COMMITTEE FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS
Thursday, 19 JUNE 2008
NICVA BUILDING, DUNCAIRN GARDENS, BELFAST
Present:
Mr David Simpson MLA (Chairperson)
Mr David Hilditch MLA (Deputy Chairperson)
Mr Thomas Burns MLA
Mr Fred Cobain MLA
Mr Jonathan Craig MLA
Ms Anna Lo MLA
Mr Fra McCann MLA
Miss Michelle McIlveen MLA
Mr Alban Maginnes MLA
Ms Carál Ní Chuilín MLA
In Attendance: Ms Marie Austin (Assembly Clerk)
Mr Oliver Bellew (Assistant Assembly Clerk)
Mrs Joy Hamilton (Clerical Supervisor)
Mrs Sheila Mawhinney (Clerical Supervisor)
Mrs Lorraine McFarland (Clerical Officer)
The meeting opened at 11.05am in public session.
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Apologies
Mr Mickey Brady.
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Chairperson’s business
The Chairperson reminded Members that the Final Stage of the Charities Bill was scheduled for Monday 30 th June, and that the Further Consideration Stage and Final Stage of the Child Maintenance Bill were scheduled for Monday 23 rd and Tuesday 24 th June respectively.
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Draft minutes of the meeting held on 5 June 2008
Agreed – The draft minutes were agreed.
- Matters arising
Members considered a draft letter from the Clerk to the Department for Social Development regarding the implementation of the Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy. Members agreed the content of the letter and that it should be forwarded to the Department for Social Development for response, and copied to the Neighbourhood Renewal Partnerships. Members agreed that Minister Ritchie should be asked to bring the letter to the attention of the Ministerial-led working group on Neighbourhood Renewal.
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Proposed Statutory Rules
The Committee considered the following proposed statutory rules:
i. The Social Security (Use of Information for Housing Benefit and Welfare Services Purposes) Regulations ( Northern Ireland) 2008
ii. The Occupational Pension Schemes (Transfer Values) (Amendment) Regulations ( Northern Ireland) 2008
iii. The Personal and Occupational Pension Schemes (Appropriate Schemes) (Protected Rights) (Amendment) Regulations ( Northern Ireland) 2008
iv. The Social Security (Claims and Payments) (Amendment No.2) Regulations ( Northern Ireland) 2008
v. The Social Security (Industrial Injuries) (Prescribed Diseases) (Amendment No.2) Regulations ( Northern Ireland) 2008
vi. The Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment (Temporary Increase) Regulations ( Northern Ireland) 2008
Agreed - The Committee agreed that it was content for the Department to proceed with making the Rules.
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Inquiry into Town Centre Regeneration
The following representatives from the Northern Ireland Independent Retail Trade Association joined the meeting at 11:15am.
Glyn Roberts – Chief Executive
Joe Quail – Managing Director Quail’s Fine Foods.The representatives gave oral evidence to the Committee on its inquiry into Town Centre Regeneration. This was followed by a question and answer session.
Members declared the following interests:
Mr David Simpson – Member of Bridgewater Development Company;
Mr David Hilditch – Member of Carrickfergus Development Company;
Mr Thomas Burns – Member of Antrim Borough Council.The Chairperson thanked the representatives for the briefing.
The representatives left the meeting at 12.01pm.
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Briefing by NICVA representatives on voluntary and community sector funding
The following representatives from the Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action (NICVA) joined the meeting at 12.03pm:
Seamus McAleavey – Chief Executive
Frances McCandless – Director of Policy
Bob Stronge – Chairperson of NICVA.The officials briefed the Committee on voluntary and community sector funding.
The briefing was followed by a question and answer session. The Chairperson thanked the representatives for the briefing.
Mr McCann left the meeting at 12.33pm.
The officials left the meeting at 12.34pm.
