In what was the last week before Summer recess, we got a welcome glimpse of Stormont performing its legislative function with gusto. Four new Bills were introduced, a further nine debated, and the Budget Bill passed through its Final Stage.
However, the passing of the Budget Bill –or ‘fantasy budget’ as it has been described – is predicated on the assumption that the parties will be able to resolve their differences over welfare reform. Unless Sinn Féin can be persuaded to agree to implement welfare cuts, the Budget will unravel. Still, it buys some time for further discussions to take place, albeit in what could become an even more difficult situation, depending on what flows from the Westminster Budget on 8th July.
Three new MLAs have been co-opted by their parties to replace colleagues recently elected to Westminster. They include the SDLP’s Claire Hanna, replacing her party leader Dr Alasdair McDonnell as MLA for South Belfast. The two new UUP MLAs replacing Danny Kinahan and Tom Elliott respectively, are Adrian Cochrane-Watson, and Neil Somerville. Meanwhile, DUP veteran Jimmy Spratt announced he will be standing down from the Assembly on health grounds.
This week in the Assembly also saw Sammy Wilson MLA facing a motion of censure. The Committee on Standards and Privilege found him to have breached the Assembly code of conduct over failing to apologise for calling Jim Allister MLA ‘a thug’ during a heated Social Development committee hearing. In a classic example of party partisanship, the motion failed to pass after the DUP triggered a ‘petition of concern’.
While the Assembly may not be sitting again until September, the Summer months offer a welcome opportunity to take stock, and plan ahead for next May’s Assembly elections. We at Stratagem will be using the space to consider how we best support our clients achieve their objectives, navigating the often choppy waters that is so characteristic of Northern Ireland politics.
Looking forward, Stormont’s credibility is on the line. Let’s hope the 2015/16 session will be more about bills than brinkmanship. This week demonstrated what can be achieved when the parties get down to working collectively for the public good.