Northern Ireland Assembly, 14 September 2009

294 contributions from 73 members. The official report.

Speaker’s Business

William Hay (Speaker, Foyle)

Order. Before we proceed, I wish to refer to points of order that were raised during sittings that were held immediately before the summer recess. Those points of order related to a range of issues, and, in response to those that concerned the chairing of debates, I remind the House once again of the authority of the Chair: decisions that I or that the Deputy Speakers acting on my behalf make are not open to challenge. For some bedtime reading I refer Members to Standing Order 17, which concerns speeches in the Assembly, so that they might better understand exactly what I am saying about the authority of the Speaker.

In response to points of order relating to remarks made by Members about other Members, I consider several Members’ remarks to have fallen short of the standard of good temper and moderation in the Chamber. Where appropriate, I have dealt with those issues by either meeting with or writing to the Members concerned. I will not, therefore, take any further points of order on those issues. However, I hope that, as we commence a new session, Members will share my determination and that of the House that we should conduct ourselves with good temper and moderation and in ways that justify the support of those whom the Assembly was elected to serve. I hope that the whole House supports my comments on the matter.

Personal statement

William Hay (Speaker, Foyle)

I advise the House that Mr Declan O’Loan has sought leave to make a personal statement to the Assembly.

Declan O'Loan (Social Democratic and Labour Party, North Antrim)

I note what you have said and hope to continue in the spirit and manner that you have indicated. On 29 June, I commented in the Chamber on remarks that had been made by another Member in a previous debate. During my contribution I used the word “misleading”. I am given to understand that the term “misleading” is technically regarded as unparliamentary language and, for that reason, I am prepared to withdraw my use of the word “misleading”.

William Hay (Speaker, Foyle)

I thank the Member for conducting himself in such an appropriate manner. As with all personal statements, I will not allow any further comment or debate on that matter.

Executive Committee Business

William Hay (Speaker, Foyle)

I inform Members that the Budget (No.2) Bill has received Royal Assent. The Budget (No.2) Act (Northern Ireland) 2009 became law on 8 July 2009.

Assembly Business

William Hay (Speaker, Foyle)

I advise Members that I received notification of the resignation of Mitchel McLaughlin as Chairperson of the Committee for Finance and Personnel with effect from 8 September. Furthermore, I received notification of the resignation of Jennifer McCann as Deputy Chairperson of the Committee for Enterprise, Trade and Investment with effect from 8 September.

The nominating officer for Sinn Féin, Pat Doherty, has nominated Jennifer McCann as Chairperson of the Committee for Finance and Personnel and Paul Butler as Deputy Chairperson of the Committee for Enterprise, Trade and Investment with effect from 8 September. Ms McCann and Mr Butler have accepted the appointments.

I am satisfied that the correspondence meets the requirements of Standing Orders and, therefore, confirm Jennifer McCann as Chairperson of the Committee for Finance and Personnel and Paul Butler as Deputy Chairperson of the Committee for Enterprise, Trade and Investment with effect from 8 September.

William Hay (Speaker, Foyle)

I have been notified that Paul Butler has resigned as a member of the Assembly Commission with effect from 9 September. In accordance with Standing Order 79(4), the vacancy must be filled within 28 days. As with other similar motions, the motion to appoint a Member to fill that vacancy will be treated as a business motion and, therefore, there will be no debate. Before I proceed to the Question, I advise Members that the motion requires cross-community support.

Resolved (with cross-community support):

That, in accordance with Standing Order 79(4), Mr Pat Doherty be appointed to fill a vacancy on the Assembly Commission. – [Ms Ní Chuilín.]

Ministerial StatementS

William Hay (Speaker, Foyle)

I have received notice from the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister that the deputy First Minister wishes to make a statement on the North/South Ministerial Council (NSMC) plenary meeting.

Martin McGuinness (Sinn Féin, Mid Ulster)

Fáilte arais go léir. In compliance with section 52C(2) of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, we wish to make the following statement on the eighth meeting of the North/South Ministerial Council in plenary format, which was held in Farmleigh House, Dublin, on Monday 6 July 2009. Our Ministers who attended the meeting have approved this report, and we make it on their behalf.

The Executive delegation was led by the First Minister, Peter Robinson MP MLA, and me. In addition, the following Executive Ministers were in attendance: Michelle Gildernew, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development; Caitríona Ruane, Minister of Education; Conor Murphy, Minister for Regional Development; Margaret Ritchie, Minister for Social Development; junior Minister Kelly; and junior Minister Newton.

The Irish Government delegation was led by the Taoiseach, Brian Cowen TD, who chaired the meeting. The Irish Government delegation comprised Mary Coughlan TD, Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment; Brian Lenihan TD, Minister for Finance; Noel Dempsey TD, Minister for Transport; Dermot Ahern TD, Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform; Micheál Martin TD, Minister for Foreign Affairs; Éamon Ó Cuív TD, Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs; Mary Hanafin TD, Minister for Social and Family Affairs; John Gormley TD, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government; Eamon Ryan TD, Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources; Brendan Smith TD, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food; and Batt O’Keeffe TD, Minister for Education and Science.

During the meeting we had a broad discussion with the Taoiseach and Irish Government Ministers about the common economic challenges facing us and our respective responses to dealing with the downturn and its impact, particularly on the banking sector in both jurisdictions. The Taoiseach outlined the Irish Govern­ment’s intention to establish a national asset management agency (NAMA). Ministers agreed that an early meeting of the two Finance Ministers will take place to discuss those issues.

We noted the contribution of continuing practical and mutually beneficial North/South co-operation to assisting both Administrations in our efforts to promote growth and employment. The Council received a progress report that the NSMC joint secretaries had prepared on the nine NSMC ministerial meetings that have been held since the most recent plenary meeting in January 2009, and we welcomed the progress made.

We noted the close co-operation on the recent influenza A(H1N1) outbreak. We welcomed the agreement on a framework for the removal of waste that is illegally dumped here. The Council also noted progress on introducing the mutual recognition of driving licence disqualifications later this year and on developing a co-ordinated approach to the introduction of lower blood:alcohol limits. We welcomed the intensified co-operation on child protection, including Internet safety, the development of a protocol for the movement of vulnerable children and families across borders and advice and guidance on safeguarding arrangements for parents, carers and employers. Ministers noted progress on suicide prevention, including proposals for revised media guidelines to incorporate advice on new technologies, including Internet-related suicides.

We welcomed the development of a draft all-island animal health and welfare strategy to facilitate free movement of animals, including plans for a cross-border event in autumn 2009 to bring together key stakeholders to discuss delivery of the strategy. Ministers noted a joint programme of research that was commissioned by the Loughs Agency, which has played a leading role in the development of a Europe-wide research project on use of genetic techniques to identify origins of salmon caught at sea (SALSEA).

The Council welcomed the continued co-operation in education on the approaches to the integration of newcomer children in schools. We noted the further development of the border people website — www.borderpeople.info — the publication by the main banks of information on the cost of cross-border transactions and progress on the transfer of pension rights on a cross-border basis.

The Council also discussed progress on the achievement of efficiency savings and the business plans of the North/South bodies and Tourism Ireland and noted the need for early decisions on those matters.

The Council considered a paper on the progress of the A5 and A8 roads projects. It welcomed good progress on the A5 Aughnacloy to north-west and A8 Belfast to Larne road projects and noted that an important milestone, the confirmation of the preferred routes, is to be announced shortly. The Council therefore agreed that payment of €9 million will be made by the Irish Government’s Minister for Transport to the NI Consolidated Fund before the end of 2009, in accordance with an agreed payments procedure. The Council agreed to consider a further progress report at the next NSMC plenary sitting.

The Council considered a paper on the St Andrews Agreement review. It noted that the review group is continuing its consideration of the experts’ and advisers’ report on the efficiency and value for money of the existing implementation bodies and Tourism Ireland Limited. The Council also confirmed its intention to conclude the St Andrews review process before the end of 2009. It instructed the review group to accelerate its work on all elements of the review and to provide a final report to the next NSMC plenary sitting.

The Council also confirmed its intention, on the conclusion of the review, to refer the recommendations emerging from the review process to the relevant Departments, North and South, for consideration and appropriate action, mindful that any changes to the existing arrangements will require the specific endorsement of the Assembly and Oireachtas.

The Council considered a paper on a North/South consultative forum. It noted the Executive’s ongoing review of the Civic Forum, and agreed to bring discussions on the North/South consultative forum to an early conclusion. It recalled that the Irish Government made a proposal to the Executive on a North/South consultative forum following the conclusion of their consultations with social partners and other groups from civic society in 2008.

Ministers considered a paper on a North/South parliamentary forum. We welcomed the establishment of two working groups by the Oireachtas and the Northern Assembly respectively to progress discussions on the establishment of a North/South parliamentary forum. We noted that the agreement to establish a forum is a matter for the Assembly and Oireachtas respectively and agreed to review progress at the next North/South Ministerial Council plenary sitting.

The Council considered a paper on future North/South Ministerial Council meetings and approved a schedule of NSMC meetings to take place over the coming months. It was agreed that the next meeting in plenary format will be hosted by the Executive in November or December 2009.

Danny Kennedy (UUP, Newry and Armagh)

I am grateful for the opportunity to ask the deputy First Minister a couple of questions: one as Chairperson of the Committee for the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister and the second as a political representative.

Does the Minister accept that the impact of assets potentially being sold off in Northern Ireland by the Republic’s national asset management agency (NAMA) could have a serious impact on the Northern Ireland economy during what is a very difficult time? What assurances, if any, has the Minister received?

Will the Minister outline what effect the speech made by his colleague the First Minister on Tuesday 8 September at the Ulster Hall regarding Assembly reform will have on the Council’s St Andrews Agreement review?

Martin McGuinness (Sinn Féin, Mid Ulster)

The size of the portfolio of loans residing here would have a critical impact on the local economy. Minister Lenihan indicated to Minister Wilson that the level of Northern loans likely to be transferred to NAMA could total around £4·8 billion. However, even if £4·8 billion of local assets were to be exposed, it would have considerable implications for our economy, as that is equivalent to around one quarter of its output.

The cross-jurisdictional implications are significant and include the absence of statements on the discount to be applied to Irish bank loans and the precise length of time for which NAMA will operate. A longer lifespan and larger discount would allow NAMA to pursue loans less aggressively, and it is our view that a short life and small discount would be disadvantageous. The big concern in the North — it is most relevant to land banks — is the possibility of a fire sale, which could have a very damaging and distorting effect on our economy. The Irish Government, through Minister Lenihan, have stated that they are conscious of our concerns. The recent meeting between our Finance Minister, Sammy Wilson, and Minister Lenihan was very useful, and we will continue to observe closely what happens in that regard.

