Minutes of Proceedings
Session: 2012/2013
Date: 04 December 2012
Venue: Room 144 Parliament Buildings
The meeting commenced at 1.32 p.m. in open session
1. Apologies
Apologies are detailed above.
2. Chairpersons Business
There was no Chairpersons business.
3. Matters Arising
There were no Matters Arising.
4. Briefing from the Northern Ireland Council for Ethnic Minorities (NICEM)
Representatives joined the meeting at 1.34p.m.
Mr Patrick Yu, Executive Director and Ms Karen McLaughlin, Legal Policy Officer, provided the Committee with their views on the Conformity of the Welfare Reform Bill with Equality Requirements and Human Rights observance.
The briefing was followed by a question and answer session.
Paula Bradley joined the meeting at 1.39p.m.
Tom Elliott joined the meeting at 1.58p.m.
The Chairperson, Trevor Lunn, left the meeting at 2.32p.m. The Deputy Chairperson, Robin Swann, assumed the Chair.
Bronwyn McGahan left the meeting at 2.42p.m.
Representatives left the meeting at 2.42p.m.
5. Briefing from Mencap and Disability Action
Representatives joined the meeting at 2.43p.m.
Ms Jenny Ruddy, Mencap Campaigns Officer, and Ms Karen Hall, Disability Action Information and Policy Manager, provided the Committee with their views on the Conformity of the Welfare Reform Bill with Equality Requirements and Human Rights observance.
The briefing was followed by a question and answer session.
The Chairperson, Trevor Lunn, resumed the Chair at 2.49 pm.
Peter Weir left the meeting at 2.56p.m.
Agreed: The Committee noted that Mencap and Disability Action were part of an amalgamation of groups working on a submission to the Committee and Members agreed that this should be forwarded to the Committee as soon as is possible.
Fra McCann left the meeting at 3.13p.m.
Representatives left the meeting at 3.14p.m.
Bronwyn McGahan rejoined the meeting at 3.15p.m.
Peter Weir rejoined the meeting at 3.15 p.m.
6. Correspondence
The Committee noted correspondence from the Department for Social Development.
7. Forward Work Programme
The Committee noted the details of the Forward Work Programme.
8. Any Other Business
The Committee noted that the Department for Social Development had been requested to provide a copy of its Human Rights Assessment of the Welfare Reform Bill, and considered if it would be possible for the Committee to request this under Freedom of Information legislation, or under powers conferred by S.44 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998.
9. Time, date and place of next meeting
The next meeting of the Committee will be held on Monday, 10th December 2012 in Room 30 at 2.30p.m
The Chairperson adjourned the meeting at 3.20p.m.
