COMMITTEE FOR CULTURE, ARTS AND LEISURE
MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS
THURSDAY, 13 SEPTEMBER 2007
ROOM 152, PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS
Present: Mr Barry McElduff MLA (Chairperson)
Mr Dominic Bradley MLA
Mr Francie Brolly MLA
The Lord Browne MLA
Mr Kieran McCarthy MLA
Mr Nelson McCausland MLA
Mr Pat Ramsey MLA
Mr Ken Robinson MLA
Mr Jim Shannon MLA
In Attendance: Mrs Linda Gregg (Clerk)
Dr Kathryn Bell (Assistant Clerk)
Miss Mairéad Higgins (Clerical Supervisor)
Mr Alister Strain (Clerical Officer)
Mr Martin Wilson (Bill Office)
Mrs Jane Campbell (Assembly Research Services)
Apologies: Mr David McNarry MLA (Deputy Chairperson)
Mr Paul Maskey MLA
Witnesses: Ms Katherine McCloskey – Association of Chief Librarians
Ms Helen Osborne – Association of Chief Librarians
Ms Anne Connolly – Association of Chief Librarians
Mr Bob McKee – Chartered Institute of Library Professionals Ireland
Mr John McCormick - Chartered Institute of Library Professionals Ireland
Ms Elga Logue - Chartered Institute of Library Professionals Ireland
Mr Kirby Porter - Libraries and Information Services Council Northern Ireland
Mr John Gray – Libraries and Information Services Council Northern Ireland
The meeting opened at 10.20am in public session.
1. Draft minutes of the meeting held on 6 September 2007
Agreed – the draft minutes were agreed.
2. Matters arising
Agreed – the Committee agreed that the Chair, or the Deputy Chair in his place, attend a reception hosted by Minister Poots in Parliament Buildings on 24 September to welcome the UK Board of the Big Lottery Fund.
Agreed – the Committee agreed to ask the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure for a timetable of decisions he is likely to be taking over the coming three to four month period.
The Chair advised members that the correspondence from the Arts Council on the ‘per cent for art’ principle would be discussed at next week’s meeting.
The Chair referred members to the correspondence received from the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure detailing the amount paid to date to PriceWaterhouseCoopers for their work on the proposals for the multi sports stadium.
Agreed – the Committee agreed to ask the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure for a breakdown of its spend on all consultants in relation to the proposals for the multi sports stadium.
Mr Robinson joined the meeting at 10.26am.
Mr Bradley joined the meeting at 10.26am.
3. Chairperson’s business
The Chair advised members that he was making a presentation to officials from the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure on 26 September as part of a training event on the operation of Assembly Committees. The Chair advised members to forward any issues they wished him to raise at this event to the Committee Office.
The Chair advised members that correspondence from the Committee of the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister on the Northern Ireland Sustainable Development Strategy and Implementation Plan, would be deferred to next week’s meeting.
Mr Shannon joined the meeting at 10.30am.
The Chair advised members that the Committee for Finance and Personnel had issued invitations to all members to a seminar on 17 September 2007 on the role of the Assembly in the Budget process.
4. Libraries Bill (NIA Bill 5/07)
Members declared the following interests:
Mr Barry McElduff (Chair) - Member of Western Education & Library Board
Mr Nelson McCausland – Chair of the Library Committee of the Belfast Education & Library Board
Mrs Jane Campbell from Assembly Research Service briefed the Committee on the background to the creation of the Libraries Bill.
The Association of Chief Librarians gave oral evidence, in public, to the Committee on the Libraries Bill.
The Chartered Institute of Library Professionals Ireland gave oral evidence, in public, to the Committee, on the Libraries Bill.
The Libraries and Information Services Council Northern Ireland gave oral evidence, in public, to the Committee, on the Libraries Board.
Mr Martin Wilson from the Assembly Bill Office briefed the Committee on issues involved in Committee Stage of the Bill.
Agreed – the Committee agreed to write to the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure seeking a breakdown of the predicted savings for the new Library Authority as set out in the Explanatory and Financial Memorandum of the Bill.
Agreed – the Committee agreed to take evidence from officials from the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure on 4 October 2007 and to take evidence from the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure on 11 October 2007.
Agreed – the Committee agreed to seek an extension to Committee Stage of the Libraries Bill to 25 February 2008.
Mr Bradley left the meeting at 12.05pm.
5. Correspondence
Agreed – the Committee agreed to respond to the BBC Audience Council consultation on Indigenous Minority Languages. It was agreed that the Committee Office would seek a breakdown of the figures contained in the BBC Trust Unit Analysis of Indigenous Minority Language Provision and forward this information to members. Members agreed to forward any comments they wished to be included in a draft response to the Committee Office by 18 September 2007.
Agreed – the Committee agreed to defer consideration of the correspondence from the Fisheries Conservancy Board on its equality screening process for two of its new policies until next week’s meeting.
The Chair referred members to correspondence from the Department of Employment and Learning and the Department of Education in response to the Committee’s inquiry about funding proposals for the Ulster Scots Academy.
6. Forward Work Programme
The Chair referred members to the forward work programme for September to December 2007.
7. Any Other Business
The Chair referred members to the Hansard transcript of the Football Offences Act which was debated on 11 September 2007.
8. Date and time of next meeting
Agreed: The Committee agreed its next meeting will be held on Thursday 20 September 2007 at 10.30am in Room 152, Parliament Buildings.
The Chairperson adjourned the meeting at 12.15pm.