Northern Ireland Assembly Flax Flower Logo

PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITEE
MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS
Thursday, 4 December 2008
Senate Chamber, Parliament Buildings

Present:
Mr Paul Maskey (Chairperson)
Mr Roy Beggs (Deputy Chairperson)
Mr Thomas Burns
Mr Jonathan Craig
Mr John Dallat
Mr Trevor Lunn
Mr Mitchel McLaughlin
Ms Dawn Purvis
Mr George Robinson
Mr Jim Shannon

In Attendance:
Mr Damien Martin (Clerk Assistant)
Ms Alison Ross (Assembly Clerk)
Mrs Gillian Lewis (Assistant Assembly Clerk)
Mr John Lunny (Clerical Supervisor)
Mr Darren Weir (Clerical Officer)

Apologies:
Mr Jim Wells

The meeting opened at 1.30pm in public session.

The Deputy Chairperson welcomed Mr Kieran Donnelly, Deputy Comptroller and Auditor General, and Mr David Thomson, Treasury Officer of Accounts (Deputy TOA) to the Committee meeting.

1. Apologies.

The apologies are listed above.

2. Evidence on the NIAO Report ‘Brangam Bagnall & Co – Legal Practitioner Fraud Perpetrated against the Health & Personal Social Services’.

(a) The Committee took oral evidence on the NIAO report ‘Brangam Bagnall & Co – Legal Practitioner Fraud Perpetrated against the Health & Personal Social Services’ from Dr Andrew McCormick, Accounting Officer, Department Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS) , Mrs Julie Thompson, Director of Finance, DHSSPS, and Mr Dean Sullivan, Director of Planning and Performance, DHSSPS, and answered a number of questions put by the Committee.

2.03pm Ms Purvis joined the meeting.
2.07pm Mr Burns left the meeting.
2.20pm Mr Burns rejoined the meeting.
3.12pm Mr Dallat left the meeting.
3.12pm Mr Beggs left the meeting.
3.15pm Mr Dallat rejoined the meeting.
3.20pm Mr Shannon left the meeting.
3.25pm Mr Shannon rejoined the meeting.

Members requested that the witnesses should provide additional information to the Clerk on some issues raised as a result of the evidence session.

3.45 pm Mr Burns left the meeting.
3.45pm The evidence session finished and the meeting was suspended.
4.00pm The meeting resumed in public session.

(b) The Committee took oral evidence on the NIAO report ‘Brangam Bagnall & Co – Legal Practitioner Fraud Perpetrated against the Health & Personal Social Services’ from Mr Donald Eakin, Senior Vice President, The Law Society, and Mr James Cooper, past Senior Vice President, The Law Society, who answered a number of questions put by the Committee.

4.43pm Mr Dallat left the meeting.
4.47 Mr Robinson left the meeting.
5.03pm Mr McLaughlin left the meeting.

Members requested that the witnesses should provide additional information to the Clerk on some issues raised as a result of the evidence session.

5.05pm The evidence session finished and the witnesses left the meeting.

3. Minutes of the meeting on 27 November 2008.

Agreed: The minutes were agreed.

4. Matters arising.

The Chairperson reminded members that the meeting on 11 December 2008 would be held in the conference room at the Northern Ireland Audit Office, 106 University Street, Belfast.

Agreed: Members agreed that the meeting on 11 December 2008 would be held in closed session.

5. Any other business.

None.

6. Date, time and place of next meeting.

The next meeting will be held on Thursday, 11 December 2008 at 2.00pm in the conference room, Northern Ireland Audit Office, 106 University Street, Belfast.

The Chairperson adjourned the meeting at 5.10pm.

Paul Maskey
Chairperson, Public Accounts Committee.
11 December 2008

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