COMMITTEE FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Minutes of Proceedings
Thursday, 14 February 2008
SENATE CHAMBER, PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS
Present:
Mr David Hilditch (Deputy Chairperson)
Mr Mickey Brady MLA
Mr Thomas Burns MLA
Mr Alban Maginness MLA
Mr Fra McCann MLA
Mrs Claire McGill MLA
Miss Michelle McIlveen MLA
In Attendance:
Mr Martin Wilson (Principal Clerk)
Ms Marie Austin (Assembly Clerk)
Mr Neil Currie (Assistant Assembly Clerk)
Mrs Joy Hamilton (Clerical Supervisor)
Mrs Sheila Mawhinney (Clerical Supervisor)
Mrs Lorraine McFarland (Clerical Officer)
Apologies:
Mr Gregory Campbell (Chairperson)
Mr Jonathan Craig MLA
Ms Anna Lo MLA
The meeting opened at 11.07am in public session.
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Apologies
Apologies are detailed above.
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Chairperson’s business
The Deputy Chairperson informed Members that the Pensions Bill received Royal Assent and became law on 11 February 2008.
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Draft minutes of the meeting held on 7 February 2008
Agreed – The draft minutes were agreed.
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Matters arising
i. Inter-Departmental Group Report on Fuel Poverty
The Committee noted the letter that issued from the Chairperson to the Minister in relation to the Department’s response to the Fuel Poverty Advisory Group recommendations contained in the Inter-Departmental Group Report on Fuel Poverty.
ii. Conference on ‘Meeting Northern Ireland’s Housing Needs’
Mr Burns, Mr Maginness and Mr McCann confirmed that they wished to attend the conference on ‘Meeting Northern Ireland’s Housing Needs’ to be held on 5 March 2008.
The Deputy Chairperson asked that any other Members wishing to attend the conference should contact the Clerk by close of play on 14 February 2008.
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Committee Stage of the Charities Bill – evidence session
The following representatives from the Police Service of Northern Ireland joined the meeting at 11.11am:
Superintendent David Boyd – Operations Policy & Support
John Conner– Head of Social Legislation
Inspector Gary Atkinson – Social Legislation.
The representatives gave oral evidence on the Charities Bill. This was followed by a question and answer session.The Deputy Chairperson thanked the representatives for the oral evidence.
The representatives left the meeting at 11.23am.
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Committee Stage of the Charities Bill – possible evidence sessions
The Deputy Chairperson informed Members that the Clerk had spoken to
representatives from the Human Rights Commission and the Equality Commission about giving oral evidence to the Committee. The representatives confirmed that they would not be able to add anything to their written submissions at an oral evidence session. The Committee noted that the representatives would not give oral evidence.
Agreed – It was agreed to invite representatives from the Evangelical Alliance Northern Ireland and the Presbyterian Church in Ireland to brief the Committee on the Charities Bill.
Agreed – At the meeting on 21 February 2008, consideration should be given to hearing oral evidence from some of the religious groups that had written to the Committee in relation to Designated Religious Status.
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Proposed Statutory Rules (SL1s)
The Committee considered the following proposed Statutory Rules:
The Social Security Benefits Up-rating Order (NI) 2008.
The Guaranteed Minimum Pension Increase Order (NI) 2008.
The Social Security (Industrial Injuries) (Dependency) (Permitted Earnings Limits) Order (NI) 2008.
The Social Security Benefits Up-rating Regulations (NI) 2008.
The Workmen’s Compensation (Supplementation) (Amendment) Regulations (NI) 2008.
The Pneumoconiosis, Etc., (Workers’ Compensation) (Payment of Claims) (Amendment) Regulations (NI) 2008.
The Social Security (Claims and Payments) (Amendment) Regulations (NI) 2008.Agreed – The Committee was content with the Department’s proposal to make the Statutory Rules.
Mrs Magill left the meeting at 11.34am.