The St Andrews Agreement review was discussed at the plenary meeting, and we welcomed the progress that has been made by the review group. The review group is continuing its consideration of the expert advisers’ report on the efficiency and value for money of the existing implementation bodies. The Council wants the St Andrews Agreement review process to be concluded before the end of this year. It has instructed the review group to accelerate its work on all remaining elements of the review so that a final report can be brought to the next NSMC plenary meeting. On conclusion of the review process, it is intended that the recommend­ations that emerge will be referred to the relevant Departments, North and South, for their consideration and appropriate action.

Any attempt to draw me into a political discussion about recent speeches, comments or interviews given by the First Minister or me is doomed to failure.

William Hay (Speaker, Foyle)

Order. I remind Members that, as far as possible, questions should relate to the statement that we are discussing on the Floor.

Stephen Moutray (DUP, Upper Bann)

Can the deputy First Minister confirm that the yet-to-be-agreed proposal for an all-island animal health and welfare strategy is not a crude attempt to remove the UK stamp from Northern Ireland produce?

Martin McGuinness (Sinn Féin, Mid Ulster)

The NSMC welcomes the progress that has been made on the development of a draft all-island animal health and welfare strategy. The draft strategy sets out the high degree of co-operation that there has been on a range of animal health and welfare issues. It seeks to provide a strategic framework for co-operating on policies through a number of North/South working groups. The ultimate aim is to secure the free movement of animals on the island of Ireland. Full co-operation on animal health issues has the potential to help to reduce or prevent the spread of animal disease, facilitate trade and improve the sustainability of farming on the island.

When it is agreed, the strategy will facilitate trade by optimising the animal health status of the island through the alignment of policies to control animal disease. It will ultimately provide both jurisdictions with the basis to seek international recognition and develop and enhance the island’s animal health and welfare status. It will also provide a foundation on which we can build our trading position and animal health status. The key stakeholders will be brought together at an event that is scheduled for later this year. That event will help to build genuine partnership on the development of policy and enable stakeholders to discuss the strategic approach and forward work programme. As in all of our efforts, we need to aim for as much agreement as possible.

Mickey Brady (Sinn Féin, Newry and Armagh)

Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. Will the Minister update the Assembly on the development of the Narrow Water bridge project?

Martin McGuinness (Sinn Féin, Mid Ulster)

The NSMC noted that Louth County Council has completed significant work on the Narrow Water bridge and is to undertake a further appraisal of the proposed project prior to progression through the statutory processes. Members may be aware that Roads Service employed consultants to undertake a feasibility study of a Newry southern relief road, which would link the A2 Warrenpoint road to the A1 just south of Newry. The council welcomed the continuing co-operation between officials of Roads Service and Louth County Council in that regard.

I understand that Minister Murphy intends to share the executive summary of the consultants’ feasibility report on the Newry southern relief road with local representatives and the community later this month.

Alex Attwood (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Belfast West)

I welcome the report and the deputy First Minister’s reply to Mr Kennedy’s comment on NAMA. At least the deputy First Minister, in contrast to his party leader, has demonstrated that he has an interest in the economy. Last week, Gerry Adams said that he had no interest in such matters.

I suggest two ways in which the deputy First Minister could inject momentum into the political process. First, the report confirms that phase one of the North/South review is being considered by the review group. Is it not time for that document to be published for all to consider? If the First Minister is so interested in accountability on North/South matters, why has it not been agreed to publish the report? That would enable the political parties and the public on this island to draw their own conclusions on how well North/South co-operation is working.

Secondly, will the deputy First Minister say categorically to the Assembly that the business of the North/South parliamentary forum is to be progressed exclusively by the two working groups in the Assembly and the Oireachtas and that he and the First Minister are placing no impediment to their work proceeding and recommendations being published as soon as possible? Some people consider that the work of those two groups is being —

Alex Attwood (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Belfast West)

Thank you.

[Laughter.]

Martin McGuinness (Sinn Féin, Mid Ulster)

The Member knows as well as anyone in the Assembly that the work on the review is being undertaken under the auspices of the North/South Ministerial Council. Quite a number of Ministers from North and South attends Council meetings. Any report or other outcome of the Council’s deliberations must first be presented to that body and no one else.

It has been agreed that the joint parliamentary forum is a matter for the Assembly and the Oireachtas. We look forward to reviewing progress at the next NSMC meeting. The fact that the process has been agreed and that people are meeting indicates that, at least on our part, a genuine attempt is being made. The Speaker is also involved in some of the discussions. It is important to leave the groups to complete their work and report to a plenary meeting of the NSMC. As far as the review and the parliamentary forum are concerned, it would be wrong of the First Minister and me to take away the rights of a body that was established under the tutelage of the Governments, North and South.

Stephen Farry (Alliance, North Down)

I also welcome the deputy First Minister to the Chamber. I stress that my party’s hope is that today marks the start of a productive session of the Assembly, in contrast to those in the past.

Will the deputy First Minister assure the House that the scope of the review of the North/South bodies will be sufficient to take efficiencies into account? Will it also ensure that as many economies of scale as possible are achieved in services by both Governments? Will he assure the House that a proper audit is being carried out to ensure that no opportunities for North/South co-operation, particularly in modernising the economy, are missed? Mutual challenges face the two Governments in growing the green economy through a process of rebalancing and modernisation.

Martin McGuinness (Sinn Féin, Mid Ulster)

The efficiency programme was proposed at the NSMC meeting to reflect the wider efficiency programme arising from the revised Budget Estimates in the South. North/South bodies, in common with all public bodies, should deliver their objectives and programmes efficiently. A 3% per annum cumulative cash-releasing efficiency savings programme for 2009 and 2010 has been agreed by the two Finance Ministers. The next step is for sponsoring Departments to work with their North/South bodies to identify the efficiency savings required in 2009 and 2010 and to add that detail to their draft business plans.

(Mr Deputy Speaker [Mr McClarty] in the Chair)

The revised 2009-2010 business plans should be submitted for the approval of the two Finance Ministers, followed by the NSMC.

I am sure that we are all very conscious, particularly against the backdrop of the worldwide economic downturn, of the consistent need for all of us to challenge ourselves as to how we can best use resources in the interests of citizens, whether they be in Limerick, Kerry, Dublin, Dundalk, Belfast or Derry. There can be no doubt whatever that that will be a feature of the discussions on the review that is taking place.

Jim Shannon (DUP, Strangford)

The Minister mentioned swine flu in his statement. Will he outline the close co-operation between Northern Ireland and the Republic that he referred to? Will he confirm whether swine flu was discussed at the Council? Will he also describe the input of the local Health Minister in that process?

The deputy First Minister also mentioned suicide prevention, and he referred generally to the proposals to deal with it. Will he describe those suicide-prevention proposals in more detail? Many of us represent areas in which the suicide level is alarming, so I would like to know what the process for dealing with it is.

Martin McGuinness (Sinn Féin, Mid Ulster)

At the plenary, Ministers welcomed the close co-operation on swine flu. We know that Minister McGimpsey has met Minister Harney, and there is departmental contact almost daily. The outbreak has affected both our jurisdictions, but, fortunately, the number of cases has been small so far. I am conscious of the fact that we are at the end of the summer and that we are moving into the autumn and winter when things could change.

As I said, Minister McGimpsey has spoken several times to Mary Harney since the outbreak began. I know that officials are also in regular contact to ensure that information and response plans are shared at an early stage. It is vital that we maintain that close co-operation. We must recognise that measures to contain the spread of the virus in one part of the island will be less effective if equally effective measures are not in place in the other part. As of last Friday, there have been 179 confirmed cases of swine flu here. In order to help to reduce the risk of transmission, the Public Health Agency has worked with family members and others who have been in close contact with the individuals concerned. GP consultation rates for flu and flu-like illnesses have decreased, but they remain significantly higher than the rates that were recorded in the same weeks of previous years. Obviously, this is an issue that we are dealing with very seriously. We all know that people’s health does not recognise borders of any description, so it is critical that we work in very close co-operation.

At the plenary, we reviewed and welcomed progress on suicide prevention, including proposals for revised media guidelines to incorporate advice on new technologies, which include Internet-related suicides. Many of the issues that we face here are also challenges for the South. It is, therefore, important that we share learning and best practice from both jurisdictions.

The piloting of the national self-harm registry in the Western Health and Social Care Trust area is an example of such co-operation. It is pleasing to note that discussions are ongoing to extend that pilot into the Belfast area. It is most important that there is sensitive media reporting on suicide generally, and that is vital for specific cases. The development of updated all-island guidelines on media reporting is timely, as they will incorporate advice on new media technologies, including the Internet.

I share the Member’s concern about the alarming figures that have been reported over recent days. All of us have to be very concerned about those, and there is probably not a person in this Assembly who has not had contact with some family that has been through that very traumatic experience. We have to do all in our power to ensure that we do what we can to help to deal with an obviously very difficult and complex subject. The work that is ongoing in the North and the South is valuable, but, like everything else, we are continuing to learn. At the end of that process, we want to be in a position to assure ourselves and our citizens that everything possible is being done to help in a really difficult situation for many families and, I contend, for society as a whole.

Barry McElduff (Sinn Féin, West Tyrone)

Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. Tá ceist agam don Aire.

Will the deputy First Minister update the Assembly on all-island child protection measures, particularly the management of sex offenders?

Martin McGuinness (Sinn Féin, Mid Ulster)

Intensified North/South co-operation on child protection was welcomed at the plenary meeting, including on Internet safety, the development of a protocol for the movement of vulnerable children and families across borders, and advice and guidance on safeguarding arrangements for parents, carers and employers.

The five subgroups established under the auspices of the North/South Ministerial Council continue to meet regularly and to keep one another apprised of developments in their respective jurisdictions. Officials are considering how best to raise awareness of issues concerning Internet safety and social networking, and work is under way to jointly develop advice and guidance leaflets aimed at parents, carers, employers, and anyone concerned with children.

Officials in the North and South are also examining ways to develop and to strengthen current procedures for moving a child who is looked after or who is on the child protection register between jurisdictions. Cross-border discussions are continuing on the management of sex offenders. Both jurisdictions now use common assessment standards when dealing with sex offenders, and work is ongoing to bring legislation in both jurisdictions into line as much as possible.

Co-operation on child protection among agencies and jurisdictions is vital. OFMDFM recently published a major policy statement on safeguarding children, which brings together developments that are under way across Departments in the North, the NIO and the Courts Service. That has helped to identify gaps where further initiatives are required. OFMDFM welcomes any proposals that improve information sharing and that assist in the protection of the public in respect of offenders moving between the two jurisdictions.

Ian McCrea (DUP, Mid Ulster)

The deputy First Minister referred to efficiency savings. Mind you, when he read out the attendance list for the NSMC plenary meeting, I thought that every member of the Dáil was there. I believe that I counted 11 if not 12 Members who attended. Reducing that number would certainly be a good start on efficiency savings.

However, the deputy First Minister referred in his statement to progress on the A5 and A8 road projects. Will he inform the House what discussions took place? What assurances can he give that people who live along those routes will be properly compensated?

