Official Report: Minutes of Evidence

The Chairperson (Ms Bradshaw): The purpose of this agenda item is so that the Committee can consider the most recent retention and disposal schedule for the Strategic Investment Board (SIB). In line with the principle that Committees have a role in scrutinising the actions of their respective Departments, addendums to retention and disposal schedules that are sent to the Committee are required to be treated in much the same way as a statutory rule. The retention and disposal schedule document sets out the procedures both for the destruction of records that are deemed to have no longer-term value and for the preservation and transfer to the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) of records that are selected for permanent preservation. The addendums are subject to the negative resolution procedure, and any Member or Committee may seek a resolution to pray for the preservation of specified records in a retention and disposal schedule.

I will now ask the Clerk to speak to the schedule. Thank you.

The Committee Clerk: Thank you, Chair. Members' packs have an explanatory note from the Strategic Investment Board on the reasoning behind its decisions on the destruction or retention of documents. I will give a little bit more background. Earlier this year, the Assembly brought in a new procedure. In the past, the Communities Committee looked at the retention and disposal schedule of any public body. However, it is obviously better placed with the Committee that has responsibility for and a remit over the public body, because it may have a better understanding of that body or have contacts there of whom it can ask further questions. The new process was implemented in February this year. This is the first retention and disposal schedule that falls within the remit of TEO Committee, so that is why we are looking at it.

Last week, the Committee agreed that I would speak to SIB. I had a conversation with the information and compliance manager at SIB, who talked me through the process of drafting and agreeing the schedule between SIB and PRONI. SIB worked alongside PRONI to agree the final version of the schedule, which was laid in the Assembly on 20 May. SIB has confirmed to the Committee that the schedule follows the recommended PRONI template. All retention times are standard; they are based on either legislation and/or business need. The schedule has been agreed by PRONI's validation panel. That is the method by which PRONI agrees and then standardises all its retention and disposal schedules.

SIB wants to highlight the fact that section 2.0 of the schedule, which members will find in their packs in the section "Programmes and Projects Management", is the only area that is unique to SIB. All the others are covered by all public bodies. That section deals with projects that SIB has with other Departments. The information that is in it is therefore slightly different from that in the other sections. SIB has agreed with PRONI that, five years after the closure of an SIB project with another Department, PRONI will appraise the records and decide whether they have historical value. If they do not have historical value, they will be destroyed, but if they do have historical value, PRONI will retain and review them after 20 years. The Committee therefore needs to decide whether it is happy at this stage to agree the schedule. If it wishes to get further information, we can go back to officials at SIB.

Finally, the Communities Committee will replicate this process. As I mentioned, it has remit over and responsibility for PRONI, so it will also look at the schedule. Depending on the Committee's decision, we will liaise with the Communities Committee, Clerk to Clerk.

The Chairperson (Ms Bradshaw): OK. Thank you very much, Clerk. Are there any questions or comments?

Mr Dickson: I asked last week about the liaison with PRONI on this. That has clearly been satisfied in the Clerk's report to us and in the written report, so I am satisfied that we can proceed.

The Chairperson (Ms Bradshaw): Are there any other comments or concerns?

Ms Ní Chuilín: May I ask one question? This is probably for SIB. Under "Programmes and Projects Management", there is a reference to "project documents". Does that include tender bids, or are those considered commercially sensitive?

The Committee Clerk: I specifically asked about that. They are considered commercially sensitive.

Ms Ní Chuilín: Five years after the project?

The Committee Clerk: Yes, exactly.

Ms Ní Chuilín: That makes sense.

The Committee Clerk: If there is a specific concern, we can go back to SIB and ask it whether commercially sensitive information should be treated the same.

Ms Ní Chuilín: Is it kept or disposed of?

The Committee Clerk: Chair, we can go back to SIB and ask it that question. I will then share the response at the next meeting.

Ms Ní Chuilín: SIB made it clear in the document that the FOI rules still apply. The point is a comfort for me, but I am fine with the rest of it.

The Chairperson (Ms Bradshaw): OK. Our agreement is subject to that response.

The Committee Clerk: That is fine. We will bring it back next week.

The Chairperson (Ms Bradshaw): OK. Thank you, Carál. I think that that is everything.