Parties make committee choices

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/northern_ireland/6523647.stm

Version 0 of 1.

The parties made the decisions at StormontThe leaders of the five main parties have met at Stormont to select the top jobs on the assembly committees.

The committees are supposed to act as watchdogs of the various government departments.

The selection of committee chairmen was made through the d'Hondt formula which is based on party strengths.

The line-up is as follows:

<ul class="bulletList"><li>The finance minister will be a DUP representative. The assembly finance committee will have a Sinn Fein chair and a DUP deputy.</li></ul>

<ul class="bulletList"><li>The minister in charge of education will be a Sinn Fein representative. The assembly education committee will have a DUP chair and a SDLP deputy.</li></ul>

<ul class="bulletList"><li>The agriculture minister will also be a Sinn Fein representative. The assembly agriculture committee will have a DUP chair and a UUP deputy. The department and agriculture has responsibility for food, farming, environmental policy and the development of the rural sector in Northern Ireland. </li></ul>

<ul class="bulletList"><li>The health minister will be a UUP representative. The relevant assembly committee will have a DUP chair and Sinn Fein deputy. </li></ul>

<ul class="bulletList"><li>The economy minister will be DUP representative. The economy assembly committee will have a SDLP chair and a Sinn Fein deputy. The department of enterprise, trade and investment, which the economy minister is in charge of, is responsible for, among other things, economic policy development, energy, tourism, mineral development, health and safety at work and consumer affairs.</li></ul>

<ul class="bulletList"><li>The regional development minister will be a Sinn Fein representative. The regional development committee will have a UUP chair and a DUP deputy. The department of regional development's responsibilities include ports and public transport, roads and water policy. </li></ul>

<ul class="bulletList"><li>The SDLP's only ministerial post will be social development minister. On the relevant assembly committee a DUP representative will be both the chair and deputy chair. The department of social development's remit covers urban regeneration, community and voluntary sector development, social legislation, housing, social security benefits, pensions and child support. </li></ul>

<ul class="bulletList"><li>The employment and learning minister will be a UUP representative. The employment and learning assembly committee will have a Sinn Fein chair and a DUP deputy chair. The Department of Employment and Learning is charged with the provision of learning and skills, including entrepreneurship, enterprise, management and leadership.</li></ul>

<ul class="bulletList"><li>The environment minister will be a DUP representative. The environment assembly committee will have an SDLP chair and a Sinn Fein deputy. The main responsibilities of this department are "to protect, conserve and enhance the natural and built environment for the benefit of present and future generations". </li></ul>

<ul class="bulletList"><li>The culture minister will also be a DUP representative. A Sinn Fein representative and someone from the UUP will be the chair and deputy respectively on the relevant Assembly committee. The department of culture, arts and leisure looks after the arts, museums, libraries, sport and leisure, visitor amenities, inland waterways and fisheries. </li></ul>