Since General Synod met in May 2008, there have been a number of initiatives taking place within the Anglican Communion, which have required responses from the Standing Committee of the Church of Ireland. Notable amongst these were the Lambeth Conference in July 2008 and the Church of Ireland's submission on the draft Anglican Covenant.

Proposing the report of the Standing Committee, Rev Canon John McCullagh (Glendalough) said, 'As a church we are privileged that the Archbishop of Dublin is one of those who have been striving to quarry out a statement, a covenant and code of practice to which, it is hoped, all Anglicans can commit in renewed fraternity. The Standing Committee has given much thought to the mode of reception of the proposed Covenant and has suggested how it might best be formulated with a "focus on conciliation" while providing for "effective mediation".'

Much of the debate concerning the Anglican Communion is associated with inter-Anglican views on human sexuality. During the report of the Standing Committee, under the section of the Hard Gospel Project, there was a debate by a number of members on gay and lesbian issues. In response, Canon McCullagh said 'we recognize that we need to go forward respecting the range of views that exist, and dealing with one another with respect and dignity'.

As well as inter-Anglican affairs, the Standing Committee has been working to devise ecumenical canons for the Church of Ireland Constitution and it has also engaged with the report Interchangeability of Ministry and Episcope: Key Issues for the Churches, concerning Church of Ireland and Methodist ministry.

Seconding the Standing Committee report, Mr Peter Hamill (Connor), commended the work of the Priorities Fund, saying 'In times of financial hardship it is encouraging that churches are showing new initiative and are not afraid to seek funding. We may have less money to work with but that should not stop us working at all'.

The issue of Children's Ministry was raised at the General Synod 2008. It is intended that the Honorary Secretaries will hold an initial exploratory meeting with the various interested parties on 26 May 2009. Commenting on this Mr Hamill said, 'We must find fresh resources and ideas to support children's ministry and enable our churches to be child-friendly places of worship, and communities that promote family life.'

There were also two motions put forward by the Standing Committee. Motion No 9 sought to implement the proposal, Restructuring Proposal: Social Theology in Action, which seeks to amalgamate the three social care structures of General Synod. The Bishop of Down and Dromore, Right Reverend Harold Miller, added one query, asking whether the amalgamation of Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland social care bodies would be effective. The motion however was passed by Synod.

Motion No 10, in the names of Rev Maria Jansson (Ferns) and the Bishop of Limerick, Rt Rev Trevor Williams, proposes a Code of Duty and Conduct for ministering in the Church of Ireland. Rev Jansson outlined the motion saying, 'Many churches in the Anglican Communion have developed Codes of Duty and Conduct for ministers, we do not have one and that is simply not acceptable in this day and age'.

Responding to the motion, the Bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross warned that such a task would be a very big job. Bishop of Connor, Right Reverend Alan Abernethy said 'we don't need to re-invent the wheel, because there are a number of models out there already'.

Lady Sheil and Honorable Justice Catherine MaGuinness raised questions about the legalities of the proposal, to which Rev Jansson replied that the proposals were 'soft law'.

The motion was passed by a majority of Synod members