Minutes of Proceedings

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

1. Prayers

Members observed two minutes’ silence.

2. Matter of the Day

2.1 Northern Ireland Athletes at the Paris Olympics and Paralympics

Ms Claire Sugden, under Standing Order 24, made a statement on Northern Ireland Athletes at the Paris Olympics and Paralympics. Other Members were also called to speak on the matter.

3. Members’ Statements

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

Mr Declan McAleer
Mr Jonathan Buckley
Mr Danny Donnelly
Lord Elliott
Mr Mark Durkan
Mrs Sinéad Ennis
Ms Cheryl Brownlee
Mr Stewart Dickson
Mr Pat Sheehan
Miss Michelle McIlveen
Mr Robbie Butler
Ms Kellie Armstrong

4. Assembly Business

4.1 Motion: Committee Membership

Proposed:

That Mrs Michelle Guy replace Ms Kate Nicholl as a member of the Committee for Education and as a member of the Assembly and Executive Review Committee; that Ms Kate Nicholl replace Ms Connie Egan as a member of the Windsor Framework Democratic Scrutiny Committee; and that Ms Kate Nicholl be appointed as a member of the Committee for the Economy.

Ms Paula Bradshaw
Miss Nuala McAllister
Mr Stewart Dickson
Mr John Blair

The Question being put, the motion was carried.

4.2 Motion: Committee Membership

Proposed:

That Mr Colin Crawford replace Mr Doug Beattie as a member of the Committee for the Economy.

Mr Robbie Butler
Lord Elliott

The Question being put, the motion was carried.

4.3 Motion: Committee Membership

Proposed:

That Mr Timothy Gaston replace Mr Pádraig Delargy as a member of the Committee for the Executive Office.

Business Committee

The Question being put, the motion was carried.

5. Ministerial Statement

5.1 Public Consultation on the Executive’s draft Programme for Government

The deputy First Minister, Mrs Emma Little-Pengelly, made a statement regarding a Public Consultation on the Executive’s draft Programme for Government, following which both she and the First Minister, Ms Michelle O’Neill, replied to questions.

The Deputy Speaker, Dr Aiken, took the Chair.

The sitting was suspended at 1.55pm.

The sitting resumed at 2.00pm, with the Speaker in the Chair.

6. Question Time

6.1 The Executive Office

Questions were put to, and answered by, the deputy First Minister, Mrs Emma Little-Pengelly.

6.2 Justice

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

The Principal Deputy Speaker took the Chair.

7. Executive Committee Business

7.1 Consideration Stage: Budget (No. 2) Bill (NIA Bill 06/22-27)

The Minister of Finance, Dr Caoimhe Archibald, moved the Consideration Stage of the Budget (No. 2) Bill (NIA Bill 06/22-27).

No amendments to the Bill were selected for debate.

Clauses

The question being put, it was agreed without division that Clauses 1 to 10 stand part of the Bill.

Schedules

The question being put, it was agreed without division that Schedules 1 to 3 stand part of the Bill.

Long Title

The question being put, the Long Title was agreed without division.

The Budget (No. 2) Bill (NIA Bill 06/22-27) stood referred to the Speaker.

8. Private Members’ Business

8.1 Motion: Making the Case for Additional Policing Resources

Proposed:

That this Assembly supports the Chief Constable in his campaign to secure additional resources for the PSNI; notes with growing concern the serious pressures facing local and neighbourhood policing, crime investigations and rank and file officers as a result of chronic underfunding; highlights that the Chief Constable and his officers have a statutory responsibility to protect life and property, preserve law and order, and prevent the commission of offences; deplores recent correspondence issued by the Department of Justice criticising the PSNI’s efforts to secure extra funding from the UK Government; shares the Police Federation’s view that this was an attempt to gag, embarrass and chastise the Chief Constable; calls on the Minister of Justice to apologise; and further calls on the Minister to urgently recommit to reversing the decline in police funding and police officer numbers.

Mr Trevor Clarke
Ms Cheryl Brownlee
Mr Keith Buchanan

Amendment 1:

Proposed:

Leave out all after ‘offences;’ and insert:

‘strongly disagrees with any rebuke about the approach of the Chief Constable to the Prime Minister; re-endorses the recommendation in the Patten Report that the number of full time police officers should be 7,500, with the ambition of increasing that number further; endorses the Chief Constable's assessment that since 2010 the policing budget has experienced a fall in real terms of 29 per cent; and calls on the Minister of Justice, the Executive and the British Government to work with the NI Policing Board and the PSNI to urgently provide the funding to comprehensively address these structural deficits in the 2024-25 financial year and the subsequent years of this Assembly mandate.’

Mr Mark Durkan
Mr Colin McGrath

Amendment 2:

Proposed:

Leave out all after ‘chastise the Chief Constable;’ and insert:

‘calls on the Minister of Justice to apologise and to urgently recommit to reversing the decline in police funding and police officer numbers; and further calls on the UK Government to urgently commit to increased, ring-fenced funding, for the PSNI through the additional security funding mechanism to stop the decline in police numbers and to support the Northern Ireland Office on matters of national security.’

