AUDIT COMMITTEE
MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS
Tuesday 3 March 2009
Room 135, PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS
Present:
Mr Robin Newton (Chairperson)
Mr Samuel Gardner (Deputy Chairperson)
Dr Stephen Farry
Mr Paul Maskey
Mr Pat Ramsey
In Attendance:
Ms Aoibhinn Treanor (Assembly Clerk)
Mr John Devlin (Assistant Assembly Clerk)
Mr James Quinn (Clerical Officer)
Apologies:
None
The meeting opened at 1.33pm in public session.
1. Apologies
Apologies are detailed above.
2. Chairperson’s Business
2.1 The Chairperson informed the Committee that on 3 March 2009 he had spoken on behalf of the Committee in plenary debate to represent the Committee view on Clause 1 of the Financial Provisions Bill.
2.2 The Chairperson informed the Committee that he would be undertaking interview training in the coming month in order to participate in the recruitment process for the next Comptroller and Auditor General.
3. Minutes of the meeting held on 6 January 2009
Agreed: The minutes of the meeting held on 6 January 2009 were agreed.
1.35pm Mr Pat Ramsey joined the meeting.
4. Matters Arising
4.1 The Committee noted correspondence from Mr David Thomson, Treasury Officer of Accounts, detailing how the Department for Finance and Personnel proposed to widen the range of tenders received for future NIAO auditing contracts.
4.2 The Committee noted correspondence from Mr John Dowdall CB, Comptroller and Auditor General and Baker Tilly Mooney Moore, Chartered Certified Accountants, in relation to the effectiveness of audits, which stated that the recommendations of external audits been adopted by the NIAO.
5. International Financial Reporting Standards
Mr John Dowdall CB, C&AG; Mr Kieran Donnelly, D A&CG; Mr David Thomson, Treasury Officer of Accounts; Ms Louise Mason, AAG; and DFP representative Ms Brigitte Worth briefed the Committee on the implications for the public sector of adopting International Financial Reporting Standards.
Agreed: The Committee agreed to regularly review the implementation of International Financial Reporting Standards.
Agreed: The Committee agreed to write to Statutory Committee Chairpersons asking that they bring to the attention of their Departments the need for adequate preparation and resources to be assigned, in order to successfully implement International Financial Reporting Standards.
6.NIAO Estimate for 2009-2010
The Committee was briefed by Mr John Dowdall CB, C&AG; Mr Kieran Donnelly, D C&AG; Ms Louise Mason, AAG; Ms Brigitte Worth, DFP; and Mr Tomás Wilkinson, Audit Manager on the Northern Ireland Audit Office Estimate for 2009- 2010.
Agreed: The Committee agreed the Estimate.
7. Comptroller and Auditor General’s Salary 2009-2010
The Committee considered the motion enabling the Comptroller and Auditor General’s salary to increase in line with the scale for judicial group 5 rate agreed by the SSRB for 2009-2010.
Agreed: The Committee agreed the motion as follows:
“That this Assembly determines that the salary to be paid under Article (4)(1) of the Audit (Northern Ireland) Order 1987 to the holder of the office of Comptroller and Auditor General from the 1 st April 2009 to 31 st March 2010 shall be the amount recommended by the Review Body on Senior Salaries as payable for that year to the judiciary at salary group 5.”
Agreed: The Committee agreed that the Chairperson should table a motion on behalf of the Committee for plenary debate.
8. Correspondence
8.1 The Committee noted the booklet, ‘Shared Spaces,’ a collection of essays edited by the Community Relations Council.
9. Any other business
None.
10. Date, time and place of the next meeting
The next meeting will take place in XXX at a time to be agreed. Members will be advised accordingly.
The Chairperson adjourned the meeting at 2.38pm.