That's all from us today.

We're going to leave the MLAs to their deliberations.

If you want to watch the onshore fracking debate you can do so on the assembly website, external.

We'll be back with more live coverage of the Northern Ireland Assembly tomorrow morning.

In the meantime, we're giving the final word from the House on the Hill to five-year-old Dáithí MacGabhann.

It's been a big day for him as the Organ and Tissue Donation (Deemed Consent) Bill - soon to be known as Dáithí's Law - passed its final hurdle at the assembly.

He and his family have campaigned for the law change as he needs a heart transplant.

Shortly after MLAs concluded their final vote on the legislation - Dáithí spoke to reporters with a very clear message: "Organ donation saves lives."

Image source, NI Assembly

Ciara Ferguson of Sinn Féin winds on the proposed amendments to the Welfare Supplementary Payments Bill debate.

“What people are going through at the minute, with the cost of living crisis and energy crisis, this is about keeping money in people’s pockets so they can feed their families” says the Foyle representative.

Deputy Speaker Patsy McGlone directs MLAs to vote on the amendments.

Amendment 1 passes on oral vote. Amendment 2 isn't called as it's mutually exclusive to Amendment 1. The same goes for Amendments 3, 4 and 8.

MLAs vote in favour of Clause 1 as amended stand part of the bill, as with Clause 2.

Sinn Féin's Amendment 5 is also passed on oral vote.

Amendment 6 isn't moved by the Alliance Party.

The last of the amendments - No. 7 is also passed.

Clause 3 is also agreed to stand part of the bill.

Image source, NI Assembly

Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey replies to the debate.

"I didn't want an end date from the very start," she says.

She says she's hopeful that by the end of the debate the MLAs will be in a position where "we do avoid those cliff edges".

Image source, NI Assembly

Andy Allen of the UUP says there’s a need to change “how we deliver housing” in Northern Ireland.

He calls for the construction of sustainable communities.

The East Belfast MLA says his party will support amendment 1, 5 and 7 as proposed to the Welfare Supplementary Payments Bill due to “the uncertainty around these institutions”.

“Mitigations will need to be in place for decades, that is the reality, that is the fundamental reality,” he adds.

Image source, NI Assembly

Alliance MLA Kellie Armstrong says she’s proposed the “key amendment” No. 2.

She explains that if passed, it would enable the department “to review welfare mitigation and provide a report in advance of the next, hopefully, three-year budget”.

"This (Welfare Supplementary Payments) Bill is something that has been precious to me," says Communities Committee chair Paula Bradley.

She says she was a single parent and knew what it was like to struggle financially.

Ms Bradley says she knows about "the cliff edge".

"We don't want to put those people in jeopardy," she adds.

Ms Bradley says her party, the DUP, wanted an end date to the mitigations.

"We're not going to divide the House on this today," she adds.

Image source, NI Assembly

The SDLP's Mark Durkan says he recognises the urgency of the matter being debated.

He speaks of "the incalculable harm, the increased household poverty and financial impact that not extending mitigation payments would undoubtedly bring".

Image source, NI Assembly

MLAs now turn to the Welfare Supplementary Payments (Amendments) Bill consideration stage.

There is one group of proposed amendments to discuss.

You can read these here. , external

Ciara Ferguson of Sinn Féin opens the debate.

She and her party colleagues have proposed Amendment 1, which seeks to “remove end date” for specific payments.

The bill as drafted includes an end date of March 2025.

“Do we honestly feel families need to continue and worry about this bedroom tax?” asks Ms Ferguson.

“I don’t think it is right or necessary to create another cliff-edge scenario.”

Image source, NI Assembly

It's up to the education minister now to conclude the debate.

Michelle McIlveen notes that the Education Committee chair Chris Lyttle and others have spoken of "the narrow nature of the bill".

She says she hopes those speakers are not "undermining the significance of this bill".

The DUP minister insists that the legislation will make "an incredible difference for so many young people".

The bill passes its second stage on an oral vote.

Image source, NI Assembly

“It’s unfortunate so many families and children have had to go through the unnecessary stress and anguish as a result of a failure to implement a very common-sense policy,” says Rachel Woods.

The Green Party MLA adds that she welcomes the School Age Bill but raises concerns about the length of time it’s taken to bring legislation forward to enable primary school entry deferral for children.

“Will the option be there for families to defer when it comes to this September intake?” she asks the minister.

“It is my intention that this will be available to parents wishing to defer their children from this year,” responds Michelle McIlveen. “I didn’t want to miss another cohort.”

Image source, Ni Assembly

Ulster Unionist Rosemary Barton is a former schoolteacher.

She says it's very important that "a young person whose parents consider them not at the developmental stage to start school have an option to defer".

Ms Barton says this has been emphasised by educational research.

She makes a plea for the consideration of a flexible school starting age for children with special educational needs.

Image source, NI Assembly

Diane Dodds, a former teacher and member of the Education Committee, says “NI is unusual in the four nations of the UK” as it has “no flexibility for those children who are due to start school”.

“This (School Age) Bill will bring welcome changes to the law,” adds the DUP representative.

Image source, NI Assembly

“The compulsory school starting age in the north is one of the earliest in Europe,” says SDLP MLA Daniel McCrossan.

He adds that 90% of respondents to a consolation on the bill said deferral should be available upon parental request.

Image source, NI Assembly

Education Committee chair Chris Lyttle says its members have supported the idea of a flexible school starting age for a number of years

"There is a real urgent need for families to be able to access this flexibility," Alliance MLA says.

Pat Sheehan of Sinn Féin says the bill is "an important step forward" although it doesn't go as far as most of the committee members would have liked.

MLAs stick with the School Age Bill for their next item of business.

