A recent statement from the Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly has raised significant concerns about the future of many Private Members’ Bills (PMBs), including John Blair MLA’s controversial Hunting with Dogs Bill. The Speaker’s letter, circulated to all MLAs, highlights the growing pressure on Assembly time and scrutiny resources to address the many pressing issues the people of Northern Ireland face, making it “highly unlikely” that many PMBs will progress during the remainder of this mandate. Countryside Alliance Ireland's previous research on the priorities for the Assembly showed that not a single respondent said hunting or wildlife management, highlighting that John Blair’s obsession with legislating on hunting is completely out of step with the priorities of people in Northern Ireland. There are any number of critical problems facing the countryside and Northern Ireland as a whole. Seeking to waste more of Stormont’s time on this issue that is irrelevant to nearly every voter with such a limited mandate left is selfish and wasteful.

From the perspective of Countryside Alliance Ireland, this marks a crucial moment not just for the democratic process, but for rural communities across Northern Ireland whose way of life stands to be directly threatened by poorly considered, politically motivated legislation.

The Speaker’s warning could not be clearer:

“Executive business takes priority in any legislature… I am not prepared to sacrifice scrutiny by flooding the system with more Members’ Bills than time realistically permits.”

Two dozen PMB proposals submitted and less than 18 months remaining before the next Assembly election, the Speaker acknowledges that fewer than half of these Bills are likely to move forward. His caution follows serious legislative failures in previous mandates, including:

• Legal challenges such as the Mediahuis judgment, which highlighted the dangers of inadequate scrutiny, and
• High-profile inquiries like the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scandal, which exposed the consequences of rushed, poorly examined legislation.

The Speaker further warned:

“If a Bill is not into committee stage before summer 2026, its chances of progressing are heavily reduced.”

Implications for the Hunting with Dogs Bill

John Blair’s Hunting with Dogs Bill, which seeks to ban the hunting of wild mammals with dogs, has already completed a public consultation, but it has been widely criticised for its lack of integrity and balance. Despite growing opposition from farmers, pest controllers, land managers and the wider rural community, the Bill has continued to progress on the back of weak evidence and minimal engagement with those most affected.

The Speaker’s intervention further casts real doubt over whether the Bill will be afforded the necessary committee time or floor priority before the Assembly dissolves.

Countryside Alliance Ireland’s Key Concerns

1. Inadequate Scrutiny

Countryside Alliance Ireland has highlighted serious flaws in the consultation process, revealing that over 60% of respondents lived outside Northern Ireland, and just 0.25% of the local population engaged. To attempt to move such a divisive Bill forward without full committee scrutiny would be indefensible.

2. History Shows Good Law Takes Time

Blair’s previous attempt at similar legislation was defeated at the end of the last mandate. When similar proposals were considered at Westminster, the Hunting Act 2004 occupied approximately 700 hours of parliamentary time. In Scotland, the recent review of hunting legislation took years to complete.

To force through comparable legislation in Northern Ireland in mere months, without similar scrutiny or evidence, would be both irresponsible and undemocratic.

3. Rushed Lawmaking Leads to Poor Outcomes

Any law that bypasses full scrutiny, including evidence from stakeholders, the PSNI, DAERA, and others, is highly likely to be challenged, or worse, to fail in practice. No attempt has been made to assess whether similar legislation elsewhere has led to genuine animal welfare improvements.

4. Democratic Principles at Risk

The Speaker has ruled out the use of Accelerated Passage, often reserved for emergency legislation, and has reaffirmed that scrutiny cannot be sacrificed for convenience. There is no justification for Blair’s Bill receiving preferential treatment, especially given its far-reaching impact on rural life.

Countryside Alliance Ireland: Speaker’s warning must be heeded

Countryside Alliance Ireland welcomes the Speaker’s stand in defence of scrutiny and robust lawmaking. Our Director for Northern Ireland, Gary McCartney, said:

“This is not a matter of left or right, it’s about right and wrong. John Blair’s Bill has never received proper scrutiny. His consultation was deeply flawed, with enforcement, costs, and rural impacts barely addressed. Rural stakeholders have been sidelined or engaged only as a tick-box exercise. The Speaker is absolutely right to demand a rigorous process. If that means this Bill cannot progress in this mandate, then that is democracy functioning as it should.”

What happens next?

• The Assembly returns from summer recess with just 18 months remaining before dissolution.
• Private Members’ Bills will compete for limited Assembly time and committee attention.
• The future of Blair’s Bill, already divisive, remains highly uncertain. It may be introduced, postponed, or ultimately fail to pass within the mandate.

Good law takes time

The Hunting Act 2004 took hundreds of hours of parliamentary time and even then controversially bypassed the House of Lords. In Scotland, the review process spanned several years, not months. To suggest that Northern Ireland can legislate on an issue of this complexity with a fraction of the scrutiny is not only unrealistic, it is dangerous.

For rural communities, rushed or ill-conceived legislation like Blair’s Hunting with Dogs Bill is not just a policy misstep, it represents a direct threat to livelihoods, conservation practices, animal welfare, and traditional rural culture.

Countryside Alliance Ireland Calls on MLAs to:

• Respect the Speaker’s clear call for meaningful scrutiny;
• Recognise the serious procedural and evidential flaws in Blair’s Bill;
• Commit to robust, evidence-based lawmaking.

Read the Speaker's letter in full here.