COMMITTEE FOR CULTURE, ARTS AND LEISURE
MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS
THURSDAY 13 JANUARY 2011
ROOM 21, PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS
Present:
Mr Declan O’Loan MLA (Deputy Chairperson)
Lord Browne MLA
Mr Thomas Burns MLA
Mr David Hilditch MLA
Mr William Humphrey MLA
Mr Billy Leonard MLA
Mr Ken Robinson MLA
Apologies:
Mr Barry McElduff MLA (Chairperson)
Mr Kieran McCarthy MLA
Mr David McClarty MLA
Mr Pat Sheehan MLA
In attendance:
Ms Lucia Wilson (Clerk)
Miss Emma Patton (Assistant Clerk)
Mr Jonathan Lamont (Clerical Supervisor)
Mr Chris Baird (Clerical Officer)
Dr Dan Hull (Research Officer)
The meeting opened at 10.35 a.m.
Agreed : The Committee agreed to send letters of condolences to the Harte and McAreavey families regarding the untimely death of Michaela McAreavey née Harte.
1. Apologies
The apologies are noted above.
2. Draft Minutes of 16 December 2010
Agreed: The Committee agreed the minutes of the Committee meeting of
16 December 2010.
3. Matters arising
The Committee noted the letter from the Department in relation to IFA governance and stadia development.
The Committee considered the response from the Department in relation to North/ South Language Body Annual Reports and Accounts.
Agreed: The Committee agreed to write to the Department requesting that the Committee is kept informed of the outcome of discussions between the Northern Ireland Audit Office and the Comptroller and Auditor General in relation to the need for consolidating accounts of Foras na Gaelige and the Ulster-Scots Agency.
The Committee noted the response from the Department in relation to the Sport Council for Northern Ireland’s annual report and accounts for year ending 31 March 2008.
The Committee noted the response from the Comptroller and Auditor General
regarding Sports Council for NI Annual Report 2008.
The Committee noted the response from the Committee for Health Committee, Social Services and Public Safety regarding mixed martial arts and boxing.
The Committee noted the Department’s summary of Annex D of the December Monitoring papers 2010/11.
The Committee noted the tabled letter from the Department in relation to the Financial Outturns for November 2010.
The Committee considered the response from InvestNI on its Music Industry Strategy and the response from the Arts Council Northern Ireland in relation to its Music Strategy.
Agreed: The Committee agreed that the Clerk should forward the responses to the Music Foundation for Northern Ireland for their information.
4. Briefing from DCAL regarding draft budget 2011 – 2015 spending and savings proposals
The Committee considered a number of documents in relation to draft budget 2011-2015:
- Committee office paper.
- Tabled letter from the Minister regarding the Committee’s response to the draft spending and savings plans in September 2010.
- Committee for Finance and Personnel’s memo regarding Executive’s Draft Budget 2011 – 15.
- Committee for Finance and Personnel’s memo regarding Resource DEL: Administrative cost controls.
- Departmental briefing paper and draft budget 2011-15 spending and savings proposals.
- Responses from ALBs and Committee’s draft response of September 2010 .
Mr Burns joined the meeting at 10.57 a.m.
The following officials joined the meeting at 11.05 a.m.
Mr Edgar Jardine, Deputy Secretary
Mr Arthur Scott, Director of Culture
Mr Michael O’Dowd, Head of Finance Branch
The officials briefed the Committee on the draft budget 2011-2015.
A question and answer session followed.
Mr Hilditch left the meeting at 11.40 a.m.
Mr Hilditch rejoined the meeting at 11.58 a.m.
Mr Leonard declared an interest as he is a member of Coleraine Borough Council.
The officials left the meeting at 12.01 p.m.
Agreed: The Committee agreed to write to the Deaprtment seeking a further breakdown, by unit of business, of current expenditure and capital investment showing ALB allocations; a breakdown of reductions in current and capital expenditure in real terms and clarification on figures relating to Sport NI.
The officials left the meeting at 12.01 p.m.
5. Assembly Research briefing on arts per capita spend
Dr Dan Hull, Assembly Research Officer briefed the Committee on arts per capita spend.
Mr Humphrey left the meeting at 12.02 p.m.
Mr Humphrey rejoined the meeting at 12.05 p.m.
Agreed: The Committee agreed to forward the research paper to the Arts Council
of Northern Ireland and the Department and to highlight the need for an agreed
methodology to calculate arts per capita spend.
6. Correspondence
The Committee noted correspondence from the Department which provides an analysis of sickness absence in Northern Ireland Civil Service Departments.
The Committee noted a letter addressed to Committee Member Mr Kieran McCarthy on North/South Ministerial Council progress on its disability actionplan and a letter to the Chairperson in relation to funding for Gaeltacht summer camps.
The Committee considered the Arts & Business NI update following the Committee’s Inquiry into the Funding of the Arts.
Agreed: The Committee agreed to write to Arts and Business NI to congratulate them on their achievements to date and to wish them every success on work related to implementing the Committee’s Inquiry recommendation.
The Committee considered the letter from Mr Ronnie Spence of the Ulster Sports Museum Association regarding the current position of a proposed sports museum.
Mr Robinson declared an interest as he is a member of Newtownabbey Borough Council.
Lord Browne and Mr Humphrey declared interests as they are members of Belfast City Council.
Agreed: The Committee agreed to write to the Ulster Sporting Museum Association in support of the creation of such a museum.
Agreed: The Committee agreed to write to the Department to request details on how sporting history is covered in museum provision as recommended in the Inquiry into Museums in 2008.
The Committee noted the Agriculture and Rural Development research paper on Rural Development Issues.
The Committee considered a request from NI Theatre Association to brief the Committee on the impact of DCAL’s spending and saving plans on their member organisations.
Agreed: The Committee agreed to invite the NI Theatre Association to brief Members on their concerns.
The Committee noted the tabled memo from Committee for the Environment regarding the Planning Bill.
7. Forward work programme
Members noted the forward work programme.
Agreed: The Committee agreed to invite the Department to brief Members on an analytical summary of consultation responses in advance of the final drafting of the Museums policy.
Agreed: The Committee agreed that next week’s session with the Department on the 2012 Olympiad is to be covered by Hansard.
8. Any other business
Agreed: The Committee agreed to send a congratulatory letter to Glentoran Player, Matthew Burrows on his nomination for FIFA ‘Goal of the Year’.
Agreed: The Committee noted the invitation from the Play Resource Centre, North Belfast to hold a Committee meeting at its premises.
Agreed: The Committee agreed to write to the Minister seeking clarification on the Minister’s remarks made in the Chamber on 14 December 2010 in relation to Foras na Gaeilge and the Ulster Scots Agency.
9. Date and time of next meeting
The next meeting of the Committee for Culture, Arts and Leisure will take place on Thursday 20 January 2011 at 10.30am in Room 21, Parliament Buildings.
The Chairperson adjourned the meeting at 12.30 p.m
Mr Declan O’Loan
Deputy Chairperson, Committee for Culture, Arts and Leisure
20 January 2011
16 December 10 / Menu |
