Review of the Number of Members of the Northern Ireland Legislative

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Review of the Number of Members of the Northern Ireland Legislative Assembly and Executive Review Committee Review of the Number of Members of the Northern Ireland Legislative Assembly and on the Reduction in the Number of Northern Ireland Departments Part 1 - Number of Members of the Northern Ireland Legislative Assembly Together with the Minutes of Proceedings of the Committee relating to the Report, the Minutes of Evidence, Written Submissions, Northern Ireland Assembly Research and Information Papers and Other Papers Ordered by the Assembly and Executive Review Committee to be printed on 12 June 2012 Report: NIA 52/11-15 (Assembly and Executive Review Committee) REPORT EMBARGOED UNTIL COMMENCEMENT OF THE DEBATE IN PLENARY Mandate 2011/15 Second Report Committee Powers and Membership Committee Powers and Membership Powers The Assembly and Executive Review Committee is a Standing Committee established in accordance with Section 29A and 29B of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 and Standing Order 59 which provide for the Committee to: ■ consider the operation of Sections 16A to 16C of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 and, in particular, whether to recommend that the Secretary of State should make an order amending that Act and any other enactment so far as may be necessary to secure that they have effect, as from the date of the election of the 2011 Assembly, as if the executive selection amendments had not been made; ■ make a report to the Secretary of State, the Assembly and the Executive Committee, by no later than 1 May 2015, on the operation of Parts III and IV of the Northern Ireland Act 1998; and ■ consider such other matters relating to the functioning of the Assembly or the Executive as may be referred to it by the Assembly. Membership The Committee has eleven members including a Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson with a quorum of five. The membership of the Committee is as follows: Stephen Moutray (Chairperson) Pat Sheehan (Deputy Chairperson) Roy Beggs Gregory Campbell Stewart Dickson Pat Doherty1 Paul Givan Simon Hamilton John McCallister2 3 Raymond McCartney Conall McDevitt Sandra Overend 1 With effect from 12 September 2011 Mr Pat Doherty replaced Mr Paul Maskey 2 With effect from 26 September 2011 Mrs Sandra Overend replaced Mr Mike Nesbitt 3 With effect from 23 April 2011 Mr John McCallister replaced Mrs Sandra Overend i Report on the findings of its Review of the Size of the Northern Ireland Assembly and Number of Government Departments ii Table of Contents Table of Contents Report on Part I – Number of Members of the Northern Ireland Legislative Assembly Executive Summary 1 Introduction 3 The Committee’s Approach to the Review 6 Committee Consideration: Issue 1 9 Issue 2 16 Issue 3 21 Issue 4 26 Conclusions 30 Appendices: Appendix 1 Minutes of Proceedings 43 Appendix 2 Minutes of Evidence 75 Appendix 3 Stakeholder List, Stakeholder ‘Call for Evidence’ Paper 139 Appendix 4 Summary Analysis Table 153 Stakeholder Submissions: 197 Political Parties of the Assembly Alliance Party 198 Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) 201 The Green Party in Northern Ireland (GPNI) 213 Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP)1 Sinn Féin (SF) 217 Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) 219 Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) 222 McNarry, David MLA (Independent) 225 1 SDLP only made a verbal submission to the Review, through its Party representative on the Committee at the Committee meeting of 24th April 2012. iii Report on the findings of its Review of the Size of the Northern Ireland Assembly and Number of Government Departments Other Stakeholder Submissions 228 Appendix 5 Correspondence relating to the Review 323 Appendix 6 Assembly Research Papers 351 iv Executive Summary Executive Summary 1. The Assembly and Executive Review Committee is a Standing Committee of the Northern Ireland Assembly which was established to: ■ make a report to the Secretary of State, the Assembly and the Executive Committee, by no later than 1 May 2015, on the operation of Parts III and IV of the Northern Ireland Act 1998; and ■ consider such other matters relating to the functioning of the Assembly or the Executive as may be referred to it by the Assembly. 2. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland intends to bring forward a Northern Ireland Bill in the Third Session of Parliament. The Bill will provide an opportunity to make changes to the Northern Ireland institutions where there is broad support among the Assembly Parties and where Westminster primary legislation would be required, such as future amendments to the Northern Ireland Act 1998. 