The Committee for Communities is one of nine statutory committees at Stormont, each shadowing a single Executive department. It scrutinises the work of the Department for Communities and its minister, examining policy, expenditure and administration, and considers relevant legislation in detail during a bill’s Committee Stage.
Statutory committees advise and assist their department’s minister in developing policy, can launch their own inquiries, and must approve or reject certain secondary legislation before it takes effect. This gives them influence over departmental business beyond formal bill scrutiny alone.
Who sits on it
The committee is chaired by Colm Gildernew (Sinn Féin), with Cathy Mason (Sinn Féin) as deputy chair. See the full nine-member roster on the committee’s page.
Bills before it
Five bills fall under the committee’s scrutiny, at various stages of the legislative process:
- Defective Premises Bill — passed, Royal Assent
- Pensions (Extension of Automatic Enrolment) Bill — passed, Royal Assent
- Child Support Enforcement Bill — passed, Royal Assent
- Sign Language Bill — Final Stage
- Charities (Amendment) Bill — Committee Stage
Data sources
Membership, chair and bill-stage data are drawn from the NI Assembly’s official committee and legislation records, kept up to date by the weekly Assembly sync.
See the committee’s full roster and remit at mlas.news/committee/committee-for-communities/.