LB108 A02

Add before Section 8:

Section 8: Standing Orders

(1) This section shall be amended to the Northern Ireland Assembly Act as follows:-

(a) The Assembly may introduce Standing Orders to the house.

(i) The purpose of these shall be to dictate the procedures of the Assembly.

(b) Standing Orders must be passed by the Assembly with a simple majority and cross-community support.

(c) Standing Orders may only concern certain aspects of the Assembly’s functioning as follows:-

(i) Lengths of readings and votes

(ii) Daily schedule

(iii) Election or appointment of Speakers and Deputy Speakers

(iv) Votes of No Confidence in Speakers and Deputy Speakers

(v) Voting procedures

(vi) Languages in use, and when they may or may not be used

(vii) Nomination of the First Minister and deputy First Ministers

(viii) Regulations of debates

(ix) Amendments procedure

(x) Petition of Concern

(xi) Suspension or modification of Standing Orders

(xii) Anything else at the discretion of the Speaker of the Assembly

(d) Provisional Standing Orders may be put to the Assembly in the forms of bills. (i) Standing Order bills shall follow the usual bill procedure.

(ii) Unless otherwise specified in the bill, the Standing Order shall be in effect permanently.

(e) Standing Orders may also be put to the Assembly by the Speaker of the Assembly in the forms of bills. (f) Standing Orders may be suspended by a motion in the Assembly passed with a simple majority and cross-community support.

(i) The duration of the suspension shall be laid out in the motion.

(g) Standing Orders may be modified by a bill in the Assembly passed with a simple majority and cross-community support.

(i) Modification bills shall follow the usual bill procedure.

(h) If there is a discrepancy between this Act and a Standing Order, this Act shall take precedence.

(i) Violation of the Standing Orders by the Speaker of the Assembly or a Deputy Speaker shall be grounds for a Vote of No Confidence.

Renumber the existing Section 8 to Section 9.

This amendment was submitted by the Rt Hon. Baron of Glastonbury.

This division will end on 18 June 2017 at 20:25 GMT.

Division! Clear the bar.