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ASSEMBLY AND EXECUTIVE REVIEW COMMITTEE
MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS
TUESDAY, 16 MARCH 2010
ROOM 21, PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS

Present:
Mr Jimmy Spratt (Chairperson)
Mr Raymond McCartney (Deputy Chairperson)
Mr Alex Attwood
Mr Nigel Dodds
Mr Simon Hamilton
Mr Alan McFarland
Mr John O’Dowd
Mr Declan O’Loan

In Attendance:
Mr Stephen Graham (Assembly Clerk)
Mr Vincent Gribbin (Assistant Assembly Clerk)
Miss Tara McKee (Clerical Supervisor)
Miss Andrienne Magee (Clerical Officer)

The meeting opened at 11.05 am in public session.

1. Apologies

Mr Danny Kennedy
Mr Alex Maskey

2. Minutes of Proceedings of meeting held on 2 March 2010

Members agreed the Minutes of Proceedings of the meeting held on 2 March 2010.

3. Matters arising

3.1 Members considered a request, dated 10 March 2010, from the Environment Committee for information held by the Committee, which might be of assistance to the Environment Committee in its scrutiny of the Local Government (Disqualification) (Amendment) Bill.

Agreed: Members agreed that the Committee Clerk should send the Environment Committee all relevant information whilst drawing attention to the fact that some documents may be out of date due to the political parties adopting different positions since the information was first gathered.

11.09 am Simon Hamilton joined the meeting.

3.2 Members noted a letter dated 16 March 2010, and attached documents, tabled, from the NIO, updating the Committee on some of the Agreements, Concordats, Protocols and Memoranda of Understanding relating to the devolution of policing and justice matters.

Agreed: Members noted the correspondence and attached documents and agreed that the Committee Clerk should forward them to the Justice Committee, once established.

4. Chairperson’s Business

None.

5. Correspondence

There was no outgoing correspondence

Incoming correspondence

5.1 Members noted a memo, dated 1 March 2010, from the Clerk to the Committee for the Environment, regarding the collection of fines on waste offences.

11.20 am Nigel Dodds joined the meeting

5.2 Members noted a letter, dated 11 March 2010, from the Northern Ireland Court Service, tabled, regarding the revised forecast figures for the Legal Aid budget.

Agreed: Members noted the letter and agreed that the Committee Clerk should forward it to the Justice Committee, once established.

6. Reviewing the Arrangements for Judicial Appointments/Removals

6.1 Members discussed if the matter of the review might be more relevant to a Justice Committee, once established.

6.2 The Committee further discussed the proposed review of judicial appointments and removals which had previously been incorporated into the Committee Forward Work Programme and noted the proposed amendment to Standing Order 59 which would require the Committee to undertake such a review and report on it by 1 May 2012.

6.3 The Committee also and considered whether there might be a case to rescind its previous decision to undertake the review.

11.28 am Alex Attwood joined the meeting..

Agreed: Members agreed not to oppose the proposed amendment to Standing Order 59.

Agreed: Members agreed to defer further consideration of the issue of the review of judicial appointments and removals until after the Easter Recess.

11.31 am Declan O’Loan left the meeting.

7. The Local Government (Disqualification) (Amendment) Bill

This issue was dealt with under Matters arising (see item 3.1).

8. Arrangements for briefing by the First Minister and deputy First Minister on 23 March 2010

Members considered the First Minister and deputy First Minister’s request to brief the Committee on the process for achieving the transfer of policing and justice powers by 12 April 2010 – briefing provisionally arranged for 23 March 2010.

Agreed: Members agreed to be briefed on 23 March 2010 by the First Minister and deputy First Minister in a joint meeting with the OFMDFM Committee.

Agreed: Members agreed that the Chairman should send a letter to the First Minister and deputy First Minister requesting sight of John Larkin’s paper and their response to it by 18 March 2010.

Agreed : Members agreed that the First Minister and the deputy First Minister should be asked to elaborate on remarks made by the First Minister when he appeared at the Committee’s meeting on 18 February 2010, about emerging work from the Executive sub-group chaired jointly by Sir Reg Empey and Ms Margaret Ritchie.

Agreed: Members agreed to meet, in public session, at 2.15 pm on the day of the joint meeting to discuss the Forward Work Programme and any other business.

Agreed: Members agreed that the Committee Clerk should prepare and distribute lines of questioning for the joint meeting.

Agreed: Members agreed to a suggestion by the Chairman that, given the joint nature of the meeting, Members should not expect to be invited to pose more than one question.

9. Forward Work Programme

Members considered the Forward Work Programme.

Agreed: Members agreed to provide the Committee Clerk with proposals as to what items should be considered on the Committee’s Forward Work Programme and how these items might be taken forward by the Committee.

10. Any other business

None.

11. Date, time and place of next meeting

The Committee agreed that the next meeting would take place on Tuesday, 23 March 2010 at 2.15 pm, in the Senate Chamber.

The Chairperson adjourned the meeting at 11.46 am.

Mr Jimmy Spratt
Chairperson, Assembly and Executive Review Committee
23 March 2010.

02 March 10 / Menu