Effectivness And Ineffectivness Of MLA Scrutiy Flashcards
Committee Amendments
*they demonstrate line by line scrutiny by a committee to effectively perform the scrutiny role.
*act as a main opposition in holding the government to account.
Eg Taxi bill that was aimed at regulating the taxi industry, being amended 72 times.
Written Questions
*MLAs submit Written Questions to ministers
*good way to address issues as Ministers are expected to reply in a timely and informative manner and it is harder to deny a response if it has been written down.
Eg TUV member Jim Allister being described as a ‘one man opposition’ when asking the Education Minister during the 2011-2016 mandate about the denial of schools to intake extra pupils.
Eg Robbie Butler UUP asking a question to the Health Minister on waiting lists.
Statutory Committee Inquiries
*Statutory committees provide the main way of scrutinising the government and there is one for every department.
*can call for persons and papers which is an effective way of gathering evidence and improving levels of scrutiny.
Eg Nelson McCausland being held to account as Minister for Social Development over his actions in the Red Sky Scandal
Eg Arlene Foster being held to account over the RHI scandal.
Being able to call in groups or individuals for oral evidence and speaking to experts demonstrates that the assembly has carried out its scrutiny role effectively
adjournment debates
*these are held at the end of plenary sessions, usually on Tuesdays between 3 and 6pm.
*allows plenty of room for discussion
*provide the opportunity for MLA’s to raise constituency concerns
Eg funding for road and footpath maintenance in North Down was proposed in November 2016
*this form of scrutiny allows MLA’s and Ministers time to speak, unlike in question times which is limited.
Party loyalty
*Professor Rick Wilford described MLAs as ‘Party animals’ rather than ‘committee creatures’.
*highlights that MLAs will put their own party interests first, rather than effectively holding Ministers and the Executive to account.
Eg DUP MLA Cherly Brownlee asking the Minister for Communities DUP member Gordon Lyon’s about the allocation of funding for marching bands.
Oral Questions
*held on Monday and Tuesdays
*ineffective as the questions are randomly allocated and ministers know of the question in advance which allows them time to brush up on specific matters if needs be.
- highlights the theatre nature of question time and the assembly wanting to look ‘busy’
Eg Jim Allister asked Michelle O’Neill about her attendance at the Bobby Storey funeral, despite this question already being asked before
Eg DUP MLA asking DUP Minister Gordon Lyons about funding for marching bands. This showed the good work rather than scrutiny.
Committees
*MLA’s can be part of multiple committees (up to 3) many are overworked and not always given time to speak.
*70 MLA’s are in 2 or more committees which takes away time to effectively scrutinise.
Eg Basil McCrea complaining due to being unable to speak on the Committee for Environment Wind Report as they ran out of time in 2015.
*tensions can also rise in committees
Eg John O’Dowd’s decision to withhold school funding and scraping the 11+, going against committee recommendations.
lack of Official Opposition
*role of the Opposition in the Assembly is to question and scrutinise the work of the Executive
*from 2016, in addition to extra research and financial assistance, an official Opposition was entitled to additional speaking and questioning rights in plenary meetings, and the right to determine Assembly business on 10 plenary days per year.
*the UUP and the SDLP formed the Assembly’s first Opposition on 16 May 2016 but no action took place until the 4th of March 2024
*the UUP called it a ‘failure’ and is no longer apart of the opposition.
Conclusion
To conclude, the points that show the assembly have failed to effectively perform their scrutiny role are a lot stronger than the ones that put forward that they have succeeded.
This is due to MLA’s not having enough time to properly dedicate to one committee with tensions often rising, a serious lack of official opposition and question times being time limited and biased with people wanting to toe the party line.
Oral questioning is also highly theatrical and put on for public display.
