PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITEE
Minutes of Proceedings
Thursday, 25 October 2007
Room 144, PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS
Present:
Mr John O’Dowd (Chairperson)
Mr Roy Beggs (Deputy Chairperson)
Mr Mickey Brady
Mr Jonathan Craig
Mr John Dallat
Mr Simon Hamilton
Mr Trevor Lunn
In Attendance:
Mrs Cathie White (Assembly Clerk)
Mrs Gillian Lewis (Assistant Assembly Clerk)
Mrs Nicola Shephard (Clerical Supervisor)
Mr John Lunny (Clerical Officer)
Apologies:
Mr David Hilditch
Mr Patsy McGlone
Mr Mitchel McLaughlin
Ms Dawn Purvis
The meeting opened at 2.02pm in public session.
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Apologies.
Apologies are detailed above.
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Minutes of the meeting on 18 October 2007.
Agreed: The minutes were agreed.
2.04pm Mr Beggs joined the meeting.
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Matters arising.
Members discussed written responses from Accounting Officers to the Committee’s request for further information following oral evidence sessions.
Agreed: Members agreed to issue a letter to all Accounting Officers reminding them of their responsibilities towards the Committee.
Members noted a letter from the Chair of the Board of Governors, Wellington College, requesting an extension of the deadline for responding to the Committee. Members noted that the Committee report would therefore be delayed.
Agreed: Members agreed to extend the deadline for response until 14 November 2007.
2.07pm Mr Craig joined the meeting.
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Draft forward work programme.
Members discussed the draft forward work programme for the period January to March 2008. Members noted a response from the Accounting Officer, Department of Social Development, providing an update on Child Support Agency Client Funds Account. Mr John Dowdall CB, C&AG, briefed the Committee on the issues in the response.
Agreed: Members agreed that the issues in the response should be taken in an oral evidence session and that this should be the first session in the Committee’s forward work programme.
Members considered the updated list of reports provided by NIAO.
Agreed: Members agreed to postpone consideration of the NIAO report ‘Into the West (Tyrone and Fermanagh) Ltd: Use of Agents’.
Agreed: Members agreed that three reports, namely, The Fire and Rescue Service Training Centre, Insolvency and the Conduct of Directors, and Reinvestment and Reform: Improving Northern Ireland’s Public Infrastructure, would be dealt with in composite report instead of oral evidence session.
Members discussed two Memoranda of Response, namely, Control of River Pollution in Northern Ireland and The Management of Industrial Sickness Absence in Department for Regional Development.
Agreed: Members agreed that letters would be sent to the relevant Accounting Officers asking for an update report on each of the Memoranda of Response.
Agreed: Members agreed to postpone asking for an update report on the Memorandum of Response: Improving Numeracy and Literacy in Schools until after the Easter recess.
Members considered the witnesses who should be invited to give oral evidence.
Agreed: Members agreed to revisit the issue of witnesses who should be invited to give oral evidence at their next meeting.
Agreed: Members agreed the draft forward work programme and for it to be placed on the Internet.
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Press information.
Members received briefing from the Northern Ireland Assembly Deputy Information Officer relating to options for press coverage.
Agreed: Members agreed options, such as pre-recorded broadcasts and press conferences, appropriate to the content of each Committee report.
Members considered a press release in relation to the launch of the Committee Report on Northern Ireland’s Road Safety Strategy.
Agreed: Members agreed the press release.
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Commitments to previous Public Accounts Committees.
Members discussed a paper prepared by the Deputy Treasury Officer of Accounts (TOA) providing updates of departmental commitments within Memoranda of Response which were unfulfilled due to suspension of the previous Assembly.
Members considered a further paper from the Deputy TOA detailing departmental commitments to the House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts.
Agreed: Members agreed that they wished TOA’s office to request updates on these issues from departments and forward to the Committee.
2.41pm The meeting went into closed session.
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Consideration of the Accounting Officer’s update on the Memorandum of Response: Housing the Homeless.
Members noted the update from the Accounting Officer, Mr Alan Shannon. Members received briefing on the update from Mr John Dowdall CB, C&AG.
Agreed: Members agreed that NIAO should include some further work on this issue in its future work programme.
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Issues from oral evidence session on the NIAO Report ‘Internal Fraud in Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland’ and on Fraud Prevention.
Members considered issues arising from the oral evidence session. Mr John Dowdall CB, C&AG, Mr Eddie Bradley, Director of Value for Money, and Mr Patrick O’Neill, Audit Manager, attended as witnesses.
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Correspondence.
Members noted a letter from University and College Union.
Agreed: Members agreed that the correspondence should be forwarded to the C&AG for follow up and to report back to the Committee.
Members noted a letter from a member of the public.
Agreed: Members agreed that the correspondence should be forwarded to the C&AG for follow up and to report back to the Committee.
Agreed: Members agreed that in the future such correspondence should be forwarded to the C&AG and copied to members for information.
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Any other business.
A member welcomed the response from the Land and Property Service, Department of Finance and Personnel, in relation to the Committee’s request for further information following the oral evidence session on NIAO report ‘Transfer of Surplus Land in the PFI Education Pathfinder Projects’.
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Date, time and place of next meeting.
The next meeting will be held on Thursday, 8 November 2007 at 2.00pm in Room 144, Parliament Buildings.
The Chairperson adjourned the meeting at 2.50pm.