Session 2010/2011 Third Report Committee for Finance and Personnel Report on the Executive's Draft Budget 2011-15 Volume 3 Written Submissions, Research Papers and Memoranda Ordered by The Committee for Finance and Personnel to be printed 16 February 2011 Committee for Finance and Personnel Report: NIA 44/09/10R Membership and Powers Powers The Committee for Finance and Personnel is a Statutory Departmental Committee established in accordance with paragraphs 8 and 9 of the Belfast Agreement, Section 29 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 and under Assembly Standing Order 48. The Committee has a scrutiny, policy development and consultation role with respect to the Department of Finance and Personnel and has a role in the initiation of legislation. The Committee has the power to; . consider and advise on Departmental budgets and annual plans in the context of the overall budget allocation; . approve relevant secondary legislation and take the Committee Stage of primary legislation; . call for persons and papers; . initiate inquiries and make reports; and . consider and advise on matters brought to the Committee by the Minister of Finance and Personnel. Membership The Committee has eleven members, including a Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson, with a quorum of five members. The membership of the Committee during the current mandate has been as follows: . Mr Daithí McKay (Chairperson)1 . Mr David McNarry (Deputy Chairperson)2 . Dr Stephen Farry . Mr Paul Frew3 . Mr Paul Girvan4 . Mr Simon Hamilton . Ms Jennifer McCann . Mr Mitchel McLaughlin . Mr Adrian McQuillan . Mr Declan O'Loan . Ms Dawn Purvis 1. Mr Daithí McKay replaced Ms Jennifer McCann as Chairperson on 19 January 2011, having replaced Mr Fra McCann on the Committee on 13 September 2010. Ms McCann replaced Mr Mitchel McLaughlin as Chairperson on 9 September 2009. 2. Mr David McNarry was appointed Deputy Chairperson on 12 April 2010 having replaced Mr Roy Beggs on the Committee on 29 September 2008. 3. Mr Paul Frew joined the Committee on 13 September 2010; Mr Ian Paisley Jr left the Committee on 21 June 2010 having replaced Mr Mervyn Storey on 30 June 2008. 4. Mr Paul Girvan replaced Mr Jonathan Craig on 13 September 2010; Mr Jonathan Craig had been appointed as a member of the Committee on 13 April 2010. Mr Peter Weir left the Committee on 12 April 2010. Mr Peter Weir had replaced Mr Simon Hamilton as Deputy Chairperson on 4 July 2009. Mr Simon Hamilton replaced Mr Mervyn Storey as Deputy Chairperson on 10 June 2008. Table of Contents List of Abbreviations and Acronyms used in the Report Appendix 6 Written Submissions Appendix 7 Assembly Research Papers Appendix 8 Other Papers List of Abbreviations and Acronyms used in the Report ACNI Arts Council Northern Ireland A&E Accident and Emergency ALB Arm's Length Body AME Annually Managed Expenditure AMU Assets Management Unit ASB Aggregated Schools Budget BBA British Bankers' Association CART Capital Assets Realisation Taskforce CBI Confederation of British Industry Northern Ireland CDO Collateralised Debt Obligations CEF Construction Employers Federation CFG Central Finance Group CFP Committee for Finance and Personnel CIF Construction Industry Forum CSR Comprehensive Spending Review DARD Department of Agriculture and Rural Development DCAL Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure DE Department of Education DEL Departmental Expenditure Limits DEL Department for Employment and Learning DETI Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment DFP Department of Finance and Personnel DHSSPS Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety DLA Disability Living Allowance DoE Department of the Environment DoJ Department of Justice DRD Department for Regional Development DSD Department for Social Development DWP Department of Work and Pensions EDP Efficiency Delivery Plan EIB European Investment Bank E&LB Education and Library Board EQIA Equality Impact Assessments ERINI Economic Research Institute of Northern Ireland ESRI Economic and Social Research Institute ESS Enterprise Shared Services ETI Enterprise, Trade and Investment EU European Union EYF End of Year Flexibility FDI Foreign Direct Investment FSB Federation of Small Businesses FSME Free School Meal Entitlement FTE Full time equivalent GB Great Britain GP General Practitioner GDP Gross Domestic Product GVA Gross Value Added HE Higher Education HLIA High Level Impact Assessment HM Her Majesty's HMT Her Majesty's Treasury HR Human Resources ICT Information Communication Technology ICTU Irish Congress of Trade Unions IFS Institute for Fiscal Studies IMF International Monetary Fund IoD Institute of Directors ISNI Investment Strategy for Northern Ireland LPS Land and Property Services JESSICA Joint European Support for Sustainable Investment