Official Report: Minutes of Evidence

The Deputy Chairperson (Mr Sheehan): I propose that we move, in the presence of Hansard, to agree the final text of the draft report, section by section. Are members agreed?

The Deputy Chairperson (Mr Sheehan): Are members content with the executive summary section of the report?

The Deputy Chairperson (Mr Sheehan): Are members content with the introduction section?

The Deputy Chairperson (Mr Sheehan): Are members content with the "Committee's Approach to the Review" section?

The Deputy Chairperson (Mr Sheehan): Are members content with the "Timeline of Assembly and Executive Review Committee Reports" section?

The Deputy Chairperson (Mr Sheehan): Are members content with the "Summary of Assembly and Executive Review Committee Reports" section?

The Deputy Chairperson (Mr Sheehan): Are members content with the "Engagement with Political Parties" section?

The Deputy Chairperson (Mr Sheehan): Are members content with the "Committee Conclusions" section?

The Deputy Chairperson (Mr Sheehan): Are members content with appendix 1 to the report, "Links to Minutes of Proceedings"?

The Deputy Chairperson (Mr Sheehan): Are members content with appendix 2 to the report, the minutes of evidence?

The Senior Assistant Assembly Clerk: That is the minutes of evidence from today's session, which Hansard is reporting. It will be available and included in the report later. It will be the only Hansard report included in this report.

The Deputy Chairperson (Mr Sheehan): Are members content with appendix 3, "Links to Assembly and Executive Committee Reports"?

The Deputy Chairperson (Mr Sheehan): Are members content with appendix 4, "Correspondence from Political Parties re Future Topics for Review"?

The Deputy Chairperson (Mr Sheehan): Are members content with appendix 5, "Links to Assembly Research Papers"?

The Deputy Chairperson (Mr Sheehan): Finally, are members content with appendix 6, "Stormont House Agreement"?

The Deputy Chairperson (Mr Sheehan): This will be the seventh report of the Assembly and Executive Review Committee to the Assembly. The final version of the report will be proofread a final time before the report is ordered to be printed. Are members content that the Committee secretariat make any changes to typing errors and the format of the report where necessary? These will have no effect on the substance of the report and are purely related to the formatting and accuracy of the text.

The Deputy Chairperson (Mr Sheehan): The extract of minutes of proceedings and minutes of evidence for today's meeting will have to be included in the report. Are members content that I, as Deputy Chair, approve the extract of the minutes of proceedings for today's meeting for inclusion in the report?

The Deputy Chairperson (Mr Sheehan): Are members content that the Hansard report of this meeting be included in the report, as there is insufficient time for members to review the transcript before publication?

The Deputy Chairperson (Mr Sheehan): I propose that the Secretary of State, the First Minister and the deputy First Minister and the leaders of the parties of the Assembly be forwarded a copy of the final embargoed report as soon as it is available. Are members agreed?

The Deputy Chairperson (Mr Sheehan): Are members content that the Committee secretariat forward an embargoed electronic version of the report, with an appropriate covering letter from me as Deputy Chair, to the Secretary of State, the First Minister and deputy First minister and the leaders of the parties of the Assembly?

The Deputy Chairperson (Mr Sheehan): We now move to consideration of the draft motion for a debate on the report in Assembly plenary. It reads:

Are members content?

The Deputy Chairperson (Mr Sheehan): Are members content that the Committee should order its report on the operation of the provisions of Parts III and IV of the NI Act 1998 to be printed following today's meeting and that hard copies be kept to a minimum in the interests of efficiency?

The Deputy Chairperson (Mr Sheehan): Are members content that a note be put to the Business Office today, signalling that two embargoed manuscript copies of the report are laid in the Business Office by close tomorrow?

The Deputy Chairperson (Mr Sheehan): I inform members that the report should be returned by the printer and distributed to all MLAs once printed. The report will, of course, be embargoed until the commencement of the plenary debate. The debate is pencilled in for Monday 27 April.

The Senior Assistant Assembly Clerk: That is going to the Business Committee for agreement today. We will send the motion to it, and it will meet today to agree that date. That is when it looks likely to happen.