3. The Committee requested the Political Parties and the Independent Members of the Assembly for their priorities for the Committee’s immediate review of the provisions of Parts III and IV of the Northern Ireland Act, within the available timescale set out by the Secretary of State for his proposed Northern Ireland Bill i.e. proposals with the Secretary of State in June 2012. Following consideration of the responses, the Committee agreed that its immediate review would be the area of the size of the Assembly and the number of Northern Ireland departments. 4. The Committee agreed the Terms of Reference for the Review, a Stakeholder ‘Call for Evidence’ Paper and a stakeholder list which included all Political Parties registered in NI. It was agreed that Part I of the Review would consider and report on the number of MLAs by early June 2012. 5. The Committee received and considered 25 Stakeholder responses to the Review, focusing on the views on the five Key Issues set out in the Committee’s ‘Call for Evidence’ Paper. The Committee also received oral evidence from Professor Rick Wilford (Queen’s University Belfast), the Northern Ireland Local Government Association (NILGA) and the Clerk/Director General of the Northern Ireland Assembly (Mr Trevor Reaney). 6. The Committee commissioned and considered a series of Assembly Research Papers in order to inform Members’ discussions and views on the issues arising from this Review. The Committee concluded that: a) It is clear that, although the Committee considered the five Key Issues as set out in the Stakeholder ‘Call for Evidence’ Paper separately, Members consider that the Issues are very much interlinked and that a holistic approach to reaching a view on the size of the Assembly in terms of the number of MLAs should be taken; b) The options considered by the Committee, as set out in Table 1 (in the ‘Conclusions’ section – paragraphs 120-137), were seen as very useful in that they provided apparent implications for several scenarios that take into account the possible number of Assembly constituencies and possible ‘multipliers’ per constituency in terms of the number of MLAs, under both coupled and decoupled models. It may indeed prove to be a useful tool to aid the establishment of the final position for the size of the NI Assembly; c) It could not reach consensus on the size of the Assembly. This Report therefore sets out in some detail in the ‘Committee Consideration’ section (paragraphs 41-119) the particular position of the Political Parties represented on the Committee on the four Key Issues under the first part of this Review. This section also includes the views of 1 Report on the findings of its Review of the Size of the Northern Ireland Assembly and Number of Government Departments other key stakeholders who responded to these Issues – including the other Political Parties of the Assembly and one Independent Member. The Report then sets out in summary a set of possible options (Table 1 in the ‘Conclusions’ section), which may prove to be a useful tool to aid the establishment of the final position for the size of the Northern Ireland Assembly; d) In relation to Plenary business, it was apparent from the evidence considered (when comparing the NI Assembly to other legislatures in the UK and Republic of Ireland) that there is some variety of practice in the scheduling of parliamentarians’ business. The Committee therefore concluded that there may be opportunities to enhance Assembly effectiveness in this regard; e) On the basis of the Chairpersons’ Liaison Group (CLG) response and the issues identified by the Committee, the Committee concluded that it would be prudent for the Assembly to make an early start to a review of the Assembly Committee System and that the CLG should have an important role in this review. 2 Introduction Introduction Background to the Review 7. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland intends to bring forward a Northern Ireland Bill in the Third Session of Parliament. The primary purpose of the Bill is to effect changes relating to political donations in Northern Ireland. However, it also provides an opportunity to make changes to the Northern Ireland institutions where there is broad support among the Political Parties and where Westminster primary legislation would be required, such as future amendments to the Northern Ireland Act 1998. This relates directly to the Assembly and Executive Review Committee’s power to: ‘Make a report to the Secretary of State, the Assembly and the Executive Committee, by no later than 1 May 2015, on the operation of Parts III and IV of the Northern Ireland Act 1998’ 8. With the Secretary of State seeking to introduce this Bill in the Third Session of Parliament, the Assembly and Executive Review Committee agreed that it would take forward an immediate review of a key area in relation to the operation of Parts III and IV of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 much earlier than planned. 9. The proposed Bill may be the only opportunity to make institutional changes, where Westminster primary legislation would be required, prior to the next Assembly election. The Secretary of State is seeking Assembly agreed proposals for change prior to the summer recess of 2012.
