Assembly round-up

Election campaigning – involving a third of MLAs – made for a quieter month on the hill, after the Assembly’s powers were boosted by the policing and justice transfer. However, that gain was offset by the loss of an opposition.

Returning from the Easter recess, the House’s first words were in sympathy with the Polish people following the President’s death. All sides united to condemn the previous night’s bombing at Palace Barracks, with local comments from North Down MLAs. Alex Maskey did not refer specifically to the attack but said the peace process was being “challenged on a number of fronts”.

Peter Robinson added that a clear message needed to be sent that “terrorists cannot win”. Supporters of justice devolution, achieved by the end of the day, see this as the message to send.

OFMDFM questions that day focused on the Executive’s US trip. Martin McGuinness confirmed that ministers had “unparalleled access” to corporate America but could not provide much detail due to the commercial sensitivity of talks.

A “very productive” meeting was held with Barack Obama, who backed an investment conference in Washington this October. Sam Gardiner’s concern that Obama would “bring jobs home” to the USA was therefore “misplaced”, McGuinness said.

The following day, nationalist MLAs protested at the delayed Saville report into Bloody Sunday. Raymond McCartney echoed the families’ call that the next UK Government should make the report’s publication their “first item of parliamentary business”.

In keeping with 19 April’s bright weather, MLAs made a call for legislation to help the hospitality industry create a café culture society. While councils had commended cafés and restaurants for putting furniture outside on sunny days, civil servants had told them to take it inside again, reportedly for health and safety reasons.

Paul Maskey suggested that the debate’s low attendance was due to electioneering. Indeed, on our count, 41 MLAs are on the Westminster hustings; this breaks down into 13 DUP, 12 Sinn Féin, eight SDLP, four UUP and four Alliance members.

St Patrick’s Day, the House agreed, should be a “full and permanent public holiday” to help boost tourism. The decision rests with the incoming Northern Ireland Secretary.

Alliance’s entry in government effectively ends any official opposition at Stormont. Just five of the 108 MLAs are now outside government: Kieran Deeny, Alan McFarland, Gerry McHugh, Dawn Purvis and Brian Wilson.

Ford first took justice questions on 26 April when the first query, asked by Mark Durkan, was whether he had plans to repeal a 1737 Act which forbids the Irish language being used in court; it is currently being legally challenged. Other MLAs majored on the state of Maghaberry prison.

The Justice Committee also met for the first time, on 22 April, with Ford giving an initial briefing.

On another linguistic note, the townland Billymiscaw has been added to Stormont’s official address after a suggestion from the Culture Committee. The name means “townland of the fort of the shadows”. Chairman Barry McElduff celebrated this as “an important symbolic victory” in the committee’s campaign to preserve and promote townland names. The same suggestion has also been made to all government departments, with some already indicating they will follow suit.

Cameron at Stormont?

If, as some polls indicate, David Cameron becomes PM on 7 May, closer relations between Downing Street and devolved regions can be expected. Cameron has already pledged to make regular visits to the Scottish Parliament for questioning.

Asked by agendaNi if this would apply to Northern Ireland, William Hague said Cameron would respect the Assembly’s wishes: “You will have to ask him on the next visit but I think you’ll find him very sympathetic to an improved level of contact and interchange with everyone at Stormont.” Hague added that the Conservatives were “open to suggestions” about how to improve links between Westminster and the assemblies.