COMMITTEE FOR ENTERPRISE, TRADE & INVESTMENT
MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS
Thursday, 29 November 2007
ROOM 21, PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS
Present:
Mr Mark Durkan MP (Chairperson)
Mr Leslie Cree
Mr Simon Hamilton
Ms Jennifer McCann
Dr Alasdair McDonnell MP
Mr Alan McFarland
Mr Sean Neeson
Mr Robin Newton
In Attendance:
Ms Lucia Wilson (Assembly Clerk)
Mr Paul Connolly (Assistant Assembly Clerk)
Mr Stephen White (Clerical Supervisor)
Mr Jim Nulty (Clerical Officer)
Apologies:
Mr Paul Maskey (Deputy Chairperson)
Mr David Simpson MP
The meeting opened at 10.34 a.m. in public session.
-
Apologies.
Apologies are detailed above.
-
Declaration of Interests.
There were no new interests declared.
-
Minutes of meeting held on 22 November 2007.
Agreed: The draft minutes of the meeting on 22 November were agreed.
-
Matters Arising.
The Committee considered a paper from DETI Energy Division on the current status of the UK Energy Bill and its implications for Northern Ireland. Members noted that they will receive briefing from officials on 13 December.
Agreed: That the Committee would keep track of all written and oral Assembly Questions and that this should now be a regular item on the agenda.
The Committee discussed the issue of sending Christmas cards.
Agreed: That the Chair would send Christmas cards on behalf of the Committee to officials, organisations and agencies who have had regular contact with the Committee.
Mr McFarland joined the meeting at 10.47 a.m.
-
Finalisation of Committee Response to the draft Programme for Government, the draft Investment Strategy and the draft Budget 2008 - 2011
The Committee considered draft responses provided by the Clerk which incorporated the amendments suggested by members.
Mr Neeson joined the meeting at 11.40 a.m.
Mr McDonnell joined the meeting at 11.42 a.m.
Agreed: That the Clerk would finalise the Committee responses and copy to members at next weeks meeting.
-
Briefing from DETI Business Regulation Division and Consumer Council Northern Ireland on Credit Unions in Northern Ireland.
Mike Bohill (Head of DETI Business Regulation Division – Registrar of Credit Unions), Sandy Williamson (Deputy Registrar of Credit Unions) and Paul Bingham (DETI Business Regulation Division) joined the meeting at 12.15 p.m. and briefed members on current issues regarding Credit Unions in Northern Ireland.
Key issues discussed included the options for Credit Unions to operate under a single legal identity, savers protection and Credit Unions’ capacity to deal with Child Trust Funds.
DETI Officials left the meeting at 12.40 p.m.
Carol Edwards, Head of Consumer Council NI and Julie McGrath, Consumer Council NI joined the meeting at 12.42 p.m. and briefed the Committee on extending the powers and functions of Credit Unions in Northern Ireland.
Key issues discussed included how to retain, simplify and enhance the services which Credit Unions can provide, lessons learned following the Farepak collapse and how Credit Unions might be able to handle Child Trust Funds.
Consumer Council Officials left the meeting at 1.00 p.m.
-
Health and Safety Executive NI – Draft Corporate Plan 2008 – 2011
Officials from the Health and Safety Executive, Professor Peter McKie, Chairman, Jim Keyes, Chief Executive and Dermot Breen, Deputy Chief Executive, briefed members on their draft Corporate Plan 2008 – 2011.
Key areas discussed included the challenges facing the Health and Safety Executive and how they plan to respond to these, new initiatives being rolled out and the targets and key performance indicators within their draft Corporate Plan.
Health and Safety Executive Officials left the meeting at 1.40 p.m.
Agreed: The Committee approved the draft Corporate Plan.
-
SL1 – The Health and Safety (Fees) Regulations ( Northern Ireland) 2008
The Committee considered a proposal to make a Statutory Rule, subject to negative resolution, to affect an annual up-rating of health and safety fees by revoking the Health and Safety (Fees) Regulations ( Northern Ireland) 2007.
Agreed : That the Committee had no comment to make at this stage.
-
Forward Work Programme.
The Committee considered the Forward Work Programme November – December 2007.
Agreed : That the Committee Clerk would write to those organisations who had extended invitations to the Committee to visit, advising that they would be unable to do so until January at the very earliest.
-
Any Other Business.
The Committee briefly discussed their approach to their next meeting on 6 December which will deal with recent developments regarding the Giant’s Causeway Visitors’ Centre.
Agreed: That some items of ‘Any Other Business’ would be carried forward to next weeks meeting.
-
Date, time and place of next meeting.
The next meeting will be held on Thursday 6 December 2007, in room 21, Parliament Buildings.
The Chairperson adjourned the meeting at 1.42 p.m.