Minutes of Proceedings

The meeting opened in closed session at 2.05 p.m.

1. Apologies

As above.

2. European Issues

The Clerk introduced the draft itinerary for the Committee’s visit to Edinburgh and Brussels for Members consideration.

Mr Lyttle joined the meeting at 2.19 p.m.
Mr Clarke joined the meeting at 2.20 p.m.

Agreed: The Committee agreed to write to Northern Ireland’s MEPs to advise them of the Committee’s draft itinerary and to advise that if the MEPs are not in Strasbourg that week, they would be more than welcome to meet with the Committee.

The meeting moved into open session at 2.21 p.m.

3. Draft minutes of the meeting held on 5 October 2011

Agreed: The draft minutes of proceedings of 5 October 2011 was agreed by the Committee.

4. Matters Arising

Departmental Organisation Chart

The Committee noted correspondence from the Department providing an updated Organisation Chart .

List of Outstanding Issues

The Committee noted the list of outstanding issues.

Community Relations Practitioners

Agreed: Following the Committee’s meeting with community relations practitioners on 28 September 2011, the Committee agreed to ask the Community Relations Council to clarify a number of issues around the meeting for the practitioners and to request a list of organisations which were in attendance.

Mr Lyttle left the meeting at 2.25 p.m.

5. Correspondence

Committee for Social Development

The Committee considered correspondence from the Committee for social Development advising of their planned event in relation to fuel poverty on 16 November 2011.

Agreed: The Committee agreed to forward a list of key stakeholders to the Committee for Social Development.

REAL Network

The Committee noted an invitation from the REAL Network to the Chairperson to attend an event on 3 November 2011.

All Party Group on Children and Young People

The Committee noted an invitation from the All Party Group on Children and Young People to the launch of “Shaping Futures; Investing in Children, Families and Communities” DVD on Tuesday 22 November 2011.

Committee for Education

Agreed: The Committee agreed to forward correspondence from the Committee for Education concerning Shared Education to the First Minister and Acting deputy First Minister.

Committee for Justice

The Committee noted correspondence from the Committee for Justice concerning the joint meeting with the Commission on a Bill of Rights.

Programme for Cohesion, Sharing and Integration

The Committee noted correspondence from the Department concerning issues raised by the Community Relations Council in relation to the Programme for Cohesion, Sharing and Integration.

Mr Lyttle re-joined the meeting at 2.43 p.m.

Public Appointments

The Committee considered a response from the Minister for Education concerning appointments to the South Eastern Education and Library Board. The Committee agreed to return to this issue later in the meeting.

Equality Commission for Northern Ireland

The Committee noted a response from the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland concerning the Belfast Butterfly Club.

Committee for Social Development

Agreed: The Committee agreed to forward correspondence from the Committee for Social Development concerning Section 75 to the Department.

Queen’s University

The Committee noted an invitation from Queen’s University to the Chairperson to attend an event on 19 October 2011.

National Union of Students – Union of Students in Ireland (NUS-USI)

The Committee considered correspondence from the NUS-USI concerning the work the Committee is undertaking in relation to the Ombudsman.

Agreed: The Committee agreed to schedule in a briefing from NUS-USI on this issue.

6. Review of the Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People

Departmental officials joined the meeting at 2.40 p.m.

Mr Spratt joined the meeting at 2.49 p.m.
Mr Eastwood left the meeting at 3.13 p.m.

Mr Tim Losty and Mrs Nicola Drennan briefed the Committee on the Review of the Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People. A question and answer session followed.

Departmental officials left the meeting at 3.40p.m.

7. Correspondence cont’d

Public Appointments

The Committee considered a response from the Minister for Education concerning appointments to the South Eastern Education and Library Board.

Agreed: The Committee agreed that the Committee Office would look at the recordings of the meeting of 14 September 2011, to see if the Committee’s letter fully reflected the proposal made for its content.

8. Equality Research

A Researcher from the Assembly’s Research and Information Service briefed the Committee on a number of Equality issues. A question and answer session followed.

Mr Lyttle left the meeting at 3.44 p.m.

9. Any Other Business

Draft Forward Work Programme

The Committee noted the Committee’s Forward Work Programme.

Committee Response to the Review of the European Division

Agreed: Members agreed that they would forward any comments they had on the draft response to the review of the Department’s European Division to the Committee Office.

The meeting moved into closed session at 3.52 p.m.

Executive Information Service

A Member raised the issue of accessing information provided by the Executive’s Information Service.

Agreed: The Committee agreed to write to the Department to request that the Committee has access to the information provided by the Executive Information Service.

Agreed: The Committee agreed to arrange an informal meeting with the Head of the Civil Service and senior officials to discuss a number of issues, including provision of papers.

Mr Lyttle re-joined the meeting at 3.54

10. Date, time and place of next meeting

The next meeting will be in Room 30, Parliament Buildings on Wednesday 19 October 2011 at 2 p.m.

• The Chairperson adjourned the meeting at 3.55 p.m.

Mr Tom Elliott MLA
Chairperson,
Committee for the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister