Official Report: Minutes of Evidence
Committee for The Executive Office, meeting on Wednesday, 9 March 2022
Members present for all or part of the proceedings:
Ms Sinéad McLaughlin (Chairperson)
Mr John Stewart (Deputy Chairperson)
Mr Pádraig Delargy
Mr Alex Easton
Mr Trevor Lunn
Mr Pat Sheehan
Ms Emma Sheerin
Fair Employment (School Teachers) Bill: Clause-by-clause Consideration
Question, That the Committee is content with the clause, put and agreed to.
Clause 2 (Consequential amendments)
The Chairperson (Ms McLaughlin): Clause 2 brings into force the schedule to make consequential amendments to the 1998 Order and the Fair Employment and Treatment Order (Amendment) Regulations 2003. Members may wish to make amendments.
Question, That the Committee is content with the clause, put and agreed to.
The Chairperson (Ms McLaughlin): Clause 3 provides for the Executive Office to commence the legislation and make transitional arrangements and for the provision to come into force after 12 months. Do members wish to make amendments?
Mr Sheehan: Are we agreed on the amendment to change 12 months to 24 months?
The Committee Clerk: I will read that out for the record:
"The preceding provisions of this Act come into force at the end of the period of 24 months beginning with the day on which this Act is passed if by that time no order has been made under subsection (1)".
Question, That the Committee is content with the amendment, put and agreed to.
The Chairperson (Ms McLaughlin): Clause 4 is the short title of the Bill, which is the Fair Employment (School Teachers) Bill. Are members content with the short title?
Mr Lunn: Is it "Bill" or "Act"? Are you reading from the Bill? The short title is "Act" not "Bill".
Question, That the Committee is content with the clause, put and agreed to.
The Committee Clerk: I am sorry, Chair. It is a procedural anomaly, but can we just agree the long title of the Bill as well?
Question, That the Committee is content with the long title, put and agreed to.