Order Paper
Date: 26 January 2026
The Assembly to sit at noon.
Indicative Timings for Order of Business.
1. Prayers
2. Members’ Statements
3. Executive Committee Business
Legislative Consent Motion: Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Bill
Proposed:
That this Assembly notes the Government’s amendments to the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Bill made at the House of Lords Report Stage on 12 January 2026; and consents to the extension to Northern Ireland of the devolved provisions inserted by those amendments, namely clauses 10 to 12 (relating to regulation-making and consultation in respect of clause 9), and clauses 16 to 18 (relating to regulation-making and consultation in respect of clause 14).
Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs
4. Question Time
4.1 Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs
5. Private Members’ Business
Motion: Assessing Economic Trends on the Island of Ireland
Proposed:
That this Assembly recognises the significance of the Economic and Social Research Institute’s December 2025 report, Assessing Economic Trends in Ireland and Northern Ireland; welcomes that this will become an annual economic report produced through the Shared Island Initiative which will provide an insightful and evidence-based contribution to understanding economic and social conditions on our island; notes the positive findings within the report on increased economic growth and employment rates across the island, alongside the shared challenges relating to productivity, incomes and regional balance; further notes that the report’s review of the respective Programmes for Government from both administrations on the island identified synergies in economic policy on increasing productivity, decarbonisation and support for small businesses; acknowledges the report’s assessment that the Executive is constrained in economic policy-making due to a lack of fiscal levers being devolved; calls on all Executive Ministers to use this report to inform economic and related policy, and to support a more coordinated all-Ireland approach to economic development that advances inclusive growth, regional balance, good jobs and improved living standards for all citizens; and further calls on the British Government to work with the Minister of Finance to devolve additional revenue raising powers to allow it to support the Executive's economic policy development.
Mr Pádraig Delargy
Miss Jemma Dolan
Miss Deirdre Hargey
Motion: Artificial Intelligence and Online Violence Against Women and Girls
Proposed:
That this Assembly expresses grave concern at the documented use of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to perpetrate online violence against women and girls; condemns the creation and dissemination of non-consensual intimate images, including AI-generated deepfakes, as a serious and escalating form of abuse; notes recent commitments by the UK Government to criminalise such activity; further notes the Department of Justice consultation on comparable proposals in Northern Ireland; and calls on the Minister of Justice to ensure that effective criminal offences, enforcement powers, and victim protections are in place no later than those in England and Wales.
Ms Cara Hunter
Mr Colin McGrath
