COMMITTEE FOR THE OFFICE OF THE FIRST MINISTER AND DEPUTY
FIRST MINISTER
MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS
WEDNESDAY 03 FEBRUARY 2010
ROOM 30, PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS
Present:
Mr Danny Kennedy (Chairperson)
Mrs Naomi Long (Deputy Chairperson)
Ms Martina Anderson
Mr Alex Attwood
Mr Tom Elliott
Mr Francie Molloy
Mr Stephen Moutray
Mr George Robinson
Mr Jim Shannon
Mr Jimmy Spratt
In Attendance:
Mrs Cathie White (Assembly Clerk)
Mrs Linda Gregg (Assistant Assembly Clerk)
Mr Keith McBride (Assistant Assembly Clerk)
Mr Stephen Magee (Clerical Supervisor)
Mrs Marion Johnson (Clerical Officer)
Apologies:
Mr Barry McElduff
The meeting opened in public session with the Deputy Chairperson in the Chair at 2.06 p.m.
1. Apologies
Apologies are detailed above.
2. Chairperson’s Business
Declaration of Interests
The Chairperson sought any declarations of interest from Members in relation to items of business being discussed. There were no disclosures.
Real Fathers for Justice
The Committee considered a request from Real Fathers for Justice to brief the Committee.
Agreed: The Committee agreed that the Chairperson, Deputy Chairperson and any other interested Members would meet with Real Fathers for Justice.
Strategic Investment Board
The Committee considered an invitation from the Strategic Investment Board to visit Clare House on 3 March 2010 to receive a presentation on the Investment Strategy Delivery Tracking System.
Agreed: The Committee agreed to visit the Strategic Investment Board on 3 March 2010.
3. Draft minutes of the meeting held on 20 January 2010
Agreed: The draft minutes of proceedings of 20 January 2010 were agreed by the Committee.
4. Child Poverty and Draft Childcare Strategy
The Chairperson advised Members that the junior Ministers are unable to attend the meeting to provide an update to the Committee on its work in relation to Child Poverty and the draft Childcare Strategy. This briefing will be rescheduled for consideration by the Committee in the next few weeks.
5. Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People
Ms Patricia Lewsley and Ms Alex Tenant joined the meeting at 2.10 p.m.
Ms Anderson joined the meeting at 2.14 p.m.
Mr Shannon joined the meeting at 2.16 p.m.
Mr Attwood joined the meeting at 2.19 p.m.
Mr Kennedy joined the meeting at 2.21 p.m.
Mr Elliott joined the meeting at 2.24 p.m.
The Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People, Ms Patricia Lewsley and the Head of Policy and Research at the Office of the Commissioner for Children and Young People, Ms Alex Tenant, briefed the Committee on its work in relation to child poverty. A question and answer session followed.
Ms Patricia Lewsley and Ms Alex Tenant left the meeting at 2.56 p.m.
Mr Attwood left the meeting at 2.59 p.m.
Agreed: The Committee agreed to issue a copy of the Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People’s Minutes of Evidence to the Department to enable junior Ministers to respond to the issues raised by the Commissioner when briefing the Committee.
Agreed: The Committee agreed to forward the Departments update on the Committee’s Child Poverty report to all statutory committees for them to take forward with their departments.
Mr Kennedy took the chair at 3.01 p.m.
6. February Monitoring Round
The Chairperson advised Members that the Department’s proposals for the February Monitoring Round had not yet been received and would be rescheduled for next week’s meeting.
Agreed: The Committee agreed to write to the First Minister and deputy First Minister to convey its concerns on the lateness of Monitoring Rounds and therefore the restriction of the Committee’s ability to fulfil its scrutiny role.
7. Revised Departmental Expenditure Plan 2010-11
The Chairperson advised Members that the revised Departmental Expenditure Plan would not be considered at this week’s meeting as the Plan had not yet been received. This will be rescheduled for consideration at next week’s meeting.
Agreed: The Committee agreed to write to the First Minister and deputy First Minister to convey its concerns on the lateness of financial papers and therefore the restriction of the Committee’s ability to fulfil its scrutiny role.
8. Commissioner for Older People
The Committee considered the additional responses to the consultation on the Commissioner for Older People draft Bill.
Agreed: The Committee agreed to forward to the Department a copy of a paper received from Help the Aged/Age Concern and a copy of the Minutes of Evidence of the meeting of 20 January. The Committee also agreed that it had no objections to the Department making revisions to the draft Bill.