Recommended publications
  • Bears and Traditional Medicine World Animal Protection Email: [email protected]
    Correspondent: Mr Gilbert M. Sape Global Head of Campaign - Bears and Traditional Medicine World Animal Protection Email: [email protected] Joint open letter to: Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus Dr Zhang Qi Director General Co-ordinator of Traditional and Complementary World Health Organisation Medicine Unit (TCM) Avenue Appia 20 Department of Service Delivery and Safety 1211 Geneva World Health Organisation Switzerland Avenue Appia 20 1211 Geneva Switzerland 6th April 2020 Dear Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Dr Zhang Qi, COVID-19: Health risks and wildlife1 markets – the need for a permanent global ban on wildlife markets and a highly precautionary approach to wildlife trade. The undersigned organisations acknowledge and commend the World Health Organisation’s current efforts to contain the pandemic spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). On the occasion of World Health Day, in the midst of a global pandemic believed to have originated in a live wildlife market, we call upon the WHO to publicly and unequivocally state the proven link between these markets and serious threats to human health. In line with its stated mission to serve public health at all times, we urge the WHO to recommend that governments worldwide permanently ban live wildlife markets and the use of wildlife in traditional medicine. This decisive action, well within the WHO’s mandate, would be an impactful first step in adopting a highly precautionary approach to wildlife trade that poses a risk to human health. While a robust global response is critical in detecting, treating and reducing transmission, it is equally necessary to take vital measures to prevent similar emerging infectious diseases developing into pandemics with the associated threats to human life, and social and economic well-being.
    [Show full text]
  • Second Report on the Arrangements for the Devolution of Policing and Justice Matters Volume
    Assembly and Executive Review Committee Second Report on the Arrangements for the Devolution of Policing and Justice Matters Volume One Together with the Minutes of Proceedings of the Committee Relating to the Report, the Minutes of Evidence and Other Relevant Documents Ordered by the Assembly and Executive Review Committee to be printed 25 February 2010 Report: NIA 42/09/10R (Assembly and Executive Review Committee) UNDER EMBARGO UNTIL 9 MARCH 2010 Session 2009/2010 Powers and Membership Powers and Membership Powers The Assembly and Executive Review Committee is a Standing Committee established in accordance with section 29A and 29B of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 and Standing Order 59 which provide for the Committee to: ■ Consider the operation of Sections 16A to 16C of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 and, in particular, whether to recommend that the Secretary of State should make an order amending that Act and any other enactment so far as may be necessary to ensure that they have effect, as from the date of the election of the 2011 Assembly, as if the executive selection amendments had not been made; ■ Make a report to the Secretary of State, the Assembly, and the Executive Committee, no later than 1 May 2015, on the operation of parts III and IV of the Northern Ireland Act 1998; and ■ Consider such other matters relating to the functioning of the Assembly or the Executive as may be referred to it by the Assembly. Membership The Committee has eleven members including a Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson with a quorum of five. The membership of the Committee is as follows: Mr Jimmy Spratt (Chairperson) * Mr Raymond McCartney (Deputy Chairperson) Mr Alex Attwood Mr Nigel Dodds **** Mr Simon Hamilton *** Mr Danny Kennedy Mr Alex Maskey ** Mr Alan McFarland Mr John O’Dowd Mr Declan O’Loan ***** Mr Ian Paisley Jnr *** * Mr Jeffrey Donaldson resigned from the Committee with effect from Tuesday, 26 February 2008 and was replaced by Mr Jimmy Spratt on 4 March 2008.
