Minutes of Proceedings

COMMITTEE FOR FINANCE AND PERSONNEL

MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS
WEDNESDAY, 16 MAY 2007 
ROOM 152, PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS

Present: Mitchel McLaughlin (Chairperson)
Mervyn Storey (Deputy Chairperson)
Roy Beggs
Dr Stephen Farry
Simon Hamilton
Fra McCann
Jennifer McCann
Adrian McQuillan
Declan O’Loan
Dawn Purvis
Peter Weir

In Attendance: Alan Patterson (Principal Clerk)
Shane McAteer (Assembly Clerk)
Vivien Ireland (Assistant Assembly Clerk)
Colin Jones (Assistant Assembly Clerk)
Paul Woods (Clerical Supervisor)
Mary Thompson (Clerical Officer)
Dr John Power (Assembly Research)

Apologies: None

The meeting commenced at 10.03am in closed session.

1. Apologies.

Apologies are detailed above.

2. Chairperson’s Business.

The Chairperson welcomed all members to the first meeting of the Committee.

Agreed – that all Committee meetings should be held in open session, unless there was a particular reason for individual agenda items to be held in closed session.

The meeting continued in open session at 10.05am.

Agreed – that an Official Report (Hansard) should be made of the briefing from Department of Finance and Personnel (DFP) officials on the Budget Bill (Northern Ireland) 2007and that the finalised transcript should be published on the Committee’s website, with a view to informing Members ahead of the Second Stage of the Bill on 18 June 2007.

The Chairperson extended his sympathy to the family and colleagues of the late George Dawson, MLA, who had originally been designated to take the position of Deputy Chairperson of the Committee.

Members were introduced to the Committee Office staff and noted their contact details.

Members noted the procedures in relation to declaration of interests and the declarations which Members had sent to the Clerk prior to the first meeting.

Members confirmed that the declarations provided to the Clerk were complete and should be recorded in the minutes of proceedings as follows:

Mr Mitchel McLaughlin

No interests to declare.

Mr Mervyn Storey

Acorn Business Centre, Ballymoney
Member, Ballymoney Borough Council

Mr Roy Beggs (referred to his entry in the Register of Members’ Interests as follows):

Remunerated employment, office, profession etc.

- Member, Carrickfergus Borough Council
- Chairman, Carrickfergus District Policing Partnership.

Sponsorship or financial support as an Assembly candidate - Ulster Unionist Party

Other sponsorship or financial or material support - Larne Constituency Office, 41 Station Road, Larne provided rent-free by sisters, Mrs E R Cullen and Mrs M A L McNeil

Gifts, benefits and hospitality (UK) - Overnight accommodation, hospitality and match tickets for community shield following participation in United Kingdom Parliamentary Shield charity football match, sponsored by McDonalds

Unremunerated interests

- Member, Board of Governors, Glynn Primary School
- Committee member, Raloo Presbyterian Church
- Committee member, Glynn Community Development Association
- Member of the Court of the University of Ulster
- Officer in Boy’s Brigade
- Member of the Orange Order
- Member of the Royal Black Institution
- Vice-Chairman, Carrickfergus Community Safety Partnership
- Treasurer, Carrickfergus Neighbourhood Development Group
- Member, Carrickfergus Children and Young People’s Partnership
- Member, CATALYST Group (Advisory Group co-ordinated by Carrickfergus YMCA)
- Committee member, Horizon Sure Start (Carrickfergus and Larne)
- Providing assistance on family farm

Dr Stephen Farry

General Secretary, Alliance Party
Member, North Down Borough Council
Director, Lagan Print Ltd
Company Secretary, Lagan Properties Ltd
Director, Bangor and Holywood Town Centre Management Ltd

Mr Simon Hamilton

Member, Ards Borough Council
Member, East Border Region Committee
Member of Board of Governors, Newtownards Model Primary School
Member of Board of Governors, West Winds Primary School
Member of the Orange Order
Member of the Royal Black Institution

Mr Fra McCann

Divis Joint Development Committee
Board member, West Belfast Partnership Board
Board member, West Belfast Greater Shankill Employment Services Board
Board member, Greater West Belfast Community Association
Board member, Falls Partnership Initiative
Board member, Greater Falls Neighbourhood Renewal Partnership
Tall Ships Working Group
Friends of Dunville Park
Councillor, Belfast City Council

Ms Jennifer McCann (referred to her entry in the Register of Members’ Interests as follows):

Remunerated employment, office, profession etc.

