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. The Speaker’s Business

2.1 The Speaker delivered a ruling on the right to reply of Members who have been referred to in debate.

3. Executive Committee Business

Statement – North/South Ministerial Council – Tourism

3.1 The Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment, Sir Reg Empey, made a statement to the Assembly on the meeting of the North-South Ministerial Council in its Tourism sectoral format held on 30 March 2001, following which he replied to questions.

3.2 Motion – Private Streets (Construction) (Amendment) Regulations (NI) 2001

Proposed: That the Private Streets (Construction) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2001 be approved.

[Minister for Regional Development]

Following debate, the Question being put, the Motion was carried without division.

3.3 Motion – Local Management of Schools (LMS) Common Funding Formula

Proposed: That this Assembly notes the publication of the consultative document and the intention to introduce a common formula for funding schools.

[Minister of Education]

The Sitting was, by leave, suspended at 12.30 pm.

Following debate, the Question being put, the Motion was carried without division.

4. Adjournment

4.1 Mr Eddie McGrady MP spoke on the provision of medical and health facilities for the Mourne area.

Proposed: That the Assembly do now adjourn.

[The Speaker]

THE LORD ALDERDICE
The Speaker 24 April 2001

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.)

SR No 168 Chemicals (Hazard Information and Packaging for Supply) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2001 (DETI)

SR No 175 The Social Security (Claims and Information) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2001 (DSD)

SR No 176 The Social Security (Work-focused Interviews) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2001 (DSD)

7. Consultation Documents
8. Departmental Publications
9. Agency Publications
10. Westminster Publications
11. Miscellaneous Publications
12. Assembly Research Papers

NORTHERN IRELAND LEGISLATION:
PROCEEDINGS AS AT 24 APRIL 2001

NORTHERN IRELAND LEGISLATION:
PROCEEDINGS AS AT 24 APRIL 2001

Items marked † are new or have been altered

Statutory Rule Subject to Confirmatory Resolution

That the Social Security (New Deal Pilot) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000 (SR 369/2000) be approved.

[Minister for Social Development]

Second Report of the Committee for Enterprise, Trade and Investment

That this Assembly approves the Second Report of the Enterprise, Trade and Investment Committee on its inquiry into the Strategy 2010 Report (2/00R) and calls on the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to implement the recommendations of the Committee at the earliest opportunity.

[Chairperson, Committee for Enterprise, Trade and Investment]

Relief for Businesses affected by Foot-and-Mouth Disease

That this Assembly calls on the Minister of Finance and Personnel, the Executive and the Chancellor of the Exchequer to respond to the current crisis resulting from the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease by introducing a hardship relief package to reflect the fall in incomes being experienced, not only by farm related businesses but also by businesses in the tourist industry.

[Chairperson, Committee for Finance and Personnel]
[Chairperson, Committee for Enterprise, Trade and Investment]

Foot-and-Mouth Disease

That this Assembly acknowledges the sacrifices made by, and hardship caused to, farmers, their families and the wider rural community in responding to the Executive’s policies and guidance regarding foot-and-mouth disease, and calls on the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development and her Executive colleagues to act to alleviate these difficulties as quickly and imaginatively as possible.

[Chairperson, Committee for Agriculture and Rural Development]

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 and further implement a change in legislation 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 reward financially 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]

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 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]

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 to review urgently 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]

Gender Equality

That this Assembly calls on the Minister of Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment, given the reports of skills shortages in the employment sector, to review training provision for women in Northern Ireland and to promote a more co-ordinated training service to enhance gender equality in the training sector.

[Mrs P Lewsley]

Nursery Schools Admissions

That this Assembly recognises the problems caused by the current admissions criteria for Nursery Schools and calls upon the Minister of Education to review the criteria in order to remove the disadvantage which it causes for working parents.

[Mr S Wilson]

Foot-and-Mouth Disease

That this Assembly expresses grave concern about the impact of the foot-and-mouth disease on the agricultural industry in Northern Ireland; calls on the government to provide compensation for those who have suffered loss of livelihood as a consequence, and urges the Northern Ireland Executive to seek substantial and special funding from the Treasury in London to deal with this matter.

