COMMITTEE FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Minutes of Proceedings
Thursday, 17 January 2008
Room 135, PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS
Present:
Mr Gregory Campbell (Chairperson)
Mr David Hilditch (Deputy Chairperson)
Mr Mickey Brady MLA
Mr Fred Cobain MLA
Mr Jonathan Craig MLA
Ms Anna Lo MLA
Mr Alban Maginness MLA
Mr Fra McCann MLA
Mrs Claire McGill MLA
Miss Michelle McIlveen MLA
In Attendance:
Ms Marie Austin (Assembly Clerk)
Mrs Judith Murdoch (Assistant Assembly Clerk)
Mrs Joy Hamilton (Clerical Supervisor)
Mrs Sheila Mawhinney (Clerical Supervisor)
Mrs Lorraine McFarland (Clerical Officer)
Ms Jennifer Betts – Assembly Research & Library Services
Miss Roisin Campbell – Work Experience Student
Apologies: Mr Thomas Burns MLA
The meeting opened at 11.05am in public session.
1. Apologies
Apologies are detailed above. The Chairperson informed Members that Mr Burns’ mother had passed away at the weekend.
Agreed – the Committee agreed to send a letter of sympathy to Mr Burns.
2. Chairperson’s business
None.
3. Draft minutes of the meeting held on 10 January 2008
Agreed - the draft minutes were agreed as amended.
4. Matters arising
The Committee considered the Department’s response to its letter regarding cross-community consultation on the Crumlin Road/Girdwood Park Draft Masterplan.
Agreed – the Committee agreed to write to the Minister asking for the consultation period on the draft Masterplan to be extended beyond 22 January 2008 to allow cross-community consultation to take place.
The Committee considered briefing provided by the Department in relation to the Committee for Health, Social Services and Public Safety motion on the installation of smoke alarms in homes.
Agreed – the Committee agreed to support the motion and to request further information from the Department on the issue of smoke alarms in homes.
The Chairperson asked Members to note that the lunchtime reception for interest groups will be held on Thursday 21 February 2008, 12.30-2.00pm, in the Long Gallery.
Agreed – that the Clerk would prepare a draft list of interest groups for consideration at next week’s meeting.
5. Consideration of a draft letter to the Minister regarding the Department’s response to the Committee for the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister on its inquiry into child poverty
The Committee considered a draft letter to the Minister raising its concerns in relation to the timing and content of the Department’s response to the Committee for the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister on its inquiry into child poverty.
Agreed – the letter as drafted.
6. NI Assembly Research briefing paper on Designated Religious Status – Charities Bill
The Committee noted the Charities Bill briefing paper prepared by Assembly Research on the issue of designated religious status.
7. Committee Stage of the Charities Bill – evidence session
The following representatives from CO3 joined the meeting at 11.23am:
Majella McCloskey – CO3, Director
Dermot Curran – CO3 member and Chief Executive of Belfast Community Housing Association
Wendy Osbourne – CO3 member and Chief Executive of the Volunteer Development Agency
Carol O’Bryan – CO3 member and Chief Executive of the Simon Community.
The representatives gave oral evidence on the Charities Bill. This was followed by a question and answer session.
Mr Maginness joined the meeting at 11.54am
The Chairperson thanked the representatives for the oral evidence.
The representatives left the meeting at 11.55am
8. Inquiry into Town Centre Regeneration – evidence session
The following representatives from the Federation for Small Businesses joined the meeting at 11.58am:
Mr Wilfred Mitchell OBE – Chair, Northern Ireland Area Policy UnitCO3, Director
Ms Carolyn Brown – Policy Manager, FSB.
The representatives gave oral evidence on the Committee Inquiry into Town Centre Regeneration. This was followed by a question and answer session.
Mr Cobain left the meeting at 12.02pm
Mr Cobain rejoined the meeting at 12.18pm
The Chairperson thanked the representatives for the oral evidence.
