Sub-committee—better scrutiny
of devolved matters
4. The committee has had the additional responsibility
of scrutinising the work of the Departments of the Northern Ireland
Executive since the Northern Ireland Assembly's suspension in
October 2002. Much of this work in 2003 (though not all) was conducted
by correspondence with departments which, while useful, lacked
the impact of full select committee scrutiny.[3]
Consequently, in January 2004, we appointed a Sub-committee under
the chairmanship of Mr Tony Clarke, Member for Northampton South,
to consider matters that had fallen previously within the remit
of the Northern Ireland Assembly. The Sub-committee comprises
all members of the main committee.[4]
5. The Sub-committee has lost no time in getting
to work, and its efforts have already borne fruit in the publication
in October 2004 of a major report on Social Housing Provision
in Northern Ireland which, building on scrutiny work undertaken
previously by the Northern Ireland Assembly, warns of an impending
crisis in social housing if urgent action is not taken to redress
the imbalance in housing supply and demand.[5]
The Sub-committee's major report into Social Housing Provision
in Northern Ireland is an example of the way in which we are
seeking, where appropriate, to take account of the priorities
of the Northern Ireland Assembly, and its committees, in carrying
forward our own scrutiny work of devolved areas of government.
The Sub-committee is working currently on two policy inquiries,
Waste Management Strategy in Northern Ireland, and Air
Transport Services in Northern Ireland.
6. The Sub-committee also conducted two short but
penetrating examinations of Northern Ireland Departments. In the
first, Department of Education officials were examined on the
Future post-primary education arrangements in Northern Ireland.[6]
7. In the second, the Permanent Secretaries of the
Departments of Finance and Personnel, and Social Development,
were required to account for significant failures in the 2002-03
resource accounts of these departments noted in a recent report
by the Comptroller and Auditor General for Northern Ireland.[7]
The Sub-committee confirmed levels of fraud and error
totalling £120.9 million in the benefit programmes administered
by the Department of Social Development (£112.3 million in
2003-04); the loss of potential savings amounting to £2 million
in purchasing consultancy services throughout Northern Ireland
Departments; and serious flaws in the Child Support Agency's computer
systems. The committee was sufficiently alarmed to report to the
House of Commons in January 2005 on Northern Ireland Departments'
2002-03 Resource Accounts recommending urgent remedial action.[8]
Building on the work of the Comptroller and Auditor General
for Northern Ireland, the Sub-committee's inquiry into the resource
accounts of Northern Ireland Departments has highlighted serious
flaws in the financial administration of Departments' resource
accounts which must be corrected.
8. The appointment of
a Northern Ireland Affairs Sub-committee has enabled us to scrutinise
devolved government in Northern Ireland more effectively than
before. We consider that the results achieved by it in systematic
and targeted scrutiny of Northern Ireland Departments has justified
the decision to set it up. As we pointed out last year, the scale
of our effort on devolved matters cannot match the resources of
the Northern Ireland Assembly,.[9]
but we hope that the scrutiny of devolved matters conducted by
the Sub-committee will provide a sound basis for the work of the
Assembly when it resumes.[10]
Inquiries
9. In the past twelve months we have worked on fourteen
inquiries, of which eight have been completed, a higher work rate
than in 2002 and 2003.[11]
Northern Ireland Office Ministers have given oral and/or written
evidence to all enquiries. The classification of these inquiries,
in accordance with the core tasks, is set out in the table below
(Sub-committee enquiries are marked with an asterisk):
