wh0072111.8-14

House of Commons

Session 2006 - 07
Internet Publications
Other Bills before Parliament

Committee of the whole House Proceedings: 21st November 2006
8

Northern Ireland (St Andrews Agreement) Bill, continued

Clause Agreed to.

Mark Durkan

Dr Alasdair McDonnell

Mr Eddie McGrady

Not called  60

Clause  25,  page  19,  line  36,  at end insert—

‘“the 1983 Act” means the Representation of the People Act 1983 (c. 2);’.

Clause Agreed to.

Mark Durkan

Dr Alasdair McDonnell

Mr Eddie McGrady

Not called  61

Clause  26,  page  20,  line  8,  at end insert—

‘(c)
Sections (Restoration to electoral register for purposes of the poll under

section 3 of names previously removed), (Temporary modifications of

section 10A of Representation of the People Act 1983) and (Duration of

sections (Restoration to electoral register for purposes of the poll under

section 3 of names previously removed) and (Temporary modifications of

section 10A of Representation of the People Act 1983)).’.

Clause Agreed to.

The Reverend Ian Paisley

Mr Peter Robinson

Not called  46

Clause  27,  page  20,  line  24,  after ‘2007’, insert ‘, or such later date as may be

specified in an order made by the Secretary of State’.

Clause Agreed to.

Clause 28 Agreed to.

Committee of the whole House Proceedings: 21st November 2006
9

Northern Ireland (St Andrews Agreement) Bill, continued

New clauses

Cross-community support

Lembit Öpik

Mr Alan Reid

Not called  NC1

To move the following Clause:—

‘(1)
The 1998 Act is amended as follows.

(2)
In subsection (5) of section 4, for all the words after “matter” there is substituted

“means two-thirds of those Assembly members present and voting”.’.

Strategy relating to a standard approach to equality

Lembit Öpik

Mr Alan Reid

Not called  NC2

To move the following Clause:—

‘After section 28E of the 1998 Act (inserted by section 16 of this Act) there is

inserted—

“28F
Strategy relating to a standard approach to equality

(1)
The Executive Committee shall adopt a strategy setting out how it proposes to

ensure that there is a standard and harmonised approach to eq uality matters

across all departments.

(2)
The Executive Committee—

(a)
must keep under review the strategy; and

(b)
may from time to time adopt a new strategy or revise the strategy.”.’.

Strategy relating to a shared future

Lembit Öpik

Mr Alan Reid

Not called  NC3

To move the following Clause:—

‘After section 28E of the 1998 Act (inserted by section 16 of this Act) there is

inserted—

“28F
Strategy relating to a shared future

(1)
The Executive Committee shall adopt a strategy setting out how it proposes to

further develop the present policies and practices for promoting the shared future

agenda.

Committee of the whole House Proceedings: 21st November 2006
10

Northern Ireland (St Andrews Agreement) Bill, continued

(2)
The Executive Committee—

(a)
must keep under review the strategy; and

(b)
may from time to time adopt a new strategy or revise the strategy.”.’.

Transfer of pupils from primary to secondary education

Lembit Öpik

Mr Alan Reid

Not called  NC4

To move the following Clause:—

‘After section 28E of the 1998 Act (inserted by section 16 of this Act) there is

inserted—

“28F
Transfer of pupils from primary to secondary education

(1)
The Executive Committee shall adopt a policy framework setting out standard

procedures for pupils transferring from primary schools to secondary schools.

(2)
The Executive Committee—

(a)
must keep under review the framework; and

(b)
may from time to time adopt a new framework or revise the

framework.”.’.

Abolition of discrimination in police recruitment

Lady Hermon

Not selected  nc5

To move the following Clause:—

‘(1)
In section 44 of the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000 subsections (5), (6) and

(7) are repealed.

(2)
Section 46 of the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000 is repealed.’.

Exclusion of Ministers from office

Mr David Lidington

Mr Laurence Robertson

Mr Mark Lancaster

Not called  nc6

To move the following Clause:—

‘In section 30 of the 1998 Act, after subsection 7 (d), insert—

Committee of the whole House Proceedings: 21st November 2006
11

Northern Ireland (St Andrews Agreement) Bill, continued

“(e)
is failing to comply fully with any of the terms of the pledge of

office.”.’.

District policing partnerships outside Belfast

Mr David Lidington

Mr Laurence Robertson

Mr Mark Lancaster

Not called  nc7

To move the following Clause:—

‘The Policing Board must, not later than 12 months from the passing of this Act,

initiate a review of the number and boundaries of the district policing partnerships

outside Belfast.’.

Repeal of section 16 of the Northern Ireland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2006

Mark Durkan

Dr Alasdair McDonnell

Mr Eddie McGrady

Not called  NC8

To move the following Clause:—

‘Section 16 of the Northern Ireland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2006 is

repealed.’.

Referendum on the St Andrews Agreement

Mark Durkan

Dr Alasdair McDonnell

Mr Eddie McGrady

Not called  NC9

To move the following Clause:—

‘A referendum on the St Andrews Agreement shall be held in Northern Ireland on

7 March 2007.’.

Committee of the whole House Proceedings: 21st November 2006
12

Northern Ireland (St Andrews Agreement) Bill, continued

Complaints and misconduct

Mark Durkan

Dr Alasdair McDonnell

Mr Eddie McGrady

Not selected  NC10

To move the following Clause:—

‘(1)
In the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 1998 (c. 32)—

(a)
after section 60 insert—

“60ZA
The Security Service

(1)
An agreement for the establishment in relation to members of the staff of

the Security Service of procedures corresponding or similar to any of

those established by virtue of this Part may, with the approval of the

Secretary of State, be made between the Ombudsman and the Security

Service.

