Official Report (Hansard) Monday 12 October 2015 Volume 108, No 3 Session 2015-2016 Contents Assembly Business Ministerial Resignation: Mr Bell ........................................................................................................ 1 Ministerial Appointments: Mr Hamilton, Miss M McIlveen, Mr Storey .............................................. 1 Ministerial Resignations: Mr Hamilton, Miss M McIlveen, Mr Storey ............................................... 1 Ministerial Appointment: Mr Bell ....................................................................................................... 1 Standing Order 19 ............................................................................................................................. 1 Matter of the Day Fire Tragedy in Dublin ....................................................................................................................... 2 Assembly Business …………………………………………………………………………………….4 Matter of the Day Euro 2016: Northern Ireland's Qualification ..................................................................................... 4 Committee Business Justice (No. 2) Bill: Extension of Committee Stage .......................................................................... 8 Private Members' Business Local Government (Numbers and Addresses of Buildings in Townlands) Bill: First Stage .............. 9 Assembly and Executive Reform (Assembly Opposition) Bill: Second Stage ................................. 9 Oral Answers to Questions Employment and Learning ................................................................................................................. 21 Agriculture and Rural Development .................................................................................................. 30 Private Members' Business Assembly and Executive Reform (Assembly Opposition) Bill: Second Stage (Continued).............. 41 Assembly Business Assembly and Executive Reform (Assembly Opposition) Bill: Committee Stage ............................ 59 Private Members' Business Equal Pay .......................................................................................................................................... 59 Assembly Members Agnew, Steven (North Down) McCallister, John (South Down) Allen, Andy (East Belfast) McCann, Fra (West Belfast) Allister, Jim (North Antrim) McCann, Ms Jennifer (West Belfast) Anderson, Sydney (Upper Bann) McCarthy, Kieran (Strangford) Attwood, Alex (West Belfast) McCartney, Raymond (Foyle) Beggs, Roy (East Antrim) McCausland, Nelson (North Belfast) Bell, Jonathan (Strangford) McCorley, Ms Rosaleen (West Belfast) Boylan, Cathal (Newry and Armagh) McCrea, Basil (Lagan Valley) Boyle, Ms Michaela (West Tyrone) McCrea, Ian (Mid Ulster) Bradley, Dominic (Newry and Armagh) McElduff, Barry (West Tyrone) Bradley, Ms Paula (North Belfast) McGahan, Ms Bronwyn (Fermanagh and South Tyrone) Buchanan, Thomas (West Tyrone) McGimpsey, Michael (South Belfast) Byrne, Joe (West Tyrone) McGlone, Patsy (Mid Ulster) Cameron, Mrs Pam (South Antrim) McGuinness, Martin (Mid Ulster) Campbell, Gregory (East Londonderry) McIlveen, David (North Antrim) Clarke, Trevor (South Antrim) McIlveen, Miss Michelle (Strangford) Cochrane, Mrs Judith (East Belfast) McKay, Daithí (North Antrim) Cochrane-Watson, Adrian (South Antrim) McKevitt, Mrs Karen (South Down) Craig, Jonathan (Lagan Valley) McKinney, Fearghal (South Belfast) Cree, Leslie (North Down) McLaughlin, Ms Maeve (Foyle) Dallat, John (East Londonderry) McLaughlin, Mitchel (Speaker) Dickson, Stewart (East Antrim) McMullan, Oliver (East Antrim) Dobson, Mrs Jo-Anne (Upper Bann) McNarry, David (Strangford) Douglas, Sammy (East Belfast) McQuillan, Adrian (East Londonderry) Dunne, Gordon (North Down) Maginness, Alban (North Belfast) Durkan, Mark (Foyle) Maskey, Alex (West Belfast) Easton, Alex (North Down) Middleton, Gary (Foyle) Eastwood, Colum (Foyle) Milne, Ian (Mid Ulster) Farry, Stephen (North Down) Morrow, The Lord (Fermanagh and South Tyrone) Fearon, Ms Megan (Newry and Armagh) Moutray, Stephen (Upper Bann) Flanagan, Phil (Fermanagh and South Tyrone) Murphy, Conor (Newry and Armagh) Ford, David (South Antrim) Nesbitt, Mike (Strangford) Foster, Mrs Arlene (Fermanagh and South Tyrone) Newton, Robin (East Belfast) Frew, Paul (North Antrim) Ní Chuilín, Ms Carál (North Belfast) Gardiner, Samuel (Upper Bann) Ó hOisín, Cathal (East Londonderry) Girvan, Paul (South Antrim) Ó Muilleoir, Máirtín (South Belfast) Givan, Paul (Lagan Valley) O'Dowd, John (Upper Bann) Hale, Mrs Brenda (Lagan Valley) O'Neill, Mrs Michelle (Mid Ulster) Hamilton, Simon (Strangford) Overend, Mrs Sandra (Mid Ulster) Hanna, Ms Claire (South Belfast) Pengelly, Mrs Emma (South Belfast) Hazzard, Chris (South Down) Poots, Edwin (Lagan Valley) Hilditch, David (East Antrim) Ramsey, Pat (Foyle) Humphrey, William (North Belfast) Robinson, George (East Londonderry) Hussey, Ross (West Tyrone) Robinson, Peter (East Belfast) Irwin, William (Newry and Armagh) Rogers, Seán (South Down) Kelly, Mrs Dolores (Upper Bann) Ross, Alastair (East Antrim) Kelly, Gerry (North Belfast) Ruane, Ms Caitríona (South Down) Kennedy, Danny (Newry and Armagh) Sheehan, Pat (West Belfast) Lo, Ms Anna (South Belfast) Somerville, Neil (Fermanagh and South Tyrone) Lunn, Trevor (Lagan Valley) Storey, Mervyn (North Antrim) Lynch, Seán (Fermanagh and South Tyrone) Sugden, Ms Claire (East Londonderry) Lyons, Gordon (East Antrim) Swann, Robin (North Antrim) Lyttle, Chris (East Belfast) Weir, Peter (North Down) McAleer, Declan (West Tyrone) Wells, Jim (South Down) Northern Ireland Assembly Monday 12 October 2015 The Assembly met at 12.00 noon (Mr Speaker in the Chair). Members observed two minutes' silence. Assembly Business Ministerial Appointment: Mr Bell Mr Speaker: Before we proceed to today's Mr Speaker: I advise the House that the Rt business, I have some announcements to Hon Peter Robinson, as nominating officer for make. the DUP, nominated Mr Jonathan Bell MLA as Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment. Mr Bell accepted the nomination and affirmed Ministerial Resignation: Mr Bell the Pledge of Office in the presence of the Principal Deputy Speaker and the Director of Mr Speaker: I advise the House that the Clerking and Reporting on Friday 9 October Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment 2015. I am satisfied that the requirements of resigned his office on Tuesday 6 October 2015. Standing Orders have been met. Let us move Standing Order 44(3) provides for a seven-day on. period during which the party that held that office may nominate a Member of that party to Standing Order 19 replace him and take up office. That period expires at the end of Monday 12 October 2015. Mr Flanagan: On a point of order, Mr Speaker. Standing Order 19 deals with the tabling of Ministerial Appointments: Mr questions by Members to Ministers and Hamilton, Miss M McIlveen, Mr members of the Assembly Commission. Can Storey you provide the House with guidance as to what is supposed to happen in the event of a Minister Mr Speaker: I advise the House that the Rt not being in office to take one of those Hon Peter Robinson, as nominating officer for questions? When Members table a question to the DUP, nominated Mr Simon Hamilton MLA the Business Office, we are informed by the as Minister of Health, Social Services and Business Office that, as there is no Minister in Public Safety, Miss Michelle McIlveen MLA as office to answer that question, the question will Minister for Regional Development and Mr be withdrawn, but the same system does not Mervyn Storey MLA as Minister for Social seem to fall under Standing Order 20, which Development. Mr Hamilton, Miss McIlveen and deals with questions for oral answer, where Mr Storey each accepted the nomination and questions can be submitted for oral answer at a affirmed the Pledge of Office in the presence of time when there is no Minister in office to the Principal Deputy Speaker and the respond. Is there any guidance that you can Clerk/Chief Executive on Wednesday 7 October issue to Members with regard to how we can 2015. best comply with Standing Order 19 and the tabling of questions to Ministers, given that the primary function of this Assembly is, in fact, to Ministerial Resignations: Mr hold the Executive to account, and not being Hamilton, Miss M McIlveen, Mr able to table questions under Standing Order Storey 19 presents us with some difficulty in doing that? Mr Speaker: I advise the House that those three Ministers subsequently resigned their Mr Speaker: I have considerable sympathy for offices on Thursday 8 October 2015. Standing the point that the Member is making. These Order 44(3) provides for a seven-day period are, to say the least, unusual and exceptional during which the party that held those offices consequences for Members like you. At the may nominate Members of that party to replace end of the day, the question is whether there is them and take up office. That period expires at a Minister in place to be in a position to respond the end of Wednesday 14 October 2015. to questions for oral answer. With this in-out 1 Monday 12 October 2015 situation of Members being nominated and ratified as Ministers, going through the normal Matter of the Day procedure and then resigning, what happens is that, if there is no one there to respond to Fire Tragedy in Dublin questions for oral answer, they are lost. Mr Speaker: Mr Martin McGuinness has made If questions for written answer are submitted a request to make a statement under