Plenary, 02 Nov 2000

Meeting date: Thursday, November 2, 2000

Official Report 699KB pdf

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Points of Order

On a point of order, Presiding Officer.

I have a point of order of my own. I want to clarify a point that I made this morning.

A number of points of order were raised at the beginning of this morning's proceedings, and I indicated my intention to do what I could to discourage the advance release to the press of the details of ministerial statements or announcements. In the course of those exchanges, a point was made by Hugh Henry on the pre-release of statements to non-Executive parties. Unfortunately, I misheard the point that he was making and I interpreted it as a question about the advance release to the press of non-Executive party announcements.

Having checked the draft of the Official Report, I now appreciate that Hugh Henry was raising the question of the advance release of ministerial statements to the non-Executive parties. I want to make it quite clear that that is a matter for agreement between the Executive and the non-Executive parties—it is not a matter for the Presiding Officer.

On a point of order. The First Minister has indicated today that there will be some sort of event or press conference to launch decisions that are based on the Deloitte & Touche report. As the commissioning of the Deloitte & Touche report was announced to the chamber on 6 September, it is essential that the chamber hears about that report first. It would be exceptional if a study of this importance—which was announced to the chamber in a ministerial statement—were released elsewhere before the chamber had had a chance to respond to it. I ask you to think about that carefully, Presiding Officer. The act of announcing the report to the chamber in a special ministerial statement surely implies that the chamber must be involved when that urgent report returns.

I will reflect on that. However, I think that—if I am correct—that is an internal report to the Executive, which the Executive has commissioned. Is that correct, Mr McConnell?

Yes. Arrangements have been made for the committee conveners to receive copies of the Deloitte & Touche report in confidence this evening and for all members of the two committees who are involved to receive copies of the report tomorrow morning, before the press conference takes place.

Thank you, Mr McConnell.

I am afraid that that answer does not deal with the point of order, which concerns the right to ask questions on that report. I ask you to reflect on that, Presiding Officer.

You have asked me to reflect on that and I shall do so. However, I think that there will be later opportunities to ask questions.