Martin McGuinness (Sinn Féin, Mid Ulster)

It is not sensible to make comments about attendance at the North/South Ministerial Council plenary meeting, or to stress the fact that many Ministers turned up. The meeting was held at Farmleigh House, it probably cost no more than £1,000, and the fact that people are prepared to attend such meetings shows how important they consider the work. I welcome the large attendance of Ministers from the South; our attendance was also large. The more that Ministers engage with their counterparts, the more benefit there is for citizens in the North and the South.

The roads projects are important. The A5 and the A8 are critical to infrastructure along the road from Aughnacloy to the north-west and to ensure connections to the eastern seaboard, which, for our part, are the routes to Belfast and Larne.

As with all projects of this nature, there will always be controversies and disputes, particularly in situations in which people’s livelihoods are affected. Nevertheless, the process is up and running, so we need to see people working closely together, taking account of objections. Opportunities for people to lodge such objections will be there in the time ahead.

There are concerns, and the Member articulated a view that some farming interests have expressed about the matter. That is perfectly right and understandable, and it is important that those roads are built in a fashion that takes account of the objections and concerns of local people. Hopefully, not many local people will be affected by the projects, but, in some circumstances, there will be an effect, and it is a matter of the relevant authorities working with those people, in conjunction with elected representatives, to ensure that any concerns that are expressed are addressed.

Tom Elliott (UUP, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

I note from the deputy First Minister’s statement that the Minister of Education attended the meeting. In the Republic of Ireland, the Irish Government’s proposal to cut funding for Protestant schools is a serious issue. I was wondering whether the management of Protestant secondary schools was mentioned, because it is a serious issue for the Committee.

Martin McGuinness (Sinn Féin, Mid Ulster)

The issue was not mentioned.

Dolores Kelly (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Upper Bann)

Unlike others, I welcome the high level of attendance by Ministers from the Irish Republic, because it gives us some certainty as to the interest that the Republic’s Government have in the North. I do not hear any sneering about the €9 million that the Irish Government have committed themselves to spending on transport in the North. I welcome that investment.

With respect to child protection, when will the protocol for childcare arrangements be published? In addition, given that it has been agreed in principle that there will be an all-Ireland animal health and welfare strategy, when will that strategy be available for consultation? Furthermore, the Civic Forum was reviewed almost two years ago. When might we see the results of that consultation, and how does the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister plan to make progress on the North/South consultative forum? Also, in future, when statements are being made to the House, perhaps there could be a specific section to highlight new work streams. For example, given the comments about the agreement on a framework for the removal of waste that is illegally dumped in Northern Ireland, might an all-Ireland approach to climate change be considered?

David McClarty (UUP, East Londonderry)

The deputy First Minister may choose to answer one or all of those questions.

Martin McGuinness (Sinn Féin, Mid Ulster)

I will try to answer as many as I possibly can. I think that there were about four.

The animal health strategy is obviously being worked on at the moment, and it will be delivered as soon as possible.

Child protection is vital. At the plenary meeting, we welcomed intensified North/South co-operation on child protection and Internet safety; the development of a protocol for the movement of vulnerable children and families across borders; and advice and guidance on safeguarding arrangements for parents, carers and employers. Officials are always examining ways to develop and strengthen current procedures; that vital work is ongoing, and I believe that there is an absolute commitment from both Administrations to ensure that it continues.

At the plenary meeting, the Council noted the Executive’s ongoing review of the Civic Forum. It agreed to bring to an early conclusion discussions on the North/South consultative forum. It also recalled that the Irish Government made a proposal on a North/South consultative forum to our Executive following the conclusion of its consultations with social partners and other groups from civic society in 2008. The Member will know that a review of the Civic Forum is under way to examine fundamentally its structure, membership and role, and to consider the most appropriate arrangements for engaging with civic society. That review of the Civic Forum has not yet been completed.

In relation to the other matter, a suggestion has been made. Without giving any commitment on that, officials can look at that to see whether it has merit.

Francie Molloy (Sinn Féin, Mid Ulster)

Go raibh míle maith agat. I thank the Minister for his statement. Can he tell us whether an update was provided at the meeting on the role of Peace III and on how the INTERREG programme is playing out, particularly given the present importance of European funding to SMEs and the farming community?

Martin McGuinness (Sinn Féin, Mid Ulster)

Under Peace III, the north-west cluster will deliver nearly £5 million through a peace and reconciliation action plan. Ilex has been awarded £13 million to develop the pedestrian bridge over the Foyle, which has been discussed recently. Under INTERREG, approximately £8 million in regeneration assistance will be delivered through a multi-annual plan developed by the North West Region Cross Border Group. INTERREG has also awarded £30 million to the Kelvin project to develop a broadband connection in the north-west.

A total of 104 Peace III projects, with a combined value of €155·8 million, which is roughly £141 million, have been approved to date. Peace III builds on the peace-building work of its predecessors, with a greater focus on activities that directly promote reconciliation and an emphasis on larger, more strategic projects with clear legacy potential.

The INTERREG cross-border programme, which is worth €256 million or £233 million, is the only EU programme in the North to have increased its budget in the new programming period; the previous INTERREG was worth something in the order of €183 million. Therefore, it builds on the work of previous programmes and supports strategic cross-border co-operation for a more prosperous and sustainable cross-border region. So far, 73 applications have been received under the cross-border programme, of which 34 have been approved and are worth a total of €156 million, or £142 million. For the first time, areas in western Scotland are eligible to participate, which adds a welcome new dimension. To date, Scottish partners are involved in INTERREG projects worth some £30 million.

The INTERREG programme will build on the successes and competencies of the five local authority-based partnership groups: East Border Region Committee, Irish Central Border Area Network (ICBAN), North West Region Cross Border Group, Councils of the Metropolitan Area (COMET) and North East Partnership. Funding in the order of €55 million has been made available to all five groups in respect of enterprise, tourism and collaboration. Therefore, quite an amount of investment is continuing.

Peter Weir (DUP, North Down)

I will try to restrain myself to one question. Page 2 of the deputy First Minister’s statement refers to the fact that, between the latest plenary meeting of the North/South Ministerial Council and the previous one in January 2009, there were nine North/South ministerial meetings. Can he tell me what the corresponding figure is for ministerial meetings of the British-Irish Council during that same period?

Martin McGuinness (Sinn Féin, Mid Ulster)

I cannot tell the Member that off the top of my head, but we will undertake to provide the answer.

Martina Anderson (Sinn Féin, Foyle)

I thank the joint First Minister for that statement.

Reference has been made to the national asset management agency, and, in his statement, the deputy First Minister mentioned the common economic challenges faced by the North and South. Given the interconnected nature of those two economies, have any work or steps been outlined and undertaken by InterTradeIreland, one of the implementation bodies, to develop an all-Ireland economic policy?

Martin McGuinness (Sinn Féin, Mid Ulster)

I congratulate InterTradeIreland on its initiative to hold the economic forum in Dublin on 18 June. That forum was designed to assist businesses in the current global economic downturn and in the challenges that it presents. Some 120 leading economists, economic commentators and senior policymakers took part in the first high-level North/South economic forum, which addressed a select group of policymakers from both jurisdictions who combined their expertise and knowledge on the extent of the downturn and search for innovative strategic responses.

Alastair Ross (DUP, East Antrim)

In his statement, the deputy First Minister made reference to progress in developing a co-ordinated approach to the introduction of lower drink-drive limits. Will he assure the House that, even if the Irish Republic does not go ahead with that, it will not be a barrier to the Executive introducing lower drink-drive limits for drivers in Northern Ireland? Furthermore, can he tell us what conversations there have been with other UK regions, perhaps through the British-Irish Council, on lowering the drink-drive limits throughout the United Kingdom?

Martin McGuinness (Sinn Féin, Mid Ulster)

Officials are working to complete the arrangements needed to introduce mutual recognition of driving disqualifications. It is hoped that the process will be completed shortly. It is an important issue. We all understand fully the need the ensure an all-island approach, given that, in the past, people who have been involved in road accidents or who have flouted driving laws have been disqualified in the North but permitted to drive in the South, and vice versa. This is vital work. It is critical that we consider the possibility of introducing lower drink-drive limits, as is being done, and explore the potential for co-ordinating approaches to the implementation of any new limits agreed. The issue is being discussed at the British-Irish Council, so we will await developments from those discussions.

Pat Ramsey (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Foyle)

I welcome the deputy First Minister’s reference to progress that has been made on the A5 from Aughnacloy to the north-west. In light of the haemorrhaging of so many jobs in the north-west — 3,000 jobs in recent months — and in view of the great hope, aspirations and opportunities in health, education and access to employment opportunities for the region with the north-west gateway initiative, will the deputy First Minister assure the House that the North/South Ministerial Council will sponsor and adopt the key areas that come out of the north-west gateway initiative as a way forward for that region?

Martin McGuinness (Sinn Féin, Mid Ulster)

The north-west gateway initiative provides a strategic context for the north-west in facilitating a more co-ordinated approach by the Executive and the Irish Government to the area’s development by helping to channel funding into it. The north-west gateway initiative, as Members know, has no dedicated funding, but it aims to derive synergy in the north-west through the effective co-ordination of existing public expenditure. The activities are taken forward by individual Departments in each jurisdiction. The gateway initiative is inherently linked to the work that Sir Roy McNulty, chairman of Ilex, is undertaking on a new regeneration plan for the city of Derry. The strategic plan for the city and its proposed delivery structures will impact on the wider region and will have a cross-border dimension, linking it to the work of Donegal County Council.

We are all conscious of the unacceptable number of job losses that have taken place in the north-west, whether in Coleraine, Limavady or Derry city. During the Minister for Employment and Learning’s visit to the north-west, he made what, I think, we all considered to be an important point: more jobs have been lost in the north-west than in the whole of the Belfast area, which, given the relative sizes of both areas, is dramatic news. Therefore, we are concerned and exercised about that.

However, several things are happening in the north-west, including work on a number of infrastructural projects. For example, Project Kelvin will provide a direct international telecoms link to North America and improved telecom links to Europe, and there is also a major project to upgrade the road between Derry and Aughnacloy, of which the Broadbridge dualling phase is under way. Other infrastructural projects include the A2 Ballykelly bypass, the A6 Derry to Dungiven project, the City of Derry Airport runway safety-improvement programme, and improvements to the railway track between Derry and Coleraine.

Other projects are under way in further and higher education. For example, the strategic innovation fund is supplying in the region of €893,000 to provide a complete specification for the delivery of higher education through a strategic alliance between Letterkenny Institute of Technology and the University of Ulster, and a capital programme is under way for the renewal and refurbishment of the North West Regional College site. Employment and skills development projects include an all-island skills conference and the All-Island Skills Study 2008, which identified several potential areas of future joint work to help to realise future skills ambitions. Such projects include the NorthwestNow promotional programme, which is aimed at enhancing the promotion of the north-west business technology zone and the wider region. I could go on, but it is sufficient to say that quite a lot of things are happening in the north-west.

However, the bad news stories about job losses in the area overshadow all those projects. I have spoken already to the First Minister about the very serious situation that I think exists not just in Derry city but in places such as Coleraine and Limavady, as well as about the need for our Executive to address those difficulties as quickly as possible.

