Assembly and Executive Review Committee (AERC)

Minutes of proceedings 13 May 2025

Assembly and Executive Review Committee minutes of proceedings 13 May 2025.pdf (187.18 kb)

Meeting Location: Room 21, Parliament Buildings

Present:                

Jonathan Buckley MLA (Chairperson)

Pat Sheehan MLA (Deputy Chairperson)

Sinead Ennis MLA

Michelle Guy MLA

Michelle McIlveen MLA

Matthew O’Toole MLA

John Stewart MLA    

Apologies:  

Gary Middleton MLA

Carál Ní Chuilín MLA

In Attendance:      

Shane McAteer, Committee Clerk

Ashleigh Mitford, Senior Assistant Clerk

Elaine Farrell, Assistant Clerk

Alison Ferguson, Clerical Supervisor

Laura Gourley, Clerical Officer

The meeting commenced at 9.37 a.m. in open session

1.    Apologies

As above.

Matthew O’Toole joined the meeting at 9.38 a.m.

2.    Declaration of Interests

The Chairperson advised Members of the ongoing requirement to declare relevant financial or other interests as and when they arise and before taking part in any Assembly proceedings, including Committee proceedings, relating to that matter.

No interests were declared at this point in the meeting.

3.    Draft minutes

Agreed: The Committee agreed the minutes of the meeting held on 8 April 2025.

4.    Matters arising

None.

5.    Review into Assembly and Executive Reform – oral evidence from The Constitution Unit, University College London

The following witnesses joined the meeting at 9.39 a.m.:

Alan Whysall, Hononary Senior Research Associate

Alan Renwick, Professor of Democratic Politics (joined by Zoom)

Dr Conor Kelly, Bingham Fellow in Constitutional Studies, University of Oxford (joined by Zoom)

The evidence session was reported by Hansard.

The representatives briefed the Committee and this was followed by a question and answer session.

Michelle McIlveen joined the meeting at 9.42 a.m.

Matthew O’Toole left the meeting at 10.23 a.m.

The Chairperson left the meeting at 10.26 a.m. The Deputy Chairperson took the chair.

The Deputy Chairperson thanked the representatives for their attendance.

The Committee Clerk updated the Committee on the progress to date with the call for evidence on the Citizen Space platform.

Agreed: The Committee agreed to extend the closing date for the call for evidence to 30 June 2025.

Agreed: The Committee agreed to issue reminder letters to those stakeholders who have not responded to the invitation to make written responses and to advise that there has been an extension to the deadline for response to the call for evidence.

Agreed: The Committee agreed that the secretariat will liaise with the Communications Office on further measures to publicise the review to stakeholders.

6.    Review of Assembly Committee Engagement on cross-cutting Executive strategies – briefing by RaISe

The Senior Assistant Clerk updated members on this agenda item and agenda item 7.

Noted: The Committee noted that the research briefing on this agenda item has been postponed until the meeting on 10 June 2025.

Agreed: The Committee agreed that the public call for evidence will run from the end of May to the end of September 2025, following the approach as outlined in the implementation plan previously agreed at the meeting on 8 April 2025.

Agreed: The Committee agreed that the secretariat will liaise with the Communications Office to prepare a communication plan to best target the agreed list of stakeholders as outlined in the agreed implementation plan.

Agreed: The Committee agreed to add the community and voluntary sector to the agreed list of stakeholders for the review.

7.    Review into the development of a formal process and guidance on the handling of Westminster Statutory Instruments (SIs) which include a role for the Assembly

Noted: The Committee noted that the research briefing on this agenda item has been postponed until the meeting on 10 June 2025.

Agreed: The Committee agreed that the public call for evidence will run from the end of May to the end of September 2025, following the approach as outlined in the implementation plan previously agreed at the meeting on 8 April 2025.

Agreed: The Committee agreed that the secretariat will liaise with the Communications Office to prepare a communication plan to best target the agreed list of stakeholders as outlined in the agreed implementation plan.

8.    Correspondence

Noted: The Committee noted the correspondence from the Chairpersons’ Liaison Group, dated 8 April 2025, on effective scrutiny of cross-cutting strategies.

Agreed: The Committee noted the correspondence from Dr Robin Wilson, dated 15 April 2025, providing a response to the Committee’s review into Assembly and Executive Reform and agreed to consider the response, along with other received response, in due course.

Noted: The Committee noted the correspondence, dated 29 April 2025, from Mr Tim O’Connor advising that he is not able to respond to the Committee’s review into Assembly and Executive Reform.

Agreed: The Committee noted the correspondence, dated 7 May 2025, from the Chairperson of the Committee for Communities regarding Assembly scrutiny of cross-cutting Executive strategies, and agreed to write to explain that the Committee will report on its ongoing review into the matter in due course.

9.    AOB

None.

10. Date, Time and Place of the next meeting

The next meeting of the AERC will take place on Tuesday 10 June 2025 at 9.30 a.m. in Room 21, Parliament Buildings.

The meeting was adjourned at 10.35 a.m.

Jonathan Buckley MLA

Chairperson, Assembly and Executive Review Committee

10 June 2025