In attendance: Ms Sheila Mc Clelland (Clerk)
Mr Joe Sloan (Assistant Clerk)
Miss Shauna McDaid (Executive Support)
Mr Jonathan Briggs (Administrative Support)

The Chairman declared the meeting open at 2.07 p.m. The meeting began in closed session.

1. Chairman's business

1.1 The Clerk presented the Committee's briefing papers for the day's business. The Committee discussed the briefings. The Chairman brought a Belfast Telegraph article of Monday 20 May entitled "Department Faces Grilling Over Pipeline" to the attention of the Committee. The Chairman stated that the article contained factual inaccuracies about the Ministerial position and this had been brought to his attention by the Minister. The Committee agreed that the article was factually incorrect in stating that the Minister had refused to attend the Committee as the records state that he had not been invited.

Resolved: The Committee resolved to write to the Minister to clarify its position with regard to the Belfast Telegraph article.

Mr Attwood left the meeting at 2.17 p.m.

The Chairman declared the meeting open to the public at 2.31 pm.

2. Apologies

2.1 Mr Roy Beggs, Ms Patricia Lewsley, Mr Peter Weir.

3. Minutes of Proceedings

3.1 The Committee considered the Minutes of Proceedings for 14 May 2002.

Resolved: The Committee agreed the Minutes of Proceedings of 14 May 2002.

4. Executive Programme Funds

4.1 The Minister of Finance and Personnel and Departmental officials Dr Andrew Mc Cormick and Miss Linda Wilson attended the meeting and briefed the Committee on the review of Executive Programme Funds and the position on the bids commissioned for the three funds involved in the third tranche of the Funds.

4.2 The Minister thanked the Committee for its input into the review of EPFs which he said had influenced decisions on the future of Executive Programme Funds. The Executive was proceeding with a modified version of EPFs and at this stage the Executive had not given a strategic steer to Departments because of its relation to the revised Programme for Government but it would do so at the "sift" stage of the process. The Minister stated that decisions on EPFs were expected in early Autumn but that it was likely that decisions on allocations for the Children's Fund would take place before the Summer recess. The Executive had made arrangements to invite bids for £2.1m of the Children's Fund from the Community and Voluntary sectors.

4.3 The Minister and his officials answered questions from the Committee on the Funds and the Minister invited comment from the Committee on monitoring of the EPF allocations.

5. Reinvestment and Reform Initiative

5.1 The Minister and his officials also briefed the Committee on the Executive's decision to invite bids from Departments for funding for short term actions over the next two years for investment in key strategic assets and networks including strategically important maintenance, minor works and strategic equipment purchase.

5.2 The Committee questioned the Minister and his officials on the £270m funding available under the Reinvestment and Reform Initiative. The Committee also sought details of the arrangements for borrowing and repaying of the £125m offered by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the short term and any other amounts the Executive decided to draw down in the future.

Mr Hutchinson attended the meeting at 3.04 p.m.

5.3 The Minister and his officials also discussed the outline proposal for the Strategic Investment Body to examine innovative ways of managing and financing investment to address the longer term infrastructure investment programme. The Minister told the Committee that the current position was that the Executive had initiated a sub- committee to make recommendations on a project board to set up the Strategic Investment Body and that a decision was expected in the next few months.

5.4 The Minister told the Committee that he recognised that there had been little time afforded to consultation between Departments and Committees prior to bids on the Reinvestment and Reform Initiative funds being submitted but he still welcomed Committees' comments before decisions on allocations were made.

Resolved: The Committee resolved to write to the Minister to seek further information on the RRI.

6. DFP bids - Executive Programme Funds.

6.1 Departmental officials Mrs Aileen Edmund, Mr Edgar Jardine, Mr John Mc Millen, Mr Tom Gilgunn and Mr Robin Foote attended and briefed the Committee on the three bids being submitted by the Department for resources from the Executive Programme Funds.

6.2 The Committee discussed the absence of references to support from other Departments where the bids were presented as cross cutting between Departments.

6.3 The Committee considered the bids made by the Department.

Resolved: The Committee agreed that it could not support the bids for resources from the Executive Programme Funds made by the Department of Finance and Personnel at this time because in its view the bids were not in compliance with its recommendation that "coherent co-ordinated cross-departmental bids are submitted for appropriate 'cross-cutting' projects to ensure that their opportunity for success in receiving funding is maximised in future".

Mr Attwood returned to the meeting at 4.01 p.m.

7. DFP bids - Reinvestment and Reform Initiatives

7.1 Departmental officials Mrs Aileen Edmund and Mr Barney Mc Guigan briefed the Committee on the three bids being submitted by the Department for resources from the Reinvestment and Reform Initiative.

7.2 The Committee discussed the absence of references to support from other Departments where the bids were presented as cross cutting between Departments.

Mr Hussey left the meeting at 4.27 p.m.

7.3 The Committee considered the bids made by the Department.

Resolved: The Committee agreed that it would defer making a decision on support of the bids until it had sought and obtained further information of the Department on the RRI.

Mr Attwood left the meeting at 4.40 p.m.

The Chairman declared the meeting in closed session at 4.40 p.m.

8. North/South Gas Pipeline.

8.1 Department of Finance and Personnel official Mr Victor Hewitt and Department of Enterprise Trade and Investment officials Mr Jim Mc Keown and Mr Jack Beattie attended the meeting and outlined the procedures and circumstances for Accounting Officers seeking Ministerial directions. The officials advised the Committee that the Accounting Officer involved in the grant aid for the North/South gas pipeline project recognised that the economic appraisal presented did not reflect value for money in conventional financial terms and, therefore, required a Ministerial direction. The Ministerial direction was provided as a result of the Executive Committee supporting the project.

8.2 The officials briefed the Committee and answered questions on the economic appraisal for the North/South gas pipeline. They also explained that ongoing contract negotiations between some of the main parties in the North/South gas pipeline project meant that some of the commercial detail in the economic appraisal remained sensitive currently.

8.3 The Committee thanked the officials for their attendance and briefing.

9. Review of Rating Policy.

9.1 The Committee noted the report by its specialist advisers on their analysis of the public consultation document for the Review of Rating Policy.

Resolved: The Committee agreed to reschedule full consideration of the report to its meeting on 28 May 2002 but in the interim it would send a copy of the report to the Review team.

The Chairman declared the meeting in open session at 5.30 p.m.

10. Matters arising.

10.1 The Committee noted the letter from the Minister in relation to its response on the Department of Finance and Personnel's Draft Strategic and Business Plan 2002 - 2005.

10.2 The Committee noted the Report on the consultation exercise on the Single Equality Bill forwarded by the Office of First Minister and Deputy First Minister.

10.3 The Committee noted the letter from the Minister of Finance and Personnel on the general overview of Needs and the composite set of Departmental Position Reports.

10.4 The Committee considered the response from the Minister of Finance and Personnel to its letter regarding the proposed public consultation on the Senior Civil Service Review.

Resolved: The Committee agreed to consider representations from Senior Civil Service Groups during its consideration of a response to the public consultation exercise. The Committee also agreed to schedule this item into its Committee Business Programme.

10.5 The Committee noted the Minister of Finance and Personnel's statement to the Assembly on the launch of the consultation exercise on the Public Private Partnerships Working Group's Report.

Resolved: The Committee agreed to further consider how it will respond to the consultation exercise at a later date.

10.6 The Committee considered the advice from the Director of Assembly Legal Services regarding the production of Departmental papers before Assembly Committees.

Resolved: The Committee agreed that the restriction on Committees caused by the non-production of papers because of certain classifications prevented Committees from performing their statutory duty in advising and scrutinising Ministers because they were prevented from having sight of papers used by Ministers in reaching decisions.

11. Correspondence

11.1 The Committee noted the letter from the Chairman of the Committee for Social Development to the Minister of Finance and Personnel regarding the Noble Indices.

11.2 The Committee noted the letter from the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister regarding the Review of the Northern Ireland Economic Council and the provision of economic advice and research.

11.3 The Committee noted the letter from the Department of Finance and Personnel regarding the proposed Statutory Rule to increase Registration and Marriage fees.

Resolved: The Committee agreed to reconsider this issue at its meeting next week.

12. Any other business.

12.1 The committee noted the seminar on Estimates scheduled for Wednesday 22 May 2002.

12.2 The Committee noted its programme of forthcoming business.

13. Date of next meeting.

13.1 The next meeting was agreed as Tuesday 28 May at 2pm.

The Chairman declared the meeting closed at 5.36 p.m.

Francie Molloy
Chairman

14 May 2002 / Menu / 28 May 2002