Maurice (DUP, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

My question relates to the A5 project, or the north-west corridor. I note from the Minister’s statement that the Irish Government are contributing some €9 million up front into that scheme. That represents approximately 2% of the South’s contribution, or 1% of the overall scheme, and seems a very small amount. Will the Irish Government indeed be paying their contribution up front?

More importantly, the A5 scheme is turning out to be very controversial, not least because of the route that has been selected. For example, a section of the route runs from Aughnacloy to Ballygawley and has a curve of some two miles from the existing road. Part of the A5 has been realigned, and that section is known as the Tullyvar section and connects with the Ballygawley roundabout. However, when the new A5 is built, it will sit parallel to the new A4, which is being constructed. Does that not sound like bad management and bad value for money? Will the deputy First Minister assure the House that those and other issues that concern the planned route of the new A5 through to New Buildings will be reviewed? It is a very important issue.

Martin McGuinness (Sinn Féin, Mid Ulster)

In fairness to the Irish Government, from the very beginning of the process, they declared that they will be paying up front for the A5 and A8 road projects. The €9 million is an initial contribution, and there will be further contributions.

I think that all Members will be very pleased that the Taoiseach and other Ministers at the North/South Ministerial Council dismissed out of hand the speculation in the South about the prospect of those road projects not proceeding. They have given us an absolute guarantee and commitment that those road projects will not be subject to whatever other cuts are made in Dublin. Therefore, we can say with 100% confidence that those projects will continue and that when they are completed, they will make a massive contribution to our infrastructure in the North.

With regard to the detail of what is happening along the route of the A5, the Minister for Regional Develop­ment will be answering questions this afternoon, and he will be able to address that.

Séan Neeson (Alliance, East Antrim)

I welcome the deputy First Minister’s statement on the upgrading of the A8 Larne to Belfast road. What is the Executive’s position on a commitment to the formation of the North/South parliamentary forum?

Martin McGuinness (Sinn Féin, Mid Ulster)

The Executive do not have a position on that matter. However, under the auspices of the North/South Ministerial Council, the Oireachtas and the Assembly have been charged with the responsibility for taking that matter forward, and Mr Speaker is the Assembly’s lead person on that.

As we move forward, we all recognise that, in such a small island, there are two jurisdictions and there is a compelling argument for working together where there is mutual benefit for our citizens. A strong view is being put forward, to which I subscribe, that increased contact and co-operation among elected representatives on the island is in the economic interests of the people whom we represent.

David McClarty (UUP, East Londonderry)

The Speaker has received notice from the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development that she wishes to make a statement regarding the North/South Ministerial Council meeting in aquaculture and marine sectoral format.

Michelle Gildernew (Sinn Féin, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. With your permission, I wish to make a statement in compliance with section 52 of the NI Act 1988 on the recent meeting of the North/South Ministerial Council in the aquaculture and marine sectoral format. The meeting was held in Greenmount on Monday 20 July 2009. Robin Newton and I represented the Executive, and Eamon Ryan TD, Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, and Conor Lenihan TD, Minister of State for Natural Resources, represented the Irish Government. This statement has been agreed with Robin Newton.

The Council welcomed a progress report on the work of the Loughs Agency presented by the chairperson, Mr Tarlach O’Crosain, and the chief executive, Mr Derick Anderson.

Ministers noted the impact of fishing conditions for the 2009 angling season and commercial salmon season; the success of the guides for angling in both the Foyle and Carlingford catchment areas, with the Carlingford guide so popular that it has had to be reprinted; and the agency’s work with the regional fisheries boards and central fisheries boards to develop the angling brand for coarse, game, sea and pike, including a website in a number of European languages that will be announced shortly. Ministers also noted that, in September 2009, the Loughs Agency will consult stakeholders and the public on the options that are being considered for the agency’s strategic implementation plan to license shellfisheries and aquaculture. A strategic environmental assessment is being conducted on the proposed implementation plan.

The Council welcomed a presentation by Dr Declan Lawlor, environment officer at the Loughs Agency, on the proactive water-quality assessment programme being undertaken by the agency in the Foyle and Carlingford catchment areas, and noted that that science-led approach has proved very beneficial to the agency in conserving and protecting the inland fisheries of Foyle and Carlingford.

The Council approved the recruitment of three staff on a fixed-term contract basis to assist the Loughs Agency in the administration and implementation of a programme in support of its marine tourism strategy, which is to be funded exclusively through the EU INTERREG IV programme.

The Council discussed and noted the operation and funding arrangements for the Loughs Agency’s sustainable development fund, and approved the use of the fund in the implementation of the agency’s marine tourism development strategy.

The Council approved two sets of regulations. The first will regulate the minimum size of oyster that may be retained on board a vessel within the wild oyster fishery in Lough Foyle, and the second will prohibit the catching of eels in the Foyle and Carlingford areas by any method except rod and line.

The Council also approved a framework designed to support the Loughs Agency in dealing with emergencies such as serious pollution incidents.

The Council agreed that its next meeting in the aquaculture and marine sectoral format will take place in October 2009. Go raibh míle maith agat.

Ian Paisley Jnr (DUP, North Antrim)

I thank the Minister for her statement. The Minister will be aware that the Committee received a presentation on 23 June 2009 from her officials on the Foyle area and Carlingford area (control of oyster fishing) (amendment) regulations 2009, and that they deferred the progress on those regulations because of the numerous concerns expressed by fishermen. Those concerns have been repeated to the Committee during its consultation on the matter. It is, therefore, somewhat disappointing to note that the Council is approving, and, indeed, supporting, legislation that has not been endorsed by a Statutory Committee in this place, or by Members of this House.

That said, can the Minister advise the House of the evidence that her Department is using to suggest that grading an oyster by size rather than by weight is the best method available and whether that evidence has been sourced from samples taken from Lough Foyle as opposed to other oyster fisheries outside Northern Ireland? Can she tell the House why she is pursuing a policy that is contrary to the demands of the oyster fishery in Lough Foyle, and, very importantly, the market to which those fishermen seek to sell their hard-gained produce?

Michelle Gildernew (Sinn Féin, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

I do not have the detail of the evidence with me today, but the regulations must be approved by the NSMC. That approval was granted in July. We always aim to have the Committee on board with regulations before they are submitted to the NSMC for approval, but, occasionally, given the timetable of meetings and critical time factors in the making of regulations, submission may be necessary before the Committee has concluded its deliberations. In this case, the agency was very keen to have the conservation measure in place for the opening of the oyster season. The agency has explained its rationale, both to the Committee and to stakeholders, and I understand that the Committee is engaged in further discussion with the stakeholders on the issue.

Pat Doherty (Sinn Féin, West Tyrone)

Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. I welcome the Minister’s statement. Can she provide an update on the Loughs Agency’s strategic implementation plan?

Michelle Gildernew (Sinn Féin, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

This month, the Loughs Agency will consult with stakeholders and the public on the options being considered for the agency’s strategic implementation plan for aquaculture. That will include public exhibitions in both the Foyle and Carlingford areas, and the NSMC will be informed of the exhibition details at the next meeting. A strategic environmental assessment (SEA) is being conducted on the proposed implementation plan, and a scoping report for the SEA has been issued. The public and stakeholders are being invited to comment on that document.

The SEA scoping report contains details of the proposed environmental assessment only and does not state what will be included in the draft plan as that has yet to be determined. Following the consultation on options, the draft plan and the environmental report arising from the SEA will be published. There will then be a public consultation period for the draft plan, and after that the plan will be finalised.

George Savage (UUP, Upper Bann)

I thank the Minister for her statement. Will she outline what discussions took place with her Irish counterparts on the approaches of both jurisdictions to the annual meeting of the fishery Ministers, which will take place in December in Brussels, and what she hopes to achieve at that meeting?

Michelle Gildernew (Sinn Féin, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

The Member will be aware that the meeting under discussion today was held in the aquaculture and marine sectoral format and, therefore, dealt solely with the issues for which the Foyle, Carlingford and Irish Lights Commission has responsibility. The Member’s question clearly falls outside that. The meeting did not deal with the issue that he raises. The work for December is ongoing, but I do not have any information on that today.

Patsy McGlone (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Mid Ulster)

Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle, Gabhaim buíochas don Aire as a ráiteas.

I thank the Minister for her statement. My question relates to paragraph 8 of the statement, which mentions recruitment of three staff on a fixed-term contract basis to assist the Loughs Agency in the implementation of a programme in support of its marine tourism strategy.

Although I realise that it is external to the Department, it would be helpful if the Minister could inform us of the total amount of investment that that involves, the duration of the contract plan and whether the Department sees itself as being in any position to extend the duration of that programme for marine tourism, which is an important issue, particularly in an island economy.

Michelle Gildernew (Sinn Féin, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

The overall package that the Loughs Agency applied for was €4 million to the Special EU Programmes Body under INTERREG IVa, and I understand that it was successful in getting all that. I will have to come back to the Member with details of the duration of the contract plan, and I am happy to do so. However, I understand that there was quite a number of applications and I expect the money to be spent before the end of the programme, as that is what normally happens; the duration tends to be longer than money is available for.

Kieran McCarthy (Alliance, Strangford)

I thank the Minister for her statement, in which she noted the success of the guides for the Foyle and Carlingford, with the guide for Carlingford being reprinted because of its popularity. Will the Minister tell us what Carlingford has got to offer that the Foyle has not?

The statement also mentioned the approved framework for dealing with such matters as serious pollution incidents. Does that framework include measures or advice for avoiding pollution incidents happening in the first place?

Michelle Gildernew (Sinn Féin, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

The avoidance of pollution is the responsibility of other agencies, as opposed to necessarily being the work of the agency responsible for Foyle and Carlingford. A serious pollution incident can impact on the work of the Loughs Agency, as the Foyle and Carlingford could be severely affected by such an incident. A pollution incident can have a hugely detrimental impact on a river system, especially when water levels are low, and we have seen the outcome of such incidents in the not-too-distant past. The framework is intended more as an early warning system to help the agency to take measures to mitigate the impacts of pollution incidents, as opposed to trying to avoid them. We all need to work together to avoid pollution, but the framework is more to do with mitigating the impact of pollution in those rivers.

William McCrea (DUP, South Antrim)

Further to the question from my colleague, the Chairperson of the Committee for Agriculture, Mr Ian Paisley Jnr, will the Minister tell the House why there is undue haste on the issue of oyster fishing, bearing in mind that, as I understand it, the Committee will meet representatives of stakeholder groups as part of its consultation exercise. Will the Minister not wisely accept the advice of the Committee to defer the decision until the Committee has properly concluded its consultation and come to a conclusion, or will the Committee have to pray upon it in the House to ensure that the will of the House is sought?

Michelle Gildernew (Sinn Féin, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

The Loughs Agency is bringing forward the regulations, not the Department, so there is a distinct difference. The agency believes that an increase in size will promote the conservation benefits, and my understanding is that its evidence is based on surveys of oysters in the Foyle. The agency has under­taken work that it believes will bring about the best conservation measures, and I have to respect its work.

