PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITEE
MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS
The Denis Desmond Room, Western Health and Social Care Trust Headquarters, Altnagelvin Hospital
Present:
Mr Paul Maskey (Chairperson)
Mr Roy Beggs (Deputy Chairperson)
Mr Jonathan Craig
Mr John Dallat
Mr Trevor Lunn
Mr Mitchel McLaughlin
Ms Dawn Purvis
Mr George Robinson
Mr Jim Shannon
Mr Jim Wells
In Attendance:
Mr Jim Beatty (Assembly Clerk)
Ms Alison Ross (Assembly Clerk)
Mrs Gillian Lewis (Assistant Assembly Clerk)
Mr John Lunny (Clerical Supervisor)
Apologies:
None
The meeting opened at 2.00pm in public session.
1. Apologies.
None.
The Chairperson welcomed Mr John Dowdall CB, Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) and Mr David Thomson, Treasury Officer of Accounts (TOA) to the meeting.
2. Matters arising
Members considered correspondence between the Clerk and the Clerk to the Committee of Finance and Personnel (CFP).
2.06pm Mr Dallat joined the meeting.
Agreed: Members agreed that the Clerk would inform the Clerk to the CFP that issues under consideration by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) should not be scrutinised by the CFP until the PAC has published its report and considered the Memorandum of Reply in relation to the report. However, members agreed that CFP should continue with scrutiny of any other matters which fall outside the scope of the NIAO report, and the PAC’s subsequent investigations.
3. Evidence on the NIAO Report ‘Delivering Pathology Services: The PFI Laboratory and Pharmacy Centre at Altnagelvin’.
The Committee took oral evidence on the NIAO report ‘Delivering Pathology Services: The PFI Laboratory and Pharmacy Centre at Altnagelvin’ from Dr Andrew McCormick, Accounting Officer, Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS), Mr Jim Livingstone, Director of Safety, Quality and Standards, DHSSPS, and Mrs Elaine Way, Chief Executive, Western Health and Social Care Trust.
The witnesses answered a number of questions put by the Committee.
Members requested that the witnesses provide additional information to the Clerk on some issues raised as a result of the evidence session.
3.46pm The evidence session finished and the witnesses left the meeting.
4. Minutes of the meeting on 25 September 2008.
Agreed: The minutes were agreed.
5. Any other business.
The Chairperson informed members that the Committee had been invited to visit the Audit Committee of the Welsh Assembly in Cardiff.
Agreed: Members agreed that the Clerk should proceed to make arrangements for the visit.
6. Date, time and place of next meeting.
The next meeting will be held on Thursday, 9 October 2008 at 2.00pm in Room 144, Parliament Buildings.
The Chairperson adjourned the meeting at 3.49pm.