Marshalled list of amendments
Monday 9 March 2026
Item 5 – Order Paper 157/22-27 – Monday 9 March 2026
Motion: Equalising the First Minister and deputy First Minister Titles
Proposed:
That this Assembly recognises that the titles of First Minister and deputy First Minister are joint and equal in authority and responsibility; acknowledges that the difference in titles is a historical anomaly, made at the request of a unionist party; agrees that the current titles entrench division, frequently detract political attention from matters of real importance, and are against the true meaning of the Good Friday Agreement; notes that several holders of the office of First Minister and deputy First Minister have called for the titles to be changed to reflect their joint nature; believes that the titles of the First Minister and deputy First Minister should be equalised ahead of the next Assembly election.
Leader of the Opposition
Amendment
Leave out all after ‘responsibility;’ and insert:
‘believes that altering the titles alone does not address the deeper structural issues within our institutions requiring reform; notes that public confidence in devolved government depends on stability and delivery aided by the implementation of a meaningful package of reforms rather than dealing with issues in isolation; and expresses its support for the work of Assembly and Executive Review Committee in considering options for substantive structural reforms which would strengthen accountability and ensure that the Assembly and Executive can better deliver for all communities.’
[Mrs Sinéad Ennis]
[Mr Pat Sheehan]
[Ms Carál Ní Chuilín]
Motion: SEN Reform and Classroom Assistant Provision
Proposed:
That this Assembly recognises the vital role classroom assistants play in supporting children’s learning, inclusion and well-being across our education system; notes proposals by the Education Authority and the Department of Education, as part of wider special educational needs reform, to move away from models of one-to-one pupil support; acknowledges the concerns raised by parents, classroom assistants, trade unions and education professionals about the direction and pace of these changes, and the potential impact on vulnerable pupils; believes this is another example of the Minister of Education pressing ahead with significant change without securing the confidence of families or the workforce; and calls on the Minister of Education to ensure that any reform improves outcomes for children and young people, strengthens terms and conditions, properly values the classroom assistant workforce, and is fully resourced.
Leader of the Opposition
Amendment
Leave out all after ‘well-being across our education system’ and insert:
‘;expresses concern that with more than 12,500 special educational needs (SEN) classroom assistants already employed, it is becoming increasingly difficult to recruit, as well as retain, appropriately qualified staff; notes proposals by the Education Authority and the Department of Education, as part of wider special educational needs reform, to move away from models based predominantly of one-to-one pupil support toward small group provision, specialist therapeutic input, and more flexible school budgets for SEN; acknowledges the concerns raised by some parents, classroom assistants, trade unions and education professionals about the direction and pace of these changes, and the potential impact on vulnerable pupils; believes this is another example of the Education Authority and Minister of Education taking difficult and evidence-led decisions to reform our education system and improve outcomes; and calls on the Minister of Education to ensure that any reform improves outcomes for children and young people, strengthens terms and conditions, properly values the classroom assistant workforce, and is fully resourced.’
[Mr David Brooks]
[Mr Peter Martin]
Motion: The All-Island Economy
Proposed:
That this Assembly recognises that stronger North-South economic cooperation delivers practical benefits for workers, businesses and communities, and makes economic sense irrespective of constitutional preference; regrets that effective cross-border economic cooperation has not been consistently prioritised by the Executive, including by key 3 departments such as Department of Infrastructure, Department for the Economy and the Department of Finance; acknowledges that barriers to cross-border economic cooperation have had negative impacts across the island of Ireland; and calls on the Executive to work with the Irish Government to prioritise enhanced co-operation on strategic infrastructure, including rail, energy networks and digital connectivity, strengthen co-operation on skills and labour-market alignment, and establish an all-island economic task force to drive delivery on agreed economic priorities.
Leader of the Opposition
Amendment
Leave out all after ‘has not been consistently prioritised’ and insert:
‘by all ministers; acknowledges that barriers to cross-border economic cooperation have had negative impacts across the island of Ireland; calls on all Executive Ministers to work with their Ministerial counterparts on the island to prioritise enhanced cooperation on strategic infrastructure, including rail, energy networks, digital connectivity, skills and labour market alignment, arts and creative industries, tackling academic underachievement; and further calls for the establishment of an all-island economic task force to drive delivery on agreed economic priorities.’
[Mr Pádraig Delargy]
[Mr Declan Kearney]
[Miss Jemma Dolan
