Committee on Procedures
Minutes of Proceedings - Wednesday 23 October 2024
Committee on Procedures - Minutes of Proceedings 23 October 2024.pdf (148.85 kb)
Meeting Location: Room 21, Parliament Buildings
Present:
Kellie Armstrong MLA (Chairperson)
Danny Donnelly MLA
Órlaithi Flynn MLA
Maolíosa McHugh MLA
Present by Video or Teleconference:
Robbie Butler MLA
Apologies:
Sinéad Ennis MLA (Deputy Chairperson)
Trevor Clarke MLA
Cara Hunter MLA
William Irwin MLA
In Attendance:
Christine Darrah, Assembly Clerk
Stella McArdle, Assembly Clerk
Michael Best, Assistant Assembly Clerk
Damien Brown, Clerical Officer
Veronica Lo Pinto, Clerical Officer
The meeting started at 10.08 a.m. in closed session.
1. Review of Committee Strategic Priorities – Further Discussion
Agreed: The Committee agreed to start the meeting in closed session.
The Committee noted responses from the Assembly and Executive Review Committee, the Alliance Party, the SDLP, the TUV, People Before Profit and Claire Sugden MLA regarding priority areas of work for the Committee.
Members noted the progress made to deliver the shorter-term and longer-term priority areas of work agreed in April 2024 and discussed the adjustments to the priority areas of work identified at the review session held on 25 September 2025.
The meeting moved into public session at 10.22 a.m.
2. Apologies
As above.
3. Draft Minutes
Agreed: The Committee agreed the minutes of the meeting held on 9 October 2024.
4. Matters Arising
Item 1 – Further Information from Michael Cairns, Acting Assembly Head of Communications, following the Electronic Voting Demonstration on 25 September 2024
The Committee considered further information from the Acting Assembly Head of Communications, Mr Michael Cairns, on the position regarding a demonstration for Parties of the potential of the recently installed infrastructure in the Assembly Chamber to support electronic voting in plenary sittings and on the contract arrangements.
Agreed:The Committee agreed to give further consideration to facilitating a demonstration of the potential of the recently installed infrastructure in the Assembly Chamber to support electronic voting in plenary sittings for Parties after the study visit to the Scottish Parliament.
5. Review of Committee Strategic Priorities – Agreed Approach
The Chairperson referred to the discussion that took place earlier in the meeting.
Agreed: The Committee agreed the note of the strategic priorities review session that took place on 25 September 2024.
Agreed: The Committee agreed the changes to be made to its shorter-term priority areas of work.
Agreed: The Committee agreed the order in which its three longer-term priority areas of work should be progressed.
Agreed: The Committee agreed to add consideration of remote participation in limited circumstances for Members at Plenary sessions to its list of potential longer-term areas of work.
Agreed: The Committee agreed to write to Claire Sugden MLA advising that her proposal had been added to the list of potential longer-term areas of work.
Agreed: The Committee agreed to undertake the next review of its key priority areas of work and progress to deliver them in September 2025.
6. Forward Work Programme
The Committee considered an updated Forward Work Programme for October to December 2024.
Agreed: The Committee agreed the Forward Work Programme.
The Committee considered the intended outcomes, proposed travel arrangements, provisional programme, participants and estimated costs for the study visit to the Scottish Parliament on 4 and 5 December 2024.
Agreed: The Committee agreed to write to the Whips of Scottish Parliamentary parties requesting meetings to discuss the matters covered in its provisional programme.
Agreed: The Committee agreed the estimated cost of the study visit of £5,733.28.
7. Correspondence
None.
8. Chairperson’s Business
The Chairperson advised Members that the motion on the new Standing Order 27A on Proxy Voting was agreed by the Assembly on 22 October 2024 and the updated Standing Orders and the Committee Report on Proxy Voting for Parental Leave in Plenary had been published on the Assembly website.
9. Any Other Business
None.
10. Date, Time and Place of next meeting
The next meeting will be held on Wednesday 13 November 2024 at 10.00 a.m. in Room 21, Parliament Buildings.
The meeting was adjourned at 10.38 a.m.
Kellie Armstrong MLA
Chairperson, Committee on Procedures
13 November 2024
