The Northern Ireland Assembly opened Tuesday's proceedings with a cross-party statement on the conviction of former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson for rape and child sexual abuse, with MLAs from all parties praising the bravery of his victims and calling for his honours to be stripped. Speaker after speaker commended the two survivors, identified only as Victim A and Victim B, while stressing that no one in public life is above the law. The session was introduced under Standing Order 24 as a matter of public importance, with the Speaker reminding Members that sub judice rules applied given that sentencing has not yet taken place.

Sinn Féin MLA Emma Sheerin, who was given leave to make the opening statement, said: "How someone capable of such depravity could rise through the ranks of political office and retain the trust and confidence of so many for so long is hard to comprehend. He used his position to ensure the silence of his victims and attempted to gaslight them upon being confronted." She urged other survivors to come forward and referenced the Nexus helpline as a source of support.

DUP MLA Michelle McIlveen described the evidence as "shocking" and confirmed her party had written to the Forfeiture Committee requesting that Donaldson be stripped of his knighthood and Privy Council titles. Ulster Unionist MLA Robin Burrows also confirmed he had written to the Forfeiture Committee and raised concern that no mechanism exists to remove Donaldson's taxpayer-funded pension. SDLP MLA Matthew O'Toole said Donaldson "stands in abject disgrace" and argued that his decades in high public office meant he carried "the highest level of culpability." Alliance MLA Kate Nicholl provided the Nexus helpline number, 0808 802 1414, and noted the National Association for People Abused in Childhood as an additional resource.

On the ten-year anniversary of the Brexit referendum, several MLAs made statements marking the occasion. O'Toole reflected personally, saying he became a politician because of Brexit and described June 23 2016 as the day that "lost us hundreds of billions of pounds in tax revenue and economic growth." Sinn Féin MLA Declan Kearney called Brexit "catastrophic, kamikaze economics" and said the London School of Economics had confirmed it was "an economic failure," while arguing that Irish unity offers a path back into the European Union. Alliance MLA Patrick Honeyford focused on the economic consequences, citing seven UK Prime Ministers since the vote, two Assembly collapses and the rise of far-right populism, and called for greater North-South collaboration to maximise dual market access.

The Assembly passed the Second Stage of the Charities (Amendment) Bill, brought forward by Communities Minister Gordon Lyons. The Bill seeks to implement 18 recommendations from the 2022 independent review of charity regulation, strengthening the Charity Commission's powers, streamlining accounting requirements for smaller charities and removing legislative provisions that have proved unworkable. Lyons described it as "modest in size but significant in impact," adding that the Bill would reduce administrative burdens on volunteer-led organisations. All parties indicated support for the Bill progressing to Committee Stage, where detailed scrutiny will take place.

The Assembly also heard the Second Stage of the Harbours Bill, introduced by Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins. The Bill aims to modernise the legislative framework governing Northern Ireland's four trust ports in Belfast, Coleraine, Foyle and Warrenpoint, with a central objective of securing reclassification by the Office for National Statistics so that trust port borrowing no longer counts against the Department for Infrastructure's capital budget. The Minister said the change would "enable greater financial autonomy for the ports" and allow them to compete more effectively with ports elsewhere in the UK and Ireland. The Bill passed Second Stage with cross-party support, though several MLAs representing South Down raised significant concerns about ongoing odour nuisance from waste storage at Warrenpoint port.

Sinn Féin MLA Sinead Ennis, whose constituency includes Warrenpoint, called the situation "entirely unacceptable" but cautioned against using the Harbours Bill as a vehicle to address commercial operations at the port, saying: "We need to be honest in the Chamber about where responsibility and authority sit." She asked the Minister to clarify which regulatory bodies are responsible for odour and environmental nuisance and what coordination is taking place. Alliance MLA John McMurray and SDLP MLA Colin McGrath also pressed for stronger accountability mechanisms to be included in the Bill, with McGrath pointing to the Dover trust port model as an example of good practice involving community board representation.

During Question Time, Finance Minister John O'Dowd faced sustained questioning on the absence of an agreed 2026-27 Budget. He confirmed that Departments are currently operating under Vote on Account provisions and contingency planning envelopes, and said he had met the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 15 June. He cited a Fiscal Council report finding that Northern Ireland would receive between one billion and three billion pounds in additional annual funding if treated on a comparable basis to Scotland and Wales. O'Dowd said he was "planning for all scenarios" but declined to comment on outreach to prospective candidates in the ongoing UK Labour leadership contest, saying it was "not the role of the sitting Finance Minister" to engage with potential incumbents.

O'Toole challenged the Minister directly, saying: "There are public services in crisis now that cannot proceed this summer to help vulnerable people because you and the Executive have not passed a Budget." O'Dowd rejected that framing, arguing that public services have been in crisis for over a decade due to structural underfunding from Westminster and called on all parties to present a united front to the UK Government.

O'Dowd also announced plans to launch a 12-week consultation next week on increasing non-domestic vacant rating liability, with proposals for a phased increase from the current 50% rate to 75% and then to 100%. He said the change could unlock up to 20 million pounds in additional revenue and incentivise owners to bring vacant properties back into use. The Minister also provided an update on the baby loss certificate scheme, launched the previous day, confirming that 1,800 applications had been received within 24 hours and committing to investigate why Antrim Area Hospital was not listed among named hospitals on the application portal.

In Members' Statements, MLA Cara Hunter raised the freeze on local housing allowance, warning that rent increases have significantly outpaced household incomes and that nearly half of private renters on universal credit across the UK no longer have their full housing costs covered. Alan Robinson Butler called for a new cross-departmental outdoor recreation strategy, citing 2014 as the date of the last published action plan and noting that rural households have significantly less access to green or recreational space than urban counterparts. MLA John Blair, as chair of the all-party group on climate action, drew attention to the extreme heatwave forecast for mainland UK, describing it as further evidence that climate change "must be central to everything that we do."