Minutes of Proceedings
Session: 2009/2010
Date: 27 January 2010
Venue: Room 30
The meeting opened at 10. 03 am in public session
Apologies
Apologies are detailed above.
1. Minutes of the meetings held on 20 January 2010
Agreed: The minutes were agreed.
2. Briefing from members of the Committee’s Expert Panel on STEM subjects
Joanne Stuart, Chair of the Expert Panel, and Clare Passmore, Panel member, briefed the Committee on stakeholder responses to the STEM Review Report . The briefing was followed by a question and answer session.
10.10 am Mr Thomas Buchanan joined the meeting
10.13 am Mr Paul Butler joined the meeting
Agreed: Members agreed that the Committee’s response to the Report should be forwarded to the Minister for Employment and Learning and to the Committee for Education.
10.25 am Mr David McClarty left the meeting
10.27 am The meeting moved into closed session.
3. Briefing on the Independent Review of Variable Fess and Student Finance Arrangements
Members were updated on the Independent Review of Variable Fess and Student Finance Arrangements by Joanne Stuart, Chairperson of the Review Panel, and by Angela McAllister from Student Finance Branch, DEL. The briefing was followed by a question and answer session.
10.55 am Mr William Irwin joined the meeting
Agreed : Members noted the provisional date of the release of the Final Report, and asked to be kept informed of any anticipated slippage.
11.00 am The meeting moved back into public session
4. Briefing from Departmental officials on the Review of 2010-11 Spending Plans
Members received a briefing from Andrew Hamilton, Deputy Secretary, and Trevor Connolly, Director of Finance and European Division, on the proposed savings to be implemented in the Departmental budget for 2010-11.
11.18 am Mr Trevor Clarke joined the meeting
Agreed: Members agreed on the draft content of a Committee response to be forwarded to the Committee for Finance and Personnel.
5. Additional Statutory Leave Entitlement
Members considered a research report and correspondence from the Department regarding proposals to retain the present statutory leave entitlement in Northern Ireland.
Agreed: Members agreed to write to the Federation of Small Businesses and to ICTU for their comments on this issue.
6. Matters Arising
- NEETs Event in Lisburn
Members discussed the agenda for the forthcoming Committee event to be held at the Lagan Valley Island centre in Lisburn on 3 February 2010.
7. Chairperson’s Business
Members noted a number of items of correspondence and agreed responses.
8. Departmental Press Notices and Press cuttings
Members noted a number of recent Departmental press notices and other extracts from the local press.
9. Any Other Business
- Townland Names
Agreed : Members considered correspondence from the Committee for Culture, Arts and Leisure regarding the use of townland names, and agreed to forward it to the Department for Employment and Learning. - Inquiry into Participation in Sport and Physical Activity
Agreed: The Committee agreed to forward correspondence from the Committee for Culture, Arts and Leisure regarding the above inquiry to the Department for Employment and Learning - Enrolments in the FE Sector 2007/08 and 2008/09
Members noted the Statistical Bulletin from DEL outlining Professional and Technical Enrolments in colleges from 2007 to 2009. - Recognition of QUB PGCE Qualification
Agreed: Members considered correspondence from the Committee for Education regarding the recognition of the Queens University Post-graduate Certificate of Education in the Republic of Ireland, and agreed to forward it to DEL and the University for comment. - Forward Work Programme – for information
Members noted the Committee’s Forward Work Programme for the period of January to March 2010.
10. Date, time and place of next meeting
The next meeting of the Committee will be held on Wednesday, 3 February 2010 in the Cherry Room, Lagan Valley Island Centre, Lisburn.
The Chairperson adjourned the meeting at 11.35 am