(2)
Where no such procedures are in force in relation to the Security Service,

the Secretary of State may by order establish such procedures.

(3)
An agreement under this section may at any time be varied or terminated

with the approval of the Secretary of State.

(4)
Before making an order under this section the Secretary of State shall

consult—

(a)
the Ombudsman; and

(b)
the Security Service.

(5)
Nothing in any other statutory provision shall prevent the Security

Service from carrying into effect procedures established by virtue of this

section.

(6)
No such procedures shall have effect in relation to anything done by a

member of the staff of the Security Service outside Northern Ireland or

in relation to terrorism not connected to Northern Ireland.”; and

(b)
in section 61(5) (reports), at the end of paragraph (b) insert “; and

(c)
if the report concerns the Security Service, to the Security

Service.”.’.

Restoration to electoral register for purposes of the poll under section 3 of names

previously removed

Mark Durkan

Dr Alasdair McDonnell

Mr Eddie McGrady

Not called  nc11

To move the following Clause:—

‘(1)
Where—

Committee of the whole House Proceedings: 21st November 2006
13

Northern Ireland (St Andrews Agreement) Bill, continued

(a)
on 15th October 2006 a person (“the former elector”) was for the time

being registered in the register in respect of any address in Northern

Ireland,

(b)
on the conclusion of the canvass conducted in Northern Ireland under

section 10 of the 1983 Act (maintenance of registers: duty to conduct

canvass) by reference to residence on that day, the name of the former

elector was removed from the register in respect of that address—

(i)
by virtue of section 10A(5)(a) of that Act, merely because the

form mentioned in section 10(4) of that Act was not returned in

respect of that address, or

(ii)
by virtue of section 10A(5A) of that Act, and

(c)
the Chief Electoral Officer has no information which suggests that the

former elector has ceased to be resident at that adress or has otherwise

ceased to satisfy the conditions for registration set out in section 4 of the

1983 Act,


the Chief Electoral Officer may enter the name of the former elector in the register

in respect of that address.

(2)
The power conferred by subsection (1) may only be exercised before the date of

the poll referred to in section 3 and shall have effect for the purposes of that poll.

(3)
Nothing in section 13A of the 1983 Act (alteration of registers) applies in relation

to an alteration taking effect under this section.

(4)
Where by virtue of subsection (1) the Chief Electoral Officer enters the name of

a person in the register in respect of any address—

(a)
the information supplied by that person pursuant to section 10(4A),

10A(1A) or 13A(2A) of the 1983 Act in connection with his previous

registration is to be taken also to have been supplied by him in connection

with his registration by virtue of this section, and

(b)
any request duly made by that person in connection with his previous

registration to be excluded from the version of the register published

under regulation 88 of the Representation of the People (Northern

Ireland) Regulations 2001 (S.I. 2001/400) (edited version of register) is

to be taken also to have been made by him in connection with his

registration by virtue of this section.

(5)
In this section—

“the Chief Electoral Officer” means the Chief Electoral Officer for Northern

Ireland;

“the register” means—

(a)
the register of parliamentary electors maintained by the Chief Electoral

Officer under section 9 of the 1983 Act, or

(b)
the register of local electors maintained by him under that section as

applied by Schedule 1 to the Elected Authorities (Northern Ireland) Act

1989 (c. 3).’.

Committee of the whole House Proceedings: 21st November 2006
14

Northern Ireland (St Andrews Agreement) Bill, continued

Temporary modifications of section 10A of Representation of the People Act 1983

Mark Durkan

Dr Alasdair McDonnell

Mr Eddie McGrady

Not called  nc12

To move the following Clause:—

‘(1)
So long as this section remains in force, section 10A of the 1983 Act

(maintainance of the registers: register of electors) is modified as follows.

(2)
At the beginning of subsection (5A) insert “Subject to subsection (7B),”.

(3)
For subsection (7) substitute—

“(7)
Subsection (6) has effect subject to subsection (7B), and does not apply

if, or to the extent that, regulations so provide in relation to any

prescribed circumstances.”.

(4)
After subsection (7) insert—

“(7A)
Subsection (7B) applies in the case of a person who is registered in the

register in respect of any address, other than a person who is registered

by virtue of section [Restoration to electoral register for purposes of the

poll under section 3 of names previously removed] of the Northern

Ireland (St Andrews Agreement) Act or a person whose entry is retained

in the register by virtue of the previous application of subsection (7B),

where on conclusion of a canvass under section 10—

(a)
the Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland is unable to

satisfy himself that the person was, on the 15th October in

question, resident at that address because—

(i)
the form mentioned in section 10(4) was not returned in

respect of that address, or

(ii)
for any other reason, insufficient information was

obtained as to whether that person was resident at that

address on that date, or

(b)
the circumstances fall within paragraph (a) or (b) of subsection

(5A).

(7B)
If the Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland has no information

which suggests that the person concerned is no longer resident at the

address on the 15th October in question, subsections (5)(a) and (5A) do

not prevent the Chief Electoral Officer from retaining the entry of that

person in the register until the publication of a revised version of the

register under section 13(1) in the year next following that in which the

canvass referred to in subsection (7A) was conducted.”.

(5)
In subsection (8), for “subsection (5), (5A) or (6)” substitute “subsections (5) to

(7B)”.’.

Duration of sections (Restoration to electoral register for purposes of the poll under

section 3 of names previously removed) and (Temporary modifications of section 10A of