    [Show full text]
  • L'activisme Animaliste Et Ses Répercussions Sur La Politique Belge
    Université Libre de Bruxelles Institut de Gestion de l’Environnement et d’Aménagement du Territoire Faculté des Sciences Master en Sciences et Gestion de l'Environnement L’activisme animaliste et ses répercussions sur la politique belge Mémoire de Fin d'Etudes présenté par THIBAUT, LISA en vue de l'obtention du grade académique de Master en Sciences et Gestion de l'Environnement Finalité Gestion de l’Environnement Année Académique : 2018-2019 Directeur : Prof. Edwin Zaccai Mes remerciements les plus profonds aux douze activistes et militants politiques qui m’ont accordé leur confiance et ont pris le temps de répondre à mes questions. Grâce à eux, j’ai pu mieux comprendre la lutte antispéciste et ce qu’elle signifiait au quotidien pour chacun d’entre eux. Merci tout particulièrement à mon directeur de mémoire, le professeur Edwin Zaccai, pour son aide précieuse, ses corrections et ses conseils avisés. Merci à William Thibaut, Myriam Chapuis et Corneliu Gaina pour leur soutien sans faille. Merci à Julie Pondant, Violaine Jouan, Quentin Aubert, Viviane Thibaut et Géraldine Papegnies pour leurs conseils et leur relecture. Résumé La problématique du mémoire s’articule autour du cas de l’animalisme en Belgique, et plus particulièrement de la branche de la lutte antispéciste, et de ses retombées dans le monde politique. Quel pouvoir politique peuvent avoir concrètement ces mouvements sur les animaux ? Pour répondre à cette question, un état des lieux concernant les droits des animaux a été réalisé dans plusieurs parties du monde, avec un focus particulier sur l’historique et la situation actuelle de l’Union Européenne.
    [Show full text]
  • Letter to the European Commission
    To: Commissioners Kyriakides and Wojciechowski European Commission B-1049 Brussels, Belgium Please reply to: Animal Politics Foundation [email protected] Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 32 1012RZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands Subject: Live animal transports 15th of April 2021 Dear Commissioners Kyriakides and Wojciechowski, We, politicians from all over the world, call on the European Commission to take immediate steps to ensure effective protection of animals during long-distance transport. Article 13 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU stipulates that, as sentient beings, full regard should be paid to animal welfare requirements. However, time and time again, it has been shown that this fundamental part of the EU treaties is being ignored in the case of long-distance live animal transport. We ask the European Commission to act with the urgency appropriate to such situations involving the life and death of sentient beings. Millions of animals are transported annually, both within the European Union and to third countries. Animals are transported in terrible conditions, on journeys that can last several days, weeks or even months. They are crammed inside often dirty vehicles (trucks, vessels, and airplanes), suffer from high temperatures, dehydration, a lack of ventilation and stress. Many die during the journey. The recent tragedies on board the Queen Hind, Karim Allah and Elbeik vessels show it is time to take action. In all these cases, contingency plans were lacking, massive and severe animal suffering and the death of thousands of animals as a result. COVID-19 has worsened the situation: animals are regularly stuck at borders, sometimes with more than a 12-hour delay.
    [Show full text]
  • Al-Azhar University- Gaza Faculty of Economics and Administrative Science Department of Political Science
    Al-Azhar University- Gaza Faculty of Economics and Administrative Science Department of Political Science MA. Program of Political Science Peace and Settlement in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, and Northern Ireland: A Comparative Study اﻟﺴﻼم واﻻﺴﺘ�طﺎن ﻓﻲ ﻗطﺎع ﻏزة واﻟﻀﻔﺔ اﻟﻐر��ﺔ، ٕواﯿرﻟﻨدا اﻟﺸﻤﺎﻟ�ﺔ دراﺴﺔ ﻤﻘﺎرﻨﺔ by: Reem Motlaq Wishah-Othman Supervised by Dr. Mkhaimar Abusada Associate Professor of Political Science Al-Azhar University- Gaza Gaza- Palestine 1436 Hijra- 2015 Affirmation It is hereby affirmed that this M.A. research in Politics entitled: Peace and Settlement in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, and Northern Ireland: A Comparative Study is my own original contribution which has not been submitted-wholly or partially-for any degree to any other educational or research institution. I hereby declare that appropriate credit has been