COMMITTEE FOR ENTERPRISE, TRADE AND INVESTMENT
MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS
TUESDAY 15 JANUARY 2002 AT 10.36AM IN
ROOM 144, PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS
Present: Mr P Doherty MP (Chairperson)
Mr B Armstrong
Mr W Clyde
Mrs A Courtney
Mr D McClarty
Dr A McDonnell
Ms J Morrice
Dr D O'Hagan
Mr J Wells
Apologies: Mr S Neeson (Deputy Chairperson)
In attendance: Mrs C White (Committee Clerk)
Mr M Anderson (Assistant Committee Clerk)
Mr R Anderson (Clerical Supervisor)
Miss A Fowler (Clerical Officer)
Dr P Gilleece (Assembly Researcher)
In attendance for the public evidence session at 10.44am: Mr H McCracken and Mr A Boggs (Northern Ireland Electricity(NIE))
In attendance for the public evidence session at 11.45am and the private evidence session at 12.27pm: Mr D McIldoon, Mr W McIlhatton and Mr S O'Hare (Office for the Regulation of Electricity and Gas (OFREG)).
The meeting opened in private at 10.36am.
1. OFREG Consultation Paper - Transmission and Distribution Price Control
1.1 The Committee discussed additional information received from OFREG and NIE.
The meeting went into public session at 10.44am.
Ms Morrice left the meeting at 11.08am.
Mr Clyde joined the meeting at 11.08am.
Dr O'Hagan joined the meeting at 11.32am.
1.3 Officials from OFREG detailed their concerns about NIE's position and answered questions put to them by the Committee.
Agreed - to consider this issue again at a future meeting before responding to OFREG.
Mrs Courtney joined the meeting at 12.06pm.
The meeting went into private session at 12.27pm.
2. Energy Inquiry
Mr McClarty and Dr McDonnell left the meeting at 12.30pm.
The Committee agreed to a lunch Recess at 12.46pm.
Mr Armstrong and Ms Courtney left the meeting at 12.46pm.
The meeting resumed in private at 2.13pm.
Mr McClarty rejoined the meeting at 2.13pm.
2.2 The Committee continued deliberating on its draft Energy inquiry report.
Agreed - To defer the issues of Orimulsion and Consumer Bonds to the next meeting.
Dr McDonnell rejoined the meeting at 2.26pm.
Mr McClarty left the meeting at 2.55pm.
>Ms Courtney rejoined the meeting at 3.06pm.
Mr Armstrong rejoined the meeting at 3.07pm.
Agreed - to allow the Report to be circulated to Members in the Business Bundle prior to the debate but embargoed until the debate had commenced.
Agreed - to print Volume 1 of the report in hard copy and to publish Volumes 2 onwards on a CD ROM.
Agreed - that Committee members would also receive their copies in this format.
Agreed - to brief members of the press prior to the debate under 'Chatham House' Rules.
Agreed - the organisations who will receive an embargoed copy of the report.
Mr McClarty rejoined the meeting at 3.22pm.
Dr O'Hagan left the meeting at 3.23pm.
Mr Wells left the meeting at 3.24pm.
Dr McDonnell left the meeting at 3.32pm.
3. Date of next meeting
3.1 The next meeting of the Committee will be held on Wednesday 16 January 2002 at 10.00am in Room 144, Parliament Buildings.
The meeting closed at 3.55pm.
Mr Pat Doherty MP
Chairperson