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The SDLP’s Pat Catney also sits on the Finance Committee.

He says it’s clear that “no party here would disagree” with the bill, adding that there is a duty to “restore public confidence in these institutions”.

The Lagan Valley MLA adds that change is needed, even though there are arguments about how it should come about.

He tells members not to vote against the bill, merely due to the sponsor behind it.

Mr Catney says he sees "no issue" with the amendments in group one.

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Gerry Carroll of People Before Profit says he wants to see changes to the laws around junior ministers and Spads "as swiftly as possible".

He says he's concerned that the minister wants to introduce a six-month delay on some of the clauses.

Mr Carroll says he'd like to hear from the minister on his "rationale" for such a delay.

"I don't think ministers should have had Spads," he adds.

“Sinn Féin will be supporting most of the amendments in group one” says Philip McGuigan.

He says his party “don’t believe the bill is necessary”.

The North Antrim MLA says “even the naming of the bill, Functioning of Government is ironic, in that the intentions of the bill sponsor are in all likelihood to disfunction the working of the government and ministers and Spads and strangle effective government from taking place”.

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After running through the technical amendments, Mr McGuigan concludes by saying the bill is “short-sighted” and “unnecessary”.

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Andrew Muir says he will be very brief.

He lists the amendments the Alliance Party will support.

They include an amendment "which aligns the cap on Spad (ministerial special adviser) remuneration to civil service pay grades".

Matthew O’Toole sits on the Finance Committee.

The SDLP member, who is a former civil servant, says civil servants “very often prefer things to be in codes and guidance”.

He adds that the bill will “go some way” to show the public “that we are taking some form of action”.

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"We're supportive of the vast range of technical amendments that should make this work," adds the South Belfast representative.

Sinn Féin MLA John O'Dowd says the the question to be asked of the legislation is: "Is it a bill for every ill?"

He says Jim Allister's "rush" to bring forward the bill "has brought forward a very poor piece of legislation".

Mr O'Dowd says the fact that there are 56 amendments shows this.

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In reply to an intervention from the SDLP's Pat Catney, the Sinn Féin MLA says: "You can make a silk purse of a sow's ear but it 's still a sow's ear."

He questions Mr Allister's intentions in bringing the bill, noting that the TUV leader is "an opponent of the Good Friday Agreement" and an opponent of the executive.

Mr O'Dowd says the bill would make the working of government more difficult.

“What I see in this bill is simply reform,” says DUP MLA Paul Frew.

“I ask myself a simply question. ‘Is this reform necessary?’ and I answer, ‘Absolutely’.”

Mr Frew says he’s disappointed by the “attitudes” by some parties “in this house” to the bill.

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“I want to see reform coming out of this executive, I want to see reform coming out of this finance minister,” says the North Antrim MLA.

“We cannot simply keep doing what we’re doing over, and over again.”

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UUP leader Steve Aiken chairs the Finance Committee and is next to speak.

He outlines the committee's consideration of the bill.

"I welcome the fact that most of the amendments supported by the committee have passed the consideration stage," Dr Aiken says.

"When the committee sought assistance from the department for help in improving the drafting, the responses received were less than helpful," the committee chair declares.

He notes that the department has changed its approach to drafting but adds that it could have provided support "much earlier".

Finance Minister Conor Murphy is in the chamber to move the first amendment.

He’s tabled a few other amendments, but says that these are “not an endorsement” of the bill itself.

“I still believe that this legislation largely deals with administrative matters that should be contained with codes and guidance,” says the minister.

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Mr Murphy adds, “if there is any risk that this bill should reach the statute book, it is important that it does not remain in its flawed state”.

The first group of amendments relates to special advisers, says the Sinn Féin minister.

He outlines each of the amendments.

Next up is the further consideration stage of the Functioning of Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill.

It’s a private member’s bill that’s been brought to the house by Jim Allister of the TUV.

He drafted the legislation to address a number of issues raised during the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) inquiry.

It aims to cut the number of Spads (special advisers) and put codes of behaviour into statute.

This item will take up a good chunk of today’s proceedings as MLAs have 56 amendments to get through.

You can read them in full, here., external

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That concludes the agriculture minister’s NSMC statement.

After a quick change at the top table, with Roy Beggs taking charge of proceedings, MLAs move to the next item of business.

It’s the further consideration stage of the Harbours Bill.

Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon moves the bill, but there are no amendments to be discussed so the bill is referred to the speaker for its final stage.

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Clare Bailey, the Green Party leader, says NI already fails to meet its obligations under the EU Habitats Directive.

She says she has heard reports of animal waste being transferred across the border.

The South Belfast MLA wants to know what cooperation is ongoing to ensure that we meet the habitats obligations "across the island".

Minister Edwin Poots says the transfer of animal waste across the border is entirely legitimate.

"I would refer to it as animal nutrients," he says.

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Paul Givan, the minister’s DUP colleague, asks when he thinks the Irish government “will start putting the people of Northern Ireland first” and join with the minister to convince the prime minister and secretary of state “to mitigate the disaster that is the protocol”.

