PROCEEDINGS OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE PROGRAMME FOR GOVERNMENT
Minutes of the meeting held on Monday, 27 November 2006 in Room 144, Parliament Buildings.
In the Chair: Jim Wells
Present: Gerry Adams MP
Jeffrey Donaldson MP
Mark Durkan MP
Sir Reg Empey
Michelle Gildernew MP
Alex Maskey
David McClarty
Martin McGuinness MP
Ian Paisley Jnr
Margaret Ritchie
Peter Robinson MP
In Attendance: Nuala Dunwoody (Clerk Assistant)
Alan Patterson (Principal Clerk - for item 9)
Debbie Pritchard (Principal Clerk)
John Power (Head of Research and Library Services)
Jim Beatty (Assistant Clerk)
Pauline Hunter (Clerical Officer)
Observing: Francie Molloy (Chairperson)
Richard Bullick (DUP Researcher)
Eilis Haughey (SDLP Researcher)
Aidan McAteer (SF Researcher)
Mark Neale (UUP researcher)
Dara O’Hagan (SF Researcher)
The meeting commenced at 12.06pm.
1. Privilege
The Chairperson reminded members that under paragraph 8 of schedule 1 of the Northern Ireland (St Andrews Agreement) Act 2006 ‘a written or oral statement made by a member in or for the purposes of the Transitional Assembly is to be privileged from action for defamation unless it is proved to have been made with malice.’ This privilege also extends to meetings of the Committee. Members were asked to note, however, that privilege does not extend to press conferences or statements made to the press.
2. Direction from the Secretary of State
The Chairperson sought the views of the Committee on the arrangements for chairing future meetings. Mr McGuinness MP proposed that the Committee should be co – chaired by the DUP and Sinn Fein. Mr Robinson MP advised that he would consult party colleagues about the proposal. It was agreed that, in the interim, the Committee would be chaired by the two Deputy Speakers and the arrangements for chairing would be discussed again at the next meeting.
3. Committee Procedures
The Chairperson reminded members of the procedures agreed by the former Committee at the meeting on 20 November 2006:-
(a) Deputies should be allowed to attend meetings in place of the members.
(b) Meetings should be held in closed session without a Hansard recording, unless the Committee decided otherwise.
(c) Up to two researchers per party should be admitted to meetings as observers.
(d) Voting within the Committee should be by consensus.
(e) The quorum for each meeting should be six, with at least one representative from each party.
The Chairperson proposed that the Committee adopt these procedures. There was consensus and the proposal was agreed.
4. Declaration of Interests
The Chairperson reminded members of the need to declare all relevant interests when required under Standing Orders.
5. Witnesses
The Chairperson informed the Committee that Nigel Hamilton, Head of the Civil Service, was available to assist the Committee today. The Chairperson proposed that Mr Hamilton was not required for this meeting. There was consensus and the proposal was agreed.
6. Confidentiality of Committee papers
The Committee discussed the impact of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 if records, such as Hansard, were kept of the meeting. Sir Reg Empey proposed that the Committee Clerk should prepare a paper on the matter for the next meeting. There was consensus and the proposal was agreed.
7. Observers
The Chairperson informed the Committee that the Clerk or his Deputy wished to attend as observers at meetings. Mr McGuinness MP proposed that the Clerk should be asked why he wished to attend meetings and that invitations to future meetings could be issued as considered appropriate by the Committee. There was consensus and the proposal was agreed.
8. Establishment of sub-groups and their procedures
The Chairperson asked the members if there were any other issues that they wished the Committee to consider in the context of drawing up a programme of work. Sir Reg Empey proposed that ‘Victims’ be included and Mr Durkan MP proposed that ‘Workplace 2010’ and ‘Public Sector Jobs Allocation’ be added. There was consensus and the proposals were agreed.
Mr Robinson MP proposed that the Committee consider ‘the number of Departments and their responsibilities.’ There was not consensus and the proposal fell.
