The Northern Ireland Assembly returned from summer recess with a heated debate on public confidence in the Parades Commission following the High Court's quashing of a Drumcree parade determination. Timothy Gaston, who tabled the Matter of the Day, said the commission's decision-making was "clearly unlawful" and called for the remaining commissioners to be sacked. Jonathan Buckley of the DUP described the commission as a "complete farce" and demanded resignations. However, Sinn Féin's John O'Dowd accused unionists of trying to "reopen an old wound" and warned of the trauma inflicted on the Garvaghy Road community, referencing the murders of the Quinn children. Alliance MLA Eóin Tennyson said the debate felt like "1996, not 2026" and urged against reliving the past, while the SDLP's Justin McNulty called for "responsible political leadership" and quoted Bríd Rodgers: "Let sleeping dogs lie." People Before Profit's Gerry Carroll claimed the DUP was stirring Drumcree to distract from its own crises.

Education Minister Paul Givan announced a major change to preschool admissions, confirming that the statutory criterion prioritising children from socially disadvantaged circumstances will effectively be removed for the 2027-28 school year. He said the legal basis for the current policy is "flawed" because universal credit was being read into legislation that named only income support and income-based jobseeker's allowance. Givan argued the change places preschools on an equal footing with primary and post-primary schools and said it was about standing up for "hard-working families." Opposition MLAs criticised the move, with Cara Hunter of the SDLP highlighting that one in five children live in poverty and asking why the only statutory protection was being removed without a replacement. Sinn Féin's Danny Baker accused the minister of "playing politics with children," while the minister hit back by quoting a letter from Sinn Féin MLA Órlaithí Flynn that raised concerns about the criterion. The minister also noted that the proportion of applicants meeting the criterion had risen from 15% in 2019-20 to 36% this year.

During questions to the Executive Office, deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly faced repeated questions about the absence of an agreed Budget. SDLP MLA Matthew O'Toole said the Executive was "defined by dysfunction" and asked if the biggest priority was reviving a 30-year-old parading dispute. Little-Pengelly said the Budget envelope was inadequate and that setting a Budget on that basis would cause "brutal and devastating" cuts. She said the Executive was fighting for a better settlement from the UK Government. On reform of the Stormont institutions, she dismissed suggestions of removing vetoes, saying the system was grounded in the Good Friday Agreement and required "spirit of compromise."

New Health Minister Robbie Butler was welcomed but warned by Alliance MLA Nuala McAllister that there are only seven months left in the mandate. McAllister said the minister cannot be a "caretaker leader" and must make progress on transformation. Daniel McCrossan of the SDLP highlighted the crisis at Altnagelvin Area Hospital's emergency department, describing conditions as an "utter disgrace" and saying an elderly man waited 30 hours with pneumonia. He asked, "Where is the outrage when it comes to people who are dying and lack the dignity that they deserve?"

Agriculture Minister Andrew Muir was strongly criticised by DUP MLAs over the Fivemiletown cattle cull incident, with Deborah Erskine saying confidence in the minister has been "completely lost." Muir defended himself, claiming the operation was "neither authorised nor directed by me" and said he had commissioned an independent review. He accused some critics of pursuing a "right-wing unionist" agenda and said he would not be "dictated to by TikTok users." In response to a question from Harry Harvey, Muir said farmers "deserve an apology" and that the DUP left him a "disgrace" of a situation on environmental issues.

The Assembly also heard a series of members' statements on a wide range of topics. Irish language and culture featured prominently, with Aisling Reilly praising the success of Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in Belfast, which attracted 1.6 million people. However, the DUP's Diane Forsythe criticised Belfast City Council's decision to illuminate City Hall in support of International Safe Abortion Day, saying abortion is "not something to celebrate." The exclusion of Israeli athletes from the Europe Triathlon Cup in Derry was raised by the DUP's Carla Lockhart, who called it "highly discriminatory." Meanwhile, Alliance's Kate Nicholl used her statement to call for institutional reform, saying Stormont needs to move to "a new politics that delivers for everyone."

The new MP for West Tyrone, Paul Boggs, was formally welcomed to the Assembly. The Speaker also announced changes to ministerial positions: Mike Nesbitt has resigned as Health Minister and been replaced by Robbie Butler; Diana Armstrong is the new chair of the Agriculture Committee; Jonathan Buckley moves from AERC to Infrastructure Committee chair; and Deborah Erskine takes over AERC. The Speaker paid tribute to the late Stephen Walker, former BBC political editor, calling him "an excellent journalist" who reported "without embellishment." The Assembly will resume on Tuesday with further questions and business.