Edwin Poots responds that the NI secretary, Brandon Lewis, is “quite clearly going about like the Emperor with no clothes, only it isn’t a small boy pointing it out, it’s the entire crowd pointing it out.”

The minister says “the issues need to be dealt with”.

Mr Poots adds that he has had a request in to meet with counterparts in the Republic of Ireland for the last fortnight.

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Ulster Unionist Mike Nesbitt asks about travelling with pets to Great Britain.

"It seems you can now take your pet to Dublin and back unfettered but that's not the case if you're visiting another capital city of the United Kingdom where you will actually need paperwork and a rabies jab, for the pet obviously not for yourself," he says.

The minister says Mr Nesbitt is right.

Edwin Poots adds that the rabies and tapeworm policy comes from the EU and "there's just no benefit to this for anybody".

"We need common sense to prevail."

Does the minister think people working in meat plants should be given priority to receive the Covid-19 vaccine?

That’s the question from Sinn Féin’s Séan Lynch.

“Not only do I support it, I have raised that at the executive with the minister for health,” responds Edwin Poots.

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He adds that Robin Swann, the Health Minister, is following the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation(JCVI) priority list.

“I do accept that we need to get the population, particularly the vulnerable and over 80s done first, but beyond that I think there is an opportunity to introduce it to people who are in more vulnerable situations in terms of where they work,” says Minister Poots.

He says he believes this should apply to those such as food workers, teachers and police officers.

Ulster Unionist Rosemary Barton wants to know about plant pesticides and seeds and the associated issues of getting such goods into NI as a result of Brexit regulations.

What further cooperation will there be to resolve this issue, she asks the minister.

“These are issues which really need to be resolved,” responds Edwin Poots.

He says much of NI’s potato seed, which is “high quality”, comes from Scotland.

“We have been raising these issues for months now with the UK government,” he adds.

“I am an absolute pain in terms of writing, and being in contact with UK ministers, but I make no apology for being a pain,” he adds.

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Maurice Bradley, the minister’s DUP colleague, wants an update on avian flu in NI.

At the start of the year, two separate outbreaks were identified at farms resulting in over 100,000 birds being culled.

“Avian flu is very worrying,” replies the minister.

He says “the consequences for the poultry sector are huge” and calls on farmers “to take all the steps they can to stop the spread”.

“Poultry is a massive part of the NI economy,” adds Mr Poots.

DUP MLA William Irwin says tuberculosis in NI is "very costly to the taxpayer".

He wants to know why levels of TB are so much lower in the Republic of Ireland.

Edwin Poots says his departmental officials have met with their southern counterparts.

The minister adds that the southern authorities took a decision some time ago to deal with wildlife "that are transmitters of TB and subsequently they saw a significant drop-off".

He says strains of TB in NI wildlife are also associated with "the bovine population".

"We will be moving forward with the TB strategy soon," he says.

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The SDLP's Patsy McGlone welcomes the announcement by the Republic's government of the "introduction of extra ports in the rest of the country for access for those fisheries".

He asks about the continued free movement of goods in the agri-food sector.

Mr Poots welcomes the opening of ports to NI vessels fishing in the North Atlantic.

On unimpeded access, Mr Poots says the problems lie in trade between NI and GB.

He says he will be speaking to his southern counterpart regarding problems being experienced by hauliers at Dublin Port.

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Declan McAleer, the chair of the Agriculture Committee, is called to start the question session on the minister’s statement.

The Sinn Féin MLA asks the minister “is he concerned that our farmers in rural communities from the north could be at a serious competitive disadvantage” due to “the financial uncertainty” around EU replacement funding.

“In terms of the issues around Brexit and funding, we have got a commitment to the end of this mandate,” responds Edwin Poots.

The minister says he believes there “will be substantial support for agriculture and the environment going forward beyond the mandate of this parliament”.

Edwin Poots informs members that the North-South Ministerial Counil (NSMC) meeting was held on Wednesday 18 December by video conference.

The agriculture minister was joined by Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon - both represented the NI Executive.

"It was a very positive meeting, a lot of progress was made," the minister says.

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On the Covid-19 pandemic, ministers discussed the collaborative approach on infection risk in meat processing plants.

Environmental issues, preparation for the end of the Brexit transition period, and the replacement of the Common Agriculture Policy were also discussed.

Speaker of the house Alex Maskey opens the plenary session to the public and brings members to order.

The first item of business is a petition to introduce a 40 mph speed zone on the A48 for the Cotton Community.

It’s brought to the chamber by DUP MLA Alex Easton.

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“It’s not the biggest petition in the world, it only has 100 names,” says the MLA, but adds that it is needed because the road “is the main thoroughfare from Donaghadee going to Bangor, Newtownards and indeed Belfast”.

The petition asks the infrastructure minister to reduce the speed limit from 60mph.

Following that brief piece of business, the speaker moves members to the next item on the agenda.

It's an update from the Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots on a recent North-South Ministerial Council regarding agricultural issues.