Minutes of Proceedings

The Assembly met at noon, the Speaker in the Chair.

1. Prayers

Members observed two minutes’ silence.

2. Speakers’ Business

2.1 Sub Judice rule

The Speaker reminded Members of the Sub Judice rule and that Members should say nothing that could prejudice matters that are currently before the courts.

3. Members’ Statements

Under Standing Order 24A, the following Members made a statement to the Assembly:

Mr Pat Sheehan
Ms Joanne Bunting
Mr Stewart Dickson
Mr Justin McNulty
Ms Aisling Reilly
Mr Jonathan Buckley
Mr Robbie Butler
Mrs Cathy Mason
Ms Cheryl Brownlee
Mr Danny Donnelly

The Principal Deputy Speaker took the Chair.

Ms Claire Sugden

4. Ministerial Statement

4.1 Transforming Education for Children with Special Educational Needs

The Minister of Education, Mr Paul Givan, made a statement regarding Transforming Education for Children with Special Educational Needs, following which he replied to questions.

5. Executive Committee Business

5.1 Motion: The draft Human Medicines (Amendment) (Modular Manufacture and Point of Care) Regulations 2024

Proposed:

That the draft Human Medicines (Amendment) (Modular Manufacture and Point of Care) Regulations 2024 be approved.

Minister of Health

Debate ensued.

The Question being put, the motion was carried.

The sitting was suspended at 1:55pm and resumed at 2:00pm, the Speaker in the Chair.

6. Question Time

6.1 Justice

Questions were put to, and answered by, the Minister of Justice, Mrs Naomi Long.

6.2 Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs

Questions were put to, and answered by, the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Mr Andrew Muir.

7. Question for Urgent Oral Answer

7.1 Integrated Education in North Down

The Minister of Education, Mr Paul Givan, responded to a Question for Urgent Oral Answer tabled by Ms Connie Egan.

The Deputy Speaker, Mr Blair, took the Chair.

8. Private Members’ Business

8.1 Motion: Ambulance Waiting Times

Proposed:

That this Assembly expresses grave concern at the pressure facing the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (Ambulance Service) and the impact on patients with life-threatening or emergency health needs; further expresses severe concern that response time targets for categories one, two and three calls to the Ambulance Service were missed in every month of last year; agrees that the Department of Health has failed to adequately address the causes of unacceptable ambulance waiting times, including the lack of capacity in the Ambulance Service workforce and delays in admitting patients to hospital from ambulances; and calls on the Minister of Health to urgently bring forward proposals to improve the availability and capacity of ambulance services, including development of an Ambulance Service workforce plan, to support the new Clinical Response Model.

Miss Nuala McAllister
Mr Danny Donnelly
Ms Paula Bradshaw
Mr Stewart Dickson

Debate ensued.

The Question being put, the motion was carried.

The Deputy Speaker, Dr Aiken, took the Chair.

9. Assembly Business

9.1 Motion: Extension of Sitting on Monday 13 January 2025 under Standing Order 10(3A)

Proposed:

That, in accordance with Standing Order 10(3A), the sitting on Monday 13 January 2025 be extended to no later than 7.30pm.

Business Committee

The Question being put, the motion was carried.

10. Private Members’ Business (cont’d)

10.1 Motion: Protecting Frontline Services from Increase in Employers’ National Insurance

Proposed:

That this Assembly recognises the need to protect businesses and community and voluntary sector organisations that provide vital frontline services in Northern Ireland from the destructive impact of the increase in employers’ National Insurance contributions; notes concerns voiced by general practitioners, dentists, care homes and a range of other independent providers that this extra cost could lead to job losses, jeopardise the future of some services and create additional hardship for the most vulnerable in society; further notes the rising pressures facing Executive departments, local councils and the Northern Ireland Civil Service as a result of the Government’s decision; calls on the Minister of Finance to work with Executive colleagues to ascertain the total additional cost of increased employer National Insurance contributions for the public sector, including independent providers; and further calls on the Minister to lobby the Chancellor of the Exchequer for the funding required to meet this shortfall in full, protect jobs and incomes and place the delivery of frontline public services on a stable footing.

