Ad Hoc Committee on the School Uniforms (Trousers) Bill
Minutes of Proceedings - Tuesday 6 October 2026
Ad Hoc Committee on the School Uniforms (Trousers) Bill - Tuesday 6 October 2026.pdf (141.95 kb)
Meeting Location: Room 29
Present:
Aoife Finnegan MLA (Chairperson)
Pam Cameron MLA (Deputy Chairperson)
Deborah Erskine MLA
Andrew McMurray MLA
Emma Sheerin MLA
Apologies:
John Stewart MLA
In Attendance:
Jessica Jacques, Senior Assistant Clerk
Oliver Bellew, Assistant Clerk
Lisa Chestnutt, Clerical Supervisor
Lucy O’Hagan, Clerical Officer
The meeting commenced at 1:10pm in public session.
1. Apologies
As above.
2. Declaration of Interests
None.
3. Draft Minutes
Agreed: The Committee agreed the minutes of the meeting held on 29 September 2026.
4. Matters Arising
None.
5. Correspondence
None.
6. Chairperson’s Business
None.
7. School Uniforms (Trousers) Bill – Consideration of Committee Report
The Committee noted a list of potentially defamatory comments identified in the written evidence received on the Bill, which it previously agreed would be redacted ahead of publication.
The Committee considered a draft report on the School Uniforms (Trousers) Bill.
Title Page, Table of Contents, Powers and Membership
The Committee considered the Title Page, Table of Contents, and Powers and Membership sections of the report as drafted.
Agreed: The Committee agreed that it was content with the Title Page, Table of Contents, and Powers and Membership sections of the report.
The School Uniforms (Trousers) Bill
The Committee considered the School Uniforms (Trousers) Bill section of the report (paragraphs 6 and 7) as drafted.
Agreed: The Committee agreed that it was content with the School Uniforms (Trousers) Bill section of the report.
Committee Approach
The Committee considered the Committee Approach section of the report (paragraphs 8 to 22) as drafted.
Agreed: The Committee agreed that it was content with the Committee Approach section of the report.
Consideration of the Bill
The Committee considered the Consideration of the Bill section of the report (paragraphs 23 to 51) as drafted.
Agreed: The Committee agreed that it was content with the Consideration of the Bill section of the report.
Clause-by-Clause Scrutiny of the Bill
The Committee considered the Clause-by-Clause Scrutiny of the Bill section of the report (paragraphs 52 to 59) as drafted.
Agreed: The Committee agreed that it was content with the Clause-by-Clause Scrutiny of the Bill section of the report.
Executive Summary
The Committee considered the Executive Summary of the report (paragraphs 1 to 5) as drafted.
Agreed: The Committee agreed that it was content with the Executive Summary.
Links to Appendices
The Committee considered the Links to Appendices section of the report.
Agreed: The Committee agreed that the Appendices should be included in the report.
Agreed: The Committee agreed that the Report on the School Uniforms (Trousers) Bill be the First Report of the Ad Hoc Committee on the School Uniforms (Trousers) Bill to the Assembly.
Agreed: The Committee agreed that it was content for the Chairperson to approve the Minutes of Proceedings of this meeting for inclusion in the report.
Agreed: The Committee agreed that any formatting or typographical errors would be corrected by the Secretariat team in advance of the publication of the report.
Agreed: The Committee agreed that it was content for the Report on the School Uniforms (Trousers) Bill to be published.
Agreed: The Committee agreed to issue the report to the organisations and individuals which provided evidence to the Committee on the Bill.
The Committee noted that the report will be laid in the Business Office and that all MLAs will be informed of its publication.
The Committee noted that correspondence would issue to the Minister of Education to highlight the Committee’s discussions around the use of the term ‘leg coverings’, and to ask him to ensure that the school uniforms guidelines continue to reflect that a variety of appropriate garments may be worn for recreational, sporting or outdoor activities.
8. Any Other Business
None.
9. Date, Time and Place of next meeting
There are no further scheduled meetings of the Committee.
The Chairperson thanked Members for their contributions during the Committee Stage of the Bill.
The meeting was adjourned at 1.16pm.
Aoife Finnegan MLA
Chairperson, Ad Hoc Committee on the School Uniforms (Trousers) Bill
6 October 2026