Agreed – It was agreed that the Committee should:
- Write to Minister Ritchie to ascertain the position on the White Paper proposed by NICVA and to request further information on dormant accounts;
- Write to the Minister for Finance and Personnel in support of NICVA’s request for an efficiency scrutiny and to highlight concerns in relation to cuts to front-line services. Members agreed to include the NICVA briefing paper with this correspondence; and
- Write to the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister regarding Executive Programme Funds. Members agreed to include the NICVA briefing paper with this correspondence.
Mr Cobain left the meeting at 12.37pm.
Mr McCann rejoined the meeting at 12.38pm.
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Correspondence
i. Correspondence from the Director of Social Security Policy and Legislation was tabled for the Committee’s consideration. The letter advised of the Minister’s intention to table a Legislative Consent Motion in respect of technical amendments to the Westminster Pensions Bill which needed to extend to Northern Ireland.
Agreed – The Committee agreed to support the proposed Legislative Consent Motion on a ‘without prejudice’ basis in advance of formal clearance by the Executive.
ii. The Committee considered correspondence from the Clerk to the Central Committee Office requesting that authority be delegated to the Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson of the Committee to submit, during periods of recess, views on the releasing or withholding of information in any non-routine/contentious Freedom of Information requests received.
Agreed – The Committee agreed to delegate authority accordingly.
iii. The Committee noted correspondence from the Minister regarding scrutiny of parity Bills and the Committee’s handling of future parity legislation.
iv. The Committee considered correspondence from the Deputy Secretary of the Resource, Housing and Social Security Group regarding the June Monitoring of Public Expenditure for 2008/2009.
Agreed - The Committee agreed that Departmental officials should be asked to provide an oral briefing to the Committee in advance of monitoring round returns being submitted to the Department for Finance and Personnel.
v. The Committee considered correspondence from the Minister advising of the establishment of a Task Force on Fuel Poverty.
Agreed – The Committee agreed to invite the Minister to brief the Committee on the work of the Task Force in September.
vi. The Committee considered correspondence from the Minister in relation to a Housing Bill that she intends to introduce to the Assembly in the autumn.
Agreed – The Committee agreed to invite Departmental officials to brief the Committee on the draft Bill in September.
vii. The Committee considered a response from the Minister in relation to issues raised by the Committee regarding the Draft Regeneration Framework for the Northside Urban Village.
Members noted that a number of organisations had not been contacted in relation to the relevant EQIA:
- The Ashton Centre;
- New Lodge Community Empowerment Partnership;
- Cliftonville Community Empowerment Partnership;
- Carrickhill Community Centre;
- Participation in Rights Project.
Agreed - The Committee agreed that any individual Members with concerns regarding the relevant EQIA, should contact the Department directly.
viii.The Committee considered a response from DSD’s Housing Division in relation to concerns raised by members of NIPSA regarding housing and NIHE staff.
Agreed: The Committee agreed to forward the Department’s response to NIPSA.
ix. The Committee considered a letter from a member of the public in relation to a specific housing issue.
Agreed – The Committee agreed to forward the letter to the Department for response and request that the Committee be copied in on the response.
x. The Committee considered correspondence from the Chief Executive of Triangle Housing Association outlining its concerns at the recent ‘Supporting People’ budget cut and the decimation of the supported housing development programme.
Agreed – The Committee agreed to invite representatives of the Association to an informal reception in September.
xi. The Committee noted correspondence from the Chairperson of the North West Centre for Learning and Development Ltd regarding DSD match funding.
Agreed: The Committee agreed to invite representatives of the Association to an informal reception in September and to forward the letter to DSD for response.
xii. The Committee noted a letter from Minister Ritchie to the Chairperson of the Enterprise, Trade and Investment Committee regarding its inquiry into credit unions.
xiii. The Committee noted correspondence from the Committee for Enterprise, Trade and Investment to Strabane District Council regarding the effects of the European and Government Air Quality Policy on fuel poverty in Strabane.
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Forward work programme
The Committee noted the Forward Work Programme.
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Any other business
Members thanked Committee staff for organising the recent visit to Dublin to see examples of good practice in housing and acknowledged the success of the trip.