Order Paper

1.   Prayers

2.   Members’ Statements

3.   Executive Committee Business

Consideration Stage: Pensions (Extension of Automatic Enrolment) Bill (NIA Bill 04/22-27)

Minister for Communities

Motion: The Gaming (Variation of Monetary Limits) Order (Northern Ireland) 2025

Proposed:

That the Gaming (Variation of Monetary Limits) Order (Northern Ireland) 2025 be affirmed.

Minister for Communities

Motion: The draft Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme (Amendment) Order 2025

Proposed:

That the draft Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme (Amendment) Order 2025 be approved.

Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs

4.   Question Time

4.1   Finance

5.   Private Members’ Business

Motion: Supporting a Public Health Approach to Tackling Gambling-Related Harms

Proposed:

That this Assembly welcomes the publication of the All-Party Group on Reducing Harm Related to Gambling's report, Public Health Approaches to Tackling Gambling Related Harms; agrees that gambling should be officially recognised as a public health issue in Northern Ireland; recognises that policies should incorporate population-based approaches that prioritise harm prevention, in line with the public health approach adopted for alcohol and tobacco; notes the urgent need to protect children and those already experiencing gambling harms from gambling-related marketing, which is currently both targeted and pervasive, particularly during sports broadcasts and on social media; calls on the Minister of Health to address the current unmet need within the healthcare system in Northern Ireland by commissioning statutory services specifically for gambling disorders; and further calls on all relevant Executive Departments to ensure the report's recommendations are carefully considered in the development of future policies aimed at preventing and mitigating gambling-related harms.

Mr Philip McGuigan
Mr Paul Frew
Mr Danny Donnelly
Mr Robbie Butler
Mr Justin McNulty

Motion: Commitment to the Proper Use of Public Monies

Proposed:

That this Assembly notes the publication of the Review of the use of certain allowances under the Assembly Members (Salaries and Expenses) Determination (Northern Ireland) 2016, by the Assembly’s Head of Legal Services; regrets that this was a purely paper based exercise which afforded no opportunity to challenge, in person, those who provided written evidence; further regrets that the Review muddies the waters in respect of what constitutes party political work and constituency work; further notes the media reporting which conflicts with the conclusions of the report about Michael McMonagle’s role; notes that if the report is to be believed, then there is an onus on the First Minister to correct the Assembly record of 7th October 2024, when she said that Michael McMonagle worked as a press officer; and calls for the Assembly Commission to ensure that, in future, there are regular and robust audits of how money is spent by MLAs and political parties under the Assembly Members (Salaries and Expenses) Determination and the Financial Assistance for Political Parties Scheme, including information on employees’ place and hours of work and whether they are engaged in constituency or party work.

Mr Timothy Gaston

6.   Adjournment

• Potential closure of Riverside Theatre, Ulster University, Coleraine

Ms Cara Hunter