Northern Ireland Community Relations Council - About Us - Council Minutes

04 November 2004

MINUTES OF THE EUROPEAN COMMITTEE MEETING OF THE COMMUNITY RELATIONS COUNCIL ON 4^th NOVEMBER 2004 AT CRC OFFICES, 6 MURRAY STREET, BELFAST

(CONFIRMED)

01 PRESENT:

Dr David Stevens (Chair), Cathy Gormley-Heenan, Colin Neilands, Maggie Bryson, Pauline Morgan - Observer (CRU)

02 APOLOGIES:

Eamonn Deane, Paul Smyth, Colin Craig, Maria Miskelly

03 IN ATTENDANCE:

Jim Dennison, Jacqueline Irwin, Claudine Walls, Patricia Armstrong, Libby Smit, Sean Pettis Vanessa McCrory, Eileen Deacon

04 GENERAL BUSINESS

Meeting commenced at 12.00 (noon).

Members were welcomed and apologies noted.

Minutes of previous meeting were checked for accuracy and agreed by Members.

05 MATTERS ARISING

None

06 BRIEFING PAPER

EU Committee Chair

Members welcomed Dr David Stevens as the new Chair of the EU Committee, and thanked Eamonn Deane for his invaluable input and guidance during his time as Committee Chair.

Staff Issues

Members welcomed Sean Pettis to the European Programme. Sean was appointed in August and took up position as 'Project Manager – EU Events and Seminars' on the 6^th September 2004. Members introduced themselves to Sean.

PEACE II Extension

At the EU Committee Meeting on 22 June 2004, Members were informed of the possibility of an extension (of two years – 2008) to the current PEACE II Programme). The SEUPB was asked to advise on the nature of any possible extension by the Departments of Finance (N.I. and Republic of Ireland).

Members were provided with a copy of CRC's response to the consultation regarding the extension (Appendix A) and advised that many of the suggestions/recommendations made had been acknowledged. Members were also advised that Measure 2:1 of the current Peace Programme would form one of 12 Measures which would shape the extension. All IFBs interested in administering grant aid for the period of the extension would have to submit a tender/bid. Measures were informed that the extension would result in a massive downsizing of grant aid and a loss of Measures and Funders but that the priority for the Programme will be Peace and Reconciliation.

Finance Update

Members were informed that the N+2 target for 2004 had been changed by the SEUPB and that advance payments (which were included in the calculations for N+2 2003) could not be included in the calculations for N+2 2004. Members were informed that the original N+2 target had been achieved. Members and staff thanked the Finance Officer Vanessa McCrory for meeting the original target.

Self Application

Members were advised that the costs associated with the employment of the Development Officer (Policy & Research) had to date been met by the Technical Assistance budget (in which no provision had been made to meet these costs). Having sought advice from SEUPB on how to resolve this issue, they advised that CRC should submit a self-application to the Research element of Measure 2:1 as this was the only avenue through which money could be secured to cover the costs involved. Members were advised that CRC had completed and submitted a self application and scoring matrix which was to be considered under Point 5 of the Agenda.

PEACE II Events/Seminars

Members were informed that the first event in the series entitled 'Beyond Sectarianism: The Churches and 10 years of the Peace Process' – took place on Friday 15^th October in Portadown and was well attended. Jim Dennison gave Committee Members an update on the Seminar. The second event - 'Shaping and Delivering at Local Level? Learning from the Experience of PEACE II' – will take place on Friday 3^rd December 2004 in the Europa Hotel. An invitation to the seminar was extended to all Committee Members.

Research

Members were informed that the Development Officer (Policy & Research) was meeting with researchers from all Measure 2:1 funded research projects to discuss project progress and plans for dissemination, including the dissemination plans that are being developed within CRC. Members were advised that the 2 remaining applications to be considered under the Research element of Measure 2:1 were being presented at the meeting under Point 5 of the Agenda.

Group Training

The final session of CRC's 'Managing Closure' Capacity Building Programme was delivered in September '04. The training was extended to all the groups currently supported through CRC's EU Programme Funding and encompassed briefings on contractual and other obligations, forward planning exit strategies, diversification, sustainability and monitoring and evaluation.

North Belfast

Members were updated on the status of the North Belfast partnership being supported by Measure 2:1. Although the 4 groups involved each submitted a separate application and were in receipt of separate Letters of Offer, they were tied (through LOOs) to work on a partnership basis. Members were advised that limited progress had been made to date and as a result there is a massive under-spend in grant aid. Members were informed that a residential with the groups planned for September 04 had to be cancelled at late notice as one group pulled out. Due to the difficulties which have arisen, CRC sought advice from SEUPB on the possibility of downsizing/retracting grant aid. Members were also advised that LNBCC had been given 4 weeks in which to address issues and submit a work-plan detailing how they intended to take project activity forward. Members asked if CRC staff were working with the group and were advised that a number of staff are working closely with the group.

Other Issues

Members were advised that clawback procedures against a number of groups currently underspending would be implemented over the coming months and a paper on this and the redistribution of grant aid will issue to Members in the New Year.

07 RESEARCH APPLICATIONS

SELF APPLICATION – 027060

Libby Smit declared a conflict of interest and left the meeting.

Members discussed this application and reviewed all materials which had been submitted in relation to it. Members agreed that, on the basis of the information provided, Measure 2.1 assistance could be made available. After a lengthy discussion on the score awarded for 'Reconciliation', Members agreed that the score should be uplifted from 5 to 6. This in turn amended the score for the application from 70 to 71. Members were advised that the application and scoring matrix would be forwarded to the SEUPB for consideration. Members to be advised of the outcome of this at the next EU Committee Meeting.

COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF NI – 03/0540/020400

Nominated Member: Cathy Gormley Heenan
No conflicts of interest were declared.

Members discussed this application and reviewed all materials which had been submitted in relation to it. Members agreed that, on the basis of the information provided, Measure 2.1 assistance could not be made available. Members agreed that the proposal was not a traditional research proposal and expressed concerns regarding the unclear aims and methodology. It was also difficult to ascertain from the information provided how the applicants determined what is meant by 'weak infrastructure'. Concern was expressed regarding the lack of distinctiveness of the proposal, the risk of double funding (as Measure 2:1 is already funding a similar piece of work – LILP) and the high costs involved. Members suggested that the applicants should make contact with the LILP project.

WEST BELFAST ECONOMIC FORUM – 03/0524/019966

Nominated Member: Cathy Gormely Heenan
No conflict of interests were declared

Members discussed this application and reviewed all materials which had been submitted in relation to it. Members agreed that, on the basis of the information provided, Measure 2.1 assistance could not be made available. Members expressed concerns regarding the large number of proposed aims and objectives. Members also noted that applicants had failed to demonstrate any knowledge of existing or current pieces of research/work in the same field/area and questioned the usefulness of the research in terms of improving reconciliation, agreeing that the score awarded against the Reconciliation criteria should be amended to reflect these concerns. Members agreed that the proposal was largely focused on a historical analysis rather than the future direction of peace-building and recommended that applicants be directed to the Housing Executive.

08 REALLOCATIONS

INCORE (LILP2)– 01/0389/004621

No conflicts of interest were declared.
Members were given a synopsis of the reasons for the request for a reallocation of grant aid. The group requested the reallocation of funding under two redundant budget headings (Heat & Light and Finance Officer) into the Salary budget to extend the Research Assistant's Salary to finish in line with the contract of the main Researcher at the end of February 2006 (extended by 4mths due to a delay in the start date). Committee agreed with the staff recommendation for the reallocation of grant aid to uplift the salary budget. In addition to uplifting the salary budget, the reallocation request included a request to uplift the travel budget. Members agreed to uplift this budget but requested that the group demonstrate the international component to project travel given that an uplift would raise travel costs above the threshold applied to other Measure 2:1 funded projects.

CHURCH OF IRELAND/THINK AGAIN – 01/0396/001163

No conflicts of interest were declared.
Members were given a synopsis of the reasons for the request for a reallocation of grant aid. Committee agreed to the request to uplift the Materials and Venue Hire budget in line with the information provided and on the basis of the savings demonstrated within the Facilitation budget (due to the use of in-house facilitators). The group also requested an uplift in the travel budget. In line with staff recommendations, Committee agreed that the travel budget should be uplifted by £908.50 (balance of the redundant Heat & Light budget). Members agreed that given the locality-specific nature of the project, the locomotary allowance awarded to the Reconciliation Officer by the Church of Ireland and in line with the 8mths of project activity remaining the travel budget could not be uplifted to the level requested by the group.

EDGEHILL THEOLOGICAL COLLEGE – 01/0306/001349

No conflicts of interest were declared.
Members were given a synopsis of the reasons for the request for a reallocation of grant aid. Committee agreed to the request to uplift the Salary budget and extend the project by 2 mths in line with the end of the academic year. Members also agreed to the request to uplift the Administration budget by £827.07 on the basis that the original amount allocated to Administration costs was significantly low and because there was a balance in the budget of £125.40 to cover the costs of the remaining 8mths of project activity (and the 2mth extension). Committee agreed to uplift the travel budget by 2 mths (in line with the extension) based on the £1500 available/year - i.e £250.

NORTHERN IRELAND INTER-FAITH FORUM – 01/0339/000919

No conflicts of interest were declared.
Members were given a synopsis of the reasons for the request for a reallocation of grant aid. Committee agreed with the staff recommendation that a decision on the request should be deferred until follow-up Article 4 and Article 10 checks have been conducted and the concerns regarding income generation/expenditure of grant aid have been resolved. Project to continue to be administered in line with the Letter of Offer.

UNIVERSITY OF ULSTER – SHIRLOW – 02/0321/008082

No conflicts of interest were declared.
Members were given a synopsis of the reasons for the request for a reallocation of grant aid. Committee agreed with the staff recommendation to reallocate £6,900 from under-spent budgets to cover the costs of extending the project by 2 months. This extension was requested to take into account an 8 week delay at the start of the project which resulted from an extended level of consultation regarding the survey. Members agreed that the salaries of the research assistants (x2) should be uplifted in line with the extension.

09 OTHER

PUBLIC ACHIEVEMENT – 03/0525/017536

No conflicts of interest were declared.
Members agreed in principle to funding this research proposal at the EU Committee Meeting on 22.06.04, but requested that further details on the exact costs to be claimed from CRC be provided. Members also requested more specific information on the CR focus of the aims and objectives of the proposal and the CR impact of the research. Research Officer was advised that this information should be received/secured before a full Letter of Offer is issued.

10 ANY OTHER BUSINEESS

Members were informed that the research budget had been committed.
Members were informed that the remaining mainstream budget would be committed with the uplift of the award offer for the Thinkbucket project.
Members were advised that upon a review of compliance of projects as against Letters of Offer and spend, clawback proceedings would be implemented and grant aid reallocated.
Members and staff were thanked.
Date of next meeting – Tuesday 25 January 2005 at 10am.

SIGNED:_____________________________________ DATE:________________________

(Chairperson)