Order Paper
Reference: OP 32/22-27
Date: 20 May 2024
The Assembly to sit at noon.
1. Prayers
2. Members’ Statements
3. Assembly Business
Motion: Committee Membership
Proposed:
That Mr Andrew McMurray be appointed as a member of the Committee for Infrastructure; and that Ms Connie Egan be appointed as a member of the Windsor Framework Democratic Scrutiny Committee.
Ms Paula Bradshaw
Miss Nuala McAllister
Ms Kate Nicholl
Mr David Honeyford
4. Executive Committee Business
Legislative Consent Motion: Pet Abduction Bill
Proposed:
That this Assembly endorses the principle of the extension to Northern Ireland of the provisions within the Pet Abduction Bill, as introduced in the House of Commons on 6 December 2023, dealing with pet abduction.
Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs
5. Question Time
6. Private Members’ Business
Motion: Strengthening Northern Ireland’s Defence Industries
Proposed:
That this Assembly is committed to realising the untapped potential of the aerospace, defence, security, and space sectors in Northern Ireland; notes that these growing industries employed 9,000 people across Northern Ireland in 2022 and provided over 500 apprenticeships; further notes that technology produced in Northern Ireland has been a significant pillar of the UK’s support for the defence of Ukraine; regrets the current low levels of Ministry of Defence spending in Northern Ireland, including in respect of small and medium sized enterprises; believes a concerted effort to incorporate Northern Ireland into the UK defence network will generate significant and lasting economic opportunities, as well as promote Northern Ireland as a global leader in innovative aerospace and security technology; welcomes commitments to strengthening Northern Ireland’s defence industries in the UK Government’s Safeguarding the Union Command Paper; calls on the Minister for the Economy to develop an ambitious programme to showcase opportunities for investment in local defence industries and shipbuilding; and further calls on the Minister to work with industry, the Ministry of Defence and Executive colleagues to ensure our workforce has the skills required to scale up the defence and security industries in Northern Ireland.
Mr Phillip Brett
Mr Gary Middleton
Mr Jonathan Buckley
Motion: No-Fault Divorce
Proposed:
That this Assembly acknowledges that divorce can be a difficult process for any individual or family to go through; recognises that the current fault-based divorce process can often exacerbate conflict and have a hugely negative impact on the wellbeing of children; notes that the no-fault divorce law, Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act (2020), came into effect in England and Wales in 2022; understands that children who grow up with parents who have low parental conflict, whether together or separated, enjoy better health and education outcomes; and calls on the Minister of Finance to bring forward legislation to amend the Matrimonial Causes (Northern Ireland) Order 1978 to allow applications for a divorce without apportioning blame on either party.
Miss Nicola Brogan
Mrs Linda Dillon
Mr Danny Baker
