The Hunting of Wild Mammals Bill proposed by Alliance MLA John Blair is defeated
Justice Minister Naomi Long brought the Criminal Justice Bill for further consideration
Health Minister Robin Swann moved a number of draft regulations relating to smoking
Economy Minister Gordon Lyons and Education Minister Michelle McIlveen appeared in the chamber for Question Time
Image source, ReutersThe deptuy speaker of the House, Roy Beggs, adjourns today's meeting.
We'll be back tomorrow morning with more live coverage of the assembly, when MLAs will be debating the Social Security Bill and the Health and Social Care Bill.
Until then, have a great evening.
The votes have been cast and counted:
John Blair's Hunting of Wild Mammals Bill will go no further.
John Blair of Alliance is called to wind on the lengthy debate which MLAs have had on his bill seeking a ban on hunting with dogs.
The North Down MLA refers to a number of queries raised by members.
“The intent of the bill is there, it’a about the hunting of wild animals with dogs where dogs are used to kill."
“There’s no intention to go wider in terms of any other aspects of country life or country sport,” explains the MLA.
The deputy speaker, Roy Beggs, puts the draft legislation to a vote on its second stage.
Given the debate so far, it comes as no surprise that the House divides.
Image source, NI Assembly“On the point of principle, I fully support what Mr Blair is trying to do in this bill because this type of sport is barbaric,” says Claire Sudgen.
The independent MLA adds that when she was justice minister “for five minutes a number of years ago” she spoke to various stakeholders about the issue of hunting.
She questions whether it is enough to assume intent? Should the proposed legislation be strengthened in this area?
Image source, NI AssemblyTUV leader Jim Allister describes the bill as "ill-considered" and "needless".
"It really is a triumph of prejudice against some country pursuits," he adds.
"This bill isn't about targeting cruelty. This bill is about targeting hunting per se," the North Antrim MLA says.
Image source, NI AssemblyRachel Woods of the Green Party says the legislation is "long overdue".
"Hunting with dogs is cruel and unnecessary and the hunted animal suffers immeasurably," she adds.
She notes that former Green Party MLA Brian Wilson brought a bill to the assembly in 2010 to bring about the same hunting with dogs prohibition that was introduced in England, Scotland and Wales.
"Public opinion, if anything, has only increased" against hunting, the North Down MLA says.
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Image source, NI AssemblyChris Lyttle of Alliance says this draft legislation would see a “ban on cruel and unnecessary hunting”.
“Any MLA or party that does vote against the principle of this bill today can expect their support for animal welfare to be legitimately questioned thereafter,” adds the East Belfast MLA.
Image source, NI AssemblyChristopher Stalford stands to support the bill.
"It is to me astonishing that in 2021 the practice of hunting foxes with hounds and other wild mammals should be continued to be practised in this country," he says.
The DUP MLA says his mind was changed on this subject following an incident in Newry "where children were playing in a garden with a new puppy that their mother had bought for them and the hunt tore into their garden, ripped their puppy to bits in front of them".
He says one child "asked one of the people on horseback, 'Mister is our puppy dead?' He picked up a bit of the puppy, flung it over a hedge and said to those children, 'Looks like it, doesn't it'".
The South Belfast MLA says he accepts that foxes are vermin but "you don't need to make a sport out of it".
Image source, NI AssemblyWith Question Time wrapped up, MLAs return to their earlier debate on banning the hunting of wild mammals with dogs.
The first member called to restart the debate is Harry Harvey.
The DUP MLA says “I very much sympathise with the intent of the bill, I’m not a hunting man and the activity has not appealed to me in any shape or form”.
He does, however, add “that the hunting of mammals using dogs has been a method of pest control used by famers for generations”.
Issues raised during questions to DUP Minister Michelle McIlveen:
Next up it's Topical Questions, the section where members can ask questions on current matters that didn't crop up in Listed Questions.
Paula Bradshaw of Alliance asks the minister if she is going to purchase HEPA (high-efficiency particulate absorbing) air filters for schools.
The education minister says £2m was obtained for CO2 monitors and other ventilation work.
Michelle McIlveen says the Education Authority is "assessing each school as the request comes in".
Image source, NI AssemblyCiara Ferguson of Sinn Féin asks about staff shortages in schools resulting in "at least partial closures" due to problems in finding substitute teachers.
Ms McIlveen says the employing authorities are working very closely with schools in order to try to address this.
She says principals are having to ring around 70 or 80 substitute teachers to see if they are available.
In reply to a further question from Ms Ferguson, this time on support for exam candidates, the minister says: “Learners will be permitted to omit units of assessment which will actually reduce the overall assessment."
Image source, NI AssemblySinn Féin's Cathal Boylan asks the education minister "for her assessment of the effectiveness of the current Covid-19 guidance in school settings in relation to close contacts"
Michelle McIlveen says her department's guidance "seeks to balance the need to ensure a safe environment with the need for children to access face-to-face teaching".
She says she has been led by public health advice.
The minister says she acknowledges that the current high level of Covid infection in schools and in the community "has made it very challenging for schools".
Image source, NI AssemblyJohn Blair of Alliance asks the education minister "for an update on her engagement with the minister of justice on the recommendation in the Gillen Review Report into the law and procedures in serious sexual offences in Northern Ireland for a review of the Relationship and Sexuality Education Minimum Content Order".
