Assembly round-up

Stormont’s last sitting month sees a logjam of legislation dominate the agenda and two new faces appearing on the hill.

End-of-term illustrations are often used when summing up the Assembly’s last month before the summer. However, other school phrases seemed relevant this month including suspension and some members’ first days.

After the SDLP whip was taken from Declan O’Loan, June’s business began with his removal from the Standards Committee chair and the Culture Committee deputy chair. The move, by Margaret Ritchie, again indicated that the parties have the real say at Stormont rather the Assembly having power in itself.

The House also saw the departure of two DUP MLAs, due to their election as MPs. Jeffrey Donaldson was replaced by Paul Givan on 10 June while Ian Paisley Jnr’s successor, Paul Frew, took that job on 21 June. Both are councillors. Naomi Long is to be replaced by Chris Lyttle and David Simpson’s nominated replacement is Sydney Anderson.

This process will continue in the DUP ranks although Sammy Wilson will stay in place to deliver the new budget this autumn. agendaNi understands that SDLP dual mandates will be phased out gradually but Sinn Féin does not plan to follow suit; its MPs would be left in difficulty as they have no salary.

Condemnation then followed for the Israeli attack on the Gaza flotilla and, more significantly for the Assembly, the UVF-linked murder of Bobby Moffett. Dawn Purvis’ resignation from the PUP came two days later.

An extremely rare Friday plenary session met on 4 June to debate Gaza further. Nationalist members saw this as an important stand to take but unionists saw little or no point in the debate as the Assembly has no influence on foreign affairs. The motion demanded an immediate end to the blockade but the vote, taken on 7 June, was tied at 40-40 and it therefore fell.

During OFMDFM questions on that day, Martin McGuinness said he was “open” to the idea of “inter-regional support services” covering Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, to save money. North/South co-operation was also a sensible course and he was encouraged that all the Assembly parties were willing to acknowledge this.

On 21 June, Peter Robinson praised Graeme McDowell’s win, remarking that he “watched almost every shot” from Thursday night to Monday morning: “Now that we have for the first time in 40 years, a European coming from Northern Ireland who has won the US Open, it will draw attention to the talent that we have and to the assets in Northern Ireland that brought about that talent being formed.”

Private member’s motions became much rarer in the rest of June as MLAs cleared up the large backlog of legislation. Such debates, though, attract fewer members with only eight present at one point to discuss the Pensions Regulator Tribunal (Transfer of Functions) (2010 Act) (Consequential Provisions) Order (Northern Ireland) 2010. The nine new Bills had thankfully shorter titles.

Moves to reform MLAs’ expenses foundered when the DUP blocked the Bill on 21 June. An independent expenses regulator is to be put in place next year and the party said it was wrong for MLAs to continue to vote on their own expenses in the meantime.

In what was seen as a related move, Stephen Moutray was moved from the Assembly Commission to chair the Agriculture Committee; the DUP says this was a promotion but others claim that he had failed to object to the Bill, which was brought by the commission.

A fiscal warning came from the Public Accounts Committee which warned that major projects are still being delayed, thus incurring extra costs. “In the current economic climate it is essential that the planning, management and evaluation of projects is appropriate and thorough to ensure that tax-payers get value for money,” said Paul Maskey.

The Assembly rises for its summer recess on 2 July and returns on 6 September.

From protestor to peer

“They named me in their votes and I’ve named them in my title,” said Ian Paisley of the people of Bannside as he discussed the latest stage in his career. Raised to the peerage on 18 June, Paisley’s first seat was as Stormont MP for the County Antrim constituency, from 1970 to 1973.

A portrait to mark his time as First Minister was unveiled at Parliament Buildings on 28 June; its painter is the Dublin-born artist David Nolan. At the age of 84, Ian Richard Kyle Paisley’s full title is now The Reverend & Right Honourable The Lord Bannside PC MLA.

Friends and former foes were present at the launch, including Peter Robinson, Martin McGuinness and Gerry Adams.

Paisley was MP for North Antrim from 1970 to this year, DUP leader from 1971 to 2008 and an MEP from 1979 to 2004. A member of every Northern Ireland Assembly to date, he spent a year as First Minister (2007-2008). However, his longest term was as Moderator of the Free Presbyterian Church (1951-2008) and he remains minister of the Martyrs Memorial congregation on Belfast’s Ravenhill Road.

The peerage is for life and he joins his wife Eileen (Baroness Paisley of St George’s), who has sat in the upper house since June 2006.

*Following Dawn Purvis’ registration from the PUP