FOI 64-26: A request for information relating to declarations of interests made by John Blair MLA in relation to the Hunting with Dogs Bill and the Hunting of Wild Mammals Bill

Information Standards Freedom of Information Response

Our ref: FOI 64-26

5 October 2026

Freedom of Information Act 2000

I am writing to confirm that the Northern Ireland Assembly Commission (Assembly Commission) has processed your request dated 7 September 2026 in line with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA). In your request, you asked for:

“[I]nformation concerning declarations of interests made by John Blair MLA in connection with the Hunting with Dogs Bill, Bill 33/22–27, and, where records remain available, his earlier Hunting of Wild Mammals Bill…

The Assembly’s published Code requires Members to declare relevant interests in connection with Assembly proceedings, including proceedings which they initiate, and provides specific guidance concerning declarations when introducing or participating in proceedings relating to a Bill.

I would therefore be grateful if the Assembly could provide the following information and records:

1. Declaration on introduction of the 2026 Bill

Please provide any record of any declaration of interest made by John Blair MLA when he submitted or initiated the Hunting with Dogs Bill (Bill 33/22–27), including any written declaration, notification, form, notation or accompanying correspondence.

2. Nature of the interest declared

Please provide the recorded description of the nature of the interest which Mr Blair declared in relation to the Hunting with Dogs Bill.

3. Committee declarations

The published minutes of the Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee record that John Blair MLA declared an interest in the Hunting with Dogs Bill on 23 April 2026, 28 May 2026 and 18 June 2026.

Please provide any fuller record held by the Assembly of those declarations, including the nature of the interest declared, rather than simply the abbreviated wording appearing in the published minutes.

4. Other proceedings

Please provide records of any declaration of interest made by Mr Blair in connection with:

a. the introduction of the Hunting with Dogs Bill;
b. its Second Stage;
c. Committee Stage proceedings;
d. consideration of amendments;
e. any further stages or proceedings relating to the Bill; and
f. any relevant Assembly motion or proceeding directly connected with the Bill.

5. Earlier 2021 Bill

Please provide equivalent information, insofar as held, concerning any declaration of interest made by John Blair MLA in connection with his Hunting of Wild Mammals Bill introduced during the 2017–2022 mandate.

6. Assistance from external organisations

Please provide any records held by the Assembly concerning any declaration by Mr Blair of assistance, financial or otherwise, received from external organisations in connection with the preparation, promotion or progression of either Bill.

In particular, I would be interested in records concerning assistance from organisations campaigning for or against restrictions on hunting with dogs, including, but not limited to, animal-welfare organisations and countryside/hunting organisations.

I am not suggesting that the receipt of such assistance necessarily constitutes a breach of the Code. I am seeking to establish what assistance, if any, was received and whether it was declared.

7. Advice concerning the Code

Please provide any recorded advice, guidance or correspondence held by the Assembly’s relevant officials concerning whether an interest declared by Mr Blair in connection with the Hunting with Dogs Bill was required to be registered or declared under the Code of Conduct.

8. Sufficiency of declarations

If the Assembly holds any record showing that the relevant declaration(s) were considered by Assembly officials for compliance with the Code, please provide that record.

9. Registration

Please confirm whether, in addition to any declarations made during proceedings, Mr Blair made any registration of an interest specifically connected with the Hunting with Dogs Bill or with organisations supporting or opposing the Bill. Given one such group is on record as saying “We would like to thank John for his continued support…”

10. Records not held

If any of the requested information is not held by the Northern Ireland Assembly Commission, please identify which information is not held and, where possible, identify the public body, office or individual that would be most appropriate to approach.

Where information is exempt from disclosure, I would be grateful if you could provide the non-exempt portions of the requested records and identify the specific exemption relied upon.

Where a requested document contains personal information relating to third parties, I would be content for irrelevant personal information to be redacted rather than the document being withheld in its entirety.

For clarity, this request is intended to establish the factual position before I consider whether any further action under the Assembly’s Code of Conduct would be appropriate.”

Our response

The Assembly Commission holds some information in relation to your request.

Questions 1, 2, 5 & 6

Any declarations of interest that are made in proceedings of the Assembly are publicly available in the Official Reports of applicable plenary and committee proceedings and in the Minutes of Proceedings of Assembly committees, as well as being contained in recordings of proceedings available on the Assembly’s website. Any registered interests are included in the publicly available Register of Members’ Interests.

In relation to the previous (2011) Hunting of Wild Mammals Bill, its introduction in the Assembly can be found here. The Second Stage of the debate can be found here and Mr Blair’s evidence to the Committee prior to Second Stage can be found here. The Bill did not pass Second Stage and was not referred to the then Committee for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs for further scrutiny. The stages of the process that have been completed for the current Bill can be found in the response to question 4 below.

