Sam McBride: Five things we learned at the Stormont Assembly this week (but you probably missed)

1: Foster and O’Neill can still draw a crowd

Last Tuesday’s televised statement by the first and deputy first ministers, which followed that of Boris Johnson, attracted 230,000 viewers on BBC One NI alone, Arlene Foster told the Assembly. A broadcasting source said that UTV’s broadcast of the same statement drew 97,000 viewers.

For all the talk of understandable public weariness with the pandemic, that is an exceptional audience (the BBC say the statement and subsequent in-studio analysis had its highest audience for a local programme this year), but it was also shown on multiple other online platforms, meaning that its reach was huge – although, unlike Mr Johnson who was announcing new restrictions in England, Stormont’s leaders used the occasion to reinforce existing rules, rather than to set out new rules.

2: Foster still isn’t great with detail

On Tuesday morning, the First Minister stood up to make a significant announcement about new coronavirus regulations which will introduce an early closing time for pubs.

I was intrigued that she began her prepared speech by saying that she was making a statement “in compliance with Section 52C(2) of the Northern Ireland Act 1998”. Not recognising that phrase as a common preamble to such speeches, I looked up the legislation to find that the section of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 which Arlene Foster cited relates to updating the Assembly on meetings of the North-South Ministerial Council or the British-Irish Council.

When asked why Mrs Foster had cited that legislation, The Executive Office told me: “This was an inadvertent drafting error and does not affect the content of the statement.”

Everyone makes errors, and – unlike failing to read her RHI regulations – no great harm follows this mistake. But despite the resources available to the First Minister – teams of civil servants, special advisers, and party officials – this emphasises how someone who once boasted of her attention to detail is consistently poor in this area.


3: SF backs Brexit law

Sinn Féin communities minister Caral Ni Chuilin proposed to MLAs that they pass a Legislative Consent Motion – whereby the Assembly formally agrees for Westminster to legislate on its behalf – for a social security provision in the Immigration and Social Security Co-ordination (EU Withdrawal) Bill.

Ms Ni Chuilin said the bill will “end the EU’s rules on free movement”, meaning that “EEA nationals not resident in Britain at the end of the transition period, and their family members, will require permission to enter and remain in Britain”. Although those are Westminster responsibilities, she said there will be a knock-on impact on Stormont’s social security responsibilities which meant it had to pass the motion to ensure benefits could be paid after a no-deal Brexit.

Hardline unionist and enthusiastic Brexiteer Jim Allister took delight in pointing out the “luxurious irony” of Sinn Fein proposing to support Brexit legislation.

As with the DUP’s recent acquiescence in building the new Irish Sea trade border which it hates, this emphasises how Stormont’s top two parties are now deeply pragmatic and for all their rhetoric they do not adopt the sort of obstructionist stances which would have been the case for the DUP and Sinn Féin decades ago.


4: Stormont struggling to reach the young

More than six months into the pandemic, Arlene Foster told MLAs that the Executive has been concerned over recent weeks about its ability to get its message to young people.

In an attempt to reach that audience, a new digital campaign is targeting that demographic. She said that Stormont is working in partnership with music station Cool FM and using “something called Mobsta” about which the first minister admitted she knew little other than that it could target 16-25-year-olds based on their location.


5: Speaker can’t spot a question

During questions to The Executive Office on Monday, DUP MLA Jonathan Buckley expressed anger at Sinn Féin MLA Gerry Kelly, who had asked a previous question, and asked junior minister Declan Kearney to “recognise the crass hypocrisy involved in Mr Kelly’s question and indeed his response” because of Mr Kelly’s continued expression of pride in a prison escape in which a prison officer was murdered.

Unusually, Mr Kearney refused to answer, simply remaining seated, and after a few seconds another MLA was called to ask a question.

However, Hansard – the official report of what is said in the chamber – has recorded that Speaker Alex Maskey said after Mr Buckley’s question: “As you did not put a question to the junior Minister, we will move on to Justin McNulty.”

That was not audible to viewers of the Assembly at the time, and is still not audible on the recorded video of proceedings. However, when asked about the discrepancy, the Assembly said that the Speaker “did say what he is reported to have said and his words were recorded through the ambient microphones” – but these microphones are not used for the Assembly TV audio.

There remains another problem: The Speaker claimed that Mr Buckley did not ask a question when in fact he asked two questions.

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