PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITTEE
MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS
THURSDAY, 13 MAY 2010
ROOM 144, PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS
Present:
Mr Paul Maskey (Chairperson)
The Lord Browne
Mr John Dallat
Mr David Hilditch
Mr Trevor Lunn
Mr Mitchel McLaughlin
Mr Patsy McGlone
Mr Stephen Moutray
Ms Dawn Purvis
Mr Jim Shannon
In Attendance:
Ms Aoibhinn Treanor (Assembly Clerk)
Mr Phil Pateman (Assistant Assembly Clerk)
Miss Danielle Best (Clerical Supervisor)
Mr Darren Weir (Clerical Officer)
Apologies:
Mr Roy Beggs (Deputy Chairperson)
2:00 pm the meeting opened in public session.
1. Apologies
Apologies are listed above.
2:02 pm Mr McLaughlin entered the meeting.
2:03 pm Mr Hilditch entered the meeting.
2. Minutes of meeting held on 29 April 2010.
Agreed: The minutes of the last meeting were agreed.
3. Matters arising
Correspondence from the Committee for Social Development
Members noted correspondence from the Committee for Social Development providing an update to the Department’s response on the Committee’s recent report on ‘Review of New Deal 25+’.
Correspondence from Mr David Sterling, Accounting Officer, DETI
Due to the content of this correspondence the Members agreed to consider it in closed session.
Correspondence from the Department for Social Development
Members noted correspondence from Mr Will Haire, Accounting Officer, Department for Social Development providing the information requested by the Committee on Disability Living Allowance and Autism.
2:06 pm Mr McGlone entered the meeting.
Agreed : Members agreed to factor this response into the Committee’s forthcoming evidence session in the autumn.
4. Briefing on the NIAO report ‘Campsie Office Accommodation and Synergy e-Business Incubator (SeBI)’.
Mr Kieran Donnelly, C&AG, Mr Neil Gray, Director; and Mr Alan Orme, Audit Manager; briefed the Committee on the report.
2:12 pm the meeting went into closed session.
2:20 pm Ms Purvis entered the meeting.
2:24 pm Mr Dallat left the meeting.
2:25 pm Mr Shannon entered the meeting.
2:28 pm Mr Dallat entered the meeting.
The C&AG continued to brief members in private session.
3. Matters arising
Correspondence from Mr David Sterling, Accounting Officer, DETI
Members noted correspondence from Mr David Sterling, Accounting Officer, DETI in closed session.
5. Forward Work Programme
Members noted the clerk’s brief on the forward work plan, which proposed that the Committee invite the Regulator to the evidence session on 24 June and provisionally proposed a further evidence session on 1 July.
Agreed: Members agreed to invite Mr Osborne and provisionally agreed to a further evidence session on the proposed date.
2:59 pm Mr Dallat and Mr McGlone left the meeting.
6. Committee Report on Combating Organised Crime
Members noted correspondence from Detective Chief Superintendent Roy McComb, PSNI providing the information requested by the Committee at its evidence session on 22 April 2010.
Members noted correspondence from Mr Leo O’Reilly, Accounting Officer, Department of the Environment, providing the information requested by the Committee at its evidence session on 22 April 2010.
Members noted correspondence from Ms Fiona Hamill, Treasury Officers of Accounts, Department of Finance and Personnel providing the information requested by the Committee at its evidence session on 22 April 2010.
7. Consideration of the Draft Committee Report on ‘Transforming Land Registers: The LandWeb Project’.
Paragraphs 1 –20 read and agreed.
Paragraph 21 moved to new para 12.
Paragraphs 22-24 read and agreed.
Paragraph 25 read, amended and agreed.
Paragraph 26 read and agreed.
Paragraphs 27 and 28 read, amended and agreed.
3:08 pm Mr Dallat and Mr McGlone entered the meeting.
Paragraphs 29 – 32 read and agreed.
3:14 pm Mr Hilditch left the meeting.
3:15 pm Mr Moutray left the meeting.
Paragraph 33 read, amended and agreed
Paragraphs 34 – 38 read and agreed.
Consideration of the Executive Summary
Paragraphs 1 – 11 read and agreed subject to the amendments agreed to in the main report.
Agreed: Members agreed to redact the information requested in the correspondence and include the correspondence received in the report.
Agreed: Members ordered the report to be printed.
Agreed: Members agreed that the report would be embargoed until 00.01 am on Thursday, 3 June 2010.
Agreed: Members agreed to launch the report with a press release to be agreed at a later meeting and subject to press interest to participate in a media pre-brief.
3:27 pm Mr McGlone left the meeting.
3:28 pm The Lord Browne left the meeting.
8. Structure of the Draft Thematic Report
Members were briefed by the C&AG on the scope of the thematic report and noted the proposed structure of it.
Agreed: Members agreed to change the scope of the report to a thematic report on capital projects.
9. Any other business
Members discussed the recent media response by the Minister for Health, Social Services and Public Safety relating to the launch of the Committee report on ‘The Resettlement of Long Stay Patients from Learning Disability Hospitals’.
Agreed: Members agreed to consider a response after reviewing the media transcript.
10. Date, time and place of next meeting
The next meeting will be held on Thursday, 13 May 2010 at 2:00 pm in the Room 144, Parliament Buildings.
The Chairperson adjourned the meeting at 3:43 pm.