What you need to know this week

Miracle needed to restore Executive by deadline, DUP says
It would take a miracle for a Stormont Executive to be restored by next week's deadline, a senior DUP politician has said, according to the BBC. The comment came from DUP Lagan Valley MLA Paul Givan, who resigned as First Minister in February. Mr Givan said his party wanted to see the political institutions at Stormont back up and running but it would not re-enter government until changes are made to the Northern Ireland Protocol.
What Next: Following the resignation of Liz Truss, the Northern Ireland Office reiterated that if an Executive is not formed by 28 October, Chris Heaton-Harris will "come under a legal duty" to call an election. The Electoral Office said it would be expected to happen on 15 December.

Labour to step up efforts to stop ‘reckless’ NI Protocol bill in Lords
According to The Guardian, Labour peers are to step up their campaign to stop the “reckless” Northern Ireland Protocol Bill being passed with demands for more than 20 changes. The party is suggesting the proposed legislation should make it “a statutory requirement for the government to seek a negotiated outcome with the EU and to exhaust legal routes under the EU withdrawal agreement before availing itself of the powers in this Bill”.
What Next: When the committee stage begins in the Lords on Tuesday, Labour peers will not allow the Bill to proceed to the next stage until several conditions are met. These include a promise that diplomatic efforts to end the row over the protocol are given a chance to work before any legislation is passed.

Alliance submits Assembly recall petition
The result of May’s election must be respected and the Assembly and Executive restored on a sustainable basis, Alliance Leader Naomi Long MLA said. Mrs Long said the current saga of ransom politics had come at the worst possible time for people. “We are in an unprecedented period of uncertainty between Parliament and the Assembly,” she said.
What Next: Recall petitions need signatures of at least 30 MLAs, Alliance has 17 members and would need 13 signatures from other parties to proceed.

Other stories

SDLP Leader announces changes to front bench team
SDLP Leader Colum Eastwood MP announced the makeup of his party’s opposition front bench team constituting MPs, MLAs, councillors and party representatives. The nationalist party confirmed Colum Eastwood would act as the SDLP’s ‘New Ireland’ spokesperson. Meanwhile, south Belfast MP Claire Hanna is named as the party’s ‘Europe and International Affairs’ spokesperson and the leader of the opposition Matthew O’Toole will also act as their ‘Cost of Living Crisis’ spokesperson. To view a full list of SDLP spokespeople, please click here.

Chancellor's removal of energy support is ‘flawed' [Department for the Economy]
The UK’s Chancellor’s intention to scale back future energy support is “flawed”, Finance Minister Conor Murphy has said. In an emergency statement designed to calm the markets, Jeremy Hunt announced the plan to cap the cost of energy for all households for two years will now end in April, with targeted help beyond that for those most in need. Mr Murphy said “It is clear the chancellor is firmly on the road back to austerity”. He continued: “With less than two weeks to go until the Medium-Term Fiscal Plan, it is time for the Westminster government to recognise the extreme hardship facing citizens and businesses. The most vulnerable in our society need support, as do our businesses if they are to survive”.

Economy Minister appoints Governing Body members to FE colleges [Department for the Economy]
Economy Minister Gordon Lyons appointed four new Governing Body members across three further education colleges. All have been appointed for a period of four years. Bill Montgomery has been appointed to Belfast Metropolitan College from 5 October 2022. Stuart Harper has been appointed from 29 September 2022 and Nick Harkness appointed from 3 October 2022 at Southern Regional College. Maureen Brunt has been appointed at South West College from 29 September 2022.

Lyons launches 2023 Northern Ireland Apprenticeship Awards [Department for the Economy]
Economy Minister Gordon Lyons launched the 2023 Northern Ireland Apprenticeship Awards and is inviting applications to find the Apprentice of the Year. The NI Apprenticeship Awards recognise apprentices, employers and training organisations who have demonstrated exceptional progress as well as personal achievement and commitment and will culminate in a special awards ceremony on 29 March 2023.