[Mr E McGrady MP]

Funding for Childcare Provision

That this Assembly calls upon the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to make adequate funding available for all aspects of childcare provision in Northern Ireland.

[Mr J Shannon]
[Mr W Hay]

Hepatitis C

That this Assembly, recognising the plight of those infected with Hepatitis C contracted as a result of health service treatment with contaminated blood products, calls on the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to provide assurances about the propriety of further treatment to reduce the risks of further infection and further calls on the Minister to seek compensation for those infected during health service treatment.

[Mr J Kelly]
[Ms S Ramsey]

7^th Report of Community Attitudes Survey

That this Assembly welcomes the publication of the 7^th Report of Community Attitudes Survey by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) and welcomes its findings that 77% of those surveyed, "believed the police deal fairly with everyone." (Table 2.31, NISRA, Community Attitudes Survey, 7^th Report, December 2000)

[Mr R Beggs]
[Mr S Neeson]

Terrorist Attacks on Northern Ireland Railways

That this Assembly condemns the ongoing terrorist attacks on the railway infrastructure throughout Northern Ireland.

[Mr W Hay]
[Mr J Wells]

Allocation of Schools Capital Spending

That this Assembly disapproves of the unbalanced and party political allocation of schools capital spending announced in February 2001 by the Minister of Education.

[Mr S Wilson]

Award to UDR

That this Assembly calls for an official Assembly award to be made to the UDR in recognition of its members’ duty, service, bravery and courage in the face of unrelenting terrorism and crime in Northern Ireland and for its defence of the entire community.

[Mr I Paisley Jnr]

Sellafield Nuclear Plant

That this Assembly calls for the run-down and closure at the earliest possible date of nuclear processing activities carried out at Sellafield.

[Mr K McCarthy]

Single European Currency

That this Assembly congratulates the European Movement on its efforts to generate interest in the debate on a Single European Currency and calls on the Assembly to support its efforts.

[Ms J Morrice]

GAA

That this Assembly condemns the anti-British ethos of the Gaelic Athletic Association, particularly Rule 21 within its written constitution which discriminates against members of the Security Forces from participation, and calls on Government funding to the GAA to be stopped with immediate effect until such discriminatory rules are removed from the GAA’s constitution.

[Mr N Boyd]

Organic Farming

That this Assembly calls on the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to bring forward plans for environmental enhancement schemes, incentives and support to ensure that targets for organic farming of 3% are increased towards 20%.

[Mr G McHugh]
[Ms M Gildernew]

Function and Funding of Training Organisations

That this Assembly calls on the Minister of Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment to review the function and funding of Training Organisations.

[Mr A Maskey]

Financial Assistance to the Agribusiness Sector

That this Assembly notes the serious impact of foot-and-mouth disease on the agribusiness sector, and calls on the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to consider giving financial assistance to those most affected, in particular the livestock marts which play a vital role in the agricultural sector.

[Mr G Kane]
[Mrs I Robinson]

Local Elections

That this Assembly condemns the decision of the Secretary of State to postpone the local elections due to be held on 16 May 2001.

[Mr D Ford]

Financial Assistance for Foster Carers

That this Assembly calls on the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to bring forward legislative proposals to address the inconsistencies in the arrangements at Board and Trust level for providing financial assistance to those offering foster care for young people in the community.

[Ms S Ramsey]
[Mr J Kelly]

Processing of Incapacity Benefit and Disability Living Allowance

That this Assembly calls on the Minister for Social Development to review the process involved in respect of claims for Incapacity Benefit and Disability Living Allowance, in the light of its impact on the chronically sick and disabled.

[Mrs M Nelis]

Plastic Bullets

That this Assembly calls on the British Government to impose an immediate and total ban on the use of plastic bullets.

[Mrs M Nelis]

23 APRIL 2001 / Menu / 30 APRIL 2001