Ms Diane Forsythe
Mr Phillip Brett
Mr Paul Frew

Amendment:

Proposed:

Leave out all after ‘public sector,’ and insert:

‘independent providers and community and voluntary sector organisations providing frontline services; and further calls on the Minister to lobby the Chancellor of Exchequer for the funding required to meet this shortfall in full, protect jobs and incomes and place the delivery of frontline public services on a stable footing’

Mr Éoin Tennyson
Ms Kellie Armstrong
Mr David Honeyford
Mr Nick Mathison

Debate ensued.

The Question being put, the amendment was made.

The Question being put, the motion, as amended, was carried.

11. Adjournment

Proposed:

That the Assembly do now adjourn.

The Speaker

The Assembly adjourned at 6.27pm.

Mr Edwin Poots
The Speaker
13 January 2025

Northern Ireland Assembly

Papers Presented to the Assembly on 11 December 2024 to 13 January 2025.

1. Acts of the Northern Ireland Assembly

2. Bills of the Northern Ireland Assembly

3. Orders in Council

4. Statutory Rules

SR 2024/212 The Environmental Protection (Single-use Vapes) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2024 (Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs)

SR 2024/213 The Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) (Amendment No. 2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2024 (Department for Infrastructure)

SR 2024/216 The Public Interest Disclosure (Prescribed Persons) (Amendment) Order (Northern Ireland) 2024 (Department for the Economy)

SR 2024/217 The Government Resources and Accounts (Northern Ireland) Act 2001 (Estimates and Accounts) (Designation of Bodies) (Amendment) Order 2024 (Department of Finance)

SR 2024/218 The Firefighters’ Pension Schemes and Compensation Scheme (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2024 (Department of Health)

SR 2024/219 The Police Pensions (Amendment No. 2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2024 (Department of Justice)

SR 2024/222 The Misuse of Drugs (Amendment No.2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2024 (Department of Health)

SR 2024/223 The Misuse of Drugs (Designation) (Amendment No. 2) Order (Northern Ireland) 2024 (Department of Health)

SR 2024/224 The Insolvency (Amendment) Rules (Northern Ireland) 2024 (Department of Justice)

SR 2024/225 The Bovine Viral Diarrhoea Eradication Scheme (Amendment) Order (Northern Ireland) 2024 (Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs)

SR 2025/1 The Housing Benefit and Universal Credit Housing Costs (Executive Determinations) (Modification) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2025 (Department for Communities)

SR 2025/2 The Gaming (Variation of Monetary Limits) Order (Northern Ireland) 2025 (Department for Communities)

For Information Only

SR 2024/220 The Parking and Waiting Restrictions (Belfast) (Amendment No. 2) Order (Northern Ireland) 2024 (Department for Infrastructure)

SR 2024/221 The Parking and Waiting Restrictions (Fivemiletown) Order (Northern Ireland) 2024 (Department for Infrastructure)

SR 2024/226 The Bovine Viral Diarrhoea Control Order (Northern Ireland) 2024 (Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs)

5. Legislative Consent Memorandums

Tobacco and Vapes Bill (Department of Health)

6. Assembly Reports

Inquiry into Directive (EU) 2024/2853 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2024 on liability for defective products and repealing Council Directive 85/374/EEC (Sixth Report) (NIA 63/22-27) (Windsor Framework Democratic Scrutiny Committee)

Inquiry into Regulation (EU) 2024/2865 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2024 amending Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 on classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures (Seventh Report) (NIA 64/22-27) (Windsor Framework Democratic Scrutiny Committee)

7. Written Ministerial Statements

The introduction of a UK-wide indefinite order to prevent new patients aged under 18 from taking puberty blockers for the purposes of gender incongruence and/or gender dysphoria under the care of private prescribers (Minister of Health)

October Monitoring Round Allocation of £19.5m Capital DEL to NI Water to Focus on Unlocking Capacity for Housing (Department for Infrastructure)

