§ Lord Lairdasked Her Majesty's Government:
On what date the North/South Ministerial Council Secretariat gave approval to Waterways Ireland to appoint a director without open competition despite the legal advice to the secretariat dated 8 July 2002; and [HL1221]
Whether paragraphs 5 and 6 of the legal advice, dated 8 July 2002, to the Joint Secretary of the North/South Ministerial Council have been adhered to at all times in the appointment of senior staff by the cross-border implementation bodies; and, if not, why not. [HL1222]
§ Baroness AmosIt is not a function of the North/ South Ministerial Council Joint Secretariat to approve appointments of staff in the implementation bodies, and the advice in paragraphs 5 and 6 of the advice to which the noble Lord refers was specific to the particular circumstances of filling the post of chief executive in the Ulster-Scots Agency.