paid where reference has been made to the works of others. Moreover, I fully shoulder the responsibility-legal and academic-for any real contradiction to this “Affirmation” may emerge. Researcher’s Name: Reem Motlaq Ibrahim Wishah-Othman Researcher’s Signature: Date: 5 November 2015 إﻗــــــــــــ را ر �ﻤوﺠب ﻫذا، أﻗر أﻨﺎ اﻟﻤوﻗﻌﺔ أدﻨﺎﻩ، ﻤﻘدﻤﺔ ﻫذﻩ اﻷطروﺤﺔ ﻟﻨﯿﻞ درﺠﺔ اﻟﻤﺎﺠﺴﺘﯿر ﻓﻲ اﻟﻌﻠوم اﻟﺴ�ﺎﺴ�ﺔ �ﻌﻨوان: Peace and Settlement in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, and Northern Ireland A Comparative Study اﻟﺴﻼم واﻻﺴﺘ�طﺎن ﻓﻲ ﻗطﺎع ﻏزة واﻟﻀﻔﺔ اﻟﻐر��ﺔ، ٕواﯿرﻟﻨدا اﻟﺸﻤﺎﻟ�ﺔ: دراﺴﺔ ﻤﻘﺎرﻨﺔ. �ﺄن ﻤﺎ اﺸﺘﻤﻠت ﻋﻠ�ﻪ ﻫذﻩ اﻷطروﺤﺔ، إﻨﻤﺎ ﻫو ﻨﺘﺎج ﺠﻬدي ٕواﺴﻬﺎﻤﻲ، �ﺎﺴﺘﺜﻨﺎء ﻤﺎ أﺸرت إﻟ�ﻪ ﺤﯿﺜﻤﺎ ورد، وأن ﻫذﻩ اﻷطروﺤﺔ، أو أي ﺠزء ﻤﻨﻬﺎ، ﻟم �ﻘدم ﻤن ﻗﺒﻞ ﻟﻨﯿﻞ أي درﺠﺔ ﻋﻠﻤ�ﺔ أو أي ﻟﻘب ﻋﻠﻤﻲ ﻟدى أي ﻤؤﺴﺴﺔ ﺘﻌﻠ�ﻤ�ﺔ أو �ﺤﺜ�ﺔ أﺨرى.
    [Show full text]
  • Review of the Number of Members of the Northern Ireland Legislative
    Assembly and Executive Review Committee Review of the Number of Members of the Northern Ireland Legislative Assembly and on the Reduction in the Number of Northern Ireland Departments Part 1 - Number of Members of the Northern Ireland Legislative Assembly Together with the Minutes of Proceedings of the Committee relating to the Report, the Minutes of Evidence, Written Submissions, Northern Ireland Assembly Research and Information Papers and Other Papers Ordered by the Assembly and Executive Review Committee to be printed on 12 June 2012 Report: NIA 52/11-15 (Assembly and Executive Review Committee) REPORT EMBARGOED UNTIL COMMENCEMENT OF THE DEBATE IN PLENARY Mandate 2011/15 Second Report Committee Powers and Membership Committee Powers and Membership Powers The Assembly and Executive Review Committee is a Standing Committee established in accordance with Section 29A and 29B of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 and Standing Order 59 which provide for the Committee to: ■ consider the operation of Sections 16A to 16C of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 and, in particular, whether to recommend that the Secretary of State should make an order amending that Act and any other enactment so far as may be necessary to secure that they have effect, as from the date of the election of the 2011 Assembly, as if the executive selection amendments had not been made; ■ make a report to the Secretary of State, the Assembly and the Executive Committee, by no later than 1 May 2015, on the operation of Parts III and IV of the Northern Ireland Act 1998; and ■ consider such other matters relating to the functioning of the Assembly or the Executive as may be referred to it by the Assembly.
    [Show full text]
  • Title: “Political Contest and Oppositional Voices in Post-Conflict Democracy: the Impact of Institutional Design on Government-Media Relations”
    Political contest and oppositional voices in post-conflict democracy: The impact of institutional design on government-media relations Rice, C. and Somerville, I. Author post-print (accepted) deposited in CURVE October 2016 Original citation & hyperlink: Rice, C. and Somerville, I. (Forthcoming) Political contest and oppositional voices in post- conflict democracy: The impact of institutional design on government-media relations. The International Journal of Press/Politics, volume (in press) http://hij.sagepub.com/ ISSN 1940-1612 ESSN 1940-1620 Publisher: SAGE Publications Copyright © and Moral Rights are retained by the author(s) and/ or other copyright owners. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This item cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder(s). The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. This document is the author’s post-print version, incorporating any revisions agreed during the peer-review process. Some differences between the published version and this version may remain and you are advised to consult the published version if you wish to cite from it. CURVE is the Institutional Repository for Coventry University Title: “Political contest and oppositional voices in post-conflict democracy: The impact of institutional design on government-media relations”. Introduction The media are considered to play a crucial democratic role in the public sphere through representing political issues to the public (Gelders et al. 2007); facilitating deliberation, public opinion formation and political participation (Habermas 1989); acting as the 'watchdog' of powerful societal institutions (Norris 2000); and in assisting in the development of civil society in politically fragile and divided contexts (Taylor 2000).
