Stormont countdown: The bills passing through Assembly as clock ticks to election

• By James McNaney

Time is ticking in the Northern Ireland Assembly with a number of bills in progress ahead of a deadline of the end of March before a scheduled May 5 election.

Speaker Alex Maskey has said the business should be completed if all goes through smoothly, however extra sessions are taking place to ensure things get done in time.

This week new laws on parental bereavement leave and opt-out organ donation were passed.

Here we look at the bills progressing through the Assembly:

Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Bill - Royal Assent Received A Bill to make provision about leave and pay for employees whose children have died. Ensures two weeks statutory paid leave for bereaved parents.

Organ and Tissue Donation - Awaiting Royal Assent A bill to move NI to an “opt-out” organ donation system, whereby all citizens are considered to have agreed to donate their organs unless otherwise stated.

Financial Reporting (Departments and Public Bodies) Bill - Awaiting Royal Assent A bill to reform how certain government financial records are recorded and reported. According to the minister of Finance Conor Murphy, it will also allow for a review of public finances to be implemented in the 2022-23 financial year.

Non-domestic Rates Valuations (Coronavirus) Bill - Awaiting Royal Assent A bill to amend how certain assets are evaluated by government when determining their annual value.

Animal Welfare (Service Animals) Bill - Awaiting Royal Assent A law to provide service animals in NI with enhanced welfare protections while on active duty. Social Security (Terminal Illness) Bill - Awaiting Royal Assent A bill to fast-track forms of government assistance and benefit to those individuals with terminal illnesses. Protection from Stalking Bill - Final Stage A bill to provide more stringent laws against stalking. It creates “a specific offence of stalking” and redefines what constitutes stalking, both in-person and online.

Charities Bill - Final Stage This updates the regulations surrounding charities. Among other issues, it clarifies the powers and role of the charity commission. Severe Fetal Impairment Abortion (Amendment) Bill - Further Consideration Stage A bill to remove the ground for abortion in cases of severe fetal impairment. Climate Change No. 2 Bill - Further Consideration Stage A departmental bill to tackle climate change in Northern Ireland. It commits NI to reduce emissions by 100% for the year 2050. NI is the only part of the UK currently without its own specific climate change legislation. Assembly Members (Remuneration Board) Bill - Further Consideration Stage A Bill to change the Independent Financial Review Panel, which determines the pay of MLAs. Changes include the name of the panel and how vacancies can be filled on it.

Integrated Education Bill - Further Consideration Stage A bill to make provision for integrated education. It has been the subject of intense debate between parties as to whether integrated education should be promoted by government or simply accommodate by it.

Justice (Sexual Offences and Trafficking Victims) Bill - Further Consideration Stage A bill to strengthen existing laws on sexual offences and to introduce several new offences. Includes new laws against upskirting and forms of child sexual exploitation. Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Bill - Consideration Stage A Bill to require the Department of Health to establish safe access zones around buildings that offer sexual and reproductive health services and to make it a criminal offence to harass people in any safe access zone. Defamation Bill - Consideration Stage A bill to amend the law of defamation. Northern Ireland did not update its defamation law in line with England and Wales in 2013, or Scotland in 2021. Currently subject to debate between executive parties as to whether the law should favour claimants or defendants in defamation cases. Period Products (Free Provision) Bill - Consideration Stage A bill to provide period products, free of charge, in schools and public buildings.

Climate Change Bill - Consideration Stage A Private Members Bill that commits NI to achieve net-zero emissions by 2045, as well as to establish a legal framework to ensure that cuts in emissions are made. This is similar to the departments bill and attempts have been made to try and align the two. Education (Curriculum) (CPR and AED) Bill - Consideration Stage

A Bill to require CPR training and automatic external defibrillator (AED) awareness to be on the curriculum for pupils at key stage 3. Private Tenancies Bill - Consideration Stage

A bill to strengthen the rights of tenants in private rented accommodations across various areas, including limiting rent rises to once per year. Betting, Gaming, Lotteries and Amusements (Amendment) Bill - Consideration Stage A bill to reform gambling regulation in Northern Ireland. Liberalises some areas of gambling regulation, such as allowing high street betting shops and bingo halls to open on Sundays and Bank Holidays, while also bringing in some more protections and aid to individuals with gambling problems. Adoption and Children Bill - Consideration Stage A bill to update and reform adoption law in NI. It aims to “cut unnecessary delays and uncertainty for children and improve support mechanisms for everyone involved in adoption." Welfare Supplementary Payments (Amendment) Bill - Consideration Stage A bill to mitigate the impact of the so-called “bedroom tax” on people claiming government benefits.

Autism (Amendment) Bill - Consideration Stage A Bill to amend the Autism Act 2011. Aims to provide more support for people, and the families of people, living with Autism. Would develop how services are delivered, and attempt to strengthen the provision of services across the different regions of Northern Ireland. Small-Scale Green Energy Bill - Consideration Stage A Bill to make provision for the establishment of a scheme to promote the micro-generation of renewable electricity. Will incentivise the generation of electricity through these sources through placing a minimum tariff for major suppliers, as well as obliging such suppliers to generate 5% of their electricity in this way. Support for Mortgage Interest etc (Security for Loans) Bill - Committee Stage A bill to reform some aspects of mortgage loans in Northern Ireland. Hospital Parking Charges Bill - Committee Stage A bill to remove car parking charges from all hospitals run by the Health and Social Care Service.

Domestic Abuse (Safe Leave) Bill - Committee Stage A bill to provide for 10 days of paid leave for victims of domestic abuse. Employment (Zero Hours Workers and Banded Weekly Working Hours) Bill - Committee Stage A bill to change the legal rights for those working on zero-hours contracts. Would entitle certain zero-hours workers to banded hours contracts, as well as providing compensation for workers who are promised certain hours of work but then denied them later. Onshore Fracking (Prohibition) Bill - Second Stage A bill to, “outlaw the exploration and extraction of petroleum by fracking” in Northern Ireland. School Age Bill - Second Stage A bill to allow children born after April 1 and before July 1 to defer the year they first enter schooling. Trade Union and Labour Relations (Ammendment) Bill - Second Stage A bill to reform the law around trade unions in Northern Ireland. It would legalise solidarity strikes, mandate more categories of employers to recognise unions and change the regulation surrounding negotiation and strike action. Fair Employment (School Teachers) Bill - Second Stage A bill to make it illegal for a school to use a teacher’s religious or political background to deny them employment. Motor Vehicles (Compulsory Insurance) Bill - Second Stage A bill to amend retained EU law relating to compulsory insurance for the use of motor vehicles; and for connected purposes.