Public Accounts Commitee

Minutes of Proceedings

Thursday, 17 May 2007
Room 152, PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS

Present:
Mr John O’Dowd (Chairperson)
Mr Roy Beggs (Deputy Chairperson)
Mr Jonathan Craig
Mr Simon Hamilton
Mr David Hilditch
Mr Trevor Lunn
Mr Patsy McGlone
Mr Mitchel McLaughlin
Ms Dawn Purvis

In Attendance:
Mrs Debbie Pritchard (Principal Clerk)
Mrs Cathie White (Assembly Clerk)
Mrs Gillian Lewis (Assistant Assembly Clerk)
Mrs Pauline Hunter (Clerical Supervisor)
Mr John Lunny (Clerical Officer)

Apologies:
Mr Willie Clarke
Mr John Dallat

The meeting opened at 1.34pm in public session.

1. Apologies.

Apologies are detailed above.

2. Committee membership.

The members noted the list of committee membership by political party.

3. Committee staff.

The Chairperson introduced the Committee staff.

4. Introduction.

The introductory note on the Public Accounts Committee was noted.

5. Procedures.

The Chairperson drew the procedural guidance to the attention of members including the confidentiality of Committee papers.

6. Correspondence from Assembly Legal Services.

Members noted the correspondence from Assembly Legal Services relating to the powers of the Committee.

7. Public appointments.

Agreed: Members agreed to return to this item after the briefing from Mr John Dowdall and Mr David Thomson, which will give more information about the work of the Committee and members can then make an informed decision.

8. Declaration of Interests.

Agreed: The members agreed the following declarations of interests should be included in the minutes of proceedings and that members would forward any amendments to the Clerk.

BEGGS, Roy

Member, Carrickfergus Borough Council
Chairman, Carrickfergus District Policing Partnership
Ulster Unionist Party (Sponsorship or financial support as an Assembly candidate)
Larne Constituency Office, 41 Station Road, Larne is provided to me rent free by my sisters, Mrs E R Cullen and Mrs M A L McNeil (Other sponsorship or financial or material support)
Overnight accommodation, hospitality and match tickets for the community shield following my participation in the United Kingdom Parliamentary Shield charity football match, sponsored by McDonalds
Member of the Board of Governors, Glynn Primary School
Committee member, Raloo Presbyterian Church
Committee member, Glynn Community Development Association
Member of the Court of the University of Ulster
Officer in the Boy’s Brigade
Member of the Orange Order
Member of the Royal Black Institution
Vice-Chairman, Carrickfergus Community Safety Partnership
Treasurer, Carrickfergus Neighbourhood Development Group
Member, Carrickfergus Children and Young People’s Partnership
Member, CATALYST Group (Advisory Group Co-ordinated by Carrickfergus YMCA)
Committee Member, Horizon Sure Start (Carrickfergus and Larne)
Providing assistance on family farm

CLARKE, Willie

Chairperson, Down District Council
Member of the East Border Region

CRAIG, Jonathan

Councillor, Lisburn City Council
Director, Voluntary Services Lisburn
Director, Citizens Advice Lisburn
Member, Grand Prix Steering Group
Chairman of the Board of Governors of Laurelhill Community College
Member of the Board of Governors of Harmony Hill Primary School
Member of the Board of Governors of Killowen Primary School

DALLAT, John

Member, Coleraine Borough Council
Member, Coleraine District Policing Partnership
Hospitality by McDonalds Restaurant in August 2006 in the form of accommodation, meals and football match for self and spouse – value approximately £400
Director and Treasurer, Kilrea, Rasharkin and Dunloy Credit Union Ltd
Director, Kilrea Enterprise Group Ltd
Member, Kilrea Gaelic Athletic Club
Member, Saint Vincent de Paul Society

HAMILTON, Simon

Member, Ards Borough Council
Member of the Board of Governors of Newtownards Model Primary School
Member of the Board of Governors of West Winds Primary School
Member of the Orange Order
Member of the Royal Black Institution

HILDITCH, David

Causeway Coast and Glens Regional Tourism Partnership (on behalf of Carrickfergus Borough Council)
Carrickfergus Development Company (on behalf of Carrickfergus Borough Council) – Town Centre Regeneration
Member, Carrickfergus Borough Council
Member, Carrickfergus District Policing Partnership
Director (unremunerated), Carrick Rangers Football Club Limited

LUNN, Trevor

Lisburn City Council
Walk Management Ltd
Lisburn City Centre Management Ltd
Presentation Trust Ltd

McGLONE, Patsy

Member, Cookstown District Council
Director, Battery Harbour Limited

McLAUGHLIN, Mitchel

no relevant interests to declare

O’DOWD, John

Member, Craigavon Council
Director of Lurgan Forward
Director of Brownlow Utd.

PURVIS, Dawn

Board Member, Healing Through Remembrance
Vice Chair, Management Committee Epic (Ex-Prisoners Interpretive Centre)
Trustee, David Ervine Foundation

9. Northern Ireland Audit Office First day brief.

Mr John Dowdall, Comptroller and Auditor General, briefed the Committee on the work of the Northern Ireland Audit Office and answered questions raised by members.

2.11pm MrMcLaughlin left the meeting.

2.11pm Mr Hamilton left the meeting.

10. Briefing from Treasury Officer of Accounts.

Mr David Thomson briefed the Committee on his role as Treasury Officer of Accounts.

11. Draft forward work programme.

The Clerk went through the draft forward work programme with the Committee.

Agreed: Members agreed the forward work programme and that it should be placed on the Northern Ireland Assembly Internet.

12. Public appointments.

The Chairperson informed members that he and the Clerk had a meeting with Martina Hanna, policy adviser to Ms Felicity Huston, Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland, in relation to the public appointments issues raised in a previous Public Accounts Committee report on “Governance issues in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment’s former Local Enterprise Development Unit”. He drew members’ attention to the Memorandum of Response, a paper from Ms Huston and a paper from the Northern Ireland Audit Office giving background to a future report on this subject. The Chairperson outlined possible options for consideration of this issue.

Agreed: Members agreed that the committee should wait for publication of the Northern Ireland Audit Office report and consider this issue at that time.

13. Any other business.

A summary of the reports of the House of Commons, Committee on Public Accounts was noted.

14. Date, time and place of next meeting.

The next meeting will be held on Thursday, 24 May 2007 at 2.00pm in Room 152 Parliament Buildings.

The Chairperson adjourned the meeting at 2.34pm.

 

John O’Dowd

Chairperson, Public Accounts Committee.

24 May 2007

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