Assembly and Executive Review Committee

Minutes of Proceedings 9 March 2022

Assembly and Executive Review Committee 9 March 2022.pdf (154.51 kb)

Meeting Location:
Virtual Meeting via Starleaf

Present by Video or Teleconference:
Peter Weir MLA (Chairperson)
Maolíosa McHugh MLA (Deputy Chairperson)
Paul Frew MLA
George Robinson MBE MLA

Apologies:
Kellie Armstrong MLA*
Robbie Butler MLA*

* These Members were required in the Chamber for an additional plenary meeting, necessitating their absence from the Committee meeting.                               

In Attendance by Video or Teleconference:
Mr Shane McAteer (Assembly Clerk)
Ms Marie Austin (Senior Assistant Clerk)
Ms Karen Barry (Assistant Clerk)
Dr Simon Gallaher (Clerical Supervisor)
Ms Alison Ferguson (Clerical Officer)     

The meeting commenced at 12.44pm in open session.

1.    Apologies

As noted above.

The Clerk advised the Committee that Robbie Butler provided notification that he has delegated authority, under Standing Order 115(6), to the Chairperson to vote on his behalf at today’s meeting.

2.    Declaration of Interests

No interests were declared by Members.

3.    Draft Minutes

Agreed: The Committee agreed the minutes of the meeting held on 9 February 2022.

4.    Matters Arising

There were no matters arising.

5.    Committee Effectiveness and Collaboration – Briefing on Draft CLG Report

Dr Kevin Pelan, Clerk Assistant, Office of the Clerk, and Mr Trevor Allen, Senior Assistant Clerk, Chairpersons’ Liaison Group (CLG), joined the meeting at 12.47pm.

The officials briefed the Committee on the draft CLG report: ‘Strengthening Committee Scrutiny’.

The briefing was followed by a question and answer session.

The Chairperson thanked the officials for the briefing.

The officials left the meeting at 1.09pm.

6.    Other Strategic Priorities

The Committee considered a summary of the five responses received to its request for details of: 1) policy issues being progressed by committees in the area of ‘gender and diversity in the context of the Assembly and the Executive’ and, 2) any relevant policy issues that might be identified in legacy reports as areas of work for successor committees to progress.

Agreed: The Committee agreed to publish the summary of responses as part of its Legacy Report.

7.    Legacy Report – Consideration of Draft Report

The Committee considered its draft Legacy Report 2017-2022.

Title Page, Table of Contents, List of Abbreviations and Powers and Membership

The Committee considered the Title Page, Table of Contents, List of Abbreviations and Powers and Membership as drafted.

Agreed: The Committee agreed that it was content with the Title Page, Table of Contents, List of Abbreviations and Powers and Membership of the Committee.

Review of 2017-2022 Mandate - Committee Work Areas

The Committee considered the ‘Review of 2017-2022 Mandate - Committee Work Areas’ section of the report as drafted.

Agreed: The Committee agreed that it was content with the paragraphs on ‘Review of Opposition Entitlements’.

Agreed: The Committee agreed that it was content with the paragraphs on ‘Additional Strategic Priorities’.

Agreed: The Committee agreed that it was content with the paragraphs on ‘Designations and the Appointment of the First Minister and deputy First Minister’.

Agreed: The Committee agreed that it was content with the paragraphs on ‘Committee Effectiveness and Collaboration’.

Agreed: The Committee agreed that it was content with the paragraphs on ‘Gender and Diversity Imbalances in the Assembly and the Executive’.

Suggested Issues for the Successor Committee

The Committee considered the ‘Suggested Issues for the Successor Committee’ section of the report.

Agreed: The Committee agreed that it was content with the paragraph on ‘Opposition Entitlements’.

Agreed: The Committee agreed that it was content with the paragraphs on ‘Designations and the Appointment of First Minister and deputy First Minister’.

Agreed: The Committee agreed that it was content with the paragraphs on ‘Committee Effectiveness’, subject to any amendments necessary to reflect any change, before the end of the current mandate, in the status of the draft CLG report: ‘Strengthening Committee Scrutiny’.

Agreed: The Committee agreed that it was content with the paragraph on ‘Gender and Diversity Imbalances’.

Appendices

The Committee agreed the Appendices section of the report.

Agreed: The Committee agreed that it was content that the Appendices be included in the report.

Agreed: The Committee agreed the report as the second Report of Assembly and Executive Review Committee in the 2017-22 Mandate.

Agreed: The Committee agreed that it was content for the ‘Assembly and Executive Review Committee Legacy Report 2017-2022’ to be published.

8.  Correspondence

The Committee noted correspondence from the Assembly Speaker regarding the scheduling of plenary business up until the end of the current mandate.

9.  Any Other Business

There was no other business.

10.  Date, Time and Place of the next meeting

The Chairperson advised Members that this was the last scheduled meeting of the Assembly and Executive Review Committee in the current mandate.

Agreed: The Committee agreed that the Chairperson should approve the minutes of today’s meeting.

Maolíosa McHugh left the meeting at 1.25pm.

The Chairperson thanked Members for their contribution to the work of the Committee during this mandate, and put on record his thanks to the secretariat team for the support they have provided throughout.

The meeting was adjourned at 1.26pm.

Peter Weir MLA
Chairperson, Assembly and Executive Review Committee
March 2022