Executive requests that Assembly limits sitting time amid pandemic

Deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill said it was important that Assembly members stayed at home where possible.

Ms O’Neill said the Executive has written to Speaker Alex Maskey asking that business be limited to essential items, such as consideration of coronavirus regulations.

“Obviously in previous waves we would have scaled back Assembly business,” said the Deputy First Minister.

“In all these things we have to legislate, so we have to do our job, but where possible we’re encouraging MLAs to stay home and only those that are necessary need to be there.

“We as an Executive have actually written to the Speaker and asked for that to be looked at and we expect that the position in terms of what we do in the Assembly will change after next week whenever there’s a further discussion.

“So I think there will be attempts to try to limit the business to the necessary business that we need to do, particularly around regulations and everything else that’s moving.

“But there shouldn’t be any non-essential business moved, we won’t be bringing people together unnecessarily.”

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