Background

Section 56 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 required the First Minister and deputy First Minister, with the approval of the Assembly, to make arrangements for obtaining the views of the Civic Forum referred to in the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement. Strand One of the Agreement provided for the establishment of a Civic Forum in Northern Ireland comprising “representatives of the business, trade union and voluntary sectors, and such other sectors as agreed by the First Minister and the Deputy First Minister. It will act as a consultative mechanism on social economic and cultural issues. The First Minister and deputy First Minister will by agreement provide administrative support for the Civic Forum and establish guidelines for the selection of representatives to the Civic Forum.”

The Northern Ireland Act 1998 requires the First Minister (FM) and the deputy First Minister (dFM) to make arrangements for obtaining from the Forum its views on social, economic and cultural matters. Section 56 states:

(1) The First Minister and the deputy First Minister acting jointly shall make arrangements for obtaining from the Forum its views on social, economic and cultural matters.

(2) The arrangements so made shall not take effect until after they have been approved by the Assembly.

(3) The expenses of the Forum shall be defrayed as expenses of the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister.

(4) In this section “the Forum” means the consultative Civic Forum established in pursuance of paragraph 34 of Strand One of the Belfast Agreement by the First Minister and the deputy First Minister acting jointly.

The Civic Forum was duly established as a consultative mechanism on social, economic and cultural matters and, on 6 February 2001, the Assembly agreed the following arrangements for obtaining its views on such matters:

“The Civic Forum shall offer its views on such social, economic and cultural matters as are from time to time agreed between the Chairperson of the Forum and the First Minister and deputy First Minister.

In addition, the Civic Forum shall be invited to offer its views on specific social, economic and cultural matters where the Assembly has by motion so requested.”