Present: Initial Presiding Officer

Mrs E Bell

Mr R Coulter

Mr J Fee

Mr F Molloy

Mr P Robinson MP

In the Chair: Initial Presiding Officer

In Attendance: Mr T Evans, Ms L Benson, Ms G Campbell, Mr Cosgrave

Ms McKibbin, Mr A Rogers, Mr Waddell, Mr J Hamilton & Mr D McCartney attended for part of the meeting.

1. The minutes of 4 May and 11 May were accepted.

2. Matters Arising

2.1 Catering and Functions Committee

The Initial Presiding Officer confirmed that the role of the Catering and Functions Committee is to provide strategic advice to the Commission and not strategic direction to the Keeper of the House. It was agreed that the Catering and Functions Committee should adopt the same rules and procedures as the Commission and that substitutes, at this stage, should not be permitted. The Commission agreed to revisit the broader issue of how all House Committees should operate.

2.2 Stormont Estate

The Initial Presiding Officer updated Members on the Pavorotti concert. The Commission could not consider a request from the Belfast Millennium of Speed until Members had more detail about what is being proposed. The Commission turned down a request to hold a tour in Parliament Buildings on Saturday 29 May.

2.3 Crown Status

The Initial Presiding Officer confirmed that he had received advice from the Lord Chancellor. It was agreed that the Commission should now ask the Secretary of State to prepare an Order in Council under Paragraph 6(i), Schedule 5 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 and a separate Order in Council to amend Section 165 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

2.4 Industry and Parliament Trust

A presentation will be arranged for a June meeting of the Commission.

2.5 Operational Plan

Mr Cosgrave briefed Members on the revised Operational Plan. The Initial Presiding Officer raised the issue of the leakage of rain water in the press area and agreed to meet the relevant DOE official to register the Commission's concerns.

2.6 Mount Charles

Mr Fee requested that cigarettes be available in Parliament Buildings.

2.7 Accommodation

The security pass equipment will be available for trialling from the week commencing 31 May.

2.8 Pensions

Shadow Trustees to be invited to the next meeting of the Commission when the Government Actuaries Department will give a presentation on the Assembly Member's pensions scheme.

2.9 SSRB

Members considered the Standing Orders Committee recommendation to increase the membership of the Commission and agreed that the key issue is Party representation and the implications for voting, but that there was also a need to address any misunderstanding about the role of the Commission. It was agreed that individual Commission Members should update Parties on the work of the Commission, minutes of Commission meetings to be circulated to Party Whips and a joint meeting of CAPO, Standing Orders Committee and the Commission to be arranged. A guide on the role of Committees will be circulated to Members for inclusion in the Members' Handbook.

3. Staffing

3.1 Members noted the progress made in filling priority vacancies, agreed the composition of the selection panels for the forthcoming recruitment competitions and endorsed the proposal to introduce pre-appointment character and health checks.

3.2 Mr Rogers reported that the FEC and EOC had advised that the generic equal opportunities statement in the draft job advertisements covered all the key variables. Further work is required on the issue of positive action advertising statements.

4. Salaries and Allowances

4.1 The Initial Presiding Officer updated Members on his recent meeting with Mr Murphy:-

- The Northern Ireland Office will not reimburse Members' expenses for the Downing Street talks. It was agreed that the Commission should not authorise the payment of expenses from the Assembly vote and that the Parties, who had raised the issue, should be advised that there is a difficulty. The Initial Presiding Officer also agreed to go back to Mr Murphy.

- The Minister would not agree to pay OCAs in six month blocks due to the 30 June deadline but has written to confirm that the Assembly can pass a bill to enable the Assembly to determine and pay Party Allowances.

- a retrospective Order in Council is being prepared to allow the payment of Members' salaries during the Shadow period.

- The Minister was unsure about the propriety of paying subsistence to Assembly Members involved in Westminster business. NIO Officials will advise who the Commission should approach to resolve this issue. The Commission may wish to mirror Westminster arrangements where elected Members are entitled to one trip to a European capital each year.

- All Assembly Members and their partners will be invited to a reception for the Canadian Prime Minister on 12 June which the Minister has agreed to fund.

4.2 Members agreed that a determination of salaries and allowances should be prepared on the basis of decisions agreed by the Commission. Party allowances should cover payment of contributions to Members' staff pension schemes. It was also agreed that only the higher salary should be paid to holders of more than one office and that more detail should be included on expenses remittance slips.

5. Estimates

5.1 The Initial Presiding Officer advised that there would be insufficient time to pass an Appropriation Act through the Assembly before the Summer Recess and that the Northern Ireland Block will be secured by an Appropriation Order taken through Westminster in June. It was agreed that Ms Benson should provide DFP with the revised summary of the estimates but not to disclose the detailed estimates at this stage. The Commission is to meet Mr Murphy to emphasise the Assembly's financial requirements and the inadequacy of the original £14 million estimate.

6. Sound and Vision

6.1 A revised evaluation report on the shortlisting process and a draft tender specification were tabled at the meeting. The Commission agreed that MAR-COM Systems Ltd should be added to the list of companies to be invited to tender for the sound and vision contract. Members asked for clarification on the status of BBC Resources Ltd. It was also agreed that all Commission Members would be on the selection panel.

6.2 There was a lengthy discussion on the existing sound and vision contract and the process of agreeing selection criteria and weightings. The Initial Presiding Officer informed Members that he had recently discovered that the Assembly does not own the majority of the sound and vision equipment, which ran contrary to his own understanding of the original contract.

6.3 The Commission agreed to put the tendering process on hold until they have considered a paper setting out the background to the original sound and vision contract and received clarification from GPA on the process and timescales for agreeing the selection criteria and weightings. Members agreed that they may need to look at ways of levelling off the tendering process.

7. IS/IT

This item was deferred to a future meeting.

8. Any Other Business

8.1 The Commission agreed that Mr Elder should attend the Commonwealth Hansard Editors Association Conference in July, and provide the Commission with a report of his attendance.

8.2 The Commission decided not to accept an invitation from the Historic Buildings Council to participate in the European Heritage Open Days on 11 and 12 September 1999.

8.3 Mr Waddell tabled a paper on access to Parliament Buildings via the East and West doors. The following was agreed:

"Access to the East and West doors is restricted as follows:

On sitting days

- Members and those with "sitting day" upper car park passes.

- Passholders and visitors accompanying Members and those with "sitting day" upper car park passes.

On non sitting days

- Members and all those with upper car park passes.

- Passholders and visitors accompanying Members and those with upper car park passes.

9. Date of Next Meeting

Tuesday 8 June at 10.00 am.

TOM EVANS