Francie Brolly (Sinn Féin, East Londonderry)

Go raibh míle maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. Gabhaim mo bhuíochas leis an Aire as a ráiteas. Tá ceist amháin agam air.

Will the Minister explain what the marine tourism strategy is hoping to achieve?

Michelle Gildernew (Sinn Féin, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

There is so much potential in the Foyle and Carlingford area that can be achieved through the proper outworking of the strategy, and the agency is working with bodies such as Tourism Ireland, Bord Fáilte and the local councils to deliver that. The project objectives promote a number of key themes. Those are to develop boating access and infrastructure; to develop visitor facilities at beaches; to deliver environmental education and interpretation; to raise visitor awareness by providing tourist information; to enhance habitat and develop angling infrastructure for coarse and game fisheries; to design and deliver tourism marine safety and boating training; and to effectively market the Foyle and Carlingford areas.

So, if it is successful in all of those areas, I imagine that the marine tourism strategy will be a great feather in the agency’s cap.

William Irwin (DUP, Newry and Armagh)

I thank the Minister for her statement. I welcome the recent visit by Arlene Foster to Glenarm fishery. Is DARD doing anything to help that sector in Northern Ireland?

Michelle Gildernew (Sinn Féin, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

Again, that is clearly outside the Foyle and Carlingford area and the agency’s remit, so I do not have any information on that.

Tom Elliott (UUP, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

The Minister indicated that there were discussions around the catching of eels in the Foyle and Carlingford areas. Did she or her Department have any impact on the Lough Erne eel management plan that was recently submitted to the European Union through the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)?

Michelle Gildernew (Sinn Féin, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

Again, that is outside the scope of the North/South Ministerial Council meeting in aquaculture and marine sectoral format. However, the eel management plan has been delivered. The Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure is primarily working with that, but it works very closely with DARD officials on that matter for the benefit of eel fisheries on Lough Erne and Lough Neagh.

Maurice (DUP, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

The Minister said:

“Ministers noted the impact of fishing conditions for the 2009 angling season”.

Will she elaborate on that? Furthermore, will she tell us, or find out for us, whether the Loughs Agency has received representation from any source about the future of fishing on the River Mourne?

Michelle Gildernew (Sinn Féin, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

I have not had an update from the Loughs Agency on that. We are talking about a meeting that happened on 20 July, so the timing needs to be taken into consideration. At that meeting, the Loughs Agency reported that the 2009 angling season had been affected adversely by the prevalent low-water conditions. The date is important because there were not many low-water conditions during the rest of the summer. However, we were talking about issues up to 20 July. The agency has also recently reported that flood-water conditions in the latter part of the season further contributed to poor conditions for anglers.

The total catch by game anglers cannot be determined until the season is closed and log books are returned. However, the agency estimates, at this time, that it is likely that game anglers will have caught and retained more salmon than the commercial fishery by the end of the season. The lowest commercial catch in the Foyle area in Loughs Agency records took place in the 2009 commercial season. The season was impacted by drought conditions in June and by flood-water conditions in the latter part of the season, but the agency has issued licences for 18 drift-net operators in Lough Foyle and 10 draft-net operators on the River Foyle.

Dolores Kelly (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Upper Bann)

I thank the Minister for her statement. What progress has been made by both jurisdictions on a common approach to a marine Bill? Also, were there discussions about fishing with regard to the state and condition of our rivers, and are any investments planned under INTERREG IV for our rivers?

Michelle Gildernew (Sinn Féin, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

No; the application is for the Foyle and Carlingford areas, and that is where the money is going. Again, the marine strategy is not part of the remit of the North/South Ministerial Council in aquaculture and marine sectoral format. The Department of the Environment is the lead Department on that.

David McClarty (UUP, East Londonderry)

The Speaker has received notice from the Minister for Regional Development that he wishes to make a statement on the regional transportation strategy review.

Conor Murphy (Sinn Féin, Newry and Armagh)

Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. Today, I announce a major review of the regional transportation strategy (RTS). Transport impacts upon us all: the parent on the school run; the farmer bringing goods to the markets; the commuter on the bus, train or bike; the lorry driver delivering goods around the region; the businessperson catching a flight to London or Paris; and young people heading out to the cinema. We all use transport in day-to-day life. Due to advances in technology and wealth, we are travelling more often and further. Our parents and grandparents did not have access to the opportunities that we now have; for them, homes and work were much closer, and a trip to the seaside was a once-a-year privilege. For us, it is not uncommon to commute for 40 or 50 miles a day. Many Assembly Members make such journeys, and some travel even further than that.

Although this new twenty-first century world offers many new opportunities, it also brings concerns. There are concerns about how we cope with the increasing demands on our transport infrastructure, about the impact of transport on the environment and about the impact of ever-rising fuel prices. Between 1992 and 2006, the number of cars increased by 80%. There are now 800,000 cars on the roads, and more journeys are made in the region and beyond. People commute further to jobs and schools, more routes are available to new destinations from airports, and the ports deal with more freight transport.

However, many people do not benefit from the car-dominated society: 26% of households here do not own a car, and that figure rises to more than 50% in some urban areas. We must think about the needs of all citizens, not just those who have access to a car.

We encourage investment and business development, and we are helping people to overcome such barriers to work as poor transport. We support training and transport schemes that can help people to access the jobs that are available elsewhere. Good, affordable public transport is vital for helping such people feel included and valued in society. Without access to an affordable and appropriate form of transport, people in many areas are unable to access education, employment, health and other services.

Public transport and roads are interdependent. Most people who use public transport travel by bus on the roads. Improvements to roads, including quality bus corridors and park-and-ride sites, therefore, benefit bus users as well as car drivers. A well-maintained road network, particularly in rural areas, is an important aspect of a good bus network.

The economy must also remain competitive to achieve the lifestyles that we want. We must be able to move goods around the region and have good connections beyond it. At the same time, the environmental impact of freight must be minimised as much as possible.

Perhaps the greatest challenge that we face involves the environment and climate change. The burning of fossil fuels increases the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Transport accounts for around a quarter of man-made greenhouse gas emissions in the North, and it is the only area in which emissions are rising rather than falling.

Since its publication in 2002, the speed and direction of change in society has overtaken the current regional transportation strategy, so a review is timely. The population, economy and the number of vehicles on the roads have grown much more quickly than had been originally forecast, while the issue of the environment and the challenge of addressing climate change have moved up everyone’s agenda.

Through the investment strategy, the Executive have secured levels of investment for infrastructure that exceed those predicted in the RTS, but it is now difficult to predict how much investment will be available in the longer term. As the economy develops, North/South and east-west relationships are also developing and changing.

The review of the regional transportation strategy is not, however, being undertaken in isolation. Review and reform is happening across government, and transportation must align itself with planned initiatives and reviews that collectively influence the way that we live and work and the services and facilities that we enjoy. For example, the RTS is a vital component of the regional development strategy, which sets out a framework to influence growth for greater sustainability and better balanced development across the region. The regional development strategy is itself under review. The review of public administration and the public transport reform initiative will shift responsibilities in the planning and delivery of transport in the future.

It is vital that we develop the ability to manage the transport strategy with others across these islands. We must work together with other Administrations on a North/South and east-west basis to improve connections between our networks to enhance the free movement of goods and people. All of that must be completed in a sustainable fashion and against a backdrop of an increasing local, national and European direction that is designed to address the environmental impacts.

Sustainable development is generally defined as:

“development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.

The Executive’s sustainable development strategy aims to move our region towards a sustainable economy that strikes a better balance between the three different aspects of sustainable development: social, environmental and economic considerations. It seems sensible to me that the transportation strategy review reflects and complements all those elements.

Of course, we are not starting with a blank sheet. The current strategy has a set of expected outcomes that cover aspects such as transport emissions, road safety, transport speeds, and coverage and patronage of public transport. Since taking up office, I have been committed to tackling years of underinvestment in transportation and to delivering balanced improvement of the infrastructure.

I have agreed to a rapid-transit system for Belfast, which will provide people in the city with a new, dynamic means of getting around. It will play a significant part in improving access to new employment and education opportunities, as well as leisure and health facilities. It will help to regenerate neighbourhoods and to provide Belfast with a twenty-first century public transport solution that will complement existing services.

We have completed work on the Westlink, which has improved linkages across the city and has helped to ease journey times for all road users, particularly the haulage industry. We have widened the Belfast-bound carriageway between the Sandyknowes and Greencastle junctions and the country-bound carriageway over the Greencastle junction. We have replaced a number of bridges.

I am addressing the peripherality of counties Fermanagh, Tyrone and Derry with a comprehensive package of road improvements. A dual carriageway will be built on the A4 between Dungannon and Ballygawley. We will undertake the biggest road project on the island when we build a dual carriageway on the A5. We will also build a dual carriageway on the A6 between Derry and Dungiven and between Randalstown and Castledawson.

Those road projects are vital to connect rural communities and to open up new business opportunities. Access to ports is also crucial to our economic well-being. Dualling proposals for the A8 between Ballyclare and Larne will contribute positively to improving journey times, which will benefit the travelling public and the business community.

I am not just in the business of building roads. When I took office, the railway line to Derry was under threat. Now, my Department is buying more new trains and improving the track. Links between the two major population centres in the North are important. The new trains will improve the frequency of services. The track improvements, when completed, will mean that journey times between the two cities will be reduced by 30 minutes. It is now planned that, for the first time, commuter trains will arrive in Derry before 9.00 am.

Good progress has been made on increasing rail and Metro passenger numbers and the number of cycling journeys, as well as on reducing accidents. Initiatives such as Travelwise, which encourages the use of sustainable transport options such as walking, cycling, car sharing and public transport, have played a part. Capital investment in infrastructure has also certainly provided benefits. It is worth emphasising that new road schemes throughout the North and new trains and buses on the rail and bus networks have made a positive improvement.

Conversely, although vehicle speeds in Belfast and on the strategic roads network have decreased, road-safety figures are still comparatively high. There is still an over-dependence on the private car. Against the background of more cars on the roads, transport emissions continue to increase. The availability of public transport, particularly in rural areas, is always contentious. Accessibility for people who have mobility difficulties still presents barriers that need to be overcome.

Of course, I am conscious that those are snapshots and that not all the planned schemes to implement the strategy will be delivered until later in the plan period due to the longer lead-in times that are associated with statutory processes. There are challenges ahead. The Department will seek to build on what has been achieved and to provide strategic direction for transportation here.

Since 2002, the transportation scene has changed significantly and continues to evolve. Although investment so far has undoubtedly made a difference, trends suggest that there is still more work to be done to persuade people out of their cars and towards public transport and to avoid the increasing problem of congestion and environmental pollution. Independent research indicates that only three out of ten people use bus services regularly, and one person in ten uses rail services.

