Minutes of Proceedings

The meeting opened at 10:36am in public session.

Apologies

Apologies are detailed above.

1.    Minutes of the meeting held on 6 th February 2008

Agreed: The draft minutes were agreed.

2.    Matters Arising

Members noted the Construction Employers Federation’s Response to the Department’s Consultation on Training for Success.

Members also noted a paper from Assembly’s Research and Library Services on the Department’s consultation on the Review of Higher Education in Further Education.

The Committee noted a paper, prepared by the Committee Office, on the current position at Carter & Carter Group Plc.

Agreed: Members noted and agreed a response to the Committee for Social Development on the Department for Social Development’s proposed Statutory Rules on Employment and Support Allowance.

Agreed: Members noted and agreed the revised Forward Work Programme for the Committee which includes a proposed meeting during the Easter recess, scheduled for 19 th March.

3.    Chairperson’s Business

Members noted a number of items of correspondence and agreed the proposed responses.

Agreed: Members agreed that the Clerk should meet with Departmental officials on the Committee’s concerns relating to Carter & Carter Group Plc and report back to the Committee.

Members were informed that a briefing from Central Procurement Directorate of the Department of Finance & Personnel has been provisionally scheduled for 9 th April 2008.

The Chairperson updated the Committee on the meeting with Women’s Centres Regional Partnership on 13 th February.

4.    Briefing from Sector Skills Councils on Training for Success

The Committee received a briefing from the following representatives of Skillsmart Retail on the Department’s Training for Success programme.

• Tory Kerley, NI Manager of Skillsmart Retail
• Judith Meyrick, Programme Manager of Skillsmart Retail
• Lynn Livingstone, Training Manager at Tesco
• Andrew Porter, General Manager of Creighton’s of Finaghy

The briefing was followed by a question and answer session.

The Committee also received a briefing from representatives of Skills Active: Siobhan Weir, NI Manager of SkillsActive, and Oliver Wilkinson, CEO of Share Centre, Lisnaskea, on the Training for Success programme. The briefing was followed by a question and answer session.

5.    Briefing from Voluntary Sector Housing Policy Forum

The Committee received a briefing from representatives of the Voluntary Sector Housing Policy Forum (VSHPF): Carol O’Bryan, Secretary of the VSHPF & Chief Executive of Simon Community NI, David Carroll, Director of Development at Simon Community NI, and Tony McQuillan, Director of Shelter NI, on the work of the VSHPF. The briefing was followed by a question and answer session.

12:30pm Mr Spratt left the meeting

6.    Further Education Lecturers’ Pay Dispute and Retirement Scheme

Members received an update from the Department on the current situation regarding the Further Education Lecturers’ pay dispute and lecturer redundancies under the Teachers’ Permanent Retirement Scheme.

Agreed: the Committee agreed that the issue should be raised again at a later date.

12:50pm Mr McClarty left the meeting

Departmental Press Notices

Members noted a number of Departmental press notices issued recently.

7.    Any Other Business

Agreed: Members noted the proposed closure of catering facilities at the University of Ulster campus at Jordanstown and agreed that the Chairperson would seek a meeting with the Permanent Secretary on this issue.

Agreed: Members noted a number of issues relating to the work of other Committees that fall within the remit of the Committee for Employment and Learning and agreed the proposed responses.

8.    Date, time and place of next meeting

The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, 27 th February 2008 at 10.30am in Room 135, Parliament Buildings.

The Chairperson adjourned the meeting at 12:55pm.

Ms Sue Ramsey
Chairperson, Committee for Employment & Learning
27 February 2008