PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITTEE

Minutes of Proceedings of the twenty-fifth meeting
of the Public Accounts Committee
held in Room 152, Parliament Buildings
on Wednesday 19^th June 2001

1. Introduction
2. Apologies
3. Presentation by Mr. John Dowdall, Comptroller and Auditor General
4. Minutes from Meeting of 14 March 2001
5. Draft Report on Structural Maintenance of Roads and Management of On-Street Parking
6. The Irish Sport Horse Genetic Testing Unit Ltd
7. Forward Work Programme
8. Grants to Voluntary Bodies
9. Any Other Business

Present:
Mr B Bell (Chairman)
Ms S Ramsey
Mr R Beggs
Mr M Carrick
Mr S Close
Ms J Morrice

Apologies
Ms P Armitage
Mr J Dallat
Mr D Hilditch
Mr D McClelland
Mr D O'Connor

In Attendance:
Mr M Rickard (Committee Clerk)
Mr J Campbell (Assistant Committee Clerk)
Mr C McCrory
Ms C Angelone

The Chairman commenced proceedings by welcoming Mr. Dowdall, the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) and his staff to the meeting. He then proceeded to outline the objectives of the meeting as:

1. To be briefed on the NIAO Reports on the Fire Authority for Northern Ireland - Fleet Management (NIA 9) and Issues arising from the inspection audits of the Fire Authority for Northern Ireland Accounts 1998-99 and 1999-2000.
2. To agree the draft minutes of the meetings of 16.05.01;
3. To agree the draft PAC Report on Structural Maintenance of Roads and the Management of On-Street Parking
4. To agree the action to be taken following receipt of various responses to Committee correspondence

Following this introduction, the Chairman turned to the order of business.

2. Apologies

Apologies were received from Ms P Armitage, Mr J Dallat, Mr D Hilditch, Mr D McClelland and Mr D O'Connor

3. The C&AG gave a brief outline on what he considered to be the main conclusions drawn from the Reports. Following the C&AG's introduction, Mr Jones and Mr Moore gave presentations which detailed the main issues in the Reports. Following the presentation they addressed a number of queries raised by the members.

   They also outlined the type of questions to be asked in order to draw out conclusions and recommendations for the subsequent PAC Report.

4. Minutes from Meeting of 14 March 2001

The minutes were an accurate record of the previous meeting.

Following the issue of the draft report to all members, the Committee discussed its content

Mr John Dowdall, Comptroller and Auditor General, was further examined.

The Committee deliberated.

Draft Report (Structural Maintenance of Roads and Management of On-Street Parking) proposed by the Chairman, brought up and read.

Ordered, That the draft Report be read a second time, paragraph by paragraph.

Introduction read and agreed to

Part I
Para 1 to 2 read and agreed to.
Para 3.1 to 4 postponed
Para 7 to 21 read and agreed to
Para 3.1 to 4 read and agreed to

Part II
Para 1 to 2 read and agreed to
Para 3.1 to 4 postponed
Para 5 to 12 read and agreed to
Para 3.1 to 4 read and agreed to

Following approval of the draft report, the draft press releases were agreed.

Following the Evidence Session of 24/05/01, the Committee Members were each issued a letter from Mr Small (Accounting Officer, DARD) highlighting the error he had made in the evidence he gave to the Committee on 24/01/01 concerning the appointment of public officials to private sector organisations. The Clerk also raised the ongoing articles in the press concerning the wind-up of the project and the transfer of assets.

The Accounting Officer should be called back to the Committee to question him further on this project.

Prior to the meeting, the C&AG provided a list of all Audit Office Reports that have not yet been dealt with by the Committee, together with reports which are due to be published in the near future. A discussion ensued in order to determine the future work programme

The following reports are to be taken following Summer Recess

September 2001 Brucellosis Outbreak at the Agricultural Research Institute (to be published September 2001)

October 2001 Road Openings by Utilities (NIA 35/00)

November 2001 Pathology Laboratory Services (NIA 31/00)

8. Grants to Voluntary Bodies

The C&AG informed the Committee that he hoped to carry out a short study in the near future on Grants to Voluntary Bodies. He therefore sought advice from members on their expectations from such a review, given that many members had experience in this field. Ideas were exchanged and the C&AG agreed to take on board the members' comments during the study.

9. Any Other Business

Following on from the meeting of 16.05.01, the Chairman informed the Committee that responses have been drafted to the replies received from the Accounting Officers on matters raised in the Appropriation Account Volume 1999-2000. These were circulated prior to the meeting.

To issue the draft letters to the Accounting Officers.

As discussed during the meeting of 16.05.01, the Chairman confirmed that the PAC from Dublin would be arriving on Tuesday 26^th June. They have been invited for dinner in the Private Members Dining Room at 8:00pm that evening and all members were encouraged to attend.

They will then be attending the hearing the following day and will also be invited to lunch in the Private Members Dining Room following the session.

Members were reminded that the next Evidence Session will be on Wednesday 27^th June 2001 in the Senate Chamber and all members were requested to arrive by 10:20am.

The meeting was then drawn to a close at 12:45pm