‘We could do it by email’ says Assembly speaker

The standards of debate in the Northern Ireland Assembly mean “we could do it by email”, the Stormont speaker has said.

Edwin Poots said technology had created the temptation for MLAs to deliver a “pre-scripted text” which they can immediately release through a clip on social media.

In a letter to all Stormont MLAs entitled Standards of Debate in the Assembly, he said “having a strong culture of parliamentary debate is vital”.

Poots said the existing standards of good temper, contest, moderation and respect towards other members would be expected in any legislature.

He said: “Members know that my general approach is that regardless of my own opinion on the views expressed by a member, it is my role to protect their right to say it.

“Requiring members to exercise care in their language and have civility in our exchanges is not intended to, and should not, prevent passionate and robust debate.

“While there has to be some level of procedure to ensure our business runs smoothly, effective members will be able to find ways to make the points they want to make in the appropriate way, at the appropriate time.”

Poots said that in his time at Stormont he had been privileged to witness “political giants” who passionately articulated their own case.

However, he said they also realised that they had to “give as good as they could take”.

“Proper debate is about both having the opportunity to state your own views and listening, responding to and challenging the views of others.

“Some members increasingly concentrate only on stating their own opinions.”

He added: “If debate was only about a series of members reading out pre-scripted thoughts on an issue, without interaction, there would be no need for an assembly chamber – we could do it by email.”

In 2021 the previous Speaker Alex Maskey issued MLAs with a document called Ten Practical Principles of Debate.

His successor has now expanded those principles to ensure they focus not only on interactions between members, but also on “having a strong culture of debate and challenge”.

Last year, Poots was criticised for saying he would have the Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) leader Jim Allister’s “clock cleaned”.

Allister said the remark had “the colloquial and indisputable meaning of indulging in physical violence”.

But Poots said Mr Allister was “being a little sensitive”.