ASSEMBLY AND EXECUTIVE REVIEW COMMITTEE
MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS
TUESDAY, 12 JANUARY 2010
ROOM 21, PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS
Present:
Mr Jimmy Spratt (Chairperson)
Mr Raymond McCartney (Deputy Chairperson)
Mr Alex Attwood
Mr Simon Hamilton
Mr Danny Kennedy
Mr Alan McFarland
Mr Alex Maskey
In Attendance:
Mr Stephen Graham (Assembly Clerk)
Miss Tara McKee (Clerical Supervisor)
Miss Paula McManus (Clerical Officer)
The meeting opened at 11.05 am in public session.
1. Apologies
Mr Nigel Dodds
Mrs Carmel Hanna
Mr Ian Paisley Jr
2. Minutes of Proceedings of meeting held on 15 December 2009
Members agreed the Minutes of Proceedings of the meeting held on 15 December 2009.
3. Matters Arising
There were no matters arising.
4. Correspondence
Incoming correspondence
- Members considered a letter from Sir Patrick Cormack, Chairman of the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, confirming an earlier request for an informal meeting with the Committee, on Monday 25 January 2010.
Agreed: The Committee agreed arrangements for the informal meeting with the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee.
- Members noted a letter, tabled, from the Minister of State for Northern Ireland, Paul Goggins MP, informing the Committee that the Secretary of State has reappointed the Chair and five members of the Parades Commission until December 2010.
5. Devolution of Policing and Justice Matters – Category Two list of issues
This session was recorded by Hansard.
The Chairperson declared the following interest:
- Member of the Northern Ireland Policing Board
The Chairperson invited Members to declare their relevant interests.
Members declared the following interests:
Alex Attwood
- Member of the Northern Ireland Policing Board.
Alex Maskey
- Member of the Northern Ireland Policing Board.
Committee Briefing Paper 11/08/09 – Twenty-seventh Revision – Consideration of the Category Two List of Issues
Members considered the Category Two List of Issues and reported no change to previously stated positions.
6. Chairperson’s Business
Members noted the absence of replies from the Secretary of State and OFMDFM on a number of matters relating to the devolution of policing and justice.
Agreed: Members agreed to await developments before taking any further action.
11.12 am The meeting went into closed session.
7. Briefing by NIO Officials on the Intergovernmental Agreements, Memoranda of Understanding, Protocols and Concordats
11.15 am NIO Officials joined the meeting.
Mr Gareth Johnston - Northern Ireland Office
Mr David Lennox - Northern Ireland Office
Officials briefed the Committee on:
- the draft Concordat between Her Majesty’s Government and the Northern Ireland Executive on the Independence of the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland, and
- the outworking of the Intergovernmental Agreement on Criminal Justice Matters, following an earlier presentation.
11.35 Mr Alex Attwood left the meeting.
There was a Question & Answer session.
Agreed: NIO officials undertook to re-draft the draft Concordat and make a further presentation to the Committee in due course.
11.43 am NIO Officials left the meeting.
11.44 am NIO Officials joined the meeting.
Mr David Hughes - Northern Ireland Office
Kathie Walker - Northern Ireland Office
Ronnie Armour- Northern Ireland Office
Officials briefed the Committee on the Agreement between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of Ireland on Police Co-operation.
11.48 am Mr Alex Maskey left the meeting.
There was a Question & Answer session.
Members expressed grave concern that the agreement, as presented, took no account of the role of the Policing Board or Minister for Justice in matters of police co-operation in circumstances where policing and justice powers might be devolved.
Agreed: NIO officials agreed to consider this concern and return to the Committee in due course.
11.54 am NIO Officials left the meeting.
8. Forward Work Programme
The Committee Clerk highlighted the legal obligations placed on the Committee by the provisions of the St Andrew’s Agreement Act 2006 and Members discussed, briefly, the Committee’s proposed Forward Work Programme.
Agreed: Members agreed to consult their respective parties on how the Forward Work Programme might be progressed and report back.
Agreed: Members also agreed, in principle, to hold additional meetings to deal with outstanding issues on the Committee’s Forward Work Programme and the Committee Clerk was asked to develop proposals in light of reports from each of the political parties.
9. Other Business
Members considered the continued absence of a response from OFMDFM regarding a requested update on the proposed Efficiency Review Panel.
Agreed: Members agreed that a reminder should be sent to OFMDFM.
10. Date, time and place of next meeting
The Committee agreed that the next meeting would take place on Tuesday, 19 January 2010 at 11.00 am, in Room 144.
The Chairperson adjourned the meeting a 12.06 pm.