PROCEEDINGS OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE PROGRAMME FOR GOVERNMENT
Minutes of the meeting held on Tuesday, 20 March 2007 in Room 144, Parliament Buildings.
In the Chair: Jim Wells
Present: Jeffrey Donaldson MP
Michelle Gildernew MP
David McClarty
David McNarry
Mitchel McLaughlin
Ian Paisley Jnr
Margaret Ritchie
In Attendance: Debbie Pritchard (Principal Clerk)
Damien Martin (Assembly Clerk)
Joanne Adair (Assistant Clerk)
Pauline Hunter (Clerical Supervisor)
Observing: Brian Crowe (UUP Researcher)
Emma Little (DUP Researcher)
Mark Neale (UUP Researcher)
Dara O’Hagan (SF Researcher)
Nuala O’Neill (SDLP Researcher)
The meeting commenced at 10.36 a.m.
-
Apologies
Gerry Adams MP (Mr McLaughlin attended as the SF representative in place of Mr Adams MP)
Mark Durkan MP
Sir Reg Empey (Mr McNarry attended as UUP representative in place of Sir Reg Empey)
Martin McGuinness MP
Peter Robinson MP
-
Minutes of the Meeting of 15 March 2007
The minutes of the meeting of 15 March 2007 were agreed.
-
Meeting with the Chancellor on 22 March 2007
The Chairman reminded members that at the meeting on 14 March 2007, the Committee agreed a letter to the Chancellor of the Exchequer setting out its views on an economic package for Northern Ireland. To date no response has been received.
Alan Patterson and Shane McAteer, Assembly Secretariat, and Victor Hewitt and Graham Gudgin, Economic Advisers, attended the meeting at 10.39 a.m.
The Committee held a detailed discussion on key issues for discussion with the Chancellor and agreed how the meeting with the Chancellor should be approached.
Mr McNarry proposed that the approach agreed by the Committee should be recommended to party leaders. There was consensus and the proposal was agreed.
Alan Patterson and Shane McAteer, Assembly Secretariat, Victor Hewitt and Graham Gudgin, Economic Advisers, and Brian Crowe, Emma Little, Mark Neale, Dara O’Hagan and Nuala O’Neill, Party Researchers, left the meeting at 11:20 a.m.
Members agreed that the Clerks to the sub-group on Economic Issues and the Economic Advisers should be in attendance at meetings on 22 March to provide briefing and advice.
Alan Patterson and Shane McAteer, Assembly Secretariat, and Brian Crowe, Emma Little, Mark Neale, Dara O’Hagan and Nuala O’Neill, Party Researchers, returned to the meeting at 11:25 a.m.
Following discussion, the Committee agreed that Economic Advisers should work with Party Researchers to update briefing papers and prepare an agenda for the meeting with the Chancellor.
Mr Paisley left the meeting at 11.29 a.m.
Alan Patterson and Shane McAteer, Assembly Secretariat, left the meeting at 11.33 a.m.
-
Paper on Priorities for a Restored Executive
The Committee agreed that the paper summarising the issues identified by the Committee as priorities for a restored Executive should be made available to the Executive Committee after restoration to inform Executive decisions on future priorities.
-
Responses to PfG Reports and Papers
Members noted the responses received from the Secretary of State and Government departments to reports by the Committee on the Programme for Government’s Sub-Groups and agreed that the responses should be made available to the Executive Committee after restoration.
Mr McNarry proposed that the Committee should write to the Secretary of State seeking further information on the preparatory work on schools admission policy being undertaken by Maria Eagle for the return of the Assembly, as mentioned in the letter from the Secretary of State on 12 March 2007. There was consensus and the proposal was agreed.
-
Status of Committee Papers
The Committee agreed to make available to the restored Executive Committee the reports of the Sub-Group on Economic Issues on the Irish Government’s financial package and the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s proposed economic package and any subsequent correspondence on these matters.
- Next Meeting
Members noted that there are no further scheduled meetings of the Committee and agreed that the Chairman should approve the minutes of the meeting of 20 March 2007.
The meeting adjourned at 11.35 a.m.
15 March / Menu