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Statutory Rule laid in the Assembly
The Committee considered the following Statutory Rule which is subject to negative
resolution and has been laid in the Assembly:
SR 2008/51 – The Social Security (National Insurance Numbers) (Amendment) Regulations (NI) 2008
Question put and agreed:
“That the Committee for Social Development has considered Statutory Rule 2008
No. 51 The Social Security (National Insurance Numbers) (Amendment) Regulations (NI) 2008 and subject to the Examiner’s report has no objection to the Rule.”
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Briefing by officials from the Department for Social Development on the work of the Interdepartmental Affordability Review Implementation Group.
The following officials joined the meeting at 11.35am:
Michael Sands – Deputy Director of Housing
David Malcolm – Affordability Review Unit.
The officials briefed the Committee on the work of the Interdepartmental Affordability Review Implementation Group. This was followed by a question and answer session.The Chairperson thanked the officials for the briefing.
The officials left the meeting at 11.45am.
Agreed – It was agreed that Assembly Research and Library Services should be asked
to prepare a research paper, with a view to the Committee visiting areas where
innovative methods have been employed to tackle social/affordability housing issues.
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Correspondence
i. The Committee considered the response from the Minister for Finance and Personnel
regarding the Committee’s request for a copy of the legal advice he had sought in
relation to Minister Ritchie’s decision to withdraw funding for the Conflict
Transformation Initiative project. Minister Robinson’s letter stated that as the matter
involved the First Minister and deputy First Minister and the Minister for Social
Development, he would be content to show the advice to the Committee provided it
wrote to the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister and the Department
for Social Development to obtain consent.
Agreed – To write to the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister and the
Department for Social Development to obtain consent.
ii. The Committee considered correspondence from the Clerk to the Committee for the
Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister, enclosing a letter for Minister
Ritchie, in relation to its inquiry into child poverty.
Agreed – To forward the letter to Minister Ritchie.
iii. The Committee noted the letter the Department for Social Development had sent to an
individual who had written to the Committee regarding personal housing issues.
iv. The Committee considered correspondence from the Clerk to the Committee for the
Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister, enclosing a letter from the
Cloona Child Contact Centre regarding a shortfall in funding from the Department for
Social Development.
Agreed – As an identical letter had previously been received from the Cloona
Child Contact Centre, and was with the Department for Social Development for
comment, it was agreed to note the correspondence and consider the response from the
Department in due course.
v. The Committee noted correspondence from the Minister in relation to the development
of a procurement strategy for the Social Housing Programme.
Agreed – It was agreed that Assembly Research and Library Services should be asked
to prepare a research paper on the impact the implementation of a procurement strategy has had in other jurisdictions on the construction industry as a whole, and in particular, standards of construction.
vi. The Committee noted the correspondence from the Department for Social Development
listing the documents to accompany an application for a National Insurance Number, as
contained in Schedule 1 to The Social Security (National Insurance Numbers)
(Amendment) Regulations (NI) 2008.
vii. The Committee considered information it had requested from the Department for Social
Development regarding public funding and private sector leverage in relation to
regeneration schemes.
Agreed – To include the response as part of the Department’s written evidence to the
Inquiry into Town Centre Regeneration.viii. The Committee considered the additional information it had requested from the
Department for Social Development in relation to the recommendations made in the
EDAW Report on town centre reinvigoration.
Agreed – To include the response as part of the Department’s written evidence to the
Inquiry into Town Centre Regeneration.ix. The Committee noted the letter that the Chairperson of the Committee for
Enterprise, Trade and Investment had sent to Minister Ritchie in relation to the Draft
Regional Innovation Strategy.x. The Committee considered correspondence from Advice NI in relation to possible
alternative methodologies to target those who were not accessing their full benefit
entitlement.
Agreed – To forward the correspondence to the Department for comment and advise
Mr Higgins accordingly.
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Forward Work Programme
The Committee noted the Forward Work Programme.
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Any other business
None.
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Date, time and place of next meeting
The next meeting will be held on Thursday, 21 February 2008 at 10.30am in Room 135, Parliament Buildings.
The Deputy Chairperson adjourned the meeting at 12.00noon.