Mr Paisley left the meeting at 12.53pm.
Ms Gildernew MP raised the topic of Water Reform and the Committee expressed concern at the lack of response from the Secretary of State to the letter sent to the Secretary of State by the former Committee asking for deferment of the water reform legislation. Mr Adams MP proposed that the Committee should write immediately to the Secretary of State expressing in robust terms its dissatisfaction at the lack of response, and that the Committee should make its position public. Mr Durkan MP proposed that the Committee’s letter should be copied to the Rt Hon Jack Straw MP, Leader of the House of Commons. There was consensus and the proposals were agreed.
Mr Adams MP left the meeting at 1.02pm.
Mr Maskey joined the meeting at 1.02pm.
Mr McGuinness MP proposed that a sub-group should be set up to prepare a Programme for Government document. There was not consensus and the proposal fell.
Mr McClarty left the meeting at 1.26pm.
After further discussion, it was agreed by consensus that –
(a) the Committee would consider the Ministerial Code and that officials would be invited to the next meeting to brief the Committee on this;
(b) the Committee would consider the Anti-Poverty Strategy and Victims Issues;
(c) sub-groups would be set up to consider and report back to the Committee on:-
(i) Schools admission policy;
(ii) Workplace 2010 and Public Sector Jobs Allocation
(iii) Policing and Justice
(iv) Economic Issues
(v) Comprehensive Spending Review; Programme for Government; Water Reform and Rates Charges
(vi) Review of Public Administration and Rural Planning
The Business Committee should be asked to consider setting up a committee to take forward work on the draft Standing orders for the Northern Ireland Assembly.
The Committee considered the procedures for the sub-groups. The Chairperson proposed that the following should be accepted:-
(a) The Terms of Reference for any sub-group will be determined by the Committee on the Programme for Government.
(b) Any sub-group will be made up of 6 members, with the number of members from each party being on the following basis – 2 DUP, 2 Sinn Fein, 1 SDLP and 1 UUP.
(c) The quorum for each sub-group will be 4, excluding the Chairperson, with at least one member from each of the four parties represented on the Committee on the Programme for Government.
(d) It will be for each sub-group to decide if it wishes to meet in public or closed session.
(e) The dates for the meetings of each sub-group are to be determined by that sub-group.
(f) The sub-groups will not take any decisions on behalf of the Committee on the Programme for Government.
(g) Deputies may attend meetings if members of the sub-group are unable to do so.
There was consensus and the proposal was agreed. It was also agreed that the employment of special advisers by any of the sub-groups was a matter for the sub-group.
Mr McClarty rejoined the meeting at 2.08pm.
Mr McGuinness proposed that the sub-groups should be co–chaired by the DUP and Sinn Fein. A decision was deferred pending Mr Robinson’s consultation with party colleagues. It was agreed that in the interim, the sub-groups would be chaired by the two Deputy Speakers.
Mr McGuinness MP proposed that voting within sub-groups should be by consensus. Mr Robinson MP proposed that where consensus was not reached, the minutes should record how individual parties voted. There was consensus and the proposals were agreed.
The Chairperson asked the parties to inform the Clerk to the Committee of their nominations for membership of the individual sub-groups by 2.00pm on Tuesday, 28 November 2006.
9. Draft Terms of Reference for Economic Sub-Group
The draft Terms of Reference for the sub-group on economic issues were agreed as amended.
10. Press Release
The Committee considered issuing a press release on the proceedings and matters agreed. Ms Gildernew MP proposed that any press release should be limited to the matter of the Committee’s dissatisfaction with the Secretary of State’s failure to reply to the request for deferment of the legislation on water reform. There was consensus and the proposal was agreed.
11. Next Meeting
The Committee will next meet at 1.00pm on Monday, 4 December 2006 in Room 144, Parliament Buildings. Lunch will be available from 12.45pm.