    [Show full text]
  • Critical Engagement: Irish Republicanism, Memory Politics
    Critical Engagement Critical Engagement Irish republicanism, memory politics and policing Kevin Hearty LIVERPOOL UNIVERSITY PRESS First published 2017 by Liverpool University Press 4 Cambridge Street Liverpool L69 7ZU Copyright © 2017 Kevin Hearty The right of Kevin Hearty to be identified as the author of this book has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication data A British Library CIP record is available print ISBN 978-1-78694-047-6 epdf ISBN 978-1-78694-828-1 Typeset by Carnegie Book Production, Lancaster Contents Acknowledgements vii List of Figures and Tables x List of Abbreviations xi Introduction 1 1 Understanding a Fraught Historical Relationship 25 2 Irish Republican Memory as Counter-Memory 55 3 Ideology and Policing 87 4 The Patriot Dead 121 5 Transition, ‘Never Again’ and ‘Moving On’ 149 6 The PSNI and ‘Community Policing’ 183 7 The PSNI and ‘Political Policing’ 217 Conclusion 249 References 263 Index 303 Acknowledgements Acknowledgements This book has evolved from my PhD thesis that was undertaken at the Transitional Justice Institute, University of Ulster (TJI). When I moved to the University of Warwick in early 2015 as a post-doc, my plans to develop the book came with me too. It represents the culmination of approximately five years of research, reading and (re)writing, during which I often found the mere thought of re-reading some of my work again nauseating; yet, with the encour- agement of many others, I persevered.
    [Show full text]
  • Mclibel: a Case Study in Enlish Defamation
    MCLIBEL: A CASE STUDY IN ENGLISH DEFAMATION LAW MARLENE ARNOLD NICHOLSON* I. INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................2 II. FREEDOM OF SPEECH JURISPRUDENCE UNDER THE EUROPEAN CONVENTION .....................................................................13 A. THE COMMISSION DECISION IN MCDONALD’S ...........................................16 B. HERTEL V. SWITZERLAND ............................................................................20 C. PRINCIPLES OF ADJUDICATION UNDER ARTICLE 10 ..................................24 D. APPLYING ARTICLE 10 TO MCDONALD’S...................................................30 III. DEFAMATION LAW IN ENGLAND AND THE UNITED STATES .........................................................................................................31 A. WHEN IS A STATEMENT DEFAMATORY?....................................................31 B. JUSTIFICATION ..........................................................................................34 C. FAULT.......................................................................................................35 D. “OPINION,” “FAIR COMMENT” AND “PROVABLE AS FALSE”.....................36 IV. THE MCDONALD’S OPINION.................................................................43 A. STARVATION IN THE THIRD WORLD..........................................................45 B. DESTRUCTION OF RAIN FORESTS...............................................................58 C. USE OF RECYCLED PAPER MATERIALS ......................................................61
    [Show full text]
  • The Northern Ireland Assembly
    DRAFT NORTHERN IRELAND ASSEMBLY BUSINESS COMMITTEE TUESDAY 28 APRIL 2015 IN ROOM 106, PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS MINUTES The meeting began at 12.31pm. Present: The Speaker (Chairperson) Mr S Dickson Mr R McCartney Mrs K McKevitt Lord Morrow Ms C Ruane Mr R Swann Mr P Weir In attendance: Dr A McGarel Clerk of Business Ms N Dunwoody Clerk Assistant Mr R Ramsey Adviser to the Speaker Ms F Leneghan PS/Speaker Mr H Widdis Director of Legal and Governance Services Ms K Jardine Assistant Assembly Clerk Observers: Junior Minister Bell Junior Minister McCann Mr A Rogers OFMDFM 1. Apologies 1.1 Apologies were received from Mr Gerry Kelly, Mrs Sandra Overend, and Mr Pat Ramsey. The Speaker welcomed Mr Raymond McCartney as a Sinn Féin substitute. 2. Minutes of previous meeting 2.1 The minutes of the meeting held on Tuesday 21 April were agreed. 1 3. Matters arising 3.1 There were no matters arising. 4. Finalisation of the Order Papers for the plenary meetings in week commencing 11 May 2015 Public Petition 4.1 Members noted that the request to schedule the presentation of a public petition by Mr Mickey Brady on the ‘Inclusion of Gullion/South Armagh in new Newry, Mourne and Down Council name’ had been resubmitted. 4.2 Members noted advice from Legal and Governance Services which clarified that, while responsibility for the naming of councils has been deferred to councils by the Department of the Environment, the matter does remain within the legislative competence of the Assembly. 4.3 Members agreed to schedule the presentation of Mr Brady’s public petition during plenary on Monday 11 May.
