§ Lord Lairdasked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answers by the Lord Privy Seal on 3 June (WA 138–39) and the Lord President on 30 June (WA 52) concerning proportionality of funding for 2003, whether the procedure followed was that set out on 5 December 2002 and entitled Ministerial Decision-Making Interim Procedures; and whether it was consistent with the letter from the Northern Ireland Secretary of State to David Trimble MP of 19 December 2002 and with the Written Answer of the Lord Privy Seal on 14 January (WA 28); and, if so, on what date were the working party meeting and the consultations on the cross-community basis and with the Ulster Scots Agency. [HL3847]
§ Lord Williams of MostynThe procedure followed for decisions taken in relation to the budgets for the North/South implementation bodies as set out in my Answer of 16 June 2003 (WA 77) was consistent with the letter from the Northern Ireland Secretary of State to David Trimble MP and with my Answer of 14 January 2003 (WA 28). Papers relating to the budgets for the North/South implementation bodies were forwarded to the special advisers in the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister on 6 February 2003.
Implementation of the interim procedures is an administrative matter for officials in the relevant departments and on this occasion there was no working party meeting or consultation with the agency.