COMMITTEE FOR CULTURE, ARTS AND LEISURE
MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS
THURSDAY, 28 JUNE 2007
ROOM 152, PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS
Present: Mr David McNarry MLA (Deputy Chairperson)
Mr Dominic Bradley MLA
Mr Francie Brolly MLA
The Lord Browne MLA
Mr Paul Maskey MLA
Mr Kieran McCarthy MLA
Mr Nelson McCausland MLA
Mr Pat Ramsey MLA
Mr Jim Shannon MLA
In Attendance: Mrs Stella McArdle (Clerk)
Dr Kathryn Bell (Assistant Clerk)
Miss Mairéad Higgins (Clerical Supervisor)
Mr Alister Strain (Clerical Officer)
Apologies: Mr Barry McElduff MLA (Chairperson)
Mr Ken Robinson MLA
The meeting opened at 10.30am in public session.
1. Chairperson’s business
Agreed – The Committee agreed to accept the request from the Ulster Historical Foundation for it to make a presentation to the Committee.
Agreed – The Committee agreed that either the Chair or the Deputy Chair, or any other member would attend the Arts Council’s one-day conference called ‘Art at the Heart’, which is arranged for 8 November 2007 at the Grand Opera House. Mr Brolly expressed an interest in attending.
Mr Bradley joined the meeting at 10.31am.
Members were advised that the Chair of the Committee for the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister had written to all Committee Chairs to inform them that the First Minister and deputy First Minister had outlined the emerging priorities for Programme for Government 2008-2011 at the Committee for the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister’s meeting of 20 June 2007. The First Minister and deputy First Minister advised the OFMDFM Committee that the Executive was beginning the process of producing a draft Programme for Government to be published in September 2007.
Agreed – The Committee agreed to write to the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure to request its timetable for providing in-put to the draft Programme for Government, and when it intended seeking the Committee’s views on that in-put.
Mr McCausland joined the meeting at 10.32am.
Lord Browne joined the meeting at 10.32am.
Members were advised that two journals had been received in the Committee office and were available for members to borrow. The journals were ‘Shared Space’ published by the Community Relations Council and ‘Foundations for the Future: The Review of Environmental Governance’ published by the Department of the Environment.
2. Draft minutes of the meeting held on 21 June 2007.
Agreed – The draft minutes were agreed.
3. Matters arising
Members were referred to a briefing paper provided by the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure on the multi-sports stadium proposals.
Mr Shannon joined the meeting at 10.37am.
Members were advised that the Committee had written to the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure requesting a copy of the business plan for the development of the multi-sports stadium at the Maze/Long Kesh site, as well as his timetable for progressing the multi-sports stadium issue.
Agreed – The Committee agreed to write to the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure to seek information on its contingency plan should the multi-sports stadium not be located at the Maze/Long Kesh site. The Committee also agreed to write to the Department to ask for a detailed explanation, along with the relevant documentation, as to why the North Foreshore and the Titanic Quarter were ruled out as possible sites.
Agreed – The Committee agreed that its first meeting after recess would deal solely with the issue of the multi-sports stadium. This meeting would involve oral briefings from the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure, the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister, the Department of Finance and Personnel, and the authors of the University of Ulster report on possible locations for the stadium. The Committee agreed that this meeting would only take place on the proviso that all the relevant documentation had been received from the Departments.
4. Presentation from Linfield Football Club
The following representatives from Linfield Football Club joined the meeting at 10.50am:
Mr Jack Grundie (Trustee of Linfield Football Club)
Mr Billy Meikle (Trustee of Linfield Football Club)
Mr Billy Kennedy (Management Committee of Linfield Football Committee)
Mr Paul McErlean (MCE)
The representatives briefed the Committee on their views on the proposed multi-sports stadium and its potential impact on Linfield Football Club. This was followed by a question and answer session.
Lord Browne left the meeting at 11.30am.
Agreed – The Committee agreed to write to Linfield Football Club to request the draft and final versions of the Miller Report, and to seek further details about the availability of £2 million from the Soccer Strategy for the upgrading of Windsor Park.
Agreed – The Committee agreed to write to the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure to establish whether any of the £8 million budget allocated to the Soccer Strategy had been or could be released for upgrading Windsor Park.
5. Briefing on the Ulster Scots Academy consultation
The following officials from the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure joined the meeting at 11.40am:
Mr Colin Jack (Head of Culture Division)
Ms Colette Quinn (Cultural and Language Diversity Policy Branch)
Lord Browne rejoined the meeting at 11.58am.
The officials briefed the Committee on the forthcoming consultation. This was followed by a question and answer session.
Agreed – The Committee agreed to invite the Chair of the Ulster Scots Implementation Group, Dr Philip Robinson, to brief it on the consultation document.
Agreed – The Committee agreed to write to the Departments of Education and Employment and Learning to establish their views in relation to providing long-term funding for the Ulster Scots Academy.
6. Briefing on Strategy for Sport and Physical Recreation 2007 - 2017
The following officials from the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure joined the meeting at 12.00pm:
Mr Jack Palmer (Head of Sports Branch)
Mr Ciaran Mee (Deputy Principal of Sports Branch)
Mr Eamon McCartan (Chief Executive, Sport NI)
Mr John News (Common Sports Manager, Sport NI)
The officials briefed the Committee on the forthcoming consultation. This was followed by a question and answer session.
7. Committee response to the Comprehensive Spending Review
Agreed – The Committee agreed its response, which would be sent to the Minister on 28 June 2007. The Committee agreed that if members had any further comments, these should be sent to the Committee Office, and would be forwarded to the Department as individual members’ views.
8. Committee response to the consultation on Irish language legislation
Agreed – The Committee agreed its response on the Irish language legislation consultation and for the response to be sent to the Department.
9. Any other business
Agreed – The Committee agreed that the Deputy Chairperson seek a meeting with the Chairperson to discuss the scheduling of business at Committee meetings.
Agreed – The Committee agreed to write to the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure to seek information on the timetable for the transfer of Education and Library Boards under the Review of Public Administration, and what impact this timetable will have on the creation of a new single library authority.
Agreed – The Committee agreed to send its condolences to the family of Derek Dougan.
10. Date and time of next meeting
Agreed: The Committee agreed its next meeting will be held on Thursday 5 July 2007 at 10.30am in Room 152, Parliament Buildings.
The Chairperson adjourned the meeting at 12.58pm.