With the rise in car ownership, there is greater congestion on the roads. That adversely affects the movement of goods, which relies on the road network. That, in turn, affects the economy. Access to airports, seaports and key tourism sites that play such a vital part in expanding the economy also needs to be reassessed.

Transport emissions continue to rise. They must be tackled through changing driver behaviour, modal shift and better journey planning. We need to offer better facilities for active travel, such as cycling and walking, which present health benefits for everyone.

Transportation is a crucial component to society’s well-being. It provides access to employment, leisure, education, health and social activities. It can assist the regeneration of neighbourhoods and economic activity and can help to include people who feel isolated and ignored.

Although the current strategy has been successful in attracting funding for transport, I believe that a higher-level strategy is now needed that is based on public consultation and gives all people who live here an opportunity to set the key outcomes and priorities that they want for the transportation network.

A revised strategy could include aims to reduce the impact of transport on greenhouse gas emissions; to improve the efficient, reliable and sustainable movement of freight; to improve access to education, training and lifelong learning; to improve travel safety; and to improve access to key visitor attractions. While recognising that not everything can be achieved at once, the strategy will identify the key priorities for transport here and include indicators for key outcomes in order to allow their achievement to be measured.

The current strategy is being implemented through three transport plans, and any review will of course have a bearing on those plans. It does not strike me as sensible to suspend the implementation of those plans while the review is ongoing, particularly where the funding has been allocated to specific schemes and commitments have been given.

The review is likely to be completed in 2010 and will prompt us to review the transport plans and the accessible transport strategy which expire in 2015. I am equally conscious that the investment strategy has provision for transportation well beyond that time, and that in turn will have further implications.

The implications of the review go beyond my Department, and Executive colleagues will have a keen interest in influencing the review. Engagement with other key interested parties has already commenced. I know of and welcome the Regional Development Committee’s inquiry into sustainable transport. As it features the social, economic and environmental aspects of sustainable transport, I fully expect its findings and outcomes to inform and influence the review.

Members of the integrated transport stakeholder group, which acts as a consultative body to me on the implementation of the regional transportation strategy, have also already added to the discussion and debate. I am grateful to both for their contribution, which I am sure will continue and will allow us to mould a revised strategy that will be relevant and appropriate to our circumstances.

I am keen to engage with Members and others on the key outcomes and priorities to help generate discussion and debate on the issues. To help in this task, my Department has prepared a discussion document that outlines some of our thinking. I am conscious that we do not have a monopoly or a complete prescription on what needs to be done, and I am keen to hear views and ideas that will inform the review and start to build consensus on the way forward. I encourage Members and others to consider and respond to the questions posed.

The discussion document is part of a comprehensive engagement process that will result in a draft revised regional transportation strategy that will be subject to a full public consultation process. Members and others will consequently have a further opportunity to share their views and help influence the final outcomes. The ultimate aim is to have a revised strategy available to help inform the 2010 comprehensive spending review. Go raibh míle maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle.

Michelle McIlveen (DUP, Strangford)

I thank the Minister for his statement. If the revised strategy will not propose individual schemes or funding levels, how will the Department ensure that the key priorities of funding and prioritisation for transport will be delivered? Further to that, how does the Minister plan to manage the transition from the current RTS to the proposed revised RTS, which will be at a much higher level?

Conor Murphy (Sinn Féin, Newry and Armagh)

I welcome Miss McIlveen to the Regional Development Committee and look forward to working with her and the other new members who recently joined the Committee.

The Member is aware that there is an investment strategy, a road-building programme and an infrastructure development strategy. Commitments have been given, and work has begun. It is sensible to continue with that as far as budgets will allow.

The regional transportation strategy tackles the issues from the broader perspective of how we go forward as a region. The end period for that is anticipated to be 2035. The strategy will look at key questions that perhaps were not so high up the agenda such as the environmental impact of transport and the increasing number of cars, which I referred to in my statement. It will look at the broader perspective of the Department and at where the emphasis of the Department lies.

A major road-building programme is going on now. Once the key transport corridors are complete — many of them are either in design stage or construction stage or well on their way to that outcome — questions will arise for us as a region and an Assembly about which direction we want transportation to go in with the funding that we have and the considerations that influence that. Rather than getting into the detail of specific projects and what will happen where, we want to try to set a key standard for that.

Obviously there is a management issue with the current strategy. As I said, I am keen for that strategy to continue being implemented until such time as we have a new direction. That will involve consultation with groups such as the Committee, the integrated transport stakeholder group, which we meet regularly, and my officials. By talking to other people and through the public consultation, we want to ensure that we manage that transition from what currently exists to a consensus on what is needed for the future.

Raymond McCartney (Sinn Féin, Foyle)

Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as a ráiteas inniu. I preface my remarks by thanking the Minister for his statement and by welcoming his intervention last Friday on the rescheduling of the timetable in Derry to ensure that trains will now come into the city at 9.00 am.

Will the Minister outline how the review will fit in with the regional development strategy?

Conor Murphy (Sinn Féin, Newry and Armagh)

As I said in my statement, a number of reviews are ongoing, and the regional development strategy is one of the key reviews. To reflect that, it is natural that the regional transportation strategy is also reviewed. Those reviews are fairly substantial documents. Ultimately, they are Executive documents, but they will be taken forward by the Department. We have Executive buy-in to the process that we launched, to my statement today and to the discussion document that was launched.

It is important that all the strategies that the Executive develop, including the reform of local government and many of the other important issues that are being looked at, complement one other. It is also important that we do not have a position, either in a Department or between Departments, in which there are competing strategies or strategies that do not dovetail. Making sure that that does not happen is one of the benefits of having all Executive Ministers discuss those and other matters on a regular basis.

The review is closely aligned with the regional development strategy. That strategy will also align closely with the planning reform process, the changes to local government and a range of other strategies that the Executive are considering for implementation. It is key that all of those strategies complement one other.

Danny Kinahan (UUP, South Antrim)

I congratulate the Minister’s Department on much of the great work that it does. Does he accept that our transport infrastructure is not keeping pace with the demands being placed on it and that his Department’s statistic-driven decision-making may be limiting some of its decisions?

Does the Minister also accept that, for commuters in south Antrim and many other parts of Northern Ireland, the public transport network does not provide an option that is cheap enough or has enough capacity for growth to compete with road travel and that the resultant increase in private traffic creates a vicious circle of unreliability for all methods of transport during peak times? As fuel costs continue to rise, does he accept that the review must provide radical and innovative solutions to this growing problem?

Conor Murphy (Sinn Féin, Newry and Armagh)

I want to see the review providing radical and innovative solutions to all our transportation problems. I do not necessarily concur with all that the Member said.

Passenger numbers on public transport are increasing, as is the number of people using cars. Therefore, the issue is getting a balance. We live in a largely rural area, and the road infrastructure is important. All our freight travels by road. The ability of regions to compete and participate in economic growth and development depends on them being connected by roads and the ease with which freight can get to and from them.

There are always competing demands, and the strategy will allow us, in consultation with the Assembly and all the other interested parties, to get that balance right. People will argue that a substantial amount of money is being invested in the roads, but we are emerging from a period of substantial catch-up. The Member talked about demands on the transportation system, but there are competing demands. There are demands for a better road network to get goods about and move people to and from opportunities for work and education. There are also demands relating to the impact that the amount of traffic on our roads has on increasing carbon emissions.

There are always competing demands; the issue is about striking the right balance, trying to get a proper level of investment in public transport and trying to get a public transport system that encourages usage, operates efficiently and effectively and provides a comfortable and reliable service and all the other things that are required of public transport. The review will allow the Department to further develop that sort of thinking. That is the type of balance that we have been trying to strike since I came into office. With the investment that is available to us, which is limited because we compete for it with all other Departments, we will try to continue to strike that balance.

Tommy Gallagher (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

The Minister’s statement on the review and the key issues associated with CO2 emissions and the contribution of transport to congestion and connectivity is important.

Further to the points that other Members made about the importance of better public transport, can the Minister outline any steps that his Department can take to introduce healthy competition to the public transport sector? The Committee for Regional Development heard that his Department, although talking about possible competition, intends to continue to regulate the market for all operators. His Department also needs to look in more depth at transport in peripheral areas. The paper today gives us the line that extending the dual carriageway to Ballygawley and improving the road from Dublin to Derry is addressing peripherality in Fermanagh. That is no substitute for addressing peripherality, and it needs to be looked at in greater detail.

Conor Murphy (Sinn Féin, Newry and Armagh)

I am surprised by the Member’s approach to competition in public transport; I thought that he perhaps would not support an increasingly privatised public transport system. The lesson from England is that deregulation — of bus services in particular — was a disaster.

There is an attempt in the reform of public transport to make sure that we get the right service appropriate to here. That is why Translink will continue to be the largest public transport provider. There are other operators in the field, and there is a degree of competition as is, but there is no suggestion that the only way of improving the service is to deregulate it and open it up to more private companies and more competition. Nonetheless, I have no doubt that we will continue to develop those discussions in our engagement with the Committee.

There is, particularly in the west, Fermanagh and Tyrone and in Donegal and Sligo, a sense of peripherality. The dual carriageway and the improvements to the Dublin-Derry road are major schemes in their own right, but they are not the only ones. We are looking at improvements in and around Enniskillen and at the further development of the proposed southern bypass for Enniskillen; all those are coming on board.

Recently, I visited Fermanagh and, with my colleague Michelle Gildernew, had the opportunity to look at the roads network. I am conscious of the sense of peripherality there and of the limitations on our structural maintenance budget for the improvement that is needed on some of the non-major routes at county council level. However, I am not suggesting for one minute that the road improvement schemes outlined in my statement are the be-all and end-all for Fermanagh or the rest of the west, although they will make a significant contribution to reducing the sense of peripherality. I have no doubt that we will continue to be reminded of what else is required there.

Brian Wilson (Green, North Down)

I thank the Minister for his statement, and I welcome the review. The Minister said that there has been a significant increase in car usage and in carbon emissions since 2002. It is important that the Department move away from being the Department of road building and concreting over the countryside. The original strategy suggested a spending ratio of roads to public transport of 65:35. That has failed —

David McClarty (UUP, East Londonderry)

Order.

Brian Wilson (Green, North Down)

That has failed —

David McClarty (UUP, East Londonderry)

Order, order. Sit. This is a time for questions to the Minister; it is not a time for making a speech. Ask a question, Mr Wilson.

Brian Wilson (Green, North Down)

I am sorry. The suggested ratio of roads to public transport was 65:35. Is the Minister still committed to that ratio and, if so, how does he propose to achieve it?

Conor Murphy (Sinn Féin, Newry and Armagh)

I have accepted publicly that that is not the current ratio, even though it was the intended one. It comes down to the sometimes simplistic argument of roads versus public transport, an argument that I do not accept, as the vast majority of public transport goes on the roads. Therefore investment in roads infrastructure and improvement to roads is not necessarily a downside to public transport; it is, in fact, an improvement. We want to continue that through the building of quality bus corridors, park-and-ride facilities and other investment in the rural roads networks. The rural roads network assists public transport in places where the railway system, even if we had the investment to put into it, would never reach.