    [Show full text]
  • The Anticruelty Statute: a Study in Animal Welfare Darian M
    College of William & Mary Law School William & Mary Law School Scholarship Repository Faculty Publications Faculty and Deans 2006 The Anticruelty Statute: A Study in Animal Welfare Darian M. Ibrahim William & Mary Law School, [email protected] Repository Citation Ibrahim, Darian M., "The Anticruelty Statute: A Study in Animal Welfare" (2006). Faculty Publications. 1680. https://scholarship.law.wm.edu/facpubs/1680 Copyright c 2006 by the authors. This article is brought to you by the William & Mary Law School Scholarship Repository. https://scholarship.law.wm.edu/facpubs THE ANTICRUELTY STATUTE: A STUDY IN ANIMAL WELFARE DARIAN M. IBRAHIM* IN TRODUCTION ........................................................................................... 175 I. ANIMAL RIGHTS, ANIMAL WELFARE, AND THE CONCEPT OF HUMANE EXPLOITATION ................................................................. 177 II. LEGISLATURES, SOCIETAL TENSION, AND THE INEFFECTIVE ANTICRUELTY STATUTE .................................................................. 179 A . The A nticruelty Statute ............................................................. 179 B. Understanding Anticruelty Statute Exemptions ........................ 182 1. Societal Preference ............................................................. 182 2. Legislative C apture ............................................................ 184 3. Animals as Legal Property ................................................. 187 4. Efficiency and Competency ............................................... 187 C.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 an Interview with Danny Morrison Interviewer: John F. Morrison1
    An Interview with Danny Morrison Interviewer: John F. Morrison1 Biography: This interview took place in the home of Danny Morrison, in west Belfast in March 2015. While no longer a prominent figure in Sinn Féin, during the Troubles alongside Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness he was one of the most recognisable faces of the republican leadership of the late 1970s and early 1980s. The former Provisional IRA prisoner was the Director of Publicity for Sinn Féin and was the founding editor of An Phoblacht/Republican News. For many he is best known for promoting the dual paramilitary and political strategy of ‘the armalite and the ballot box.’ 2 Context: In the immediate aftermath of the interview, it was announced by Sinn Féin was going to oppose the passage of the welfare bill in the Northern Assembly.3 While this was a key issue, which almost brought down the Stormont Assembly, the interviewer, and possibly the interviewee, was not aware of it at the time of the interview. Two days prior to the interview, the 2015 Sinn Féin ard fheis (annual conference) had finished in Derry. Throughout the ard fheis, various delegates outlined the party’s plans to mark the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising. However, while the party was celebrating their past achievements and future plans, they were once again being accused of involvement in criminality. The family of Paul Quinn, murdered in Cullyhanna in 2007, once again accused the Provisional Movement of being responsible for his death, a claim rejected by the party’s leadership.4 John Morrison: I was wondering if you would be able to give your assessment on the relevance to you as an individual of the centenary of the 1916 Rising, also how you feel it is relevant for the overall Republican Movement as well.
    [Show full text]