Administrative and operational requirements

Records of meetings
6
1
The permanent secretary to a Northern Ireland department must ensure that relevant arrangements are put in place.
2
“Relevant arrangements” are arrangements designed to ensure—
a
that an appropriate written record of each relevant meeting is compiled by the civil servant, or one of the civil servants, attending the meeting,
b
that, where an official Ministerial decision is made at a meeting other than a relevant meeting, an appropriate written record of the decision is compiled by a civil servant as soon as reasonably practicable after the decision is first communicated to a civil servant, and
c
that the written records mentioned in paragraphs (a) and (b) are retained in accordance with the department’s policy on the retention and disposal of records.
3
A “relevant meeting” is a pre-arranged meeting set up to conduct official business—
a
where those attending include—
i
at least one Minister, and
ii
at least one civil servant serving in the department, or
b
where those attending include—
i
at least one special adviser,
ii
at least one civil servant serving in the department, and
iii
at least one person who is not a Minister, is not a special adviser and is not a civil servant,
but this is subject to subsection (4).
4
The following are not relevant meetings—
a
a meeting of the Assembly;
b
a meeting of any committee of the Assembly other than the Executive Committee of the Assembly;
c
a meeting of any sub-committee of the Assembly other than a sub-committee of the Executive Committee of the Assembly;
d
a meeting within subsection (3)(a) where the official business does not include anything other than the presence of, or a presentation by, the Minister.
5
An “official Ministerial decision” is a decision made by a Minister—
a
under any statutory provision (as defined by section 1(f) of the Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954),
b
in exercising any of the prerogative or other executive powers of Her Majesty in relation to Northern Ireland, or
c
otherwise in the course of official business.
6
In this section “civil servant” means a person serving in the Northern Ireland Civil Service who is not a special adviser.