COMMITTEE FOR EMPLOYMENT AND LEARNING
MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS: THURSDAY, 18 OCTOBER 2001
ROOM 152, PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS

Present: Dr Esmond Birnie (Chairman)
Mr Mervyn Carrick (Deputy Chairman)
Mr Roy Beggs
Mr Joe Byrne
Mrs Joan Carson
Mr William Hay
Mr Roger Hutchinson
Prof Monica McWilliams

In Attendance: Dr Andrew C Peoples
Mr Colin Jones
Ms Hilary Bogle

Apologies: Mr John Dallat
Mr John Kelly
Mrs Mary Nelis

Meeting opened at 2.07pm in open session.

Prior to the start of the meeting, the Chairman informed members that Ms Colville had left the Committee office to return to her parent Department. Members asked for the immense contribution which Ms Colville had made to the work of the Committee to be placed on record.

1. Apologies

Apologies are detailed above.

2. Draft Minutes of 11 October 2001

Agreed. Proposed: Mr Byrne. Seconded: Mr Carrick.

3. Matters Arising

Following last week’s briefing from Departmental officials, members considered the key issues arising from the Department’s bids to the draft Budget 2002/03, and directed the Clerk to draft a response for consideration at next week’s meeting.

Action: Clerk

2.15pm. Mrs Carson joined the meeting.
2.20pm. Prof McWilliams joined the meeting.

Members noted the press release on the Employability Taskforce which, as agreed at the last meeting, had been agreed for issue by the Chair and Deputy Chair. The Committee considered the Minister’s response to the press release. It was agreed that the Committee’s original decision, that they would respond after being informed of the key issues arising from the consultation process and how these were to be implemented, should remain in force.

4. Consultation on a Victims’ Strategy

Members noted the Clerk’s paper, detailing those areas in the consultation document which were within the remit of the Department for Employment and Learning, and directed the Clerk to prepare a draft response for consideration next week.

Action: Clerk

5. Briefing from Queen’s University Belfast

Members were briefed on the issue of Research & Development (R&D) in higher education by Prof Sir George Bain, Vice Chancellor and President; Prof Roy Crawford, Pro Vice Chancellor (Research and Development) and Mr James O’Kane (Registrar). Dr Birnie declared that he was currently on an unpaid leave of absence from Queen’s University. Following a short presentation, the following issues were discussed with members:

• the proportion of public funding for R&D received by the universities;

• the percentage of postgraduates from Northern Ireland in Queen’s University;

• the need for additional government funding to improve the University’s research infrastructure and to provide increased postgraduate support;

• a proposed cross-departmental mechanism to specify R&D priorities for Northern Ireland in an integrated strategy;

• the drive for academic excellence in both teaching and research in Queen’s University;

• the need for R&D specifically applicable to Northern Ireland’s needs to feed into policy decisions; and

• the possible funding implications of the forthcoming results of the Research Assessment Exercise.

Mr Byrne suggested that the Committee should hold one of its regular meetings at Queen’s University in the future.

6. Any Other Business

The Chairman updated members on the recent meeting of the Chairpersons’ Liaison Committee. He stated that further seminars were planned on Executive Programme Funds and on the initiation of legislation by a Statutory Committee. The procedures for handling Committee Reports prior to their debate in the Assembly were currently being considered. Members considered an issue arising from the meeting, to increase the powers delegated by Committees to the Examiner of Statutory Rules and agreed, "that the Committee for Employment and Learning resolves, under Standing Order 41, to delegate to the Examiner of Statutory Rules the technical scrutiny of Statutory Rules referred to the Committee under the above mentioned Standing Order. The Committee further resolves that in carrying out this function, the Examiner shall be authorised to report his technical findings on each Statutory Rule to the Assembly, through the Business Office, and to the relevant Department, as well as to the Committee itself, and to publish his Report."

Members noted the Committee for Finance and Personnel’s Report on the ‘Outcome of Consideration by Statutory Departmental Committees of the Second Tranche Allocations of Executive Programme Funds.’ Prof McWilliams stated that the Department’s bids for Executive Programme Funds had contained insufficient information on how they fitted into the themes stipulated for the Funds, and informed members that the Committee had powers to solicit bids for funding for the Department. Prof McWilliams asked the Clerk to determine when the Department would supply information on their bids for the September monitoring round.

Action: Clerk

Members noted the Members considered a press release on research and development in higher education in Northern Ireland and agreed it for issue.

Action: Clerk

7. Date and time of next meeting

On Thursday 25 October 2001 at 2.00pm in Room 152, Parliament Buildings.

The Chairman adjourned the meeting at 3.40pm.

Dr Esmond Birnie,
Chairman, Committee for Employment and Learning
25 October 2001