It is important that, in the type of region that we live in, investment in roads continues. Of course, we want to move towards the 65:35 ratio, and I am committed to trying to achieve the ratio of spend that the Member outlined. As I said in response to a previous question, the transport corridors that people envisage as the key linkages between the centres of population are either under way or at design stage. Although there will always be arguments for road improvement schemes, that will allow us to start to shift the focus of the public transport debate, not into the distant future, but a substantial number of years into the future. It will allow us to shift to the type of debate that the Member outlined.

Allan Bresland (DUP, West Tyrone)

I welcome the Minister’s statement. In the light of the current economic downturn, will he confirm that additional funding is in place to complete the planned schemes in the existing regional transportation strategy?

Conor Murphy (Sinn Féin, Newry and Armagh)

The Budget has been agreed up to 2011. I think that it was brought to the House in January 2008, voted on by the Assembly and adopted and agreed on unanimously by the Executive. A range of further schemes is identified in the investment strategy, and they will come online if the finances are available for them. That is why I always include that caveat when answering questions or making statements on matters that are subject to budgetary processes. However, I anticipate that we will continue to invest as outlined in the investment strategy.

The planned improvements to the key transport corridors, the additional investment in the railway system, the new trains, the investment in the track and the purchase of buses are key elements of the current transportation strategy and will continue to be key elements of a new transportation strategy. I certainly hope and intend to be able to invest as we have outlined. We will, obviously, return to a budgetary process after 2011, which will provide the Member with final answers to his question.

Maurice (DUP, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

I want to ask the Minister about two issues. His statement mentions the fact that the A4 is being dualled from Dungannon to Ballygawley. Is that scheme on schedule, and will it be completed within the timescale that has been outlined?

I asked the deputy First Minister about this matter, but he seems to think that I should talk to the Minister for Regional Development about it. As I said earlier, the A5 is quite a controversial route, particularly the section from Aughnacloy to Ballygawley, where two new roads will run parallel to each other. It strikes me and many others, particularly farmers who will lose big tracts of land, that the new part of the A5 that is under construction from Tullyvar to Ballygawley will not be able to connect with another road that will be built in a couple of years. The two new roads will end up running parallel to each other, and one may make the other redundant. I want the Minister to comment on that matter, particularly on the fact that a section of that road has a two-and-a-half-mile curve on it. Why has that happened? It is beyond belief. The Minister has selected the preferred route, but is he prepared to reconsider?

Furthermore, his statement says that independent research indicates that only three in 10 people use bus services regularly and one in 10 people uses rail services. I wonder how those data were collected. For instance, does it take into account that one in 10 —

David McClarty (UUP, East Londonderry)

Order. I think that you have asked a question, Lord Morrow.

Maurice (DUP, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

I notice that another Member got to ask four questions on one occasion, but I suppose that I am different.

Conor Murphy (Sinn Féin, Newry and Armagh)

I will try to deal with all those questions.

I have heard nothing to suggest that there are any delays to the A4 scheme. Although there was adverse weather during the summer, the report that I read suggested that it would not impact on delivery or on the achievement of the target date for completion. I can check that matter again and let the Member know whether any other information is available.

The Member mentioned the A5 scheme, particularly the stretch between Aughnacloy and Ballygawley. He will know that the original improvements that are under way in that area were planned and envisaged before the funding was committed, particularly from the Southern side, for the type of road that we are now able to build from Aughnacloy to Derry.

The route was selected in accordance with those planned improvements, and a wide consultation process brought us to the stage at which the route corridor was selected. In the overall scheme of things, we are now looking at minor adjustments to the project. Therefore, I cannot agree to revisit the scheme, given that there was substantial consultation on it, including public consultation and an examination of all the available route options against a range of measures by which such things are judged. That was the preferred route, it was launched, and there will be further discussions with the people who have been affected on issues such as land acquisition, access to land, or the division of farmland. I do not doubt that that process is under way.

The same process took place with the Dungannon to Ballygawley project, in which a large number of landowners was affected. Substantial negotiations took place on the issues that that scheme raised. I cannot give a definitive answer as to where those two schemes can knit together properly, but I will ask Roads Service to provide a briefing for the Member.

Tom Elliott (UUP, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

I am somewhat concerned about the Minister’s answer to Lord Morrow’s question about the A5. Will he confirm that an equality impact assessment will be carried out on the proposed route to determine who it will affect under section 75? Will he listen to the concerns of groups and individuals and give a reasonable assessment of their proposals and suggestions?

Conor Murphy (Sinn Féin, Newry and Armagh)

The examination of route options does not take account of the Protestant route or the Catholic route. Options are examined against a range of criteria, such as environmental or economic impact, and I do not think that religion is one of those. I am sure that the Member is aware that a similar approach was taken for the Dungannon to Ballygawley route, which is in his constituency. The same criteria were analysed so that the preferred route could be selected.

I am not sure that section 75 applies when making decisions about roads; the choice between a Catholic route or a Protestant route does not come into it. The consultations with people who are affected by the proposed route will continue, as they did in a range of other schemes.

There have been similar schemes in my constituency in the past few years, one of which is under way at the moment. The people who are affected will be consulted to ensure that they are compensated properly for loss of land and that access and other issues are worked on. There has been a number of major road-building schemes not just in the North but right across the island in recent years, and every one of those projects encountered the types of issues that the Member raised. On every occasion, many such issues were sorted out with affected landowners. I have no doubt that the landowners affected in this instance will get an opportunity to make their voices heard. They should be listened to properly and compensated adequately for any impact that the scheme may have on them.

P J Bradley (Social Democratic and Labour Party, South Down)

I thank the Minister for his statement. Earlier today, the deputy First Minister was asked about the Narrow Water bridge project. In reply, he talked more about the southern relief road around Newry. Where will the Narrow Water bridge project fit into the review of the regional transportation strategy? Will the Minister for Regional Development confirm that he is 100% committed to the Narrow Water bridge project on a stand-alone basis?

Conor Murphy (Sinn Féin, Newry and Armagh)

I have answered that question so many times that the Member should be aware of the answer, but I will go through it again for him. The Narrow Water bridge project is being carried forward by the Southern authorities. They have granted money to Louth County Council to appoint consultants to assess the viability of options for the bridge project. Roads Service has been asked only to provide technical information on what the arrangements might be on the Warrenpoint side if such a project were to go ahead. I have expressed my support for that, and that remains unchanged: I would be happy to see the bridge developed. However, I repeat: the question of whether the scheme goes ahead is one for the authorities in Dublin. Neither Roads Service nor I have been asked to make any financial contribution to the project other than to assist with the provision of information and technical advice on the Northern side. That position remains unchanged. It is the same one that I articulated to the Member two years ago, and several times since.

Naomi Long (Alliance, Belfast East)

I thank the Minister for his statement and am glad to see that he is committed to making public transport a priority. I hope that it will also be a priority for those who have cars and choose to use public transport, not only those who do not have cars, although that is very important.

The Minister mentioned rapid transit for Belfast and is aware of public concerns about that scheme in east Belfast. Will the Minister provide an update on the time frame for consultation on that proposal? Will other options for using what is currently a dedicated walking and cycling route be included in any consultation that will go to the public?

Conor Murphy (Sinn Féin, Newry and Armagh)

We have been around the houses a few times on that issue as well. The Member is aware that the Comber Greenway was identified very early on for rapid transit, even before it was developed as a walkway. It is a fine amenity. I have walked it myself and understand the attachment that the people of east Belfast have to it.

I will bring the Member up to date. Conclusions on the rapid transit system have not yet been reached. An examination is ongoing, and an examination is also ongoing of other routes in east Belfast. I am not in a position to give the Member a definitive answer. The Member and other interested parties will be informed of when and how a conclusion is reached, what options were considered and how the final decision was made. No decision has yet been reached.

Alastair Ross (DUP, East Antrim)

The Minister’s statement focused on public transport and on how to get people out of cars and onto public transport. We could all subscribe to that, but does the Minister agree that the approach taken should be to make public transport more attractive to people, rather than going down the route of congestion charging or increasing town-centre car parking, which would have a negative effect on town centres?

Conor Murphy (Sinn Féin, Newry and Armagh)

There is a balance between the carrot and the stick. The Member is right: public transport must be accessible and attractive. We have to move away from the notion that buses are only used by students and pensioners and that, once one can afford a car, one is no longer seen on a bus. Part of that is to do with improving public transport and its image, as well as the reality of using it. Trains will play a big part in that, and the rapid transit proposition for Belfast will also help.

Questions remain over how to deal with congestion and the number of cars coming into the city. Preventative measures may include the availability of car parking as well as the cost of it. The Member will see, through consultation, that there is an attempt to strike a balance. Reducing congestion is not just about trying to punish car users. If we improve the quality bus corridors and the rapid transit route, so that people in cars can see public transport getting to its destination much quicker than they can, perhaps that will convince car users to opt for the public transport option instead.

There will be a range of measures. The purpose of the review and the new transportation strategy is to try to ensure that there are complementary measures, so that it is not all carrot and no stick or vice versa.

Mitchel McLaughlin (Sinn Féin, South Antrim)

Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle.

I welcome the Minister’s statement, particularly the emphasis on his personal commitment to sustainable development. Will the Minister consider, in the context of the discussion and the consultation process, publishing commissioned research on the developing technology of battery-powered transportation? An experiment is currently being carried out in Paris with compressed-air hybrid engines. That type of innovative approach would make a significant impact on the environmental issue of emissions and would attract public and tourism interests.

Conor Murphy (Sinn Féin, Newry and Armagh)

I agree with the Member. We have to keep abreast of current and developing technology around more efficient and environmentally sustainable means of transport and ways of providing energy for that transport.

Currently, Translink’s fleet uses a blend of 5% biofuel and 95% ultra-low-sulphur diesel. Translink is committed to continue to monitor the future availability and sustainability of alternative fuel blends. European directives may push us further and faster down that road anyway.

There is a commitment to use the most advanced technology possible, and we are looking at the rapid-transit proposals to see what types of vehicles might be used. Whether we commission research or take advantage of the substantial body of work that has been done, I am happy to examine all the options. I will try to ensure that we have the most cutting-edge technology available in order to provide the most environmentally friendly solution.

George Robinson (DUP, East Londonderry)

I welcome the capital investment in public transport in recent years and agree that public transport can provide many benefits for the population. Does the Minister agree that it is essential to have public transport that suits the user, or passenger, rather than the company? We saw a situation on the Londonderry line recently in which the Minister had to intervene to ensure that passengers had a more accessible timetable.

