Minutes of Proceedings
Session: 2011/2012
Date: 03 October 2011
Venue: Senate Chamber, Parliament Buildings
In absence of the Chairperson or Deputy Chairperson the meeting commenced at 10.40 am in open session with the Clerk in the Chair for the purpose of electing a Member to act as Chairperson.
The Clerk called on Mr McDevitt to speak. Mr McDevitt proposed that Miss McIlveen do take the chair of the Committee. Mrs Hale seconded the proposal and, in the absence of other nominations, the Clerk asked Miss McIlveen to take the chair.
The Deputy Chairperson joined the meeting at 10.41 am.
1. Apologies
Apologies are detailed above.
2. Department’s Return to DFP on the October 2011 Monitoring Round
Mr Trevor Connolly, Finance Director and Colleen Toner, Head of Budget Monitoring Team, joined the meeting at 10.43 am and made a presentation to the Committee on the Department of Education’s return to the Department of Finance and Personnel for the October 2011 Monitoring Round and answered Members’ questions.
Agreed – the Committee would write to the Department to request details of the maintenance that would be carried if the Department’s bid for maintenance monies was successful and the schools in which it would be carried out.
Agreed – the Committee would write to the Department to ask whether maintenance was a factor which would be considered in the E&LB/CCMS review commissioned by the Minister.
Agreed – the Committee would write to the Department to request clarification of the arrangements for energy procurement by or on behalf of schools, whether this is procured centrally (by E&LBs or otherwise) or by individual schools and whether the arrangements vary by school type.
Agreed – the Committee would write to the Department to ask for any information held in relation to the energy efficiency of the schools estate and the potential of the schools estate to host renewable energy sources in the future and what renewable energy sources are currently in operation on the schools estate.
Agreed – the Committee would write to the Department to ask whether the coming into force of the entitlement framework would create any budgetary pressures.
Agreed – the Committee would write to the Department to request a list of those capital projects which have been approved to proceed and are ready to proceed as soon as capital is available to commence them.
The Acting Chairperson thanked the officials who left the meeting at 11.07 am.
Agreed – the Committee would write to the Department to request that when oral briefing is being prepared for future monitoring rounds that it would be helpful to Members if policy officials, from areas which are the subject of bids or easements, could also be made available to brief the Committee.
Agreed – the Committee would write to the Department to indicate that the Committee had noted its October 2011 Monitoring Round return to DFP, that the Committee strongly supported the Department’s bid for maintenance monies and that the Committee was somewhat concerned at the lack of any bid for capital monies.
3. Date, Time and Place of Next Meeting
The next Committee meeting will be held on 5 October 2011 at 10.30 am in the Senate Chamber, Parliament Buildings.
The Acting Chairperson adjourned the meeting at 11.09 am.
