Minutes of Proceedings
Session: Session currently unavailable
Date: 24 March 2025
The Assembly met at noon, the Speaker in the Chair.
1. Prayers
Members observed two minutes’ silence.
2. Members’ Statements
Under Standing Order 24A, the following Members made a statement to the Assembly:
Mr Pat Sheehan
Mr Paul Frew
Mrs Michelle Guy
Mr John Stewart
Ms Cara Hunter
Mrs Cathy Mason
Mr Alan Robinson
Mr Peter McReynolds
Mrs Pam Cameron
Mr Robbie Butler
Mr Justin McNulty
Mr Jonathan Buckley
Mr Timothy Gaston
Mrs Deborah Erskine
3. Speaker’s Business
3.1 Opposition Motion on Funding for Childcare
The Speaker informed Members that he had received notification from the Opposition that it did not intend to move the motion on Funding for Childcare which was listed on the Order Paper.
4. Opposition Business
4.1 Motion: Ambulance Handovers
Proposed:
That this Assembly recognises that emergency services play a critical role in providing care to those in urgent need; expresses deep concern at the findings of the Northern Ireland Audit Office March 2025 report on ambulance handovers which outlines how severe delays are putting patient safety at risk and wasting significant resources; notes that only 7 per cent of handovers meet the 15 minute target, with some exceeding 10 hours; further notes the impact of delays on emergency response times, hospital capacity, and frontline staff; and calls on the Minister of Health, with the support of Executive colleagues, to urgently introduce the recommendations set out in the SDLP policy, Help Can’t Wait, including the introduction of the W45 policy used by the London Ambulance Service, the standardisation of guidance across all Health and Social Care Trusts, a commitment to increase medical capacity, improve processes to reduce ambulance handover delays and improve patient flow across the health system.
Leader of the Opposition
Amendment 1:
Proposed:
Leave out all after 'emergency response times,’ and insert:
‘and frontline staff; calls on the Minister of Health, with the support of Executive colleagues, to urgently pursue additional care capacity in the community to tackle the bottleneck created by delayed discharge from hospital and improve patient flow across the health system; and further calls on the Minister to improve processes to reduce ambulance handover delays by exploring the potential introduction of the W45 policy used by the London Ambulance Service, providing access to same-day emergency care for patients not requiring admission, improving coordination between all Health and Social Care Trusts in relation to emergency care, and delivering on commitments to increase medical capacity and enact a 10-year workforce plan for the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service.’
Mrs Diane Dodds
Mr Alan Robinson
Amendment 2:
Proposed:
Leave out all after ' Executive colleagues,’ and insert:
‘to adopt a whole-system approach to tackling handover delays by increasing medical capacity, including the recruitment of additional healthcare professionals, investing in primary and community care to reduce hospital admissions, engage meaningfully with the Minister for Health in Dublin to explore opportunities for all-island and cross-border health services to improve efficiency and patient outcomes, and to explore digital health initiatives with the potential to enhance coordination, streamline processes, and improve patient flow across the healthcare system.’
Mr Philip McGuigan
Mrs Linda Dillon
Miss Órlaithí Flynn
Debate ensued.
The Principal Deputy Speaker took the Chair.
The debate stood suspended for Question Time, the Speaker took the Chair
5. Question Time
5.1 Infrastructure
Questions were put to, and answered by, the Minister for Infrastructure, Ms Liz Kimmins.
5.2 Justice
Questions were put to, and answered by, the Minister of Justice, Mrs Naomi Long.
The Principal Deputy Speaker took the Chair.
6. Opposition Business (cont’d)
6.1 Motion: Ambulance Handovers (cont’d)
Debate resumed.
The Question being put, amendment 1 was made.
As amendment 1 was made, the question was not put on amendment 2.
The Question being put, the motion, as amended, was carried.
The Deputy Speaker, Dr Aiken, took the Chair.
6.2 Motion: Funding for Childcare
Proposed:
That this Assembly recognises the significant financial strain that high childcare costs continue to place on families across Northern Ireland; acknowledges that the delivery of affordable childcare is a priority in the Programme for Government; expresses concern on the speed of the roll-out of the Northern Ireland Childcare Subsidy Scheme (NICSS) with only 20 per cent of allocated funding being spent to date; expresses regret that in many instances, rising costs have outweighed the potential savings for parents provided by the NICSS; notes the disparity between ring-fenced funding for childcare and the £400 million needed to deliver an early learning and childcare strategy; and calls on the Minister of Finance to commit to fully fund a multi-year early learning and childcare strategy which provides affordable, quality childcare for parents alongside long-term sustainability for providers.
