PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITEE
MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS
Thursday, 13 March 2008
Room 144, PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS
Present:
Mr John O’Dowd (Chairperson)
Mr Roy Beggs (Deputy Chairperson)
Mr Jonathan Craig
Mr John Dallat
Mr David Hilditch
Mr Trevor Lunn
Mr Ian McCrea
Ms Dawn Purvis
In Attendance:
Mr Jim Beatty (Assembly Clerk)
Mrs Gillian Lewis (Assistant Assembly Clerk)
Mrs Nicola Shephard (Clerical Supervisor)
Mr Ricky Shek (Clerical Officer)
Apologies:
Mr Thomas Burns
Mr Simon Hamilton
Mr Mitchel McLaughlin
The meeting opened at 2.05pm in public session.
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Apologies.
Apologies are listed above.
2.06pm Mr Hilditch joined the meeting.
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Minutes of the meeting on 6 March 2008.
Agreed: The minutes were agreed.
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Matters arising.
None.
2.07pm The meeting went into closed session.
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Issues arising from oral evidence session on the NIAO Report ‘Good governance – Effective Relationships between Departments and their Arm’s Length Bodies’.
Members discussed issues relating to the evidence session. The Deputy C&AG and his staff answered the Members questions.
2.08pm Mr Dallat joined the meeting.
2.14pm Ms Purvis joined the meeting.
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Consideration of the Committee’s Draft Further Report on The Use of Operating Theatres in the Northern Ireland Health and Personal Social Services.
Members considered the draft report paragraph by paragraph. The witnesses attending were Mr Kieran Donnelly, Deputy C&AG, Mr Terry Woodhouse, Director of Value for Money, and Mr Joe Campbell, Audit Manager, NIAO.
The Committee considered the main body of the report.
Paragraphs 1 - 4 read and agreed.
Paragraph 5 read, amended and agreed.
Paragraphs 6 and 7 read and agreed.
Paragraph 8 read, amended and agreed.
Paragraph 9 read and agreed.
Paragraphs 10 and 11 read, amended and agreed.
Paragraph 12 read and agreed.
Paragraph 13 read, amended and agreed.
Paragraphs 14 and 15 read and agreed.
Paragraphs 16 – 19 read, amended and agreed.
The Committee considered the Executive Summary of the report.
Paragraphs 1- 5 read and agreed.
Agreed: Members agreed to write to the Accounting Officer, Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to seek clarification on the cost of cancelling an operating theatre session.
Agreed: Members ordered the report to be printed.
Agreed: Members agreed that the Chairperson’s letters to the Accounting Officer, Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS), and the responses from the Accounting Officer, DHSSPS, would be included in the Committee’s report.
Agreed: Members agreed to embargo the report until 00.01am on 24 April 2008, when the report would be officially released.
Agreed: Members agreed that they would not hold a press conference.
2.58pm The witnesses left the meeting.
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Briefing on the National Fraud Initiative
The Chairperson informed members of the background to the National Fraud Initiative on which members would have a presentation at the next meeting.
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Any other business.
(a) The Chairperson informed members that he had received correspondence from the Accounting Officer, Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI) giving an update on three ongoing investigations referred to in a previous House of Commons Committee on Public Accounts report on Good Governance in DETI’s former Local Enterprise Development Unit. The letter contains information of a sensitive nature and members wishing to read the letter or obtain a copy can do so in the Committee Office.
(b) The Chairperson informed members of a letter received from a member of the public in relation to payment of legal aid, which is a reserved matter. The letter has been forwarded to the Northern Ireland Court Service for reply.
(c) Members considered the provision of water for Committee meetings.
Agreed: Members agreed that jugs of iced water should be provided with a small number of bottles of water.(d) The Chairperson informed members that Mr Shek was leaving the Committee Office. Members wished him well in his new job.
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Date, time and place of next meeting.
The next meeting will be held on Thursday, 3 April 2008 at 2.00pm in Room 144, Parliament Buildings.
The Chairperson adjourned the meeting at 3.06pm.