Published Tuesday, 07 July 2009
And it was not all sweetness and light.
The new Finance Minister Sammy Wilson believed he had a good news story to tell.
Spending was at record levels and £20m extra was being provided for social housing projects.
But within minutes of Sammy Wilson sitting down, the Health Minister Michael McGimpsey was facing the cameras in the Great Hall and he was not a happy bunny.
He said he was deeply disappointed the executive was ignoring the upcoming swine flu pandemic.
He had ordered vaccines for late August, spending £18m in the process, and now he was being told he would have to wait until September before he knew how much cash was being provided.
Sammy Wilson was not impressed. Swine flu was a national issue, he said, and the Scottish and Welsh administration were not showing their hands until they discovered how much the Treasury would provide.
Money would be provided but at the right time.
He said Michael McGimpsey was not a team player and was now a maverick minister.
So much for a quiet summer.
We'll hear more on this one.