Mr Elliott rejoined the meeting at 3.24 p.m.
9. Matters arising
Programme for Government Delivery Report
Agreed: The Committee agreed to forward the letter from the Department to all statutory committees advising that the Take Note Debate on the Programme for Government Delivery Report would be rescheduled to include the half-year report to September 2009.
PSA Targets
Agreed: The Committee agreed to forward a response from the Department concerning the delay in production of the Sustainable Development Implementation Plan to the Committee for the Environment.
Strategies for Bio-fuels, Bio-gas and Bio-mass
The Committee noted a response from the Department concerning strategies for Bio-fuels, Bio-gas and Bio-mass.
Agreed: The Committee agreed to write to KEDCO Energy advising of the Department’s response.
Membership of the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions
The Committee noted a research paper on the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions and considered Northern Ireland’s membership of the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions.
Agreed: The Committee agreed to write to the Department advising that it agrees that the Executive should not renew its membership of the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions.
Child Benefit Issues
The Committee noted a response from the Rt Hon Stephen Timms MP to the Committee’s concerns regarding Child Benefit issues.
Post Project Evaluations
The Committee noted a response from the Department regarding its outstanding Post Project Evaluations.
Aiming High for Disabled Children Programme
Agreed: The Committee agreed to write to the Minister for Health, Social Services and Public Safety to seek further information on funding for the Aiming High for Disabled Children Programme.
Mr Attwood re-joined the meeting at 3.15 p.m.
Mr Robinson left the meeting at 3.22 p.m.
Mr Moutray left the meeting at 3.26 p.m.
Victims and Survivors Service Consultation
Agreed: The Committee agreed to consider all the responses to the Department’s consultation in detail at next week’s meeting.
10. Correspondence
Annual Report on Public Appointments
The Committee noted the publication of the thirteenth Annual Report on Public Appointments.
Mr Attwood left the meeting at 3.52 p.m.
Code of Practice for Ministerial Public Appointments
The Committee noted correspondence from the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments advising that it’s Code of Practice for Ministerial Public Appointments comes into effect on 1 February 2010.
Committee for Culture, Arts and Leisure
The Committee noted correspondence from Committee for Culture, Arts and Leisure seeking written submissions on its inquiry into participation in sport and physical activity in Northern Ireland.
Letter from Sandy Mewies AM
The Committee noted a letter from Sandy Mewies AM, the former Chair of the National Assembly for Wales European and External Affairs Committee thanking the Committee for its contributions and support during her time as Chair of the Committee.
Agreed: The Committee agreed to write to Sandy Mewies AM thanking her for her support and wishing her well for the future.
KEDCO Energy
The Committee considered a letter from KEDCO Energy concerning funding for its Anaerobic Digestion Plant.
Agreed: The Committee agreed to forward the letter to the Committee for Enterprise, Trade and Investment for them to take forward with the Utility Regulator.
Executive Advertising Policy
Agreed: The Committee agreed to forward a letter from the Committee for Finance and Personnel to the First Minister and deputy First Minister concerning the Executive’s Advertising Policy.
Welfare Reform Bill
The Committee considered correspondence from the Committee for Social Development in relation to the Welfare Reform Bill. The Committee agreed that it will make a response when the Bill reaches Committee Stage.
The Omnibus Partnership
The Committee noted a letter from the Chairman of the Omnibus thanking the Committee for its work on the Disability Discrimination (Transport Vehicles) Regulations.
Mrs Long left the meeting at 3.37 p.m.
Housing Rights Service
Agreed: The Committee agreed to forward a research paper from the from the Housing Rights Service on an Analysis of the Court Representation Service for Mortgage Possession Proceedings on Northern Ireland to the Committee for Social Development.
European Movement
The Committee considered correspondence from the European Movement’s Northern Ireland Council on European issues and agreed to schedule a briefing from the European Movement on the Committee’s Forward Work Programme.
11. Any other Business
Information Commissioner request
The Committee considered a request from the Information Commissioner to disclose a document the Committee had received in relation to the EU Gender Directive on Goods and Services.
Agreed: The Committee agreed to disclose the document.
12. Date, time and place of next meeting
The next meeting will be held in Room 30 on Wednesday 10 February 2010 at 2 p.m.
The Chairperson adjourned the meeting at 3.48 p.m.