The representatives left the meeting at12.20pm
9. Proposed Statutory Rules
The Committee considered the following proposed Statutory Rules:
The Pensions (Bill) (Actuarial Guidance) (Consequential Provisions) Order ( Northern Ireland) 2008
The Social Security (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations ( Northern Ireland) 2008.
Agreed – the Committee was content with the Department’s proposals to make the Statutory Rules.
10. Briefing by Department for Social Development officials on proposed Statutory Rules regarding Housing Benefit (Local Housing Allowance)
The following officials joined the meeting at 12.23pm:
Mr John O’Neill – Director, Social Security Policy & Legislation Division
Ms Rosemary Hughes – Social Security Policy & Legislation Division
Mr Richard Worledge – Social Security Policy & Legislation Division
Mr Pat Durkin – Northern Ireland Housing Executive.
The officials briefed the Committee on the following proposed Statutory Rules:
The Housing Benefit (Executive Determinations) Regulations ( Northern Ireland) 2007
The Housing Benefit (Local Housing Allowance) (Amendment) Regulations ( Northern Ireland) 2007
The Housing Benefit (State Pension Credit ) (Local Housing Allowance) (Amendment) Regulations ( Northern Ireland) 2007
The Housing Benefit (Local Housing Allowance) (Miscellaneous and Consequential Amendments) Regulations ( Northern Ireland) 2007
This was followed by a question and answer session.
Mr Maginness left the meeting at 12.33pm
Mr Maginness rejoined the meeting at 12.35pm
Mr Cobain left the meeting at 1.05pm
Mr Cobain rejoined the meeting at 1.06pm
The Chairperson thanked the officials for the briefing.
Agreed – that officials would inform the Minister of the Committee’s concerns regarding the proposals. The Committee also agreed to write to the Minister in relation to its concerns.
The officials left the meeting at 1.20pm.
11. December Monitoring – 2007/08 Public Expenditure
The Committee noted the Department’s December monitoring return and the recent announcement by the Minister for Finance and Personnel on the additional allocation to the Department for Social Development.
Mr McCann and Mr Cobain left the meeting at 1.24pm
12. Correspondence
- The Committee considered correspondence from the Committee for Health, Social Services and Public Safety to Minister Ritchie in relation to its inquiry into Suicide and Self harm and its concern over the funding of the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust Self Harm Service.
Agreed - the Committee agreed to forward the letter from the Chairperson of the Committee for Health, Social Services and Public Safety to Minister Ritchie. - The Committee considered correspondence from Mr David McNarry MLA regarding a proposed Private Members Bill on Payment of Carer’s Allowance.
Agreed - the Committee agreed to invite Mr McNarry to brief the Committee on the proposed Bill and to ask the Department to provide a brief on the possible financial and other implications of the proposed Bill. - The Committee noted correspondence from the Committee for the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister providing a copy of the response from the Advisory Council on Infrastructure Investment on the draft Investment Strategy.
- The Committee considered correspondence from the Department regarding the Strategic Business Review of the Social Security Agency.
Agreed – the Committee agreed that Departmental officials should brief the Committee in private session.
13. Forward Work Programme
The Chairperson reminded Members that, at its meeting on 10 December 2007, the Committee had agreed to suspend evidence sessions relating to the inquiry into town centre regeneration until the Committee had completed its scrutiny of the Charities Bill. Oral evidence sessions will recommence after the Committee Stage of the Charities Bill has been completed.
The Committee noted the Forward Work Programme.
14. Any other business
Mr Brady reported that the Southern Area Health and Social Services Board was hosting an Older Peoples Conference on Wednesday 23 January 2008 in the Lough Neagh Discovery Centre, Lurgan. The conference will address issues such as benefit uptake.
15. Date, time and place of next meeting
The next meeting will be held on Thursday, 24 January 2008 at 11.00am in Room 135, Parliament Buildings.
The Chairperson asked Members to note that the meeting on Thursday 7 February 2008 would commence at the earlier time of 10.30am.
The Chairperson adjourned the meeting at 1.26pm.