Minutes of Proceedings

Session: 2012/2013

Date: 20 September 2012

Venue: Room 29, Parliament Buildings

The meeting began in public session at 10:02am.

1. Apologies

Apologies were as indicated above.

2. Draft Minutes of Meeting 13 September 2012

Agreed: The minutes of the meeting held on Thursday 13 September 2012 were agreed.

Mr Mark H Durkan joined the meeting at 10.04am

3. Chairperson’s Business

3.1 The Chairperson advised Members that the second stage of the BIDS Bill was debated in the Assembly on 17 September 2012. The Chairperson also advised that the Committee are scheduled to start taking evidence at its meeting on 4 October 2012. The Chairperson asked if Members are content to propose a motion to the Assembly requesting an extension to the Committee Stage of the BIDS Bill until 13 December 2012.

Agreed: The Committee agreed to propose the motion ‘That, in accordance with Standing Order 33(4), the period referred to in Standing Order 33(2) is extended to 13 December 2012, in relation to the Committee Stage of NIA Bill 9/11-15 Business Improvement Districts Bill’.

3.2 The Committee noted a letter from the Department indicating that the Welfare Reform Bill is scheduled to be considered at the Executive meeting on 20 September 2012.

4. Matters Arising

4.1 The Committee considered a paper from the Department which summarised the responses received to the DWP consultation on proposals for Personal Independence Payments. The Chairperson advised Members that DWP will publish its response in due course.

The Chairperson also advised Members that the package of regulations relating to Personal Independence Payment will also be brought to the Committee subject to the proposed Welfare Reform Bill completing its passage through the Assembly.

Agreed: The Committee agreed to request a further briefing from the Department on DWP’s response during the Committee Stage of the Welfare Reform Bill.

4.2 The Chairperson advised Members that an organisation has been in contact with him in relation to last week’s briefing from the Department on the Regional Infrastructure Programme

Agreed: The Committee agreed to write to the Department to seek clarification on the stage that the tendering process in respect of Women in Disadvantaged and Rural Areas was at prior to being postponed by the Department. The Committee was particularly interested in whether business cases had been considered and if a preferred bidder had been identified.

5. Charities Bill – Briefing by Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action (NICVA)

The following representatives from NICVA joined the meeting at 10:08am:

Ms Una McKernan, Deputy Chief Executive Officer; and

Ms Denise Copeland, Governance & Charity Advice Manager

The representatives briefed the Committee on NICVA’s support for the proposed Charities Bill.

Ms Pam Brown joined the meeting at 10.08am

The briefing was recorded by Hansard.

The Chairperson thanked the representatives for their attendance.

The representatives left the meeting at 10:13am.

6. End of Session Report

Members considered the draft End of Session Report for the Committee for Social Development.

Agreed: The Committee agreed the End of Session Report for the Committee for Social Development.

7. Mapping Poverty and Social Deprivation – Briefing by Research and Information Services (RAISE)

Ms Eleanor Murphy joined the meeting at 10.16am

Ms Murphy briefed the Committee on the RAISE paper entitled ‘Mapping Poverty and Social Deprivation: Executive and Departmental Strategies, Policies and Programmes in Northern Ireland’.

Members welcomed the research paper and thanked Ms Murphy for the useful paper.

The Chairperson thanked Ms Murphy for her briefing to the Committee.

Ms Murphy left the meeting at 10.30am

Agreed: The Committee agreed to write to the Department to ask for a progress update on the strategies and policies and to ask for details of any plans or initiatives the Department is taking forward with other Departments to address social deprivation and poverty.

Agreed: The Committee also agreed for the Chairperson to write to the Chairpersons of all the statutory committees to request that they might also urge the departments which they scrutinise to undertake a similarly rigorous review of the strategies, policies and programmes which they are taking forward to address social deprivation and poverty.

8. Proposed Subordinate Legislation

The following Departmental officials joined the meeting at 10:31am:

Ms Jane Corderoy, DSD; and

Mr Maurice Byrne, DSD

Mr Alex Easton joined the meeting at 10.32am

The officials briefed the Committee on a series of Statutory Rules to bring into operation the child maintenance scheme provided for by the Child Maintenance Act (NI) 2008.

The briefing was recorded by Hansard.

The Chairperson thanked the officials for their briefing to the Committee.

The officials left the meeting at 11.00am

8.1 The Child Support Maintenance Calculation Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012.