Commonwealth Parliamentary Association - Northern Ireland Assembly Branch – Executive Committee
Tuesday 19 March 2025
Present:
Mr Jonathan Buckley MLA, Chair
Dr Steve Aiken MLA
Mr Keith Buchanan MLA
Mr Trevor Clarke MLA
Mr Paul Frew MLA
Apologies:
Miss Michelle McIlveen MLA
Mr Stewart Dickson MLA
Also In attendance:
Mrs Lesley Hogg, Clerk/Chief Executive
Ms Stephanie Mallon, Branch Secretary
Mrs Clare Maguire, Public Engagement Manager
Mr Jason Christie, Parliamentary Engagement Administrator (minutes)
1. WELCOME
The Chair welcomed Executive Committee Members of the CPA NI Assembly Branch to the meeting.
2. APOLOGIES
Apologies were received from the following:
• Mr Stewart Dickson MLA
• Miss Michelle McIlveen MLA
3. MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING
The minutes were agreed.
Proposed by: Dr Steve Aiken MLA
Seconded by: Mr Paul Frew MLA
4. VIRTUAL MEETING WITH MS. HWLWN HAYWOOD, CPA UK DEPUTY CHIEF EXECUTIVE & MS KATE OSAMOR MP, CHAIR OF CPA UK BRANCH
The Chair welcomed Ms Helen Haywood, CPA UK Deputy Chief Executive, and Ms Kate Osamor MP, Chair of CPA UK Branch. Ms Haywood and Ms Osamor provided an overview of CPA UK's current work and discussed potential areas for closer collaboration. Ms Haywood noted that they are currently in the process of rewriting their branch strategy for 2026 onwards. The Chair expressed particular interest in CPA UK's familiarisation programmes and the opportunity to introduce Members to key resources and relationships in Westminster. The Chair also highlighted the importance of fostering connections between branches and emphasised his desire for them to meet proactively to encourage greater connectivity.
The Chair thanked Ms Haywood and Ms Osamor for their contribution and members passed on their best wishes to Ms. Sarah Dickson, CPA UK Chief Executive Officer.
ACTION: Questions and draft CPA NI Branch strategy to be sent to CPA UK Branch.
5. CPA CONFERENCES/SEMINARS/WEBINARS.
Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians British Islands and Mediterranean Regional Conference, Edinburgh, 16-18 March 2025.
This year the theme was 'A Parliament for All - The Importance of Women's Participation in Politics'. Miss Michelle McIlveen MLA and Ms Claire Sugden MLA represented the Assembly, supported by research papers from RaiSE. As the Northern Ireland Assembly Branch will host the conference in 2026, Caroline Moore and Nicola Crawford from the Participation and Outreach team attended to provide support and meet with organisers and CPA UK representatives regarding planning, costs, and themes.
CPA British Islands and Mediterranean Region Conference, Cardiff, 17-19 June.
Members were informed a 'save the date' has been received for the annual CPA BIMR Conference, scheduled to take place in Cardiff from the 17 to 19 June. Official invitations to the conference will be issued shortly.
6. PARTNERSHIP COUNTRY
The Chair provided an update on his trip to Canada and meeting with Speaker Ted Arnott at the Legislative Assembly of Ontario regarding the partnership between the Branches.
7. INWARD VISITS
Mr Stephen Twigg, CPA Secretary-General
Following Mr Stephen Twigg's visit, positive feedback was received from Botanic Primary School and Campbell College, as well as from Members, staff, and Commonwealth Day guests. A Letter of thanks was sent to Mr Twigg on behalf of the Executive Committee, and he responded with a reciprocal letter expressing his appreciation for the visit. Copies of both letters were provided. The Chair reflected on his visit to Campbell college with Mr Twigg. Although not in attendance at the meeting, Mr Dickson MLA had passed on very positive feedback about the visit to Botanic Primary school.
8. ARTICLE IN THE PARLIAMENTARIAN
An article about the 50th meeting of the Executive Committee and Mr Stephen Twigg's coinciding visit will be put forward for publication in the Parliamentarian magazine.
9. MEETINGS WITH CPA-UK BRANCHES
A draft letter has now been prepared and is ready to be sent. The Chair asked Members to consider extending the invitation to include CPA Branches from the wider British Isles, specifically Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, and the Isle of Man.
Members agreed to this proposal.
10. DRAFT BRANCH STRATEGY
The draft action plan for the Branch Strategy was approved without any further feedback. The next stage will be to begin implementing the agreed actions.
Members agreed.
11. PROXY VOTING
Correspondence was issued to the Chair of the Procedures Committee, requesting that proxy voting be considered for Members who are away from Parliament Buildings on official CPA duties. A response has been received, confirming that the issue will be discussed as part of the Committee's upcoming deliberations in the coming weeks. A copy of the response was circulated for reference.
Members content with update.
12. ANY OTHER BUSINESS
Youth Assembly
Mrs Lesley Hogg suggested there may be scope for Youth Assembly Members to participate in or engage with the work of the CPA UK branches. The Chair welcomed this suggestion, and it was agreed that further discussions would be needed to explore how this might work in practice.
13. DATE OF THE NEXT MEETING
The next meeting will take place on Tuesday 15 April at 1:15pm (plenary business permitting) in the Private Dining Room.
The Chair adjourned the meeting.