No further information is held.

Queston 3

The nature of the declarations cited in your request do not go beyond the statement in the minutes. Where they choose to do so, Members verbally declare their interest in the agenda item either at the start of the meeting or when the relevant agenda item commences.

To date, Mr Blair has declared an interest as the Bill Sponsor on the following dates at Committee for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs:

  • 23 April 2026
  • 28 May 2026
  • 4 June 2026
  • 18 June 2026
  • 25 June 2026
  • 2 July 2026
  • 10 August 2026
  • 10 September 2026
  • 17 September 2026

Minutes of proceedings for the meetings on 24 and 29 September 2026 and 1 October 2026 will be published online in due course.

In addition:

  • on 23 April 2026 Mr Blair commented on the Bill at the Chairperson’s request as it was scheduled for introduction in the Assembly on 27 April; and
  • on 30 April 2026 Mr Blair briefed the Committee for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (a Hansard report was produced, as is customary for Committee meetings in relation to agenda items relating to consideration of primary legislation) – the minutes state:

The Hunting with Dogs Bill - Initial Briefing from Bill sponsor

The Committee noted that the Hunting with Dogs Member’s Bill sponsored by Mr Blair MLA was introduced to the Assembly on 27 April.

The Committee heard details of the proposed Bill, the purpose of which is to end, what is described as a form of extreme cruelty and that out [sic] 12,000 responses to the consultation, 72% of those from Northern Ireland were supportive of the Bill.

The Committee also heard it is an amendment to the Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order 1985 rather than a bespoke piece of legislation and that engagement with MLAs has been constructive.

A question and answer session followed:

The Committee heard some detail of the differences and changes to the previous Bill brought forward including better explanations on exemptions and that it reflects recent legislation brought forward in Scotland. Members also highlighted concerns about distinguishing the differences between normal dog walkers and individuals or groups involved in hunting.

Agreed: The Committee agreed that it would reserve its position on its support for the principles of the Bill and the Chair would reflect the issues raised in the Second Stage debate in the Assembly.

Minutes of the above listed meetings can be found here. No further information is held.

Question 4

a. the introduction of the Hunting with Dogs Bill;

The Official Report of the stage can be found here.

b. its Second Stage;

Please see response to Question 3 for broader context. The Official Report of the Second Stage of the Bill can be found here.

c. Committee Stage proceedings;

Please see response to Question 3. The Committee Stage is ongoing and oral evidence sessions commenced on 17 September 2026. Coverage of the Committee can be found here and Minutes of Evidence and Minutes of Proceedings can be found here and here.

d. consideration of amendments;

Proposed amendments will not be considered until Consideration Stage of the Bill is scheduled. This will follow the Committee Stage Report, which will be published at the conclusion of the Committee’s consideration of the Bill and will be found here.

e. any further stages or proceedings relating to the Bill; and

Further stages will be scheduled in due course. You can track the progress of a Bill here.

f. any relevant Assembly motion or proceeding directly connected with the Bill.

The Committee tabled a motion to extend the Committee Stage to 5 February 2027. This motion was debated on 23 June 2026 and can be found here. No further information is held.

Questions 7, 8 & 9

Any declarations of interest that are made in proceedings of the Assembly are publicly available in the Official Reports of applicable plenary and committee proceedings and in the Minutes of Proceedings of Assembly committees, as well as being contained in recordings of proceedings available on the Assembly’s website. Any registered interests are included in the publicly available Register of Members’ Interests.

No further information is held.

Question 10

Under section 1 of the FOIA, a public authority is required to confirm whether it holds recorded information falling within the scope of a request and, where it does, to provide that information unless an exemption applies. It must provide advice and assistance to persons who have made such a request in so far as it would be reasonable to expect the authority to do so. The Assembly Commission does not hold information on, and cannot therefore assist as regards, information which may be held by other bodies, offices or individuals about this Bill.

Further Information

You may request an internal review of this decision by the Assembly Commission. If you wish to request such a review, please write to me at the above address. If, after that review, you are dissatisfied with the way in which the Assembly Commission has handled your request for information, you may complain to the Information Commission’s Office (ICO) at 4th Floor, No 3 Circle Square, 5 Hawkshaw Street, Manchester, M1 7BL.

Your request for information and our response may be published in the disclosure log maintained by the Assembly Commission under a publication scheme agreed with the ICO. The request and our response will be anonymised.

Yours sincerely,

INFORMATION STANDARDS