COMMITTEE ON PROCEDURES MONDAY 22 OCTOBER 2001 AT 11.30 AM IN ROOM 152, PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS

Present:
Mr C Murphy (Chairperson)
Mr I Davis
Mr F Agnew
Mr D Shipley Dalton
Mr D McClarty

Clerk to the Committee:
Mr C McGarrity

In attendance:
Mr J Crozier
Mr J Gillespie

The meeting commenced at 11.33 pm.

  • MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING

The minutes of the meeting of 10 October 2001 were agreed and signed by the Chairperson.

  • MATTERS ARISING

The Chairperson informed the Committee that the amendments to Standing Order 52, Sub Committees, agreed in Plenary had now been published.

  • INQUIRY INTO THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS

The Chairperson proposed that a sub-Committee be established with the following terms of reference;

    • to complete the Inquiry into the Review of the Legislative Process in the Northern Ireland Assembly; and
    • to agree a draft report for consideration by the Committee.

The Chairperson proposed and the Committee agreed that;

    1. one Member be nominated from each of the four larger parties;
    2. the quorum of the sub Committee be two;
    3. each Member of the parent Committee may attend and participate in the proceedings of the sub-Committee; and
    4. Mr C Murphy act as Convenor of the sub-Committee.

Mr Duncan Shipley Dalton was nominated by the UUP to the sub-Committee. The Committee instructed the Clerk to seek nominations to the sub- Committee from the SDLP and the DUP.

    1. ANY OTHER BUSINESS

There was no further business.

    1. DATE, TIME AND VENUE OF NEXT MEETING

It was agreed that the first meeting of the sub-Committee would be held on Wednesday 24 October 2001 in Room 152 Parliament Buildings at 1.00 pm, to hear evidence from representatives of the OFM / DFM, and to take evidence from Professor Steven Livingstone, Professor of Human Rights at Queens University. The hearing will end in a closed session with Ms Imelda McAuley, Assembly Legal Advisor who will speak on the written submission made by the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission.

The next full meeting of the Committee on Procedures will be held on Wednesday 28 November 2001 in Room 152 Parliament Building at 3.00 pm.

The meeting adjourned at 11.37 am.

C MURPHY
Chairperson, Committee on Procedures