in City Area MAC Metropolitan Arts Centre MLA Member of the Legislative Assembly NAMA National Assets Management Agency NGO Non-Governmental Organisation NI Northern Ireland NIAO Northern Ireland Audit Office NICMA Northern Ireland Childminding Association NICS Northern Ireland Civil Service NICVA Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action NIFHA Northern Ireland Federation of Housing Associations NIHE Northern Ireland Housing Executive NILGA Northern Ireland Local Government Association NIMFG Northern Ireland Manufacturing Focus Group NIPSA Northern Ireland Public Service Alliance NITA Northern Ireland Theatre Association NIW Northern Ireland Water OCA Office Cost Allowance OFMDFM Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister PAC Public Accounts Committee PEDU Performance and Efficiency Delivery Unit PfG Programme for Government PFI Private Finance Initiative PMS Presbyterian Mutual Society PPP Public Private Partnerships PRONI Public Record Office of Northern Ireland PSA Public Service Agreement PSE UK Poverty and Social Exclusion in the UK Project PSNI Police Service of Northern Ireland PSO Public Service Obligations PwC PricewaterhouseCoopers QUB Queen's University, Belfast RoI Republic of Ireland RRI Reinvestment and Reform Initiative SCS Senior Civil Service SEN Special Educational Needs SHDP Social Housing Development Programme SIB Strategic Investment Board SME Small and Medium-sized Enterprises SOU Special Olympics Ulster SROI Social Return on Investment SSRB Senior Salaries Review Body STAR Skills, Training and Reinvestment UK United Kingdom USA United States of America Appendix 6 Written Submissions The Methodist Church in Ireland - Review of 2010- 11 Spending Plans Action for Children to Finance Minister 9 September 2010 Mr Sammy Wilson, MP, MLA Action for Children Northern Ireland Minister for Finance and Personnel Loughshore House Craigantlet Buildings 10 Heron Road Stoney Road Belfast BT3 9LE BELFAST Telephone: 028 90 460500 BT4 3SX Fax: 028 90 459 169 www.actionforchildren.org.uk Dear Minister Action for Children is keen to engage constructively with the Northern Ireland Executive in order to share our impact evidence and solutions to help with the delivery of efficiencies to the economy. Following our letter to you (5th March 2010) about the NI Government Department Spending Review 2010/1011, I am writing to set out Action for Children's input to the Comprehensive Spending Review process in Northern Ireland. I welcome the opportunities presented to us to engage in dialogue over the reductions to public expenditure and would welcome the opportunity to discuss our evidence as proposals are considered by Ministers pending the outcome of the CSR, determination of the Northern Ireland Bloc grant and preparation of the draft Northern Ireland Budget . In line with our submission already with the Chancellor George Osborne in July 2010, key points summarised here and outlined in more detail in the enclosed paper: Saving money and transforming lives through early intervention . Prioritise funding for those early intervention services which are intensive, targeted and founded on a robust evidence base; provided before problems such as chronic neglect of children become intractable with the high financial costs that are then incurred. Building communities and making existing resources go further . Protect the investment in Sure Start and Family Support services so that they continue to provide localised, community shaped early-years and family support services that can deliver targeted support to the most disadvantaged people. Preventing family breakdown . Prevent family breakdown, avoidable social problems and multi layered financial burden of picking up the pieces by shifting the balance of funding from acute to early intervention services that offered as soon as a problem has been identified. Designing public services fit for the future . In such a tight fiscal environment we must urgently transform commissioning to incentivise longterm impact so that less funding does not mean less innovation. Develop an impact framework to support those elements, which make the greatest difference: stability of service provision and effective professional relationships. More than ever, we have a responsibility to be clear that the public money we are entrusted to spend has a demonstrably effective and efficient return on its investment. At Action for Children such accountability is central to our work and we continue to pioneer methods that allow us to show what impact we are actually making. As you look to apply those principles across government here, I would welcome the opportunity to share our evidence and learning. At Action for Children, we are committed to protecting the most vulnerable and neglected children, young people