Mr Alan Chambers
Mr Doug Beattie
Mr Robbie Butler
Mr Colin Crawford

Debate ensued.

The Question being put, amendment 1 was made.

As amendment 1 was made, amendment 2 was not called.

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

9. Assembly Business (cont’d)

9.1 Motion: Extension of Sitting on Monday 9 September 2024 under Standing Order 10(3A)

Proposed:

That, in accordance with Standing Order 10(3A), the sitting on Monday 9 September 2024 be extended to no later than 8.00pm.

Business Committee

The Question being put, the motion was carried.

The Deputy Speaker, Mr Blair, took the Chair.

10. Private Members’ Business (cont’d)

10.1 Motion: Replacement of EU Funding for Community and Voluntary Sector

Proposed:

That this Assembly acknowledges the positive impact that the European Regional Development Fund and the European Social Fund have had on our society; notes British Government failure to deliver on the commitment to fully replace EU funding after Brexit; further notes that the previous British Government's Shared Prosperity Fund does not constitute the full replacement of EU funding; recognises the uncertainty for community and voluntary sector organisations regarding the continuation of the Shared Prosperity Fund post 2025; and calls on the current British Government to fulfil its promise to replace EU funding in full and to provide certainty for community and voluntary sector organisations beyond March 2025.

Mr Colm Gildernew
Mrs Ciara Ferguson
Miss Áine Murphy

Amendment:

Proposed:

Leave out all after ‘post 2025;’ and insert:

‘calls on the current Government to fulfil the promise to replace EU funding in full and to provide certainty for community and voluntary sector organisations beyond March 2025; and further calls on the Minister of Finance to make it clear to the Government that future programmes must be developed with due regard to the Executive's agreed priorities, and with meaningful input from local Ministers, in order to maximise opportunities for communities and projects across Northern Ireland.’

Ms Diane Forsythe
Mr Paul Frew

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 6.12pm.

Mr Edwin Poots
The Speaker
9 September 2024

Northern Ireland Assembly

Papers Presented to the Assembly on 9 August 2024 to 9 September 2024.

1. Acts of the Northern Ireland Assembly

2. Bills of the Northern Ireland Assembly

3. Orders in Council

4. Statutory Rules

SR 2024/159 The Local Government Pension Scheme (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2024 (Department for Communities)

SR 2024/160 The Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2024 (Department for Communities)

For Information Only

SR 2024/158 The Road Races (Bushwhacker Rally) Order (Northern Ireland) 2024 (Department for Infrastructure)

5. Legislative Consent Memorandums

Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (Department for the Economy)

6. Assembly Reports

Inquiry into Regulation (EU) 2024/1849 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 June 2024 amending Regulation (EU) 2017/852 on mercury as regards dental amalgam and other mercury-added products subject to export, import and manufacturing restrictions (NIA 46/22-27) (Windsor Framework Democratic Scrutiny Committee)

Inquiry into Regulation (EU) 2024/1938 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 June 2024 on standards of quality and safety for substances of human origin intended for human application and repealing Directives 2002/98/EC and 2004/23/EC (NIA 47/22-27) (Windsor Framework Democratic Scrutiny Committee)

Report of the Examiner of Statutory Rules to the Assembly and the Appropriate Committees Twenty-First Report of Session 2023 – 2024 (NIA 48/22-24) (Northern Ireland Assembly)

7. Written Ministerial Statements

The Appointment of the Independent Autism Reviewer (Minister of Health)

The introduction of a UK-wide Statutory Instrument to restrict the supply of gender dysphoria medicines (Minister of Health)

Cash advance from the NI Consolidated Fund (Minister of Finance)

Proposed Policy Changes to the Winter Fuel Payment Scheme in Northern Ireland (Minister for Communities)

Publication of Guidance on Use of Pupil Mobile Phones in Schools (Minister of Education)
Hate Crime Legislation (Minister of Justice)

8. Publications Laid in the Northern Ireland Assembly

National Crime Agency Annual Report and Accounts 2023-24 (Department of Justice)

Partnership Agreement between the Department for Communities and Armagh Observatory and Planetarium April 2024 (Department for Communities)

Report to Department for Communities under Article 24 of The Commissioner for Children and Young People (NI) Order (2003) (April 2019) (Department for Communities)

Report to Department for Communities under Article 24 of The Commissioner for Children and Young People (NI) Order (2003) (Oct 2023) (Department for Communities)

Charities Annual Report 2023 (Department for Communities)

A review of implementation of the Water Framework Directive Regulations and River Basin Management Planning in Northern Ireland (The Office for Environmental Protection)

Attorney General for Northern Ireland Annual Report for 2021/22 (The Executive Office)

Attorney General for Northern Ireland Annual Report for 2022/23 (The Executive Office)

Youth Interventions: An inspection of the Youth Justice Agency’s Community Interventions (Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland)

SI 2024/XXXX The Vehicle Emissions Trading Schemes (Amendment) Order 2024 (Department for Infrastructure)

9. Publications Presented to the Northern Ireland Assembly

Probation Practice in Northern Ireland: A Follow-Up Review of the Inspection Recommendations (Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland)

Draft Programme for Government 2024-2027 (The Executive Office)