Key Facts

• Clause 1 amends the Northern Ireland Act 1998.
• The period for ministerial appointments is extended from 14 days to six weeks, renewable up to a total of 24 weeks.
• Ministers will remain in post until new ones are appointed or within 24 weeks after an election.
• The MP welcomes limited attempts to safeguard power sharing in the Bill.
• Concerns are raised about Ministers potentially being able to take few decisions if there is no programme for government.
• Clause 3 gives effect to paragraph 3.15 of the sustainability annex, ensuring cross-community confidence in a caretaker Executive.
• Amendment 13 aims to make Ministers accountable to users of services as well as the Assembly and the public.
• Amendment 14 proposes additional principles of transparency, openness, and compliance with information requests from various stakeholders.
• Amendments aim to adhere to Strand One, Annex A of the Good Friday Agreement.
• Amendments proposed include 17, 18, 19, 6, and 3.
• The amendments aim to enforce transparency, accountability, and the functioning of the Executive based on the New Decade, New Approach Deal.
• Stringer's proposals seek to implement commitments made in previous agreements including the Belfast Agreement (1998), Hillsborough Agreement (2010), Stormont House Agreements (2014 and 2015).
• Amendment 4 seeks to address the lack of a programme for government.
• Clause 4 substitutes a revised ministerial code of conduct as per Executive Committee agreement.
• Amendments 17, 18, and 19 aim to compel and encourage Ministers to implement future programmes for government and strengthen the code of conduct.
• Amendment 6 relates to the three-meeting rule agreed in the Fresh Start agreement of 2015.
• Currently, the rule is guidance rather than law.
• The amendment aims to prevent papers from being blocked for considerable periods.
• Amendment 15 proposes automatic resignation for Ministers found to have breached the Ministerial Code of Conduct through harassment, bullying or inappropriate/discriminatory behaviour.
• Amendment 16 aims to ensure that Ministers cooperate with investigations and respect findings from the Commissioner for Standards.
• The petition of concern is a significant issue for many political parties in Northern Ireland.
• Deputy Speakers are not able to sign petitions of concern under New Decade, New Approach agreements.
• There is debate over whether this agreement might deter individuals from becoming Deputy Speakers.
• Amendment 12 seeks to specify the size, timescale, and terms of reference for a special committee.
• The amendment would enable procedures to allow for subsection (5E) in relation to the report of any committee appointed under this section.
• Gavin Robinson argues that the original intent of the petition of concern was not revisited between 1998 and 2018, making it inappropriate to impose new strictures now.
• The amendments aim to correct an unintended consequence in drafting where a minimum period between voting and petitioning was mistakenly required.
• Standing Orders will allow for the waiver of notice in exceptional circumstances as currently permitted.
• There is emphasis on preserving the intended purpose of petitions of concern as outlined under the Good Friday agreement.
• Amendment 9 relates to allowing petitioners to withdraw a petition of concern at any stage.
• The Bill includes a 14-day consideration period after a petition is presented by 30 Members, as agreed in the NDNA deal.
• The purpose of clause 5 is to reform petitions of concern and return them to their intended purpose.
• The Bill is seen as excellent and should be implemented quickly.
• There has been a delay of about two months after Royal Assent.
• NDNA (New Decade, New Approach) was signed around 18 months ago.
• The UK Government has released over £700 million out of £2 billion funding agreed in the NDNA deal.
• Much of the financial commitment is front-loaded, with commitments continuing over a period of years.
• The Northern Ireland Affairs Committee scrutinizes NDNA delivery closely and welcomes further discussions on implementation.
• New clause 3 aims to restore the Good Friday Agreement provision for joint election of First Ministers.
• Current law links the determination of First Minister and Deputy First Minister closely to designations, leading to polarisation.
• The proposed amendment seeks representational support from a majority or significant percentages of members across different designations.
• The SDLP has advocated adherence to the Good Friday agreement.
• Joint election of First Ministers was a centrepiece of strand 1 in the Good Friday agreement.
• Changes at St Andrews have privatised the election process for First Ministers.
• New clause 3 aims to restore joint election mechanisms and remove the term 'Deputy'.
• The Bill aims to legislate commitments made under the New Decade, New Approach deal.
• A new clause seeks to restore the Good Friday Agreement provision for joint election of First Ministers by the Assembly.
• The speaker emphasizes that unilaterally altering power-sharing principles could lead to political instability in Northern Ireland.