Commonwealth Parliamentary Association: Northern Ireland Assembly Branch - Executive Committee
Minutes of Proceedings Tuesday 19 March 2024
Present:
- Mr Jonathan Buckley MLA, Chair
- Mr Keith Buchanan MLA
- Mr Stewart Dickson MLA
- Mr Paul Frew MLA
- Ms Michelle McIlveen MLA
Apologies:
- Dr Steve Aiken OBE MLA
- Mr Trevor Clarke MLA
- Ms Stephanie Mallon, Secretary
Also In attendance:
- Ms Clare Maguire, Public Engagement Manager
- Ms Caroline Moore, Participation and Outreach Manager
- Ms Nicola Crawford, Parliamentary Engagement (Minutes)
1. WELCOME
The Chair welcomed Executive Committee Members of the CPA NI Assembly Branch to the meeting.
The Chair stated that it was his first meeting as Chair and that it had been a privilege to serve on the last Executive Committee and it was now a privilege to be the Chair of the Branch.
He also stated there had been a significant impact made during the last mandate by the CPA Branch, and this was due to the work and dedication of the previous Chair, Mr William Humphrey. The Chair advised Members that he was looking forward to continuing this work and helping the Branch to grow.
2. APOLOGIES
Apologies were received from Dr Steve Aiken OBE MLA, Mr Trevor Clarke MLA and Ms Stephanie Mallon, Branch Secretary.
The Chair advised Members that Dr Aiken’s father-in-law had passed away and stated that a letter would be sent to Dr Aiken expressing the Branch’s condolences.
ACTION: Letter of condolence to be sent to Dr Aiken.
3. MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING
The minutes were agreed.
Proposed by: Mr Stewart Dickson MLA.
Seconded by: Ms Michelle McIlveen MLA.
4. FORTHCOMING CONFERENCES
Annual British Isles and Mediterranean Region (BIMR) Conference, St. Helena, 20–24 May 2024
The Chair advised Members that St. Helena will host the annual British Isles and Mediterranean Region (BIMR) Conference for the first time on the 20-24 May 2024. Based on current flight timetables (once weekly, via Johannesburg), 18 May will be arrival day and 25 May will be departure day.
The theme for the conference is ‘Addressing Challenges to Sustainable Development in Times of Global Uncertainty’.
The Chair advised Members that the Branch is entitled to send four delegates to the conference. The application process was outlined and is detailed in Appendix A with the accompanying form for information. The Chair asked Members if they were content to issue the application form to Branch membership. Members agreed that they were content.
ACTION: Application form to be issued to CPA Members.
Annual CPA Conference, Sydney, Australia, 4-8 November 2024
The Chair advised Members that the next Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference will be held in Sydney, Australia, 4-8 November and that the Assembly is entitled to send one delegate to the conference.
The Chair advised that the theme for the conference had not yet been announced, but that Branches had been asked for suggestions for conference workshop themes in the meantime. The Chair asked Members if they had any suggestions to put forward, or if they would prefer to think about possible suggestions. Members agreed that they would like to think about suggestions.
ACTION: Follow up on workshop suggestions from Members.
5. HOSTING THE CWP CONFERENCE
The Chair advised Members that the NI Assembly Branch is due to host the CWP (Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians) Conference and that we had planned to host the conference in March 2017 but the suspension of normal business in the Assembly halted those plans. He stated that this will be the first time the Assembly has hosted the conference and follows on from the success of the BIMR Conference held in Belfast in 2021.
The Chair advised that it was agreed at the AGM that we will host the CWP Conference and that, at the CWP Conference in Malta, Ms Michelle McIlveen made the formal offer to host the conference in 2026. The offer was gratefully accepted.
The Chair invited Ms McIlveen to brief Members on the CWP Conference in Malta.
Ms McIlveen stated that there was a very strong conference programme, but that shorter sessions and more external speakers would have enhanced the experience. Hearing from the Maltese politicians was interesting but, with hindsight, introducing a wider variety of other speakers would have been more valuable for attendees.
Ms McIlveen noted the importance of meeting members of other BIMR Branches in attendance and establishing new connections. She also stated that she had taken away learning on how our Branch can host the conference in 2026 and, in particular, the importance of a strong conference theme.
Ms McIlveen thanked Nicola Crawford for her support and advice during the conference and the Chair noted the value of having experienced members of Assembly staff to support Members at such events.
6. PARTNER COUNTRIES
The Chair advised Members that, in the last session, the Branch actively sought a partner country/parliament and an agreement had been reached with the Gibraltar Parliament. However, the Gibraltarian Minister who agreed to this partnership has since stepped down and the Chair advised that the process would need to start afresh.
The Chair then asked Members if they would like to pursue this partnership with the Gibraltar Parliament or seek an alternative. The Chair stated that he would like renew previous attempts to partner with a Canadian Legislative Assembly and that Ontario should be approached again. He suggested that the Speaker, in his role as President, could make the request.
The Chair asked the Members if they were content to explore partnerships with both Ontario and Gibraltar. The Members agreed that they were content.
ACTION: Letters to be issued to both Ontario and Gibraltar re possible partnerships.
