Appendix 5: Other Evidence considered by the Committee

An Ceann Comhairle
Seomra 39
Foirgnimh na Parlaiminte Baile Lios na Scáth Cnoc an Anfa
Béal Feirste, BT4 3XX
Guthán:+44 (0) 28 9052 1130
speakersoffice@niassembly.gov.uk

The Speaker
Room 39 Parliament Buildings
Ballymiscaw Stormont Belfast, BT4 3XX
Tel:  +44 (0) 28 9052 1130
email: speakersoffice@niassembly.gov.uk

Daniel McCrossan MLAChairperson of the Audit Committee

Room 325

Parliament Buildings

19 November 2021

Daniel a chara,

Draft Budget 2022-25

The following is in response to your letter dated 3 November 2021, requesting information relating to the roof project and the catering subsidy, for consideration at the Audit Committee’s next evidence session scheduled for 24 November 2021.

Parliament Buildings Roof Project

In relation to the roof works, the Assembly Commission was made aware of some defects that became evident after the project was completed in 2015 and for which it has not yet been possible to determine the cause or to apportion responsibility accordingly.

Solicitors have been instructed on behalf of the Assembly Commission. Building and construction consultants acting on behalf of the Assembly Commission have been preparing reports on probable cause of, and liability for these defects. Next steps are likely to involve some form of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) between the Assembly Commission and the parties most directly implicated. However, the use of ADR is dependent on the consent of all parties and cannot take place without the expert evidence that is currently being finalised.

You can be assured that the Assembly Commission is taking this matter extremely seriously. However, given the legal and commercial sensitivity of these matters, it would not be appropriate for the Assembly Commission to provide any further detail beyond that given above. Therefore the Clerk/ Chief Executive will not be in a position to provide further detail to the Committee at this time, whether in open or closed session.

Catering Subsidy

The Assembly Commission requires that catering services be provided during business hours including services for those occasions when Plenary sittings extend beyond “normal” operating hours and for all events and functions held within Parliament Buildings.

Where the cost of providing these services exceeds the monies taken in the extra cost is incurred by the Assembly Commission. This operating cost is sometimes referred to as a subsidy and it varies on a monthly basis depending on the level of sales within the catering outlets. The following table sets out the cost of catering services provided during the current contract term to date. The porterage cost allocated to catering is also included as it relates to kitchen porters’ duties required to deliver catering services.

It is important to note that, as anticipated in advance of signing this contract, there was lower sales volume (arising from lower footfall) in Parliament Buildings from the commencement of the contract on 8 January 2018. While sales volume had been slowly increasing following the resumption of Assembly business in January 2020, the onset of the COVID-19 global pandemic in March 2020 once again affected footfall (and therefore sales) in Parliament Buildings.

Contract element	2018 Year 1 £000	2019 Year 2 £000	2020 Year 3 £000	2021 Year 4 (Jan – Oct) £000
Catering	£258	£180	£352	£257
Catering- related porterage	£65	£70	£76	£67
Total Catering	£323	£250	£428	£324

The Assembly Commission has recently commenced the process of procuring a new Support Services contract to provide catering services in Parliament Buildings beyond Friday 12 August 2022, when the current contract is set to expire.

Please let me know if you require anything further.

Is mise le meas

ALEX MASKEY MLA

Audit Committee

Room 254 Parliament Buildings Ballymiscaw Stormont

Belfast BT4 3XX

Tel: 028 9052 1843

Email: committee.audit@niassembly.gov.uk