Finance, Mr Conor Murphy, made a statement regarding the October Monitoring Round, following which he replied to questions.

The Deputy Speaker, Mr Beggs, took the Chair.

The sitting was suspended at 1.28pm.

The sitting resumed at 1.37pm, with the Deputy Speaker, Mr Beggs, in the Chair.

6. Executive Committee Business

6.1 Legislative Consent Motion: The Public Service Pensions and Judicial Offices Bill

Proposed:

That this Assembly endorses the extension to Northern Ireland of provisions to implement the remedy solution for age discrimination in public service pension schemes, and associated measures on scheme cost control, and judicial pensions and terms of office, in the Public Service Pensions and Judicial Offices Bill as introduced in the House of Lords on 19 July 2021.

Minister of Finance

Debate ensued.

The debate stood suspended for Question Time, the Speaker took the Chair.

7. Question Time

7.1 Communities

Questions were put to, and answered by, the Minister for Communities, Ms Deirdre Hargey.

The Deputy Speaker, Mr McGlone, took the Chair.

7.2 Infrastructure

Questions were put to, and answered by, the Minister for Infrastructure, Ms Nichola Mallon.

8. Executive Committee Business (cont'd)

8.1 Legislative Consent Motion: The Public Service Pensions and Judicial Offices Bill (cont'd)

Debate resumed.

The Question being put, the motion was carried.

9. Committee Business

9.1 Motion: Extension of Committee Stage – Climate Change (No. 2) Bill (NIA Bill 28/17-22)

Proposed:

That, in accordance with Standing Order 33(4), the period referred to in Standing Order 33(2) be extended to 28 January 2022, in relation to the Committee Stage of the Climate Change (No. 2) Bill.

Chairperson, Committee for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs

Debate ensued.

The Question being put, the motion was carried.

9.2 Motion: Extension of Committee Stage – Organ and Tissue Donation (Deemed Consent) Bill (NIA Bill 30/17-22)

Proposed:

That, in accordance with Standing Order 33(4), the period referred to in Standing Order 33(2) be extended to 21 January 2022, in relation to the Committee Stage of the Organ and Tissue Donation (Deemed Consent) Bill.

Chairperson, Committee for Health

Debate ensued.

The Question being put, the motion was carried.

9.3 Motion: Extension of Committee Stage – Autism (Amendment) Bill (NIA Bill 31/17-22)

Proposed:

That, in accordance with Standing Order 33(4), the period referred to in Standing Order 33(2) be extended to 14 January 2022, in relation to the Committee Stage of the Autism (Amendment) Bill.

Chairperson, Committee for Health

Debate ensued.

The Question being put, the motion was carried.

9.4 Motion: Extension of Committee Stage – Small-Scale Green Energy Bill (NIA Bill 33/17-22)

Proposed:

That, in accordance with Standing Order 33(4), the period referred to in Standing Order 33(2) be extended to 28 January 2022, in relation to the Committee Stage of the Small-Scale Green Energy Bill.

Chairperson, Committee for the Economy

Debate ensued.

The Question being put, the motion was carried.

10. Private Members' Business

10.1 Motion: A Ring-fenced Skills Fund for Northern Ireland

Proposed:

That this Assembly believes investing in the skills and talent of our workforce is integral to the economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic; stresses the need to better equip those with low, or no, qualifications in order to tackle unemployment, inactivity and disadvantage in every corner of Northern Ireland; endorses the Department for the Economy's draft Skills Strategy for Northern Ireland: Skills for a 10x Economy, including plans to rebalance graduate and postgraduate qualifications towards STEM subjects and jobs of the future; highlights the potential benefits for growth sectors and levels of inward investment; supports the creation of a Skills Council for Northern Ireland to ensure businesses, education and trade unions have a strong voice; notes that delivering on the Skills Strategy will require the support of all Ministers as well as significant investment; and calls on the Minister of Finance to make available the necessary funding for a ring-fenced Skills Fund in Northern Ireland.