Hargey and Poots launch Access and Inclusion Programme [Department for Communities; DAERA]
Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey and Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Minister Edwin Poots launched this year’s Access and Inclusion Programme at Greenvale Leisure Centre in Magherafelt. The Programme provides capital grant funding, through local councils and the Museums Council, aimed at promoting a more inclusive society by enabling disabled people to participate more fully in arts, cultural and active recreation activities.

Across the border

Minister Donohoe publishes Finance Bill 2022
On Thursday, the Minister for Finance, Paschal Donohoe TD published the Finance Bill 2022 following approval by Government earlier this week. The Bill provides for the income tax changes, the Temporary Business Energy Support Scheme (TBESS), the rent tax credit and the Defective concrete blocks levy which were announced on Budget Day. It also contains a number of additional taxation measures that were not announced on Budget Day such as the increase in the threshold for cargo bikes under the cycle to work scheme and changes to the Key Employee Engagement Programme (KEEP). The Bill will transpose recent EU and OECD agreements in respect to important new tax transparency rules for digital platforms.

Ministers Long and McEntee discuss North-South co-operation in criminal justice matters
Minister for Justice Helen McEntee TD met with her Northern Irish counterpart Naomi Long MLA on Wednesday to discuss cross-border cooperation on criminal justice matters. The Ministers reviewed the ongoing cooperation across a wide range of criminal justice fields including forensic science, public protection and victim support. Minister McEntee said: "It is clear from yesterday’s meeting that there is a high degree of dynamic co-operation between our criminal justice systems. Excellent cross-border cooperation is taking place in a range of criminal justice areas via the IGA [Inter-Governmental Agreement on Criminal Justice Co-operation]".

What we're reading

There will be no Christmas miracle
Writing in today's Irish News, columnist Alex Kane says having another election will do nothing to resolve the current Stormont impasse. The primary purpose of an election, he explains, is to offer the possibility of change. But "there is no prospect, probability, possibility, likelihood or even the merest whiff of a hope of change following an election in the next few weeks".

The likeliest winners, in terms of size and votes, he suggests, will be the DUP and Sinn Féin. And the DUP will still refuse to "reboot" the Executive if the Protocol isn’t resolved, and the current "crisis" at Westminster means there will be little time or willingness to address it. The opponents of the DUP, he adds should also bear in mind that fighting an election based on not taking seats is something that Sinn Féin is presently doing in general elections, and this continues to serve them well. All of this, Kane concludes, “goes with the territory of conflict stalemate and embedded polarisation”.

Forward Look

Friday 21 October

House of Lords - Northern Ireland Protocol Committee from 14:20 to 17:15 in Room 30, Parliament Buildings, Stormont

Tuesday 25 October

Senior People Professionals Business Network Event from 9:30 to 12:30 in the Clayton Hotel, Belfast [CIPD NI]

Wednesday 26 October

Department for the Economy - Consultation closing on 10x Performance Management Framework

Friday 28 October

Stormont’s caretaker Ministers lose their posts if no Executive has been formed, and the Secretary of State must call an election within 12 weeks. 

Saturday 5 November

Sinn Féin 2022 Ard Fheis – at RDS, Dublin

Tuesday 8 November

NI Energy Working Group to discuss the race to net zero from 9:30 to 11:00 at TLT NI LLP, Belfast [CBI]

Tuesday 15 November

Department of Education - Consultation closing on Every Child: Department of Education's Draft Corporate Plan 2023-28

Wednesday 16 November

Belfast Chamber Economy Forum from 9:00 to 13:00 at W5, Belfast [Belfast Chamber]

Saturday 19 November

Fine Gael 2022 Ard Fheis at the Technical University of the Shannon (TUS) & Radisson Blu Hotel, Athlone

Wednesday 23 November

In Conversation with Finance Minister Conor Murphy from 12:00 to 14:00 at the Canal Court Hotel, Newry [Institute of Directors]

Friday 25 November

SONI - Energising Belfast Project, Consultation closing

Tuesday 29 November

Department of Finance - Consultation closing on devolution of more fiscal powers

Thursday 15 December

Proposed date for NI Assembly Election