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COMMITTEE FOR CULTURE, ARTS AND LEISURE

End of Session Report 2008 - 2009

Remit and Powers

The Committee for Culture, Arts and Leisure is a Statutory Departmental Committee established in accordance with paragraph 8 and 9 of the Belfast Agreement, Section 29 of the NI Act 1998 and under Assembly Standing Order 48. The Committee has a scrutiny, policy development and consultation role in respect of the Minister of Culture, Arts & Leisure and has a role to play in the initiation, consideration and development of legislation.

The Committee has the power to:

Membership

The Committee has 11 members, including a Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson, with a quorum of 5 members.

The membership of the Committee since 9 May 2007 has been as follows:

Mr Barry McElduff (Chairperson)
Mr David McNarry (Deputy Chairperson)
Mr Francie Brolly
Mr Dominic Bradley
Mr PJ Bradley 1
Mr Raymond McCartney 2
Lord Browne
Mr Kieran McCarthy
Mr Nelson McCausland 3
Mr Pat Ramsey
Mr Ken Robinson 4
Mr Jim Shannon

1 Mr PJ Bradley replaced Mr Pat Ramsey with effect from 29 June 2009.
2 Mr Raymond McCartney replaced Mr Paul Maskey with effect from 10 March 2008.
3 Mr Nelson McCausland was appointed Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure on 30 June 2009 and will be replaced on the Committee by another DUP Member in September 2009.
4 Mr Ken Robinson replaced Mr David Burnside with effect from 18 June 2007.

Committee activities, outputs and achievements

This report covers the work of the Committee from 1 September 2008 to 31 August 2009 (Assembly year 2008-09).

Inquiries

Inquiry into the need for a museums policy in Northern Ireland

The Committee took a wide range of evidence for this inquiry during the autumn of 2008 from numerous stakeholders within the museums sector. The Committee’s report was published on 11 December 2008 and its key recommendation to the Assembly was that the Department should develop a museums policy. The Department has responded positively to this recommendation and is in the process of producing a policy.

Inquiry into the funding of the arts in Northern Ireland

The Committee agreed the terms of reference for this inquiry in January 2009 which is focused on the level of funding allocated to the arts and how that funding is distributed. Oral evidence has been taken from 17 key stakeholders and the Committee also undertook a fact-finding visit to Liverpool, European Capital of Culture 2008, as part of the inquiry. The Committee will be considering the evidence provided and formulating its recommendations over the course of the autumn, with the plan of publishing its report before the end of 2009.

Review of the Department’s management of the Northern Ireland Events Company and its other arms length bodies

The Committee has taken a keen interest in the circumstances which gave rise to the financial deficit within the Northern Ireland Events Company (NIEC) in 2007. In autumn 2008 the Committee held a number of sessions with DCAL officials on what actions the Department is pursuing in relation to the matter. The Committee also decided to conduct its own review into the Department’s sponsorship role of the NIEC and its other arms length bodies. This involved evidence sessions with the Department, as well as case studies with Sport NI and the Arts Council. The Committee submitted its report to the Department in July and a response to the recommendations is expected in September 2009. The report and departmental response will then be published as a formal report to the Assembly in autumn 2009.

Legislation – Statutory Rules

Safety at Sports Grounds

Safety at sports grounds has been a matter of considerable interest and concern over the last year, and the Committee has encouraged DCAL and Sport NI to work as quickly as possible to bring in the required secondary legislation on this issue. The Committee requested an update on progress at regular intervals - in December, February and June. The Committee also visited Ravenhill, Windsor Park and Casement Park, the main Belfast venues for rugby, soccer and GAA, to see the safety issues at each ground at first hand.

Therefore, the Committee welcomed the briefing by DCAL in June 2009 on its proposals to introduce three Statutory Rules to bring in the provisions of The Safety of Sports Grounds (NI) Order 2006 not already in force. The Committee indicated that it was content with the proposed Statutory Rules which are planned to come into operation on 31 December 2009.

Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI)

In September 2008 the Committee was briefed by PRONI on its proposals to go out to public consultation on a new Statutory Rule to update the rules on admittance applying to those using PRONI’s on-site facilities. The Committee was subsequently briefed by PRONI in February 2009 on the proposed Statutory Rule, to which it gave its approval, and the Rule came into operation on 1 April 2009.

Fishing Byelaws

In November 2008 the Committee was briefed by DCAL and the Fisheries Conservancy Board on proposals for two Statutory Rules to amend fishing and eel fishing licence duties. The Committee was content with the changes to the charges, and the Statutory Rules came into force on 1 January 2009.

Waterways Ireland Byelaws

In May 2009 the Committee received a briefing from Waterways Ireland on its proposals to produce updated byelaws for inland waterways. The Committee indicated that it was content for Waterways Ireland to begin the public consultation process necessary to bring the byelaws forward.

Budget Scrutiny

The Committee has considered and advised the Department on the management of its annual budget (capital and revenue) through the mechanism of the quarterly monitoring rounds. Sessions were held with the Department in September, December and February with regard to the 2008-2009 budget, and in June 2009 regarding the 2009-2010 budget.

The Committee has consistently encouraged the Department to manage its budget in such a way as to avoid having to surrender money back to the Department of Finance and Personnel, thus reducing its overall budget. In particular, the Committee has asked DCAL to consider having a range of projects in a state of readiness, in cases where money cannot be spent in-year where originally intended.