Leader of the Opposition
Amendment 1:
Proposed:
Leave out all after ‘Programme for Government’ and insert:
‘welcomes the speed of the roll-out of the Northern Ireland Childcare Subsidy Scheme (NICSS) with an estimated uptake from over 90% of those eligible, over £6.5 million in savings delivered to families to date, and 100 percent of allocated funding on track to be spent by the end of this financial year; notes fears that in some instances rising costs could outweigh potential savings for parents provided by the NICSS; commends, therefore, the decision to increase the maximum subsidy cap per child by 10% from 1 April 2025; accepts that the cost of implementing a comprehensive and ambitious early learning and childcare strategy as called for by the Education Minister will be significant; and calls on the Minister of Finance to commit to fully fund a multi-year early learning and childcare strategy which provides affordable, quality childcare for parents alongside long-term sustainability for providers.’
Mr Peter Martin
Mr David Brooks
Amendment 2:
Proposed:
Leave out all after ‘Programme for Government’ and insert:
‘welcomes the introduction of the Northern Ireland Childcare Subsidy Scheme (NICSS), but expresses regret that in many instances, rising costs have outweighed the potential savings for parents provided by the NICSS; believes the scheme cap and contribution should be increased and the eligibility expanded to include school-aged children; calls on the Minister of Education to deliver a fully costed early learning and childcare strategy, with clear actions and delivery timeline; and further calls on the Minister to work with the Minister of Finance to ensure the strategy is fully implemented.’
Mrs Michelle Guy
Mr Nick Mathison
Mr Eoin Tennyson
Ms Sian Mulholland
The motion was not moved.
6.3 Motion: The Green Energy Transition
Proposed:
That this Assembly notes several commitments in the Programme for Government to upscale renewable energy production; expresses concern that renewable energy generation has fallen annually since 2022; recognises that insufficient renewable energy infrastructure and ineffective planning policy are significant barriers to renewable energy expansion; affirms that unless addressed, Northern Ireland will fail to meet statutory climate targets; calls on the Minister for the Economy to introduce a new renewable energy support scheme to upscale onshore and offshore renewable energy production; and further calls on the Minister to work with the Minister for Infrastructure on a reform of planning policy to facilitate the development of renewable energy technology.
Amendment 1:
Proposed:
Leave out all after ‘upscale renewable energy production;’ and insert:
‘whilst protecting consumers from cost shocks; notes that renewable energy generation has increased significantly since 2013; recognises that alongside concerns around insufficient infrastructure and ineffective planning policy, the absence of proposals to support the cost of a just transition, is a significant barrier to renewable energy expansion; affirms that unless addressed, Northern Ireland will fail to pursue statutory climate targets in a way that is fair and affordable for local communities; calls on the Minister for the Economy to introduce a new renewable energy support scheme to upscale onshore and offshore renewable energy production, as well as provide financial assistance to increase energy efficiency and small-scale energy generation among businesses and households; and further calls on the Minister to work with the Minister for Infrastructure, and the Executive as a whole, on a reform of planning policy which facilitates the development of renewable energy technology and meets the current energy needs of consumers at the lowest possible cost.’
Mr Gary Middleton
Mrs Deborah Erskine
Amendment 2:
Proposed:
Leave out all after ‘Minister for the Economy’ and insert:
‘to work with her counterpart in the Irish Government to accelerate delivery of the North-South Interconnector; and further calls on the Minister to introduce a new renewable energy support scheme to upscale onshore and offshore renewable energy production, and to work with the Minister for Infrastructure on a reform of planning policy to facilitate the development of renewable energy technology.’
Mr David Honeyford
Mr Andrew McMurray
Mr Peter McReynolds
Mr Nick Mathison
Debate ensued.
The Question being put, amendment 1 was made (Division).
As amendment 1 was made, the question was not put on amendment 2.
The Question being put, the motion, as amended, was carried.
7. Adjournment
Proposed:
That the Assembly do now adjourn.
The Speaker
The Assembly adjourned at 4.40pm.
