TUV leader Jim Allister has today announced that on Saturday afternoon he lodged a new Private Members Bill aimed at addressing many of the issues highlighted by the RHI Inquiry and designed to bring better government to Northern Ireland.
Speaking about his Functioning of Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill Jim Allister said:
“The public were rightly appalled to hear of the scandals which dogged the last Stormont administration highlighted by the RHI Inquiry. Now we are told Stormont is turning over a new leaf. Well if it really is a case of New Decade, New Approach I look forward to these sensible provisions receiving support.
“TUV has always been about delivering accountability. If there is to be a “New Approach” then this Bill will be supported. It puts it up to the big parties.”
The provisions of Mr Allister’s Bill are outlined in the policy objectives below.
POLICY OBJECTIVES
The Bill has fourteen objectives:
a) to render ineffective any appointment of a special adviser which does not comply with the provisions of the code for appointments;
b) to provide that special advisers are subject to the processes and procedures of the disciplinary code operative in the Northern Ireland Civil Service;
c) to make it plain that an appointing minister is accountable and responsible for his special adviser;
d) to restrict the remuneration of special advisers so that it cannot be greater than that applicable within the Senior Civil Service Pay Structure to Assistant Secretary (Grade 5);
e) to impose a statutory duty on a departmental minister and Permanent Secretary to ensure no person exercises the functions or enjoys the privileges of a special adviser other than the duly appointed person;
f) to reduce the number of special advisers within the Executive Office from 8 to 4;
g) to prevent the exercise of prerogative powers to perfect amendment of the Civil Service Commissioners (Northern Ireland) Order 1999;
h) to extend the powers of the Commissioner for Standards to include investigation of complaints against ministers;
i) to ensure the activities and meetings of ministers and special advisers are adequately recorded within the Civil Service;
j) to provide for a register of interests in respect of ministers and special advisers;
k) to ensure special advisers are not subject to inappropriate control and direction;
l) to make it a criminal offence for any minister, civil servant or special adviser to use personal accounts in regard to electronic communication relating to government business;
m) to make it a specific criminal offence for a minister or special adviser to communicate confidential government information to a third party; and
n) to require the First Minister and deputy First Minister to report biannually on the functioning of government and act to improve same.