Present: Initial Presiding Officer

Mrs E Bell

Mr R Coulter

Mr J Fee

Mr F Molloy

In Attendance: Mr G Cosgrave, Mr T Evans

Apologies: Mr P Robinson MP

1. The Initial Presiding Officer dealt with the following business prior to convening the evaluation panel for the Sound and Vision contract.

2. Catering and Functions Committee

The Commission accepted the report of the Catering and Functions Committee which recommends a Prior Options Study to identify the most appropriate option for the provision of catering and refreshment services in Parliament Buildings. It was agreed that the study should be restricted to catering services which the Catering and Functions Committee has been remitted to consider.

3. Doorkeepers

The Initial Presiding Officer agreed to check out Mr Fee's enquiry that doorkeepers are being reprimanded for using the Christian names of Members.

4. Saturday Tours

The Commission endorsed the following requests for Saturday tours:

Ÿ Mr Armstrong, Desertcreat Women's Institute at 2.00 pm, 4 December and Woods Chapel Parish Mothers' Union, 27 May 2000.

Ÿ Oliver Gibson, Omagh Free Presbyterian Church Young People's Fellowship at 3.00 pm, 4 December.

Mrs Bell expressed her appreciation for the organisation of a recent Saturday tour and the quality of the catering.

5. Post Office

The Commission agreed that the post office, currently a sub-office of the Castle Place headquarters, should be renamed the Northern Ireland Assembly Post Office.

6. Fees for Attendance at Conferences

The Commission agreed that the Initial Presiding Officer should write to the head of the NICS requesting that payment for attendance at conferences be paid out of Transition Programme funds with effect from April 1999 with the Assembly's own rules are determined. Members also asked the Initial Presiding Officer to request a one or two day Transition Programme refresher course.

7. The date of the next meeting was confirmed as Friday 26 November at 10.00 am in room 135.

2 November 1999 / Menu / 26 November 1999