Assembly:The Northern Assembly held its first formal debates yesterday with Sinn Féin putting up no opposition to an Ulster Unionist Party motion for the Assembly to join the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association.
The Assembly also narrowly rejected a Sinn Féin proposal to establish a special working group to examine how to increase the number of women in the chamber.
Meanwhile, Alastair Ian Ross (26) was appointed under Assembly rules as an MLA for East Antrim to replace George Dawson, who died last week.
Mr Ross, who was a parliamentary researcher for East Antrim MP Sammy Wilson, is the youngest member of the DUP's Assembly grouping.
The non-confrontational businesslike approach of the past week continued yesterday with Sinn Féin adopting a sanguine view of a UUP motion tabled by the Rev Robert Coulter and David McClarty for the Assembly to apply to join the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA).
While Sinn Féin did not approve of a call from Lagan Valley member Jeffrey Donaldson for the Republic to join the Commonwealth, it did not challenge the main motion.
Sinn Féin's Mitchel McLaughlin said: "Our approach to this matter is that while this is not, as you would understand, a primary matter of interest for us, neither should we create any obstacles to those who feel it reflects their particular cultural, political and social affinity."
There was no unionist reciprocation, however, when four Sinn Féin women MLAs proposed the creation of an all-party working group to address under-representation of women in the Assembly.
Jennifer McCann (SF) complained that while 51 per cent of the population of Ireland were women, there were only 18 women MLAs in the 108-member Assembly, and that in the Republic only 13 per cent of TDs and 15 cent of councillors were women.
"Political parties can and should adopt strategies to increase the number of successful women candidates by using positive action in their recruitment and selection processes to ensure that we are all working towards achieving 50/50 parity," she said.
Michelle McIlveen (DUP) supported the concept of more women MLAs but said that the motion was "too inflexible", adding: "I want to be judged on my ability, not on my gender."
She tabled an amendment that also expressed serious concern about under-representation but proposing that rather than establishing a special Assembly committee the issue should continue to be addressed through the gender equality strategy of the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister.
Dolores Kelly (SDLP) and Dawn Purvis (PUP) supported the calls for more women Assembly members while Lagan Valley member Basil McCrea of the Ulster Unionist Party, which has no women MLAs, said he too was sympathetic to the general principle of more women in the chamber.
But Mr McCrea, who contrary to convention was interrupted several times during his maiden speech, said his party "believes in bringing people forward in a less draconian way than parties here at present".
Alliance member for East Belfast Naomi Long said much more could be done to create "equality of opportunity" for women.
Neither could she resist the opportunity to chide Mr McCrea and the UUP.
"The only maidens on the Ulster Unionist benches are its maiden speakers," she said.
The DUP amendment was carried by 44 votes to 43.
The chamber also heard calls for radical improvements to the North's rail system and for support for the undocumented Irish in the United States.