They’ve granted accelerated passage, so it’s now time for the second stage debate.

This is where politicians can share their thoughts and views on the main principles in the legislation.

“Currently children who turn four, on or before 1 July start primary school at beginning of September that year,” says Michelle McIlveen when opening the debate.

The education minister adds: “Children turning four between 2 July and 31 August will not start primary school until the following year when they are five years old.

“This means children born in April, May and June are the youngest in the school class.

“Those children are sometimes known as ‘young for year children’.”

Image source, Getty

DUP Minster McIlveen says the bill would see children able to defer primary school entry “for children born 1 April and 1 July who are currently the youngest in the school year”.

This would be applicable upon parent request, she explains.

“Children who defer entry to primary schools will continue to receive 12 years of compulsory education like all other children,” says Ms McIlveen.

“This means children who defer will not leave education at the end of year 11.”

Image source, NI Assembly

Next on the agenda is a motion calling for accelerated passage for the School Age Bill.

The Education Minister, Michelle McIlveen, opens the debate.

She says she does not take the accelerated passage procedure lightly.

Ms McIlveen says that her department was unable to undertake a full review of this policy area until summer 2021 due to the Covid pandemic.

She adds that "without accelerated passage it would quite simply not be possible to effect legislative change on school starting age within the current mandate".

The minister outlines the proposals and says there is widespread political and societal support for the bill.

The Alliance Party's Chris Lyttle chairs the Education Committee.

He thanks the minister for allowing the committee to "see this modest reform today".

The call for accelerated passage passes without opposition.

John Campbell
BBC News NI Economics and Business Editor

Image source, Reuters

New official figures suggest that exports from Northern Ireland to the Republic of Ireland were worth almost £5bn in the first 10 months of 2021.

The figures are published by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (Nisra) and are based on HMRC data.

HMRC already produces quarterly data for NI and other regions but the new figures are not directly comparable.

The new figures only cover international trade, not transactions with other parts of the UK.

Read more here.

Deirdre Hargey, the Communities Minister, remains in the chamber for the next item of business.

It’s a final stage debate on the Charities Bill.

She says it’s “necessary to restore public confidence and trust” in the system, adding that she believe this legislation achieves this.

The Sinn Féin minister says the bill underwent a “comprehensive scrutiny process” to reach this stage.

Paula Bradley chairs the Communities Committee and says she welcomes the bill and the “certainty that it will bring to the Charity Commission and sector in NI”.

The minister winds-up the brief discussion before the bill is put to one final oral vote.

It passes without dissent.

Image source, NI Assembly

Next on the agenda is a debate on the draft Welfare Supplementary Payments (Amendment) Regulations.

It's brought to the assembly by the Minister for Communities, Deirdre Hargey.

She explains that the welfare mitigation schemes run by her department provide "financial support to people who have been affected by various welfare reforms including the benefit cap, the social sector size criteria, otherwise known as the bedroom tax".

The minister says the assembly recently voted for the mitigation schemes to be extended to 2025 and the only scheme that remains to be extended is for those affected by the bedroom tax.

The aim of today's debate is to close loopholes in the mitigation legislation, she adds.

Image source, NI Assembly

Robin Swann is called to wind the debate. The health minister responds to a number of points raised during the discussion and adds a few final comments of his own.

The Ulster Unionist thanks the former first minister Paul Givan for his “support and belief” in the Organ and Tissue Donation (Deemed Consent) Bill.

“We all know this is the right thing to do, this as many members have said is what this place is truly about, it’s about bringing forward legislation and delivering for the people of Northern Ireland,” says Mr Swann.

The bill is put to an oral vote in the House - 'Ayes' resonate across the chamber.

Alex Maskey, the Speaker, thanks all those who have campaigned on this matter.

"I think Daíthí has punched well above his weight to ensure this bill becomes law," he says - a statement which is met with applause from MLAs.

John Campbell
BBC News NI Economics and Business Editor

Image source, Getty Images

Northern Ireland could be facing a surge in the number of households in extreme poverty due to rising inflation, the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (Niesr) suggests.

It has used economic modelling to estimate how rising prices will have an impact on different parts of the UK.

It suggests all regions will see extreme poverty increase by more than 10% in the coming year, external.

In NI the increase is estimated at 67%.

Read more on this story here.

Image source, NI Assembly

Pat Catney pays tribute to those "who fought so tirelessly for the (Organ and Tissue Donation) Bill to reach its final stage".

"They have been so inspiring to us all here," the SDLP MLA says.

People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll joins the debate by video link.

"The act of giving an organ is one of the great acts of solidarity that people can engage in," he says.

Mr Carroll thanks all those people who have signed up to the organ register in the light of this campaign.

Image source, NI Assembly

Colm Gildernew of Sinn Féin chairs the Health Committee.

He outlines members’ scrutiny of the Organ and Tissue (Deemed Consent) Bill.

The Fermanagh and South Tyrone representative refers to Dáithí MacGabhann - a five-year-old who is awaiting a heart transplant - and says “this is your assembly today”.

Image source, NI Assembly

“The gift of life is the greatest gift you could give to anybody,” says DUP MLA Paul Givan.

The DUP MLA says “the first executive meeting I chaired as first minister, this was one of the items that came up”.

He adds that he spoke to various stakeholders, “but the call that I will always remember is the one that I had with Dáithí’s father”.

“I wanted to speak to him to get a sense of how important it was to him and I got that from him in that conversation,” says the former first minister.

Mr Givan says he later returned the call to let Mr MacGabhann know that the executive would be taking forward the bill, and says “I had to hold the phone away from my ears, such were the shouts of joy whenever that news was relayed to him”.