Debate contribution: Ad Hoc Committee to Consider Legislation to Prevent the Suspension of the Devolved Institutions
Debate contribution by Mr Pat Sheehan on .
- MLA
- Mr Pat Sheehan
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 4 March 2024
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Opposition Business
- Heading
- Ad Hoc Committee to Consider Legislation to Prevent the Suspension of the Devolved Institutions
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4254799
Read the official Assembly record
Text
When I saw the motion, I was somewhat bewildered because, as everyone knows, we have the Assembly and Executive Review Committee. Its role is to review matters relating to the functioning of the Assembly and the Executive. It exists for the very purpose of reforming the institutions. Therefore, it makes no sense to establish an Ad Hoc Committee that will effectively duplicate the work of an existing Standing Committee that can deal with the issue that the Opposition want to address. Who will sit on the Ad Hoc Committee? Will the Ad Hoc Committee and the Assembly and Executive Review Committee deal with the issue simultaneously? Will they call the same experts and witnesses? With only three years of this mandate remaining, I hope and expect that the Assembly will be extremely busy with introducing new legislation, so why would it be a good idea to create what amounts to a less effective or powerful Committee? Moreover, an Ad Hoc Committee will have to be resourced and funded in a similar way. I appeal to the SDLP to join the rest of us and address the issue and others in the Assembly and Executive Review Committee. The SDLP has a strong representative on that Committee, who is more than capable of addressing any concerns that the SDLP may have. My final question is this: how does an Ad Hoc Committee trump the Assembly and Executive Review Committee, whose function is to deal with the very issues contained in the motion?
250 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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