Official Report: Minutes of Evidence

The Chairperson (Mr O'Toole): Hansard will report this session. Hansard staff are not present, but they will listen to and report the session. Are members content that the agenda item be reported by Hansard?

The Chairperson (Mr O'Toole): The Hansard transcript of last week's session will be added to the appendices of the draft report that we are about to consider. Following last week's oral briefing with officials, a draft report on the legislative consent memorandum (LCM) has been prepared. The legislative consent memorandum on the Cyber Security and Resilience (Network and Information Systems) Bill was formally laid in the Business Office on 9 June 2026. The Department of Finance is proposing to extend the provisions of the Bill to Northern Ireland by way of an LCM. We had a briefing from departmental officials last week. I believe that it was Paul Grocott and his officials.

The Committee Clerk: It was Paul Grocott, yes.

The Chairperson (Mr O'Toole): Are members content, given that there were no dissenting voices last week, to support the Minister of Finance in seeking the Assembly's endorsement of a legislative consent motion, which reads:

The Chairperson (Mr O'Toole): Any typographical or formatting errors in the report, which we are about to go through, will be amended at final proofing stage before it is circulated to MLAs and published on the Committee's web page. Do members wish to make any amendments to the draft report? No.

If there are no amendments, I will proceed through the report, seeking formal agreement of the report as drafted.

I refer members to the title page, the table of contents page, the Committee powers and membership pages and the list of abbreviations.

Are members content that the title page and the pages on Committee membership, the table of contents and the Committee powers stand part of the report?

The Chairperson (Mr O'Toole): Are members content that the 'Background' section in paragraphs 1 to 7 stand part of the report?

The Chairperson (Mr O'Toole): Are members content that the section titled 'Purpose of the Legislative Consent Motion', which is at paragraph 8, stand part of the report?

The Chairperson (Mr O'Toole): Are members content that the section titled 'Committee Consideration of the Legislative Consent Motion', which is at paragraphs 9 to 25, stand part of the report?

The Chairperson (Mr O'Toole): Are members content that the conclusion of the report, which is at paragraph 26, stand part of the report?

The Chairperson (Mr O'Toole): The appendices section will be updated in due course and will include the Hansard transcript of today's deliberations and the minutes of proceedings.

Are members content that the appendices stand part of the report?

The Chairperson (Mr O'Toole): Are members content that the report on the legislative consent memorandum on the Cyber Security and Resilience (Network and Information Systems) Bill be the twelfth report of the Committee for Finance?

The Chairperson (Mr O'Toole): The report will be laid in the Business Office and published on the Committee's web page, with a link issued to all MLAs in advance of the debate on the LCM. That debate will not take place until the new session, that is, after the summer.