Mrs Diane Dodds
Mr Robin Newton

Amendment:

Proposed:

Leave out all after the first 'Northern Ireland;' and insert:

'notes the Department for the Economy's draft Skills Strategy for Northern Ireland: Skills for a 10x Economy, including plans to rebalance graduate and postgraduate qualifications towards STEM subjects and jobs of the future; highlights the potential benefits for growth sectors and levels of inward investment; supports the creation of a Skills Council for Northern Ireland to ensure businesses, education and trade unions have a strong voice; further notes that delivering on the Skills Strategy will require consultation with and the support of all Ministers as well as significant investment in the absence of European Union funding lost as a result of Brexit; and calls on the Minister for the Economy to include a ring-fenced Skills Fund as an element of the Department's Economic Recovery Action Plan; and further calls on the Executive to prioritise skills development as part of the new three-year budget cycle.'

Mr John O'Dowd
Dr Caoimhe Archibald
Miss Aisling Reilly
Ms Jemma Dolan

Debate ensued.

The Deputy Speaker, Mr Beggs, took the Chair.

The Question being put, the amendment was made.

The Question being put, the motion, as amended, was carried.

11. Adjournment

Proposed:

That the Assembly do now adjourn.

The Speaker

The Assembly adjourned at 5.38pm.

Mr Alex Maskey
The Speaker
1 November 2021

Northern Ireland Assembly

Papers Presented to the Assembly on 20 October 2021 to 1 November 2021.

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

The Armagh Observatory and Planetarium Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2021 (Department for Communities)

The Registrar General Annual Report Northern Ireland 2020 (Department of Finance)

Local Government Auditor's Code of Audit Practice 2021 (Department for Communities)

The Pensions Regulator - Code of Practice 12 - Contribution Notices: Circumstances in relation to the material detriment test, the employer insolvency test and the employer resources test (Department for Communities)

5. Assembly Reports

Report on the Horse Racing (Amendment) Bill (NIA 119/17-22) (Committee for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs)

Report on the Damages (Return on Investment) Bill (NIA 122/17-22) (Committee for Justice)

Report on the outcome of the independent Review of the adequacy and effectiveness of the Statement of Entitlements for an Official Opposition at the Northern Ireland Assembly (NIA 137/17-22) (Assembly and Executive Review Committee)

6. Statutory Rules

SR 2021/285 The Employment and Support Allowance and Universal Credit (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2021 (Department for Communities)

SR 2021/286 Provision of Health Services to Persons Not Ordinarily Resident (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2021 (Department of Health)

SR 2021/287 The Social Security (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2021 (Department for Communities)

SR 2021/288 The Jobseeker's Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2021 (Department for Communities)

SR 2021/289 The Social Security (Information-sharing in relation to Welfare Services etc.) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2021 (Department for Communities)

SR 2021/290 The Road Races (Ulster Rally) Order (Northern Ireland) 2021 (Department for Infrastructure)

SR 2021/291 The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Wearing of Face Coverings) (Amendment) (No.7) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2021 (Department of Health)

SR 2021/292 The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2021 (Amendment No. 18) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2021 (Department of Health)

SR 2021/293 The Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (2021 Consolidation) (Amendment No. 8) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2021 (Department of Health)

For information only

Approved Version SR 2021/259 The Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 (Coronavirus) (Amendment of Schedule 11) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2021 (Department for the Economy)

7. Written Ministerial Statements

Winter Preparedness and Trust Winter and Surge Delivery Plans (Minister of Health)

2021-22 October Monitoring Round (Minister of Finance)

Decisions of the Executive on COVID-19, 21 October 2021 ( First Minister and deputy First Minister)

8. Consultation Documents

Consultation on Building (Prescribed Fees) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2022 (Department of Finance)

9. Departmental Publications

Department for the Economy 12-month review of Early Conciliation (Department for the Economy)

10. Agency Publications

11. Westminster Publications

12. Miscellaneous Publications

PROXY VOTING NOTICES – MONDAY 1 NOVEMBER 2021

The following Members notified the Speaker, under Standing Order 112, that they wished to avail of proxy voting arrangements for the sitting on Monday 1 November 2021: