COMMITTEE FOR HIGHER AND FURTHER EDUCATION,
TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT

MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS: THURSDAY, 5 JULY 2001
ROOM 152, PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS

Present:
Dr Esmond Birnie MLA (Chairman)
Mr Mervyn Carrick MLA (Deputy Chairman)
Mr Roy Beggs MLA
Mrs Joan Carson MLA
Mr John Dallat MLA
Mr William Hay MLA
Mr Roger Hutchinson MLA
Prof Monica McWilliams MLA
Mrs Mary Nelis MLA

In Attendance:
Dr Andrew C Peoples
Mr Colin Jones
Ms Anne Colville
Dr Rosanne Cecil (Specialist Adviser)

Apologies:
Mr Joe Byrne MLA
Mr John Kelly MLA

Meeting opened at 2.05pm in open session.

1. Apologies

Apologies are detailed above.

2. Approval of draft minutes of 28 June 2001

Members agreed the amended response to the Committee for Social Development's Inquiry, which incorporated the amendments proposed at last week's meeting.

Action: Clerk

Members agreed individual responses to DHFETE's draft Strategic Plan 2001-04; their draft Annual Report 2000-01 and the draft Annual Business Plan 2001-02.

Action: Clerk

Members agreed the response to the initial consultation on the Single Equality Bill for Northern Ireland, for issue to OFMDFM.

Action: Clerk

Members considered a draft response to the Committee for Finance and Personnel on DHFETE's draft bids for 2002-03. It was agreed that this should be issued, subject to strengthening the reference to the need for adequate funding for adult literacy and numeracy.

Action: Clerk

Members considered a draft response to OFMDFM on the Programme for Government. It was agreed that members would provide any further comments to the Clerk by 13 July 2001 and that these would be incorporated into a final response to be issued following approval by the Chairman and Deputy Chairman. Members again agreed that the reference to adequate funding to improve adult literacy and numeracy should be strengthened.

Action: Clerk

The Committee authorised the Clerk to make any minor amendments to any of the above documents, which were necessary to improve consistency and readability.

Action: Clerk

Members considered a letter from the Minister on the Department's provision for unemployed adults and expressed concerns at the continuing inadequacies of New Deal 25+. It was agreed that the Clerk would identify any issues previously raised which remained unresolved and that members would advise the Clerk of individuals who would give evidence to the Committee of their experiences of the New Deal programme.

Action: Clerk

Members considered a pre-draft Statutory Rule to account for increases in the childcare grant for students and had no objections to the policy implications of this Rule.

Members noted a reply from the Principal of Lisburn Further and Higher Education College on the future of the Glenwood campus.

Members considered information from the Northern Ireland Business Education Partnership on teacher placements in Northern Ireland and comparative funding arrangements in Scotland. Professor McWilliams declared an interest. It was agreed that the Clerk would seek information on the apparent anomaly in the disparity of teacher placements in both the Western and Southern Education and Library Boards compared to the more positive outcomes in other areas.

Action: Clerk

Members noted the synopsis of the recent meeting with the Welsh Assembly Committee.

Members directed the Clerk to obtain further information on the rationale behind the changes to Individual Learning Accounts. It was suggested that savings from the reduction in cash value could be redirected towards extending the scheme to helping the unemployed. The absence of means testing and the need for a proper evaluation mechanism would also be raised.

Action: Clerk

Members agreed that an urgent reply should be issued to the Minister regarding his views on the Committee's response to the Department's Equality Consultation on the Student Finance Review. Members wished the Minister to press ahead with those proposals to be implemented for the start of the new academic year in September 2001. Members sought clarification on which elements of the proposals had been implemented and the timeframe for what remained to be done. This should be tabulated along with the current financial arrangements.

Action: Clerk

Members were briefed on the recent review of the Department's advisory structures by Dr Seán Farren, Minister for Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment and Mr Alan Shannon, Permanent Secretary. The Minister outlined the main issues arising from the review as follows:

• The Further Education Consultative Committee would amalgamate with the Training and Employment Agency Board to combine the sources of advice on both training and further education.

• The Northern Ireland Higher Education Council was to be reconstituted and would embrace all aspects of higher education, including the teacher training colleges. Renewed membership would be largely secured via public advertisement and would include nominations from both Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland to secure a wider economic perspective.

• Due to the large number of cross-cutting issues, there would be an element of common membership between NIHEC and the T&EA Board.

Following his opening remarks the Minister discussed the following issues with members:

• consideration of the Committee's scrutiny and policy development role during the review;

• whether the establishment of two advisory bodies would accentuate the differences between higher and further education;

• whether the new structures would increase the accountability of the further education sector to its users and ensure an improved synergy between this sector and the Industrial Development Board;

• the implications for funding of the two teacher training colleges.

3.45pm. Mrs Nelis left the meeting.

6. Correspondence (continued)

3.55pm. The meeting continued in closed session.

Members considered the Report of the Review Group on Careers Education and Guidance and agreed that the Chairman should write to the Minister recommending that the new T&EA Board should include members with experience of both the curriculum and careers education and guidance. The Clerk was directed to obtain research on the current systems in place for careers education and guidance in Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland. It was agreed that members would return to this issue following the summer recess.

3.55pm. The meeting returned to open session.

Members noted the response from the Chair of the Committee on Procedures re regular non-attendance at Committee meetings.

Members considered a pre-draft Statutory Rule to increase consistency between Industrial and Fair Employment Tribunals and strengthen the rules to deal with weak cases. Members had no objections to the policy implications of this rule.

7. Inquiry into Education and Training for Industry

Members considered the first draft of Section 2 of their Report on 'Education and Training for Industry' and agreed to send any written comments to the Clerk by the end of July 2001. Members noted receipt of the full summary of all the oral evidence taken, which was to be retained for future reference.

Action: Clerk

Members agreed that the study visit to Denmark should be arranged for 25 - 28 September 2001. Members agreed to inform the Committee Office of their availability by mid-August to enable the Clerk to book economy flights.

The Chairman and Deputy Chairman, in association with the Clerk, were authorised to take forward any urgent matters over recess, with due regard to either contacting members, circulating information for comment, or calling an emergency meeting. It was agreed that press cuttings would not be issued to members over recess, but would be retained in the Committee Office for future reference.

The Chairman updated members on his recent meeting with the Principal of Stranmillis College.

9. Date and Time of Next Meeting

On Thursday 6 September 2001 at 2.00pm in Room 152, Parliament Buildings.

The Chairman adjourned the meeting at 4.07pm.

Dr Esmond Birnie MLA
Chairman, Committee for Employment and Learning
6 September 2001

28 June 2001 / Menu / 13 September 2001