Northern Ireland (Executive Formation) Bill — Lords Amendments — Abortion — Marriage and Civil Partnerships — Transparency etc. — 18 Jul 2019 at 13:22

The majority of MPs voted to legalise abortion in certain circumstances in Northern Ireland as soon as the act comes into force, to enable two persons who are not of the same sex to be eligible to form a civil partnership in Northern Ireland and make a wide variety of other amendments to the Bill.

MPs were considering the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation) Bill^[1].

The motion supported by a majority of MPs in this vote was:

• That this House agrees with Lords amendments 2 to 18.

Lords amendments 2-18^[2][3] require:

reports provided for in the Bill to cover

• *progress made towards transparency of political donations and loans
• *improvement of higher education provision in Northern Ireland
• *establishment of a university whose principal campus is based in Derry/Londonderry
• *regulatory alignment between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom in relation to gambling
• *establishment of a Renewable Heat Incentive Hardship Unit
• *alignment of Northern Ireland legislation on libel legislation in the rest of the United Kingdom
• *implementation of the Protect Life 2 – Strategy for Suicide Prevention in Northern Ireland
• *Health matters including demand for elective care services and health and social care waiting times
• *mitigation arrangements relating to changes in the welfare system

and provide for:

• *two persons who are not of the same sex to be eligible to form a civil partnership in Northern Ireland, and for regulations related to the changes in the law on marriage and civil partnership to be made, including regulations to in order to "protect the ability to act in accordance with religious or other belief or opinion in relation to marriage or civil partnership".
• *to immediately act to legalise abortion in Northern Ireland in some circumstances but to delay the general deadline for changes to the law on abortion and ensuring access to sexual and reproductive health services from 21 October 2019 to 31 March 2020.
• *the establishment of a scheme of payments for individuals injured in the Troubles
• *a broad power to make "different provision for different purposes" which the explanatory notes state is "a standard provision".
• *changes to the procedure for Parliament to consider certain changes to Northern Ireland's abortion law and sexual and reproductive health services.
• *to change the Bill's title from "Northern Ireland (Executive Formation) Bill" to "Northern Ireland (Executive Formation etc) Bill" and to add text to the "long title"
• [1] Parliament's webpage on the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation) Bill 2019 (Now the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation etc) Act 2019), Parliament.uk
• [2] Lords amendments to the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation) Bill, 18 July 2019, Parliament.uk
• [3] Explanatory notes to the Lords amendments to the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation) Bill, 18 July 2019, Parliament.uk

Debate in Parliament |