COMMITTEE FOR CULTURE, ARTS AND LEISURE

OFFICIAL REPORT

(Hansard)

Libraries Bill

 13 December 2007

Members present for all or part of the proceedings:
Mr Barry McElduff (Chairperson)
Mr David McNarry (Deputy Chairperson)
Mr Dominic Bradley
Mr Kieran McCarthy
Mr Nelson McCausland
Mr Ken Robinson
Mr Jim Shannon

The Chairperson (Mr McElduff):
I refer Committee members to the letter that was sent to the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure on 10 December 2007. The letter sets out the Committee’s views on the membership of the new library authority, as discussed at last week’s meeting, and requests confirmation that the Minister is satisfied with the legal advice that he was given with regard to schedule 2. A response is required by 18 December 2007 in order to allow the Committee to continue its clause-by-clause scrutiny of the Bill in January 2008.

Ms Irene Knox, the chief executive designate, will outline the library authority’s operational structure to the Committee on 17 January 2008; the date of the Committee’s second meeting in the new year.

I also refer members to correspondence from the Minister on possible redundancies. The Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure will provide £660,000 to cover the cost of redundancies in the current financial year. It has also submitted a bid for an additional £782,000 to cover the cost of redundancies in the December monitoring round.