COMMITTEE FOR FINANCE AND PERSONNEL
PRESS RELEASE
Date: 06 June 2007
FP 03/07
Embargo: None
ASSEMBLY FINANCE COMMITTEE CONSIDERS WORKPLACE 2010
The Northern Ireland Assembly’s Statutory Committee for Finance and Personnel met today in Parliament Buildings and took evidence from senior DFP officials on Workplace 2010, a major element of the Civil Service Reform Programme initiated to address some urgent accommodation problems within the Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) office estate.
Speaking after the meeting Deputy Committee Chairperson, Mervyn Storey, MLA, said:
“This was our first opportunity to question officials on Workplace 2010, including the contract to be awarded which will be in the region of £1.5bn. The contract involves the sale and lease back of publicly owned assets and will tie DFP into a 20/25-year relationship with a private sector company. It is crucial that the Committee has the opportunity to scrutinise this in more depth and we will return to this in the coming weeks.”
The Deputy Chairperson also said that: “the Committee will be further examining progress on developing a government policy on the location of public sector jobs in Northern Ireland.”
ENDS
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Committee for Finance and Personnel is one of 11 Statutory Committees of the Northern Ireland Assembly, which are set up to advise and assist each Northern Ireland Minister in the formulation of policy with respect to matters within his/her responsibilities as a Minister. Statutory Committees have powers as described in Strand One of the Belfast Agreement i.e. a scrutiny, policy development and consultation role with respect to the department with which each is associated, together with a role in the initiation of legislation.
As per paragraph 9 of Strand One of the Belfast Agreement, Statutory Committees have the power to:
Consider and advise on departmental budgets and annual plans in the context of the- overall budget allocation;
- Approve relevant secondary legislation and take the Committee stage of relevant primary legislation;
- Call for persons and papers;
- Initiate inquiries and make reports; and
- Consider and advise on matters brought to the Committee by its minister.
The Committee for Finance and Personnel has eleven Members:
Mitchel McLaughlin (Chairperson) (Sinn Fein)
Mervyn Storey (Deputy Chairperson) (DUP)
Roy Beggs (UUP)
Dr Stephen Farry ( Alliance)
Simon Hamilton (DUP)
Fra McCann (Sinn Fein)
Jennifer McCann (Sinn Fein)
Adrian McQuillan (DUP)
Declan O’Loan (SDLP)
Dawn Purvis (PUP)
Peter Weir (DUP)
Media enquiries should be addressed to:
Northern Ireland Assembly Information Office, Room B2, Parliament Buildings, Belfast BT4 3XX.
Telephone 028 9052 1137.
e-mail: info.office@niassembly.gov.uk