"We need to be very clear, the Gillen Report does not recommend a review of the minimum content on the relationships and sexuality education," Michelle McIlveen responds.
She says the department "is taking forward important work to enhance support, resources and training for schools".
"Violence against women and girls was specifically prioritised," Ms McIlveen adds.
Image source, NI AssemblyEducation Minister Michelle McIlveen steps into the Question Time spotlight.
The SDLP's Sinéad Bradley asks the minister: "Further to a recent court ruling that a grammar school's admissions criteria was unlawful, what assessment her department has made of the action required following the ruling."
Ms McIlveen outlines the High Court's ruling on the school's admissions policy.
The court found that a criterion prioritising boys whose father/guardian attended the school was "found to be unlawful" and represented "unjustified indirect discrimination".
This was contrary to the Race Relations NI Order.
She says her department can issue guidance to schools on admissions criteria that the schools must by law have regard to.
The minister says the latest guidance advises that schools should not use "any familial criteria beyond sibling currently attending the school".
Here are five key points raised during Question Time with the economy minister:
The economy minister’s been on his feet for 30 minutes, but his stint at Question Time isn’t over just yet.
Gordon Lyons has 15 more minutes, this time tackling topical questions.
These relate to issues which fall under his remit but which haven’t been touched upon yet.
Clare Bailey of the Green Party asks if the minister can ensure “no farmland will be oven over to the fracking industry”.
Mr Lyons responds that he will be raising these issues with the executive for an agreed way forward.
Image source, NI AssemblyDUP MLA Pam Cameron asks for an update on the Holiday at Home scheme.
“Unfortunately now the holiday at home scheme is not proceeding,” says Minister Lyons.
He says “I had brought this to my department, they were considering the business case for the scheme but were unable to confirm it offered value for money.”
“Because I believed it would give that much needed boost to and combine private and public sector money that it would have been worth considering so I therefore issued a ministerial direction to my departmental accounting officer and that required it to be taken to the executive or to the finance minister.
“Unfortunately the executive was not willing to approve the scheme and neither was the department for finance.”
Image source, NI AssemblyRoy Beggs of the UUP asks the economy minister that in “high risk venues” that Covid certificates or proof of a negative lateral flow test “reduces the likelihood of the spread of Covid and ultimate pressure on our hospitals”.
Gordon Lyons responds that “no evidence was provided to us how the covid vaccine certification would actually help reduce the transmission of the virus”.
He adds that a “negative lateral flow test potentially could have some use because they’re able to tell you about the immediate status” but he says he is concerned as “they are self-certifying”.
“The evidence I have seen from Oxford and from the Lancet shows that a vaccinated person and an unvaccinated person are just as likely to transmit the virus as anybody else, therefore I don’t think there is the strong evidence there that we would need in order to say that vaccine passports are going to significantly, or in any way, reduce the transmission of Covid-19.”
Image source, NI AssemblySDLP MLA Matthew O’Toole asks the minister if he “authorised someone to leak a letter to the BBC two days after the Omicron variant was first established on Friday 26 November” in which the minister outlined his opposition to Covid certificates.
“There have been many, many leaks across many, many months within the executive and I am not sure who is responsible for those leaks,” responds Mr Lyons.
The economy minister adds that “I was very open and upfront with executive colleagues and also publicly about my position and I don’t need to hide behind anybody else in leaking something”.
Image source, NI AssemblyAlliance MLA Paula Bradshaw asks the economy minister for an update on the £100 pre-paid High Street Voucher Scheme.
She says some of her constituents still have not received their card.
“There are a lot of people relying on this £100, not least those who lost their job during the pandemic,” she adds.
Gordon Lyons responds that “I‘m pleased another 4,500 cards are being sent out today” with a “next-day delivery service” now being adopted.
“It’s in everybody’s interest that they get their card and it’s in everybody’s interest that they spend all thats on it,” he adds.
Image source, NI AssemblySinn Féin’s Liz Kimmins says she’s been dealing with “scores and scores of people who haven’t received their card”.
What about those who applied for the card but haven’t used or activated it?
“We don’t have a list of the number of potential people who could have applied,” the minister responds.
He adds that around 1.4m people applied to the scheme with 1,399,877 people having had their card sent to them and 1,350,436 have activated their card.
“Last week on average there was £17 left on a card” says Mr Lyons, adding that this week it’s currently down to £11.
Image source, NI AssemblyWhat’s the economy minister’s assessment of the impact on businesses of the proposed removal of the red diesel rebate in April 2022.
That’s the question from William Irwin of the DUP.
“This change to the red diesel rebate is being progressed by HM Treasury and is not a taxation issue which is within the scope of devolution,” responds Gordon Lyons.
He says he is aware of the impact it will have on the construction sector and “will most likely be passed to consumers”.
Image source, NI AssemblyMike Nesbitt of the UUP says “power stations have reserves of red diesel in case of emergency”.
Has the minister secured an exemption for these?
“The finance bill will require NI electricity generators to replace the rebated fuel with white diesel prior to the 1 April 2022,” responds Mr Lyons.
He explains that “there has been no exemption for NI secured at this point”.