7. COMMONWEALTH DAY 2024
The Chair offered his apologies to Members for being unable to attend the Commonwealth Day event.
The Chair then advised Members that this year’s event for Commonwealth Day took place on Tuesday 12 March and was an informative roundtable discussion. Attended by the Speaker in his role as President; CPA Members; the Consul General for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; the Honorary Consul for the Seychelles; and the Honorary Consul for New Zealand, the focus of the session was on how links with the Commonwealth countries could be developed and strengthened.
The Chair asked the Members who had attended the event for their feedback.
Mr Dickson stated that it was a very good event and that the Branch President was an excellent host. He considered it a good event to build on, and that strong contacts established. He suggested that next year the Branch should put on a larger scale event similar to previous years.
Mr Frew stated that, as a new Member of the Executive Committee, the event was a great learning experience. He stated that the President was a very good host and allowed the conversation to be informal but informative and that he was very impressed by the Consul General and the Honorary Consuls.
Ms McIlveen agreed that it was a good event and raised a point that was made at the event about the possibility of having some sort of Commonwealth memorial and that this could be something that the Branch could pursue. Mr Dickson added that a memorial in a graveyard where servicemen from the Commonwealth are buried would be a fitting tribute. The Chair asked Ms Crawford to research existing Commonwealth memorials.
ACTION: Provide a note on Commonwealth memorials for the next meeting.
8. ANY OTHER BUSINESS
(i) Visit by CPA UK Chief Executive
The Chair advised Members that Ms Sarah Dickson OBE has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer of CPA UK and suggested that the Branch invite Ms Dickson to visit the Assembly and attend a forthcoming Executive Committee meeting so Members can meet her and get an update on the current work of CPA UK.
Members agreed to this and noted the inclusion of the President in delivering the visit.
The Chair stated that it could be useful to have a regular meeting with the CPA Executive Committees in the other UK parliaments to discuss their current work and priorities and any possible areas of cooperation. Members agreed that this would be worthwhile.
ACTIONS: Invite Ms Dickson to the NI Assembly and speak to Branch Secretaries in the other UK parliaments about a meeting between Executive Committees.
(ii) CWP Strengthening Funds
The Chair advised Members that the CWP Regional Strengthening Funds are annual grants made available to each of the CPA’s nine Regions to advance the CWP’s mission to ‘promote the representation of women in CPA Branches and women's full and equal participation in political and parliamentary leadership at all levels’.
Each CPA Region can bid for £10,000 to provide assistance in their efforts to undertake projects and events which align with the CWP's mission.
Branches have until Monday 1 April 2024 to submit proposals and a draft budget to the CWP Coordinator on the project or activity the Region intends to deliver.
The Chair advised that this is a very tight timeframe and we would therefore would need a practical suggestion on how to spend the funds otherwise it would be best to apply for funding when we host the conference in 2026.
The Chair then asked Members if they had a suggestion on how the funding could be used by the Branch to support the work of the CWP or if they would prefer to wait and apply for the funding when the Branch hosts the CWP Conference. The Members agreed that they would prefer to wait.
(iii) Special observer status for non-Commonwealth countries
The Chair advised that the CPA Secretariat is currently seeking views from CPA Branches and Regions on a prospective Special Observer status. The status role was outlined and is detailed in Appendix B.
The Chair noted this could lead to good engagement with non-Commonwealth countries and allow existing CPA parliaments to learn from the new ones. The Chair asked Members for their views.
Mr Dickson stated that this could be beneficial and ultimately lead to new countries applying to join the Commonwealth. Mr Frew also said he would welcome the idea as long as it did not diminish the current CPA membership.
The Chair then suggested contacting the other UK CPA branches to find out their stance in the Special Observer status before sending in the Branch’s response.
ACTION: Contact other UK CPA branches regarding the Special Observer status.
(iv) Letter to the former Chair & Executive Committee Members
The Chair advised Members that it was agreed at the AGM that letters should be sent to the former Branch Chair, Mr William Humphrey and Executive Committee members, Mr Mervyn Storey and Mr Robin Newton to thank them for their work and commitment to the CPA. The Chair noted that these letters were listed in TAB 3 of the meeting pack and would be issued after the meeting. The Chair also suggested that a letter of thanks should be sent to the previous President of the Branch, Mr Alex Maskey, and noted that he will raise this with the incumbent President, Speaker Poots, as he may wish to issue this letter from his office.
Members then noted the letters and agreed with the Chair’s approach to thanking the previous President.
ACTIONS: Letters to be issued and Chair to discuss letter of thanks for Mr Maskey with the President.
(v) Engaging former CPA Members
The Chair suggested that the expertise of former CPA Members should be being utilised by both the Branch and the CPA as a whole and that those with election observation training could still take part in election observation missions. The Chair asked that the CPA be contacted to check if former Members can take part.
The Chair also asked that CPA UK be contacted about forthcoming election observation training for Members to undertake.
ACTION: The CPA to be contacted re former CPA Members and forthcoming election observation training courses.
9. DATE OF THE NEXT MEETING
The next meeting will take place on Tuesday 23 April at 1.00pm, room to be confirmed.
JONATHAN BUCKLEY MLA, CHAIR