Policy Scrutiny

Stadia Development

In February the Committee was briefed by the Minister on his decision not to proceed with a multi-sports stadium at the Maze/Long Kesh site to cater for soccer, GAA and rubgy. The Minister informed the Committee that he had asked the three sporting codes to submit their preferred options for stadia development, which have now been received and are being assessed by the Department. The Committee will continue to engage with DCAL on this issue and will seek an update on progress in autumn 2009.

Public Service Broadcasting

In autumn 2008 Ofcom launched a consultation on the future of public service broadcasting. The consultation document contained proposals to cut the number of hours of both news and non-news programmes UTV is required to produce. The Committee took evidence from a range of interested stakeholders including UTV, Screen NI, Ofcom, NUJ and BECTU.

In its response to the consultation the Committee expressed serious concerns with the proposals and opposed the proposed cuts in UTV’s requirements, which would result in job losses. To that end Committee Members led a debate in the Assembly calling on Ofcom to reconsider the proposals and on UTV to suspend its redundancy programme.

Ofcom’s report was subsequently published in January. While it did recommend that UTV’s requirements be cut, the original proposal to reduce non-news programmes to 90 minutes per week was changed to 2 hours. The report also recognized the support for UTV by the Assembly and the Committee.

Townland names

In March the Committee agreed to embark on a programme of work designed to promote and protect the use of townland names. The Committee contacted government departments and local councils to ascertain what actions they are taking to encourage and indeed increase the use of townland names. The Committee discovered that no government department is pro-actively taking the lead on this issue and so it decided to take positive action to raise the profile of this important matter. The Committee hosted a seminar in June which was attended by over 100 people, with input from academics, researchers, local government, MLAs, and members of historical societies. A performance by the Armagh Rhymers was also included.

This event attracted a high level of media coverage, given its regional importance, and it is an area the Committee will continue to champion in autumn 2009.

Participation in Sport

In June the Committee requested a briefing from DCAL on what measures it is taking to increase the numbers of people participating in sport, as set out in the Programme for Government 2008-2011. The Committee will continue to monitor this area and in particular the implementation of the Strategy for Sport and Physical Recreation, which is currently awaiting Executive approval.

In terms of elite sport, the Committee received a briefing on the London Olympics 2012 in February, and held discussions with DCAL on how Northern Ireland can ensure it benefits from the 2012 Games and their legacy.

Development of an indigenous language strategy

In December the Committee received an update from the Minister on proposals to introduce a strategy for indigenous languages – the Irish language and Ulster Scots. The Committee will continue to monitor the progress of this strategy in autumn 2009. To that end briefings have been scheduled with officials from the Republic of Ireland, Scotland, and Wales on the approaches they have taken to protecting and promoting indigenous languages.

Spend of proceeds of crime

Following a meeting with Scottish MSPs, the Committee became aware that in Scotland a scheme has been set up called ‘Cashback for Communities’ whereby recovered proceeds of crime are being reallocated to communities most affected by crime. The aim of the scheme is crime prevention through various arts and sports programmes. The Committee has since made enquiries as to the possibility of a similar scheme being set up in Northern Ireland and will be receiving briefings from Scottish officials and the NIO in autumn 2009.

Likely key priorities for the next session

Priorities
Other issues to be addressed

Engagement - Informal meetings/events

The Committee held 14 informal meetings with various groups during the course of the session. In addition, the Chair and Deputy Chair met with the Convenors of the Health and Sport Committee, and the Education, Lifelong Learning and Culture Committee of the Scottish Parliament. The Committee also hosted a roundtable meeting for stakeholders within the theatre sector to discuss the possibility of a new regional theatre initiative.

Two musical performances were arranged by the Committee in Parliament Buildings, with the aim of showcasing local musical talent. Bradley Parker, a ten year old world champion piper from Portavogie and two young Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann musicians, Chris and Lorena Maguire from Derrygonnelly, performed in March 2009. This was followed by a performance by the Waringstown Primary School Choir, winners of the BBC choir of the year award, in April 2009.

Meetings held

The Committee held 43 meetings, 14 of which were closed and 6 of which were in venues outside Parliament Buildings. The Committee also made 14 visits to the following places:

June 2009 - Visit to the Sports Instiitute at Jordanstown
June 2009 - Visit to the Sports Instiitute at Jordanstown
June 2009 - Visit to the Sports Institute at Jordanstown
January 2009 - Visit to the Ulster American Folk Park, Omagh
June 2009 - Townland Names Seminar
January 2009 - Visit to the Ulster American Folk Park, Omagh June 2009 - Townland Names Seminar
April 2009 - Waringstown Primary School Choir perform in Parliament Buildings
June 2009 - Cathedral Quarter
April 2009 - Waringstown Primary School Choir perform in Parliament Buildings June 2009 - Cathedral Quarter

ANNEX A

Committee for Culture, Arts and Leisure – Expenditure for the period

1 September 2008 – 31 August 2009

Budget area

Details

Expenditure

Committee Travel - committee members and staff travel and subsistence in relation to visits and meetings outside Parliament Buildings Includes the cost of 5 committee visits and 6 committee meetings held outside Parliament Buildings and travel to other external meetings and events. £5,487.97
Printing of committee reports Inquiry on the Development of a Museums Policy for Northern Ireland £ 2,872.82
Advertising – the cost of public notices relating to committee inquiries, the committee stage of bills and meetings held outside Parliament Buildings Includes the cost of public notices in relation to:
  • Inquiry into the Funding of the Arts in Northern Ireland
  • 6 meetings outside Parliament Buildings


£2,664.54

£3,467.29
General expenses Cost of refreshments for committee meetings, working lunches, seminars, room hire and witness expenses £4,168.11
   
£18,660.73