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Assembly Insider 5th December 2016

Contents:

Last week

Ministerial Statements

The First Minister made a statement on the recent meeting of the British Irish Council.
She stated:
"Ministers updated the Council on their activity with regard to the UK’s exit from the European Union, particularly on relations between member Administrations and arrangements that have been put in place to facilitate and strengthen engagement."
Read the statement here


Executive Business

Two Legislative Consent Motions were passed this week:
  • the Higher Education Research Bill
    • Introducing the Bill the Minister for the Economy said: "The Higher Education and Research Bill was introduced in Westminster on 19 May 2016 by the Westminster Department of Education. The overall purpose of the Bill is to underpin a number of changes to the operation of the higher education system in England. When the Bill was introduced in May, it had no direct impact on the higher education system in Northern Ireland. However, amendments introduced during Committee Stage in the House of Commons will have an impact here, and, as higher education is a devolved matter, they will require a legislative consent motion to be passed."
    • Read in full here.
  • Policing and Crime Bill
    • Introducing the Bill the Minister of Justice outlined the four distinct policy proposals contained within it: "First, there are provisions that deal with maritime enforcement powers for wider criminality at sea.", "The second proposal relates to an important change to the current UK cross-jurisdictional arrest powers.", "The third element relates to forced marriage.", and "The fourth and final policy proposal in the motion relates to pardons for convictions for certain abolished sexual offences."
    • Read in full here
 
The Minister for the Economy brought two other Orders:


Question Time

Questions to the Minister of Health included:
Ovarian Cancer
Western Trust: Adult Learning Disability Services

Topical Questions included: Ambulances: Turnaround Times, Fatal Foetal Abnormality Working Group Report, Individual Funding Request Review, European Medicines Agency: Brexit and Rural Communities

Questions to the Minister for Infrastructure included:
Coastal Defences
Speed Limits
Greenways: Strategic Plan

Topical Questions included: Infrastructure Projects: Finance, A5: Irish Government Money and Rural Roads: Landslides


Questions to The Executive Office were answered by the First Minister and included:
Together: Building a United Community
National Holocaust Memorial Day
EU: Action Plan for Leaving
EU: UK Decision to Leave
Victims Services
Papal Visit: August 2018

Topical Questions included: BBC Sports Personality of the Year ShortlistPension: Victims of the TroublesVulnerable Persons' Relocation Scheme and Rugby World Cup 2023



Questions to the Minister of Justice included:
Reoffending Strategy
Stalking

Topical Questions included: Prisoners: Costs and White Ribbon Campaign


This week there were also questions to the Assembly Commission.




Debates

Sinn Fein brought a motion on the House Sale Scheme.

An Alliance Party amendment did not pass. The overall motion was defeated, with 35 votes in favour (Greens, SDLP, SF, PBP) and 49 votes against. (Alliance, UUP, TUV, and DUP)

Read the debate in full here.


The SDLP brought a motion on the establishment of a Medical School in the North West

The motion passed unanimously as follows:
"That this Assembly notes the support of the Minister for the Economy and Minister of Health for the establishment of a medical school in the north-west; acknowledges the positive impact of a medical school on the delivery of medical and health services in the north-west and that it would be one element in the expansion of student numbers and courses at Ulster University at Magee; calls on the Executive to work with Ulster University, the General Medical Council, the Government of Ireland and other stakeholders for the establishment of a medical school in the north-west; and further calls for a Programme for Government commitment to establish this medical school early in this Assembly mandate."

Read the debate here.



The DUP brought a motion entitled People Diagnosed with HIV

An Alliance Party amendment was succesful and the motion passed as follows:
"That this Assembly notes the increasing number of people diagnosed with HIV in Northern Ireland, year on year; is concerned at the levels of stigma experienced by people living with HIV; acknowledges the need for a new campaign to promote awareness and prevention, specifically tailored to Northern Ireland; commends the work of Positive Life, Northern Ireland's only dedicated charity working to support people diagnosed with HIV; calls on the Minister of Health to support this prevention work by bringing forward proposals to ensure that everyone in Northern Ireland has access to vital pre-exposure prophylaxis medication on the same basis as the rest of the United Kingdom; and further calls on the Minister to support Positive Life in the development of a centre of excellence at its new headquarters."

Read the debate in full here
This week
Monday 5th November 
 

Assembly Business
Motion: Committee Membership
Proposed: That Mr Steven Agnew be appointed as a member of the Business Committee.

Mr T Clarke
Ms C Ní Chuilín
Mr R Swann
Mr A Attwood
Mr S Dickson

Executive Committee Business
Motion: Draft Water Meters Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2016
Proposed: That the draft Water Meters Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2016 be approved.
Minister for Infrastructure

Motion: Pensions (2015 Act) (Consequential Amendments) Order (Northern Ireland) 2016
Proposed: That the Pensions (2015 Act) (Consequential Amendments) Order (Northern Ireland) 2016 be approved.
Minister for Communities

Question Time
Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs
Topical Questions

Communities
Topical Questions

Private Members' Business
Motion: International Human Rights Day
Proposed: That this Assembly acknowledges international Human Rights Day; notes the United Nations' comments that more should be done to raise awareness of human rights and the need to improve education about human rights; and calls on all Government Departments and public bodies to introduce human rights action plans.
Mr S Lynch
Mr P McGuigan
Mr C Boylan

Motion: Regulatory Reform and a Regionally Balanced Economy
Proposed: That this Assembly notes the draft Programme for Government's commitment to a strong, competitive, regionally balanced, economy; recognises the importance of regulatory reform in achieving this outcome; and calls on the Minister for the Economy to ensure that regulation for business in Northern Ireland is proportionate, effective and not unnecessarily burdensome on, or a hindrance to, economic growth and development.
Mr M Storey
Mr T Buchanan
Mr G Lyons
Mr G Dunne

Tuesday 6th December

Executive Committee Business
Motion: Draft Food Hygiene Rating (Fee and Fixed Penalty Amount) Order (Northern Ireland) 2016
Proposed: That the draft Food Hygiene Rating (Fee and Fixed Penalty Amount) Order (Northern Ireland) 2016 be approved.
Minister of Health

Question Time
Economy
Topical Questions

Education
Topical Questions

Private Members' Business
Motion: Social Investment Fund
Proposed: That this Assembly recognises the deep public concern regarding the formation, implementation and operation of the Social Investment Fund; and calls on the First Minister and deputy First Minister to commission an independent review of the operation of the entire Social Investment Fund process, taking particular account of the role of lead partners in this process and the impact that this role has had on good governance.
Mrs N Long
Dr S Farry
Mr S Dickson
Mr D Ford

Motion: Covenant Reference Group
Proposed: That this Assembly recognises the need to deliver for the veterans' community in Northern Ireland; and calls on the Executive to nominate a Northern Ireland representative to the UK-wide Armed Forces Covenant Reference Group, who will be responsible for ensuring that the Executive is kept updated of issues relating to the veterans' community in Northern Ireland.
Mr D Beattie [R]
Mr A Allen [R]
Mr S Aiken [R]

Adjournment
The Proposed Closure of Bushmills Outdoor Education Centre
Mr P McGuigan

Tweet of the Week
Doug Beattie @BeattieDoug
23h

One minute I was doing a piece to camera on this story..... next minute I was racking through a wheelie bin for a pensioners false teeth. 😂

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