- Member, Lisburn City Council

Unremunerated interests

- Member, Colin Neighbourhood Partnership

Mr Adrian McQuillan

Member, Coleraine Borough Council

Mr Declan O’Loan

Remuneration received from:

Northern Ireland Teachers Pension Branch
Councillor, Ballymena Borough Council
Member, Ballymena District Policing Partnership

Non-remunerated interests:

Director, Ballymena Citizens Advice Bureau
Director, Ballymena Community Forum
Member, Society of St Vincent de Paul
Wife is the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland (until 5 November 2007)

Ms Dawn Purvis

Board member, Healing Through Remembering

Vice-Chair, Management Committee, EPIC (Ex-Prisoners Interpretive Centre)
Trustee, David Ervine Foundation

Mr Peter Weir (referred to his entry in the Register of Members’ Interests as follows):

Remunerated employment, office, profession etc.

- Member, North down Borough Council
- Member, South Eastern Education and Library Board
- Member, Northern Ireland Policing Board

Unremunerated interests

- Member, Orange Order
- Member, Royal Black Perceptory
- Member, Northern Ireland Local Government Association

The Chairperson updated members on his initial meeting with the Minister for Finance and Personnel and, in particular the Minister’s intention to provide the Committee with early indications of forthcoming policy initiatives.

3. Committee Procedures

The Chairperson made the following statement in relation to the rules relating to privilege:

‘that, under section 50 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, for the purposes of the law of defamation, absolute privilege applies equally to: the making of a statement in proceedings of the Assembly; and the publication of a statement under the Assembly’s authority.

The term ‘proceedings of the Assembly’ includes the work of Committees. Written and oral evidence taken by committees, therefore, attracts the same privilege as any other proceeding in the Assembly. Any statement given by a witness to a committee as part of its proceedings, whether in oral or in written form, is covered by privilege.’
The Clerk briefed Members on the following procedural papers:

- Powers and Operation of Statutory Committees
- Role of the Committee Chairperson
- Role and Functions of the Committee Office
- Guidance on Handling Subordinate Legislation

Mr McQuillan joined the meeting at 10.22am.

In relation to the Committee’s role in handling subordinate legislation, the Chairperson put the following motion:
‘that the Committee for Finance and Personnel resolves, under Standing Order 41 to delegate to the Examiner of Statutory Rules the technical scrutiny of statutory rules referred to the Committee under the above mentioned Standing Order. The Committee further resolves that in carrying out this function the Examiner shall be authorised to report his technical findings on each statutory rule to the Assembly, through the Business Office and to the relevant Department, as well as to the Committee itself and to publish his report.’

The motion was agreed.

Mr O’Loan joined the meeting at 10.26am.

Members were briefed on the services available to the Committee from the Assembly’s Research Service.

4. First Day Brief from the Department of Finance and Personnel.

The Committee received a presentation from John Hunter, Permanent Secretary and Bruce Robinson, Second Permanent Secretary from the Department for Finance and Personnel. Following the presentation, the Committee questioned both Permanent Secretaries on key strategic issues for which their Department had responsibility.

Mr Weir left the meeting at 11.15am.

5. Briefing on the Budget Bill (Northern Ireland) 2007.

Members were briefed on the Budget Bill (Northern Ireland) 2007 by Leo O’Reilly, Budget Director, Central Finance Group, DFP and Richard Pengelly, Head of Central Expenditure Division, DFP. The session was recorded by Hansard.
Agreed - to invite the officials to attend next week’s meeting to brief Members further, particularly in relation to the consultation process with regard to the Bill.

Agreed – Committee staff to produce a briefing paper on accelerated passage and the Budget Bill for the next meeting

6. Future Meetings and Committee Work Programme.

Agreed - to meet each Wednesday at 10.00am.

Members agreed a work programme up until summer recess and further agreed that this should be placed on the Committee website. It was noted that the programme would be updated weekly and included as a standing item at Committee meetings.

Members considered an invitation from Sir David Varney to meet informally with Members in relation to his Review of Taxation Policy and Economic Growth.

Agreed - that Members would attend the meeting on 25 May if possible and would forward suggested topics for discussion to the Clerk by close of play on Friday 18 May 2007.

Agreed - that the Clerk would inform the Committee for Enterprise, Trade and Investment of the visit by Sir David Varney, as that Committee may also wish to receive an invitation.

7. Draft Press Release.

Members agreed a press release for issue.

8. Any Other Business.

Agreed - that Committee staff would provide a separate pack for each meeting, containing information for members to note, which would not normally be referred to during proceedings, unless there were any particular items, which Members wished to raise.

9. Date, Time and Place of Next Meeting.

The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, 23 May 2007 at 10.00am in Room 152 Parliament Buildings.
The Chairperson adjourned the meeting at 12.30pm.

Mitchel McLaughlin
Chairperson, Committee for Finance and Personnel.
23 May 2007.