Published Thursday, 12 August 2010
The Parades Bill was primarily aimed at changing how contentious loyal order processions were managed but also included all public meetings.
In its original draft, it would have meant that organisers of meetings of 50 people or more would have needed to give the authorities 37 days notice. Critics warned that the regulations would effectively ban rallies which had nothing to do with the traditional marching season.
That proposal has now been scrapped by Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness after they reviewed responses to a public consultation.
"The consultation has now ended and after careful consideration of the many responses received from the organisations and members of the public, we are now proposing to make several key amendments to the draft Bill before it is introduced to the Northern Ireland Assembly in September 2010," said Mr Robinson.
"The primary change will be the removal of all public meetings from the remit of the legislation. The public consultation process indicated concern that open-air and other similar public meetings would be captured by the legislation.
"This was not the intention and this amendment will absolutely clarify this."
The original Bill was the result of the deliberations of a Sinn Fein/DUP working group, established as part of February's Hillsborough Agreement that secured the power-sharing institutions at Stormont.
Full details of the amendments are due to be announced later on Thursday, just 48 hours before a major security operation is mounted in north Belfast where members of the loyalist Apprentice Boys are due to parade close to Ardoyne.
Highlighting other changes to the bill, Mr Robinson said the consultation identified some confusion over the references to human rights in the legislation, which have now been clarified to make clear they were based on the European Convention on Human Rights.
Mr McGuinness added: "This process brings a new beginning to dealing with parades based on mutual respect and the rights of citizens to be free from all forms of harassment.
"The new legislation will be fully consistent with international human rights standards. The Bill will now be limited in application to parades and related protest meetings."
DUP Lagan Valley MP Jeffrey Donaldson, who was joint chair of the working group, welcomed the amendments.
"This summer has demonstrated the real need for a new start to parades and protests. The Parades Commission has failed. This Bill now gives a way forward to ensure that we can have a shared future where violence is not rewarded and where toleration can be built," he said.
Alliance Party MLA Stephen Farry also welcomed the move.
"This news is a positive demonstration of the value of public consultation", Mr Farry said.
"I welcome the readiness of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister to review their proposals in light of representations from political parties".
But SDLP Equality spokesperson Dolores Kelly MLA said the Parades and Assemblies Bill was "not fit for purpose."
"This bill is not about dealing with contentious parades at all, it is about dealing with the Parades Commission. That is why it was cooked up by the DUP and Sinn Fein in a closed working body with representatives of the Orange Order," she said.
The Ulster Unionist Party has called for a new bill.
"The Ulster Unionist Party wants to see an end of the Parades Commission, however, today's announcement illustrates that the current proposals are severely flawed", UUP MLA David McNarry said.
"This warrants a major rethink and I would encourage the First and deputy First Minister to bring forward new proposals that reflect their changed thinking."
In July, the Orange Order rejected the new system for overseeing controversial parades.