1. Minute of Proceedings
2. Papers presented to the Assembly
3. Northern Ireland Legislation (Westminister)
4. Northern Ireland Legislation (Assembly)
5. List of Motions (No Day Named)

1. Personal Prayer or Meditation

1.1 Members observed two minutes’ silence.

2. Executive Committee Business

2.1 Statement – North/South Ministerial Council – Trade and Business Development

The Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment, Sir Reg Empey, made a statement to the Assembly on the Fourth Meeting of the North-South Ministerial Council in its Trade and Business Development Sectoral Format held on Friday 16 February 2001, following which he replied to questions.

2.2 Budget Bill (NIA Bill 10/00)

The Minister of Finance and Personnel, Mr Mark Durkan, moved that the Consideration Stage of the Budget Bill be agreed.

No amendments were tabled to the Bill.

Question put: That Clauses 1-5 stand part of the Bill was agreed without division.

Question put: That Schedules 1-3 stand part of the Bill was agreed without division.

Question put: That the Long Title of the Bill be agreed. The Long Title was agreed.

2.3 Electronic Communications Bill (NIA Bill 9/00)

Consideration Stage

The First Minister and Deputy First Minister moved that the Electronic Communications Bill be agreed.

No amendments were tabled to the Bill.

Question put: That Clauses 1-5 stand part of the Bill was agreed without division.

Question put: That the Long Title of the Bill be agreed. The Long Title was agreed.

3. Committee Business

3.1 Motion – Committee Membership

Proposed: That Mr David McClarty should replace Mr Tom Hamilton on the Committee for the Environment.

[Mr J Wilson]

The Question being put, the Motion was carried without division.

3.2 Motion – Committee Membership

Proposed: That Mr Tom Hamilton should replace Mr David McClarty on the Committee for Social Development.

[Mr J Wilson]

The Question being put, the Motion was carried without division.

4. Question Time

4.1 Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment

Questions were put to and answered by the Minister, Sir Reg Empey.

4.2 Minister of Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment

Questions were put to and answered by the Minister, Dr Séan Farren.

4.3 Minister for Social Development

Questions were put to and answered by the Minister, Mr Maurice Morrow.

5. Adjournment

5.1 Proposed: That the Assembly do now adjourn.

[The Speaker]

THE LORD ALDERDICE
The Speaker

1. Acts of the Northern Ireland Assembly
2. Bills of the Northern Ireland Assembly

Government Resources and Accounts Bill (as amended at Further Consideration Stage) (NIA Bill 6/00)

3. Orders in Council
4. Publications Laid in the Northern Ireland Assembly

Road Openings by Utilities (NIAO) (NIA 35/00)

5. Assembly Reports
6. Statutory Rules

(The department identified after each rule is for reference purposes only.)

SR No 408 The New Valuation List Order (Northern Ireland) 2000

SR No 53 Route B7 Chapel Hill Road, Mayobridge (Abandonment) Order (Northern Ireland) 2001 (DRD)

SR No 58 John Street, Belfast (Stopping-up) Order (Northern Ireland) 2001 (DRD)

SR No 70 Control of Traffic (Londonderry) Order (Northern Ireland) 2001 (DRD)

7. Consultation Documents

Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 – Consultation on Subordinate Legislation (OFMDFM)

8. Departmental Publications

Programme for Government (OFMDFM)

9. Agency Publications
10. Westminster Publications

SI No 314 The Social Security (Contributions) Amendment No. 2) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2001

SI No 400 The Representation of the People (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2001

SI No 401 The Terrorism Act 2000 (Code of Practice on the Exercise of Police Powers) (Northern Ireland) Order 2001

SI No 402 The Terrorism Act 2000 (Code of Practice on Video Recording of Interviews) (Northern Ireland) Order 2001

SI No 417 The Local Elections (Northern Ireland) (Amendment) Order 2001

SI No 446 The Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (Disapplication of Part IV for Northern Ireland Parties, etc.) Order 2001

11. Miscellaneous Publications
12. Assembly Research Papers

NORTHERN IRELAND LEGISLATION:
PROCEEDINGS AS AT 26 FEBRUARY 2001

Only legislation laid under Paragraph 2 (1) of the Northern Ireland Act 2000 is included in this Section.

NORTHERN IRELAND LEGISLATION:
PROCEEDINGS AS AT 26 FEBRUARY 2001

Items marked † are new or have been altered

Exclusion of Sinn Féin

This House resolves that Sinn Féin does not enjoy the confidence of the Assembly because it is not committed to non-violence and exclusively peaceful and democratic means and, therefore, consistent with the Northern Ireland Act 1998, determines that Members of Sinn Féin shall be excluded from holding office as Ministers for a period of 12 months from the date of this resolution.

[Mr C Wilson]
[Mr P Roche]

Mobile Phones

That this Assembly calls upon the Minister of the Environment and the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to ensure the complete implementation of the recommendations made by the Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones as laid out in the Stewart Report, to ensure that no telecommunications masts are constructed within three hundred yards of any dwelling without full public consultation.

[Mr J Shannon]

Local Government Elections

That this Assembly calls on the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to announce that the Local Government elections will take place in May 2001.

[Mr E Poots]

Award to RUC

This Assembly calls for an official Assembly award to be made to the RUC and its reserve in recognition of its officers’ duty, service and bravery in the face of terrorism and crime and for its impartial defence of the entire Northern Ireland community.

[Mr I Paisley Jnr]

Fireworks

That this Assembly calls on the Executive to establish an Inter-Departmental Working Group in conjunction with the Northern Ireland Office to examine ways in which the nuisance caused by fireworks can be abated.

