FOI 30-24: Appointment of North West Migrants Forum to Secretariat for the All Party Group on Ethnic Minorities
Information Standards Freedom of Information Response
Our Ref: FOI 30-24
1 July 2024
Freedom of Information Act 2000
The Northern Ireland Assembly Commission (Assembly Commission) has processed your request dated 9 June 2024 under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA). In your request, you asked:
“Under Freedom of Information Act 2000, I wish to request following information in relation to the appointment of North West Migrants Forum to Secretariat for the All Party Group on Ethnic Minorities.
1.Details of an open recruitment or expressions of interest advertised and run, including on what media outlets and methods, this was advertised and promoted under equal opportunities
2. If no open recruitment competition, information recording the All-Party Group decision to prevent Belfast based BME organisations from considering Secretariat opportunity
3. If no open recruitment competition, information recording the All-Party Group decision not to have a Secretariat representative of NI wide
4. Given there is financial remuneration (and use of public money) for Secretariat, was required declaration of interests completed and due diligence carried out on North West Migrants Forum, as
- The current North West Migrants Forum CEO Lillian Seenoi-Barr is a SDLP Councillor and Mayor of Derry City
- North West Migrants Forum also sits on Racial Equality Subgroup (consisting of more than one organisation to ensure NI wide and appointments are not by All Party Group), its Secretariat is the Executive Office who work to Ministers; given SDLP are the executive opposition, therefore potentially putting government officials in conflicted position
5.Details that All-Party Group will not require North West Migrants Forum to share government information received at Racial Equality Subgroup as this would be a data breach and against established Assembly business and protocols
6.Details that All-Party Group are not to influence or direct Racial Equality Subgroup business, through North West Migrants Forum as this would be conflict of interest
7.Details of the financial remuneration per year of performing the Secretariat for All Party Group
8.Details of any conflicts of interest declared by Chair, Kate Nicholl, of All-Party Group with North West Migrants Forum and/or Lillian Seenoi-Barr
9.Details of meetings, over past 12 months, by Chair of All-Party Group, where North West Migrants Forum and/or Lillian Seenoi-Barr were in attendance
10.Details of minutes taken at these meetings, over past 12 months, where Chair of All-Party Group engaged with North West Migrants Forum and/or Lillian Seenoi-Barr
11.Details of meeting between Chair of All-Party Group with North West Migrants Forum and/or Lillian Seenoi-Barr regarding the Secretariat role
12.Details of the planned stakeholder event on 13th June at Long Gallery Stormont, by North West Migrants Forum acting as Secretariat of the All Party Group.”
Our response
The Assembly Commission does not hold information in relation to Questions 1-11.
All Party Groups (APGs) are not formal Assembly groups and their function, including how they operate and conduct their meetings, is generally a matter for the groups themselves (rather than the Assembly Commission). The Rules on All-Party Groups, which were agreed by the Committee for Standards and Privileges in 2010, make this clear (paragraphs 1.2, 1.5 and 5.1).
APGs may not draw on the resources of Assembly Commission staff to service meetings, however they can choose to be supported by outside individuals and organisations, including through the provision of permanent secretarial support. It should also be noted that, given the high-level nature of the Rules, there is no requirement for minutes of APGs meetings to be made available or published.
The Assembly Commission maintains a Register of All-Party Groups. The purpose of the Register of All-Party Groups is to give public notification on a continuous basis of the different All-Party Groups that exist, the membership of these groups and other relevant details, particularly in relation to any financial support or other material benefits that an All-Party Group may have received. Details in respect of the All-Party Group on Ethnic Minority Community are available here.
In response to Question 12, the Assembly Commission holds the following details in relation to the stakeholder event that was held on 13 June 2024 in the Long Gallery.
Event name: All Party Group on Ethnic Minorities Stakeholder Event
Location: Long Gallery, Parliament Buildings
Date/Time: 13 June 2024 9:00am – 11:00am
Description: Bringing together different community groups representing ethnic minorities across Northern Ireland to have a roundtable discussion about their priorities, what they would like the APG to do, and how they would like to contribute in the future.
Sponsors: Primary sponsor: Kate Nicholl MLA, co-sponsored by Steve Aiken MLA and Emma Sheerin MLA
Organiser: North West Migrants Forum
Further information
You have the right to request an internal review of this decision by the Assembly Commission. If you wish to request such a review, please write to me at the above address. If, after that review, you are dissatisfied with the way in which the Assembly Commission has handled your request for information, you may complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF.
Your request for information and our response may be published in the disclosure log maintained by the Assembly Commission under a publication scheme agreed with the ICO. The request and our response will be anonymised.
Yours sincerely
INFORMATION STANDARDS
