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COMMITTEE FOR EMPLOYMENT AND LEARNING MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS: THURSDAY 19 SEPTEMBER 2002, Present: In Attendance: Apologies: The meeting opened at 2.10pm in open session. The Chairman welcomed Mr Michael Coyle MLA to his first meeting since replacing Mr Doherty on the Committee. Members agreed to write to Mr Doherty, expressing their thanks for his work on the Committee and wishing him well in his retirement. Action: Clerk 1. Apologies Apologies are detailed above. 2. Draft Minutes of 12 September 2002 These were proposed by Mr Carrick. However, as there was no other member present at that time who had attended last week’s meeting, the Chairman decided to defer the approval of the draft minutes. 3. Matters Arising None. 4. Committee Stage of the Employment Bill The Chairman informed members that the minutes of evidence of last week’s meeting were not yet available from Hansard and that the Committee would consider these at the next meeting. Members agreed to forward copies of the Committee’s Report on the Employment Bill to all witnesses and to the press, embargoed until the Bill reached Consideration Stage in the Assembly. It was also agreed that a copy should be forwarded to the Minister for Employment and Learning. Action: Clerk 2.13pm. Mr McElduff joined the meeting. Mr McElduff agreed to second the proposal that the draft minutes of the meeting on 12 September 2002 be approved. Members carried out the final reading of their Report on the Committee Stage of the Employment Bill. Title page, agreed. Committee membership and powers, agreed. Table of Contents page, agreed. Executive Summary, agreed. Introduction, agreed. Extension of the Committee Stage, agreed. Consideration of the Evidence on the Bill, paragraph 39 agreed as amended. Clause-by-clause deliberation, agreed. Recommendations, agreed. Members agreed to defer consideration of the remainder of the report until the next meeting, when the Committee hoped to order it to be printed. Members agreed to a short turnaround on the minutes of evidence of 12 September 2002, to allow them to be included in the finalised draft report. Action: Clerk Members authorised the Clerk to make any minor editorial changes necessary during proofing of the Report. Action: Clerk 5. Correspondence Members considered the Department for Employment and Learning’s (DEL) response to a recommendation in the recent Report from the Committee for Culture, Arts and Leisure relating to investment in a cultural heritage training organisation and agreed to forward the response to the Committee for Culture, Arts and Leisure. Action: Clerk Members also agreed to write to the Minister asking whether her Department had sufficiently investigated if the current network of training organisations was sufficiently robust and flexible to provide training in cultural heritage, without creating another organisation, with the consequent danger of duplication and waste. Action: Clerk Members considered correspondence form the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to DEL, detailing concerns at discretionary payments made to senior staff at the Belfast Institute of Further and Higher Education. Members agreed to request a copy of DEL’s response to the PAC. Action: Clerk Members noted information from the PAC outlining the current work of the Northern Ireland Audit Office (NIAO) in DEL. It was noted that the Report of the NIAO’s review of Jobskills should be issued in early 2003. The NIAO had also reviewed the funding mechanisms for Further Education Colleges and had expressed concerns at the quality of data provided by the colleges and that the current formula did not address the inherent additional costs of colleges operating on more than one site. Members considered a request from the Association of Northern Ireland Colleges to brief the Committee on their Actioning Good Relations, Equity and Equality (AGREE) programme. Members directed the Clerk to include this on the Committee’s Forward Work Programme which would be prioritised by members at the next meeting. Action: Clerk Members noted a report from the University of Ulster on the recent visit by Professor McKenna and other representatives from universities in the United Kingdom to examine the North Carolina Community College system. The Chairman summarised the key points and it was agreed that this would be useful during the Committee’s consideration of DEL’s Further Education Strategy. 2.45pm. Mr Hilditch joined the meeting. Members noted the Minister’s response on the Committee’s concerns at delays in making threshold payments to lecturers in Further Education Colleges and agreed to forward the response to Mr D O’Doherty, who had originally raised the matter with the Committee. Action: Clerk Members noted the Committee for Finance and Personnel’s response to the Executive’s Position Report. Members considered the Minister’s response to a specific query raised by the Committee regarding work permits for Lithuanian workers. It was noted that no approaches had been made to the department on this matter and that the Committee had no contact address for this correspondent. Members noted details from DEL on their revised and additional bids to the Budget 2002 process and agreed to request officials to meet with the Committee on 3 October 2002. Action: Clerk Members noted that a statement on the draft Budget 2003/04 and a debate on the draft Programme for Government 2003/04 were scheduled for plenary in week commencing 23 September 2002. Members noted the following correspondence:
2.55pm. The meeting continued in closed session. 6. Committee Response to the draft Report and Action Plan from the Taskforce for Employability and Long-Term Unemployment Members considered the draft Report and Action Plan from the Taskforce for Employability and Long-Term Unemployment in closed session as the document had been categorised as ‘strictly confidential’ by DEL officials. Members considered a paper from the Chairman outlining his views on the document. Members considered responses from the Committee for Education; the Committee for Social Development and the Committee of the Centre in relation to the work of the Taskforce. Members considered the Executive’s Response to the Report from the West Belfast and Greater Shankill Taskforces. The Committee were briefed by Northern Ireland Assembly Research on the draft Report and Action Plan from the Taskforce for Employability and Long-Term Unemployment. 3.40pm. Prof McWilliams joined the meeting. Following debate, the Clerk was directed to draft a response for consideration at next week’s meeting. Professor McWilliams stated that she would forward her comments to the Chairman in writing. Action: Clerk Members agreed to write to the Minister to recommend that the Employers’ Forum, as recommended by the West Belfast and Greater Shankill Taskforces should have responsibility for the whole Greater Belfast Area. Action: Clerk It was also agreed to write to the Minister for more information on the business sponsored Aisling scholarships, with a view to determining whether these could be extended. Action: Clerk 3.55pm. The meeting reverted to open session. 7. Legislation Members noted an Order under Article 9 of the Further Education (Northern Ireland) Order 1997 to provide for the discontinuance of the Northern Ireland Hotel and Catering College. 4.00pm. Mr McElduff left the meeting. Members considered Statutory Rule 224/2002, which had been laid in the Business Office, together with a Report from the Examiner of Statutory Rules. Members agreed to seek clarification on the amendment to the financial assessment of married students to remove the 2-year requirement and to reconsider the Statutory Rule at the next meeting. Prof McWilliams asked for it to be minuted that she did not agree with the proposal in the legislation to reduce the loans available to students whose parents or spouses have residual income over £46,000 and £36,800 respectively. The Chairman explained that, when the previous Minister for Employment and learning, Dr Farren, had been questioned on this point, he had stated that his aim was to concentrate resources on the most needy. Members considered Statutory Rule 241/2002, which had been laid in the Business Office, together with a Report from the Examiner of Statutory Rules. It was agreed that: "the Committee for Employment and Learning has considered SR 241/2002: Education (Student Loans) (Amendments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2002 and has no objection to the Rule." The Clerk was directed to inform the Business Office and notify the Department. Action: Clerk Members considered Statutory Rule 245/2002, which had been laid in the Business Office, together with a Report from the Examiner of Statutory Rules. It was agreed that: "the Committee for Employment and Learning has considered SR 245/2002: Industrial Training Levy (Construction Industry) Order (Northern Ireland) 2002 and has no objection to the Rule." The Clerk was directed to inform the Business Office and notify the Department. Action: Clerk Members considered Statutory Rule 265/2002, which had been laid in the Business Office, together with a Report from the Examiner of Statutory Rules. It was agreed that: "the Committee for Employment and Learning has considered SR 265/2002: Student Awards Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2002 and has no objection to the Rule." The Clerk was directed to inform the Business Office and notify the Department. Action: Clerk Members considered a pre-draft Statutory Rule under the Industrial Relations (Northern Ireland) Order 1992 relating to a Code of Practice (Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures) (Appointed Day) Order (Northern Ireland) 2002 and requested a written brief from DEL. Action: Clerk Members considered a pre-draft Statutory Rule under the Industrial Relations (Northern Ireland) Order 1992 relating to a Code of Practice (Redundancy Consultation and Procedures) (Appointed Day) Order (Northern Ireland) 2002 and requested a written brief from DEL. Action: Clerk Members considered a pre-draft Statutory Rule under the Education (Student Support) (Northern Ireland) Order 1998 and had no objections to the policy implications of this draft legislation. Members noted a pre-draft Statutory Rule under the Employment Relations (Northern Ireland) Order 1999, which was not subject to any procedure before the Assembly. Members considered a pre-draft Statutory Rule under the Industrial Relations (Northern Ireland) Order 1992 relating to a Code of Practice (Industrial Action Ballots and Notice to Employees) (Appointed Day) Order (Northern Ireland) 2002 and requested a written brief from DEL. Action: Clerk Members considered a pre-draft Statutory Rule under the Education (Student Support) (Northern Ireland) Order 1998 and had no objections to the policy implications of this draft legislation. 4.20pm. Mr Hutchinson left the meeting. Members considered Statutory Rule 286/2002, which had been laid in the Business Office, subject to the confirmatory procedure in the Assembly. Members noted that the Report from the Examiner of Statutory Rules was not yet available. Mr W Caldwell, DEL, assisted the Committee in their deliberations. It was agreed that: "the Committee for Employment and Learning has considered SR 286/2002: Part-time Workers (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2002, which is subject to the confirmatory procedure in the Assembly and supports the Rule." The Chairman was authorised to speak in support of the Statutory Rule when the Motion was debated in the Assembly next week. Members considered a draft Statutory Rule relating to the Fixed-term Employees (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2002. It was noted that, under Section 46 of the Employment Act 2002, the Rule had to be laid in draft for the approval of the Assembly and that the Rule could only be made after this approval was given. Members noted that the Report from the Examiner of Statutory Rules was not yet available. Mr W Caldwell, DEL, assisted the Committee in their deliberations. The Chairman was authorised to speak in support of the Statutory Rule when the Motion was debated in the Assembly next week. 8. Any Other Business None. 9. Date, Time and Place of Next Meeting On Thursday, 26 September 2002 at 2.00pm in Room 152, Parliament Buildings. The Chairman adjourned the meeting at 4.40pm. Dr Esmond Birnie MLA 26 September 2002 |