Minutes of Proceedings

The Chairperson opened the meeting, in private, at 10:40am.

1. Chairperson's business

1.1. The Committee Agreed to hold the meeting in private session.

1.2. Members noted that additional copies of the Heritage Lottery Fund News - Spring 2002 were available.

1.3. The Committee recorded their thanks to Committee office staff, in particular, Mairéad Higgins, for the advance planning work that contributed to making the three-day visit of the Central and Western Regional Fisheries Boards so successful.

1.4. The Committee Agreed that contact would be made with the North Western Regional Fisheries Board, which shares responsibility for Lough Melvin, in due course.

2. Minutes of the meetings of 23 and 24 April 2002

2.1. The draft Minutes of Proceedings for the meetings on 23 and 24 April 2002 were Agreed .

3. Matters arising

3.1. There were no matters arising.

4. Response to the Department's Position Report on Budget 2002

4.1. The Committee discussed and Agreed the main priorities to be categorised and included in the Committee's response to the Department.

4.2. The Committee also Agreed to highlight to the Department, the need to look for funding in the broadest sphere for opening up of waterways in Northern Ireland.

5. Cultural Tourism Industry Conference

5.1. The Committee Agreed that four Members and the Clerk would attend the Cultural Tourism Industry Conference to be held in Kanturk, Co Cork from Friday 24 May to Saturday 25 May 2002.

6. Seal and Atlantic Salmon Interactions Workshop

6.1. Members noted the invitation from the Loughs Agency to their one-day workshop on 'Seal and Atlantic Salmon Interactions' in the Broomhill Hotel in Londonderry on Thursday 16 May 2002.

6.2. The Committee Agreed , that since the workshop was being held on the Committee's usual meeting day, representation would be unlikely, and in those circumstances, a workshop outcome report should be sought.

7. Any other business

7.1. The Committee Agreed to include an item of business, 'Committee legislation', on the agenda for Thursday 2 May 2002.

7.2. The Committee Agreed to ask the Department if it had considered the impact of the allocation of £1.6million funding to IFA youth football, on the Northern Ireland Boy's FA.

7.3. The Committee Agreed to consider an invitation to the '13th International Salmonid Enhancement Workshop' as part of the agenda for Thursday 2 May 2002.

7.4. The Committee recorded its concern about the slow progress made on the list of oral questions, due to the length of responses being given to supplementaries.

8. First formal reading of the report on the Cultural Tourism and the Arts Inquiry

8.1. The Committee continued with its first formal reading of the report on the Cultural Tourism and the Arts Inquiry and Agreed a number of alterations.

9. Date of the next meeting

9.1. The next meeting of the Committee will take place at 10:15am, on Thursday 2 May 2002 in Room 152.

The Chairperson brought the meeting to a close at 11:55am.

E ONeill
Chairperson