Public Expenditure Draft Budget 2025-26 (Minister of Finance)

8. Publications Laid in the Northern Ireland Assembly

Tourism Ireland Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2023 (Department for the Economy)

The Discharge of Effluent into Waterways and Underground Strata (Fees and Charges) Scheme (Northern Ireland) (NIEA, Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs)

Fees and Charges for Northern Ireland Water (NIEA, Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs)

The Water Abstraction and Impoundment (Licensing) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2024 (Fees and Charges) (NIEA, Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs)

The Pollution Prevention and Control (Industrial Emissions - NIEA) Charging Scheme (Northern Ireland) 2024 (NIEA, Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs)

The Radioactive Substances (Fees and Charges) Scheme (Northern Ireland) 2024 (Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs)

The Greenhouse Gas Emissions Charging Scheme (Northern Ireland) 2024 – a charging scheme made under regulation 4 of the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme Charging Scheme Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010 in respect of permits granted under the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme Regulations 2012 (NIEA, Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs)

The UK Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme Charging Scheme (Northern Ireland) 2024 – A charging scheme made under article 35(1) of the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme Order 2020 in respect of permits granted under the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme Order 2020 (NIEA, Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs)

Land and Property Services Trust Statement – Rate Levy Accruals Account, Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024 (Department of Finance)

The Arts Council of Northern Ireland Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024 (Department for Communities)

The Public Records Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) Report of the Deputy Keeper of the Records 2016-2017 (PRONI, Department for Communities)

The Public Records Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) Report of the Deputy Keeper of the Records 2017-2018 (PRONI, Department for Communities)

Funds in Court in Northern Ireland Statement of Accounts 2023-24 (Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service)

Climate Change Committee Annual Report and Accounts 2023-24 (Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs)

UK Anti-Doping Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 31 March 2024 (UK Anti-Doping)

Safeguarding Board for Northern Ireland Annual Report April 2023 – March 2024 (Department of Health)

British Film Institute Group and National Lottery Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023/24 (British Film Institute)

The Commissioner for Survivors of Institutional Childhood Abuse Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024 (The Executive Office)

Northern Ireland Police Fund Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024 (Northern Ireland Police Fund)

United Kingdom Anti-Doping Limited Annual Report and Accounts 2023/24 (UK Anti-Doping Limited)

Construction Industry Training Board NI Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 August 2023 (CITB NI)

Belfast Metropolitan College Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023-24, for the year ended 31 July 2024 (Department for the Economy)

North West Regional College Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 July 2024 (Department for the Economy)

South Eastern Regional College Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 July 2024 (Department for the Economy)

South West College Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 July 2024 (Department for the Economy)

Southern Regional College Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 July 2024 (Department for the Economy)

Department of Health Safe Access Zones for Abortion Services Annual Report (December 2024) (Department of Health)

Report on the Northern Ireland Inshore Marine Protected Area Network 2019 - 2024 (Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs)

The Sports Council for Northern Ireland (Sport NI) Annual Report and Accounts 2023-24, for the year ended 31 March 2024 (Department for Communities)

Welfare Mitigation Schemes Statutory Report December 2024 (Department for Communities)
Armagh Observatory and Planetarium Records Management Retention and Disposal Schedule (June 2024) (Department for Communities)

Northern Ireland Human Rights and Equality Commission for Northern Ireland Annual Report on the Implementation of Article 2 of the Windsor Framework 2023-2024 (The Executive Office)

Competition and Markets Authority Draft Annual Plan 2025 to 2026, Promoting Competition and Protecting Consumers to Drive Growth, Opportunity and Prosperity for the UK (Competition and Markets Authority)

9. Publications Presented to the Northern Ireland Assembly

Office of the Discretionary Support Commissioner Annual Report 2023-2024 (Department for Communities)

Department of Finance Memorandum on the Third Report from the Public Accounts Committee Mandate 2022-2027- Child Poverty in Northern Ireland (Department of Finance)

Letter from the Prison Service Pay Review Body to the Minister of Justice on the Northern Ireland Prison Service 2024-25 Pay Round (Department of Justice)