Mr Edwin Poots
The Speaker
24 March 2025
Northern Ireland Assembly
24 March 2025 – Division
Amendment 1: The Green Energy Transition
Proposed:
Leave out all after ‘upscale renewable energy production;’ and insert:
‘whilst protecting consumers from cost shocks; notes that renewable energy generation has increased significantly since 2013; recognises that alongside concerns around insufficient infrastructure and ineffective planning policy, the absence of proposals to support the cost of a just transition, is a significant barrier to renewable energy expansion; affirms that unless addressed, Northern Ireland will fail to pursue statutory climate targets in a way that is fair and affordable for local communities; calls on the Minister for the Economy to introduce a new renewable energy support scheme to upscale onshore and offshore renewable energy production, as well as provide financial assistance to increase energy efficiency and small-scale energy generation among businesses and households; and further calls on the Minister to work with the Minister for Infrastructure, and the Executive as a whole, on a reform of planning policy which facilitates the development of renewable energy technology and meets the current energy needs of consumers at the lowest possible cost.’
Mr Gary Middleton
Mrs Deborah Erskine
The Question was put and the Assembly divided.
Ayes: 27
Noes: 21
AYES
Ms D Armstrong, Mr Bradley, Mr Brooks, Ms Brownlee, Mr K Buchanan, Mr T Buchanan, Mr Buckley, Ms Bunting, Mr Butler, Mrs Cameron, Mr Clarke, Mr Crawford, Mrs Dodds, Mr Dunne, Mrs Erskine, Ms Forsythe, Mr Frew, Mr Harvey, Mr Kingston, Mrs Little-Pengelly, Mr Lyons, Miss McIlveen, Mr Martin, Mr Middleton, Mr Nesbitt, Mr Robinson, Mr Stewart.
Tellers for the Ayes: Mr Harvey, Mr Middleton.
NOES
Ms K Armstrong, Mr Blair, Ms Bradshaw, Mr Donnelly, Mr Durkan, Ms Egan, Mr Gaston, Mrs Guy, Mr Honeyford, Ms Hunter, Miss McAllister, Mr McGlone, Mr McGrath, Ms McLaughlin, Mr McMurray, Mr McNulty, Mr McReynolds, Mr Mathison, Mr Muir, Ms Mulholland, Mr Tennyson.
Tellers for the Noes: Ms McLaughlin, Mr McMurray.
The amendment was made.
Northern Ireland Assembly
Proxy Voting Notifications
In line with Standing Order 27A, Mr Matthew O’Toole arranged for his vote to be exercised by a proxy (Mr Colin McGrath) during the period 24 March 2025 to 12 April 2025.
Northern Ireland Assembly
Papers Presented to the Assembly on 19 March 2025 to 24 March 2025.
1. Acts of the Northern Ireland Assembly
2. Bills of the Northern Ireland Assembly
3. Orders in Council
4. Statutory Rules
SR 2025/34 The Fair Employment (Specification of Public Authorities) (Amendment) Order (Northern Ireland) 2025 (The Executive Office)
SR 2025/46 The Optical Charges and Payments (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2025 (Department of Health)
SR 2025/61 The Coronavirus Act 2020 (Extension of Provisions Relating to Live Links for Courts and Tribunals) Order (Northern Ireland) 2025 (Department of Justice)
SR 2025/62 The Coronavirus Act 2020 (Registration of Deaths and Still-Births) (Extension) Order (Northern Ireland) 2025 (Department of Finance)
SR 2025/XXXX Draft SR The Period Products (Department for Communities Specified Public Service Bodies) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2025 (Department for Communities)
For information
SR 2025/56 The Road Races (Croft Hill Climb) Order (Northern Ireland) 2025 (Department for Infrastructure)
SR 2025/57 The Roads (Speed Limit) Order (Northern Ireland) 2025 (Department for Infrastructure)
SR 2025/63 The Employment Rights (Increase of Limits) Order (Northern Ireland) 2025 (Department for the Economy)
5. Legislative Consent Memorandums
6. Assembly Reports
7. Written Ministerial Statements
Statutory Key Stage Assessment Arrangements for the Three-Year Period from 2025-26 to 2027-28 (Minister of Education)
Announcement of £153m funding programme for Co-Ownership (Minister for Communities)
8. Publications Laid in the Northern Ireland Assembly
SI 2024/XXXX Draft Statutory Instrument The Medicines for Human Use (Clinical Trials) (Amendment) Regulations 2024 (Department of Health)
Report by the Comptroller & Auditor General, Homelessness in Northern Ireland (Northern Ireland Audit Office)
Autism Strategy 2023-2028 Delivery Plan 2023-2028, Year One Progress Report (Department of Health)
