MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS COMMITTEE ON PROCEDURES WEDNESDAY 6 MARCH 2002 AT 3:00 PM IN ROOM 152, PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS

Present:
Mr C Murphy (Chairperson)
Mr A Maginness(arrived 3.11pm)
Mr D McClarty
Rev Dr W McCrea
Mr P McNamee

Clerk to the Committee:Mr C McGarrity

In attendance:
Mr J Crozier

The meeting commenced at 3.04 pm in closed session.

1. APOLOGIES

Mr F Agnew, Mr I Davis.

2. WELCOME

The Chairperson welcomed Rev Dr McCrea, who had joined the Committee.

3. MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING

The minutes of the Committee meeting held on 27 February 2002 were agreed and signed by the Chairperson.

4. MATTERS ARISING

Visit to Westminster

Members noted the draft programme for the visit to Westminster to meet the Procedure and Modernisation Committees. Members were asked to confirm with the Clerk by 8 March their intention to attend.

5. NEW VOTING ARRANGEMENTS

Proposal by the Northern Ireland Women's Coalition

With the agreement of the members present, the Clerk outlined the issues at the centre of the NIWC proposal.

The meeting went into public session at 3.10pm.

6. PUBLIC EVIDENCE SESSION

The following witnesses were called and examined:

Ms Jane Morrice MLA

Mr Brian Gormally and Ms Chris McCartney, Northern Ireland Women's Coalition

The Committee went into closed session at 4.33pm.

Following discussion on the legal competence of the proposal, the Committee agreed that it should ask the Director of Assembly Legal Services to appear before the Committee to expand on her opinion on the matter.

Action: Clerk

7. DATE AND VENUE OF NEXT MEETING

It was agreed that the next meeting of the Committee would be held on Wednesday 10 April in Room 152 Parliament Buildings at 3.00 pm.

The meeting adjourned at 4:38 pm.

C MURPHY

Chairperson, Committee on Procedures