[Mr K McCarthy]
[Mrs E Bell]

Councillors

That this Assembly calls upon the Minister of the Environment to bring forward proposals to financially reward the long-term contributions of many Councillors and to assess the work of Councillors to ensure that they are financially rewarded at an appropriate level.

[Mr O Gibson]
[Mrs E Bell]

Irish Justice System

That this Assembly notes with concern the failure of the Irish Justice system to resolve the rape/incest case of the daughter of British citizen Sarah Bland.

[Mr I Paisley Jnr]

Road Spending Plans

That this Assembly calls on the Minister for Regional Development to explain current road spending plans in the context of the recent publication of the consultation paper ‘Developing a Regional Transportation Strategy’.

[Ms M McWilliams]

Minimum Wage

That this Assembly considers the current minimum wage threshold to be too low and supports a minimum wage level of (at least) £5.00 per hour and calls for the youth exemption contained in the current legislation to be abolished so that the £5.00 per hour rate applies to all.

[Mr B Hutchinson]
[Dr D O’Hagan]

District Council Childcare Facilities

That this Assembly calls on local authorities to set themselves a common objective of providing childcare facilities for elected representatives and staff.

[Ms M Gildernew]

Morning After Pill

That this Assembly regrets the decision of the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to sign The Prescription Only Medicines (Human Use) Amendment (No.3) Order 2000.

[Dr E Birnie]
[Mr A Maginness]

United Christian Broadcasters

That this Assembly supports the award of broadcasting radio licences to United Christian Broadcasters Ltd and welcomes the decision of the European Court of Human Rights on 7 November 2000 placing no restriction on religious bodies applying for and being granted licences for local broadcasting, at the same time this Assembly deplores the decision of the Radio Authority on 26 April 2000 to refuse a local digital multiplex licence for the Northern Ireland region to United Christian Broadcasters.

[Mr G Savage]

Domestic Energy Efficiency Scheme

That this Assembly welcomes the achievement of the Department for Social Development in tackling fuel poverty through the existing Domestic Energy Efficiency Scheme (DEES) and calls on the Minister for Social Development to ensure that the DEES II Scheme will be an effective mechanism to finally eradicate this problem.

[Ms M Gildernew]

Bi-Centenary of the Act of Union 1801

That this Assembly deplores the intention of the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure to preside over the commemoration of the Bi-Centenary of the Act of Union 1801.

[Mrs M Nelis]

TG4

That this Assembly calls on the relevant Irish and British Broadcasting Authorities to ensure the complete availability of TG4 throughout Ireland.

[Mr B McElduff]

Alcohol Bye-Laws

That this Assembly believes that current levels of enforcement of alcohol bye-laws are inadequate to address the problem of outdoor drinking; and that increased resources should be made available for the enforcement of the bye-laws and for a province-wide education programme to alert younger people to the dangers of under-age drinking.

[Mrs J Carson]

Morning After Pill

That this Assembly expresses concern at the decision by the Minister for Health, Social Services and Public Safety making the ‘morning after pill’ available to 16 year olds without any debate in the Assembly or the Health Committee, and calls on the Minister to reverse her decision.

[Mrs I Robinson]

Security Policy

That this Assembly calls on Her Majesty’s Government, in the absence of actual decommissioning, to implement an effective security policy to recover all illegal weapons and explosives from the terrorist organisations.

[Mr P Roche]
[Mr N Boyd]

Child Protection

That this Assembly calls on the Ministers responsible for the protection of children, in view of the anomalies in the current vetting system, to take the necessary interim steps to improve the position on vetting those suitable to work with children.

[Ms P Lewsley]

Fluoridation of Drinking Water

That this Assembly calls on the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to discontinue the fluoridation of drinking water.

[Mr J Dallat]

Adolescent Psychiatric Services

That this Assembly notes with concern the shortage of adolescent psychiatric services throughout Northern Ireland and urges the Minister of Health to ensure that the key staff are recruited immediately with a view to meeting the community need for this vital service within 2 years in all parts of Northern Ireland.

[Dr A McDonnell]
[Mr E McMenamin]

Traceability Scheme

That this Assembly calls on the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to take all steps necessary to ensure the integrity of the Traceability Scheme for Northern Ireland Beef and to investigate the labelling and subsequent sell-on of all beef processed in Northern Ireland Meat Plants.

[Mr G Savage]

Inter-Departmental Working Group

That this Assembly calls on the Executive to establish an Inter-Departmental Working Group to make recommendations on the removal of paramilitary flags, emblems and graffiti from public property.

[Mr K McCarthy]

‘Barriers to Growth and Survival’ Report

That this Assembly notes the Report, ‘Barriers to Growth and Survival’ published by the Federation of Small Businesses in November 2000; and calls on the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to initiate an investigation into the high level of interest charges imposed by banks in Northern Ireland on small businesses.

[Mr B Armstrong]

Audit Office Report

† That this Assembly notes the recent report by the Comptroller and Auditor General on ‘Road Opening by Utilities’ (NIA 35/00), published on 22 February 2001.

[Mr J Kelly]

Social Exclusion of Young People

† That this Assembly calls on the Minister of Further and Higher Education, Training and Employment urgently to review those policies aimed at reducing the social exclusion of young people in Northern Ireland and to initiate programmes and initiatives which will reduce the number of young people in Northern Ireland entering long-term unemployment.

[Mr J Dallat]

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20 February 2001 / Menu / 27 February 2001