Northern Ireland round-up: 15 January 2010

Written questions

• Commons Hansard: Pay and allowances for the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission
• Lords Hansard: Consultants employed by the Northern Ireland Office

In addition to oral questions, MPs and Peers can ask government ministers questions for written answer. These are often used to obtain detailed information about policies and statistics on the activities of government departments.

Early Day Motions

• EDM 615: Police recruitment in Northern Ireland

Early Day Motions (EDMs) are formal motions submitted for debate in the House of Commons. However, very few EDMs are actually debated. Instead, they are used for reasons such as publicising the views of individual MPs, drawing attention to specific events or campaigns, and demonstrating the extent of parliamentary support for a particular cause or point of view.

Legislation

• Lords Hansard: Grand Committee on the Northern Ireland Assembly Members Bill

Northern Ireland Affairs Committee

Current inquiries being undertaken by the Committee include:

• Consultative Group on the Past
• Human Rights Bill for Northern Ireland
• Omagh: a decade after the bomb
• Television Broadcasting in Northern Ireland

The Northern Ireland Affairs Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Northern Ireland Office.