Guide to submitting evidence to Assembly Committees in written or other formats
Contents
- What is the purpose of written evidence?
- Who can make a submission?
- What should I include in my submission?
- How should I format my submission?
- Privilege
- How do I send my submission?
- Will my submission be published?
- Will I get to speak to the committee about my submission?
- Committee contact details
What is the purpose of written evidence?
1. Assembly Committees will normally seek evidence in connection with work they are undertaking on specific matters, such as policy scrutiny, when undertaking an inquiry/review or when considering legislation. Submissions of written evidence inform committee Members about the matters they are considering and help them to make decisions and recommendations.
2. Depending on the subject being considered by a committee, it may decide to issue a public call for evidence on the Citizen Space platform. On other occasions, it may request individuals and organisations submit evidence directly to the committee. This guide provides information for individuals and organisations submitting evidence directly to the committee.
Who can make a submission?
3. All organisations and individuals are welcome to submit written evidence to a committee. Committees want to hear from a wide range of people who know about the topic that they are considering. That might be because of the work that they do; they may have researched or studied the issue; or they may have personal experience of it – for example, using health or other services. All these various kinds of expertise and experience are valuable to committees.
What should I include in my submission?
4. Your written evidence should include a brief introduction to the person(s) and/or organisations submitting it. It should set out any factual information you have to offer from which the committee might be able to draw conclusions, or that it might discuss with departmental officials or others giving oral evidence. It is also helpful to include any recommendations for action by government departments and others that you or your organisation would like the committee to consider.
5. A submission should be structured so that each of the issues or concerns specified in the terms of reference or questions set by the committee are addressed in turn.
6. If your submission relates to a Bill it should address matters contained within the scope of the Bill, with a focus on issues where you have a special interest or expertise. It should contain any factual information you would like the committee to be aware of. It should also include any amendments that you believe should be made to the Bill with an explanation why you think they are necessary or would be beneficial. Recommendations for amendments should be as specific as possible, will usually be related to the Bill’s clauses and schedules (avoiding general comments on wider policy issues) and should be within the scope of the Bill. See Understanding a Bill: a guide for stakeholders.
How should I format my submission?
7. Written submissions should be provided to the committee as a Microsoft Word document. Written submissions may be provided in another language but should be accompanied by an English translation. Submissions can also be provided through other formats, such as pictures or short audio or video clips. Organisations and individuals wishing to submit evidence in an alternative format should advise the committee office in advance. Contact details are provided at the end of this guide.
8. Written evidence should be in the form of a brief, self-contained memorandum with numbered paragraphs but without page numbers. Submissions can contain facts, opinions and recommendations, and may address some or all terms of reference. The submission should draw upon your particular knowledge or experience of the issues.
9. You may wish to use the terms of reference that you wish to address as headings to provide a clear structure to your submission. Importantly, written submissions should include a brief summary, of no more than one or two pages, summarising the key points raised in the submission. The following tips can help make your evidence even more useful to the Committee:
- Keep your evidence clear and concise, explaining any technical terms;
- Use section headings and numbered paragraphs, but do not number pages;
- Set out the actions you would like to be taken, and explain why these actions would be beneficial;
- Note any areas that the committee may wish to find out more about;
- Think about what you or your organisation can provide that others might not: what is your unique expertise or perspective?
- Send your submission as early as you can.
10. Clerks will also be able to provide further guidance on how to structure your submission, if required.
Privilege
11. Section 50 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 provides that for the purposes of the law of defamation, absolute privilege attaches to: the making of a statement in proceedings of the Assembly; and the publication of a statement under the Assembly’s authority. Evidence requested by a committee, e.g. as part of an inquiry or the Committee Stage of a Bill, is likely to attract qualified privilege. You should not, however, use the privilege afforded to make defamatory remarks.
12. Publication of evidence ordered by the committee (in a report or on the Assembly website) will attract absolute privilege. You should be aware, however, that if you decide to publish the evidence that you provide to the committee, the publication would not be covered by privilege. If you nevertheless decide to publish your evidence, you should provide the committee with advance notice of your intentions.
13. Unsolicited evidence may attract qualified privilege. If the committee decides that unsolicited written evidence should be published, absolute privilege will attach to that evidence.
How do I send my submission?
14. All submissions should be sent to the Committee Clerk. Contact details are available on the Committee section of the website.
15. Organisations and individuals wishing to submit evidence in an alternative format should contact the committee office.
16. Please also contact us if you:
- find it difficult to send us your evidence online;
- want to send a submission after the deadline has passed; or
- need any assistance to provide your evidence.
Will my submission be published?
17. Evidence provided to the committee may be published on the committee’s website and included, when appropriate, in the appendices to the relevant committee publication.
18. Unless indicated otherwise, it will be assumed that those submitting evidence have read and understood the Privacy Notice and therefore consent to their submission being made public by the committee.
19. The Northern Ireland Assembly Commission will not publish information which it considers to be exempt from disclosure under the relevant data protection legislation. Care should be taken not to include unnecessary personal information.
20. Written evidence submitted anonymously will not be considered by the committee.
Will I get to speak to the committee about my submission?
21. A committee will often select witnesses to appear before it from among those who have submitted written evidence. The selection of witnesses is a matter for the committee itself; there is no right of appearance before a committee. When submitting your written evidence, you should indicate if you wish to be considered to give oral evidence to the committee. If the committee invites you to discuss your evidence, copies of the written evidence may be made available to the press and public at the oral hearing and treated as being in the public domain thereafter.
Committee contact details
22. Committee contact details are available from the Committee section of the website.