COMMITTEE FOR FINANCE AND PERSONNEL

PRESS RELEASE

Date: 7 January 2008

F&P 12/07

Embargo: Until Tuesday 8 January 2008 at 12.01am

ASSEMBLY FINANCE COMMITTEE CALLS FOR END TO CULTURE OF UNDERSPEND

The N. I. Assembly Committee for Finance and Personnel today published a co-ordinated report on behalf of all the Assembly departmental scrutiny committees on the Executive’s Draft Budget 2008 – 2011.

The report contains twenty one key conclusions and recommendations, which represent the Assembly’s main contribution to influencing the Executive in finalising the Budget.

Launching the report, the Committee Chairperson, Mitchel McLaughlin, MLA, said:

“One of the major issues arising from the Committee’s investigations is the unacceptable level of underspend by departments. Over the last three financial years, the annual amount of underspend in resource budgets has been between £113m and £155m.

“Also, in the same period, between £97m and £227m of capital budgets has remained unused each year. Such monies could be used to address a range of needs on an ongoing basis rather than being left to accumulate at year end.

“In light of this, the Committee has made recommendations for improving financial management by departments and for maximising the impact from available resources. By eradicating the culture of underspend and achieving greater efficiency we can demonstrate that the Assembly and Executive can raise the performance of departments in managing public money to deliver front line services.”

ENDS

Notes for editors :

• An advance copy of the key conclusions and recommendations from the Committee Report is attached as an annex .
• 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.
• Committee 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:
Information Office, Parliament Buildings, Belfast BT4 3XX
Telephone 028 9052 1642
e-mail: kieran.dougan@niassembly.gov.uk
Further information on the work of the Committee is available on the Committee pages of the Northern Ireland Assembly website: archive.niassembly.gov.uk