Official Report: Minutes of Evidence

The Chairperson (Mr O'Toole): Hansard will record this session, but it is not present. I presume that Hansard is very tight with all the legislation that is going through other Committees.

At page 104 of the pack, there is a nil response from the Executive Office Committee to our call for evidence. Next week, we will have a chock-a-block session on the Bill, with two panels of humanists representatives and one panel representing independent celebrants. We will also have two departmental briefings. It will be a busy session. Are members therefore content to start a little bit earlier next week, at 1.00 pm, to get through that business?

The Committee Clerk: Next Wednesday is 23 September. We will communicate that to the other members just to check. The meeting will run very late without the earlier start.

The Chairperson (Mr O'Toole): Thank you, members.

On the Bill, it is worth noting that there was a little bit of a more political —. I do not think that this is for our Committee particularly, but we have asked about no-fault divorce. We are getting an update on the precise status of that policy for the purposes of our report. I appreciate that some political points were made in the Chamber the other day, but this is really for the purposes of our being able to provide a report to the Assembly that can then be sent onwards.