AQO 1337/17-22 Oral question to the First Minister and deputy First Minister
To ask the First Minister and deputy First Minister what discussions they have had with Executive colleagues in order to bring forward reform of the petition of concern.
Asked by Kellie Armstrong MLA on 3 December 2020
- Answered
- Oral
- Answered in the Chamber
- Tabled
- 3 December 2020
- Answer due by
- 14 December 2020
- Answered
- 14 December 202011 days after tabling
- Department
- The Executive Office
- Priority question
- No
Answer
Answered in the Assembly Chamber on 14 December 2020. Extract from the Official Report (Hansard), including any supplementary questions:
Mrs Foster
The Member will be aware that the petition of concern is not a devolved matter. Provisions to effect the changes to its operation, as set out in New Decade, New Approach, will therefore be included in the Westminster Bill to be brought forward by the Secretary of State. The consequential amendments to Standing Orders will be for the Assembly to make thereafter.
Ms Armstrong
I thank the First Minister very much for her answer. In the run-up to the centenary of Northern Ireland, does she believe that it is time to change the designations so that people, like myself and others, who are designated as "others", will have an equal voice in the House?
Mrs Foster
I say to the Member that, if we want to reopen all of the Belfast Agreement again, we can do that, and we can revisit all of the very difficult areas. We cannot deal with some of the issues that have already passed, such as the release of terrorist prisoners and the so-called reform of the RUC — I would call it the destruction of the RUC. There were a lot of things in the Belfast Agreement that were certainly not to my liking, and the Member knows that that comes from the Belfast Agreement, and if she wants to raise it in any talks process, we will listen to the arguments that are made.
Mr Butler
Can the Minister outline when the ministerial code of conduct will be brought before the Chamber?
Mrs Foster
As I understand it, that is a matter for the Department of Finance.
Ms Flynn
Does the Minister agree that the petition of concern should be used only for the very precise purpose for which it was intended, as a cross-community safeguard?
Mrs Foster
That is somewhat rewriting the Belfast Agreement, because there is no explanation in it of when the petition of concern should be used. However, others are adding things into the Belfast Agreement all of the time, and that is a matter for them. At the time of the Belfast Agreement, I did warn — if you want to, you can look at it — that the constructive ambiguity would be used in a way that was not foreseen at that time, and that has proven to be the case.
Mr Speaker
That ends the period for listed questions. I call Justin McNulty to ask the first question in 15 minutes of topical questions.