Conor Murphy (Sinn Féin, Newry and Armagh)

I do not intend to be involved in working out timetables for Translink. However, the Member is right that there are occasions when a broader look must be taken at decisions that the Transport Holding Company makes, and how those decisions impact on passengers. Translink has a passenger charter, to which it has adhered fairly well. Everyone who provides a public service, not just in public transport, should be focused on the customer’s needs. All services, and the decisions that determine the provision of those services, should be for the good of the customer. After all, the whole purpose is to try to encourage more people to use the rail network and to avail themselves of public transport provision. That will be achieved only by focusing on what people want, what they need to get from A to B and at what time they need it. I concur with the Member’s view that we can always improve on putting the customer first.

David McClarty (UUP, East Londonderry)

The Speaker has received notice from the Minister of the Environment that he wishes to make a statement on the reform of the planning system in Northern Ireland.

Edwin Poots (DUP, Lagan Valley)

With your permission, Mr Deputy Speaker, I will make a statement to advise formally that I have issued my planning reform proposals for public consultation. Members will be aware that the consultation paper ‘Reform of the Planning System in Northern Ireland: Your chance to influence change’ was issued for public consultation on 6 July 2009. On 3 July, I indicated that protocol did not permit me to make a written or oral statement owing to the paper’s launch falling during the summer recess. I also indicated that I would make a statement to the Assembly as soon as was practical after recess, and that is the purpose of my statement today.

The reforms that are proposed in the consultation paper represent the most far-reaching changes to our planning system in more than 30 years. The proposals will help to transform our mainly regulatory planning system into a more responsive one that helps to enable appropriate development and to manage it in the public interest in order to achieve sustainable economic growth. Members will know that there has been widespread pressure for reform of the planning system from many quarters over the past few years.

We all recognise that the planning system needs to be able to adapt much more flexibly and quickly to the many challenges that face our society. The Executive’s key aim is to grow the economy, and we need a planning system that will help us to do that. The recent global economic difficulties and the very challenging outlook for Northern Ireland reinforce the need to reform the planning system to make it more effective and responsive to the needs of all users.

Economic growth, including major infrastructure provision, requires development, but that development must be sustainable and take account of all relevant considerations in the wider public interest. The competing interests that often emerge in the assessment of development proposals require our planning system to balance important social, economic and environmental considerations.

However, I must stress the importance that should be attached to the economic benefits of a development proposal as a material consideration when a decision is being made on a planning application. My predecessor, Minister Wilson, made a statement on that matter shortly before leaving office.

I realise that the planning system cannot be expected to satisfy all interests all of the time. A reformed planning system should, however, enable timelier decision-making in a way that is transparent, demonstrably fair and delivers better development decisions. No one should underestimate the scale of the reform programme, particularly when combined with the transfer of responsibility for the majority of the planning functions to the 11 new district councils. The reforms that I propose are fundamental and wide-ranging, and, over time, almost every aspect of the system will change.

I will take a few minutes to draw out some of the key elements of my proposal. I propose a new streamlined, fit-for-purpose and responsive local development planning system that will enable the 11 new district councils, communities and developers to work together on the preparation of plans setting out a clear and realistic vision of how places should change and what they will look like in the future. The proposals are intended to produce more flexible local development plans in a shorter timescale, which will reduce from the current six and a half years to approximately three and a half years.

I propose a new two-stage process comprising a planned strategy document and a site-specific policies and proposals document. The introduction of a structured programme management approach will help to ensure speedier delivery. The replacement of the issues stage with a preferred options document will help to increase the participation of the public and other stakeholders early in the process. Plans will be more strategic and responsive, and they will provide greater clarity.

As far as the more effective processing of applications is concerned, we must move away from the current system of development control to a new regime of development management. The proposals are intended to change the culture of the planning application process to ensure that it is responsive to different types of proposals and that it will help to deliver development, rather than mainly control it. It is a question of improving efficiency in determining applications while preserving the safeguards in the system and enhancing public and community involvement at appropriate points in the process.

The creation of a hierarchy of development is a fundamental element of managing development. The intention is to encourage a more proportionate approach to processing applications by focusing resources on proposals that involve a greater economic, social or environmental impact. The hierarchy determines whether a development is classified as regionally significant, major or local, and that, in turn, affects the way in which an application is processed. By introducing new processes, such as performance agreements, pre-application community consultation and predetermination council hearings, we hope to achieve efficiency, greater certainty about timescales and enhanced transparency and openness.

The introduction of arrangements for the delegation of decision-making to officers, thereby building on the successful streamlining project, will also speed up decision-making and enable work on the ground to start more quickly.

Enforcement is also inextricably linked to development management. The power to take action against unauthorised development and breaches of planning control is a fundamental element of the planning process. Without it, the credibility and integrity of the planning system would be undermined. The consultation paper seeks views but offers no firm proposals on the introduction of provisions similar to those proposed as part of reforms in Scotland, such as fixed penalty notices for breaches of planning control. The consultation paper re-examines the issue of criminalisation. The paper sets out in more detail the advantages and disadvantages of making it a criminal offence to commence development without the required planning permission, and it seeks current public opinion on those matters.

I am considering the role and content of planning policy statements. I propose that they should, in future, provide strategic direction and regional policy advice. The new councils would subsequently interpret that information in local development plans. I have asked my officials to ensure that future planning policy statements are shorter, more focused and prepared more quickly.

Another key proposal relates to the role that consultee bodies play in the planning process. I propose to expand the list of statutory consultees to ensure that, post-RPA, planning authorities consult relevant statutory bodies. In conjunction with that, I intend to introduce a statutory obligation on the relevant authorities to respond within a specified time frame.

Although I recognise the current extremely difficult economic climate, there is an important debate to be had in relation to the contribution that the development industry can make to the provision of the infrastructure that is necessary for Northern Ireland’s economic and social improvement, and on the best, or most suitable, efficient, and effective ways for securing such contributions. The consultation paper will begin the debate on those issues.

In view of the previous and continuing interest from some parties, I have re-examined the case for third-party appeals as part of the planning-reform programme. Although there are benefits claimed for third-party appeals, there will also be costs and impacts on the planning system. The proposals relating to front-loading third-party involvement in the planning system will promote better-quality plans and policies that will then provide a firmer basis for decision-making. Therefore, the consultation paper does not propose to make provision for third-party appeals in the current package of reform that is to be brought forward by 2011. However, I am keen to take views on the issue. All views will be fully considered before a final decision is reached.

Building capacity, both in the planning system and with stakeholder bodies, councils, consultees, developers, and so on, will be critical to the success of the proposed reforms. Neither I nor my officials can build that capacity into the system. It requires all stakeholder organisations to consider their roles and to play their part in increasing understanding, knowledge and capacity in order to improve the planning system.

Of course, we cannot ignore the issue of funding. We are talking about a different approach to planning as it is one of the new functions to be delivered by the new councils. I recognise that funding needs to be explored carefully in the new operational arrangements. Although planning fees will continue to be set centrally post-transfer, the arrangement will be reviewed in the future.

If accepted, many of the proposed reforms will require legislative changes, which take time. Of course, we will continue to take immediate steps to improve the planning system where we can, particularly to introduce measures to speed up the system so that it contributes to the Executive’s top priority of promoting economic growth. My officials have taken forward work in a range of areas to improve effectiveness in the short term. In May 2011, the responsibility for the majority of planning functions will move from the Planning Service to the 11 new councils, creating a two-tier system of planning, with new roles for central and local government. The reform proposals were prepared in that context.

Local representatives will become the decision-makers on the majority of planning applications and will set the context for those decisions through their new local development plan functions. The only exception will be a small number of applications that have regional or sub-regional significance. Those will be processed by central government and will be determined by the Minister of the Environment. The new district councils will also act as consultees on regional plans and policies, including the regional development strategy. They will also carry out enforcement against the breaches of planning control. In addition, local government will assume responsibility for associated resources, including the planning staff who will transfer with the relevant planning function. That represents a solid foundation for the development of strong, effective local government that delivers a broader range of services.

Of key importance is the provision of high-quality, efficient services that respond to the needs of people and continuously improve over time. As already indicated, the consultation commenced on 6 July and will close on 2 October. Stakeholder consultation events are running throughout September in each of the 11 new council areas. Planning officials are attending each of those sessions to discuss and to respond to queries on the proposal. Details of the stakeholder events that are still to take place are available through the Planning Service website. I encourage everyone who has an interest in planning to attend one of the remaining events if they have not already had the chance to do so, and to respond to the consultation paper.

All responses will be considered carefully before final policy decisions are taken. If the public consultation process indicates support for the proposals, significant change will be required by all players in the planning system to adapt to new and different procedures and to change culture and mindsets.

The publication of the consultation paper lays the foundation for transforming the current planning system and is a significant step on the journey to securing greater effectiveness and responsiveness for all users of the system. It is important that everybody contributes to the debate on how to ensure that Northern Ireland has a first-class planning system that serves the needs of all the people. I commend the planning reform consultation paper to the Assembly.

Dolores Kelly (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Upper Bann)

I thank the Minister for his statement. Last week, his officials drew my Committee’s attention to the fact that no budget has been secured beyond this financial year for the additional staff needed for the planning reform process. The officials indicated that there are insufficient funds of almost £1 million to cover the cost of staff required to address the extensive programme of work needed to reform the planning system and to prepare for the transfer of planning functions to the new councils by May 2011.

How does the Minister anticipate funding the delivery of his planning reform proposals? I welcome his commitment to grow the economy and to give weight to planning applications of an economic bent. However, given the length of time required and the present dire need to grow the economy, will the Minister now advise his Department on decisions on current planning applications that have an economic focus?

Edwin Poots (DUP, Lagan Valley)

I thank the Committee Chairperson for her question. I will bid for the full anticipated requirement for the delivery of planning reform, which is vital for the well-being of Northern Ireland. I anticipate receiving the support of the Committee in those bids, because it always strengthens a Minister’s case to have Committee support in making such bids. I assume that the Committee will be unanimous in providing that support.

I will give, and have given, a clear direction to the Planning Service that it must issue decisions in light of economic conditions. I wish to deal with many issues that relate to the existing backlog. I will seek to encourage faster decisions, even if they are refusals, because people prefer certainty rather than uncertainty. It is better to issue refusals than to have indecision followed by refusal two years down the line. I want decisions that benefit the local economy and that can be acted on by applicants.

Peter Weir (DUP, North Down)

I thank the Minister for his statement. A major frustration for Members who have been involved in local government and in the planning process is the length of time that it takes for a planning application to come to fruition. That can frustrate applicants, those dealing with the issue from a local government perspective and, sometimes, objectors.

The length of time that statutory consultees take causes big delays. Will the Minister outline how his proposals will address the problem of the length of consultation time for statutory bodies? Will he expand on his statement on that issue?

Edwin Poots (DUP, Lagan Valley)

Statutory consultees have improved, and many organisations that are not related to my Department have improved considerably. I acknowledge the help of other Departments in that improvement, but there is more work to do.

The worst organisation, the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA), is in my Department. Although it has made considerable improvements, I want it to make greater improvements. In England, for example, the deadline for responses is 21 days. As part of our reforms, we will seek to introduce a deadline of 21 or 28 days. We await public feedback on what is best. That is how we intend to improve statutory consultees’ reporting processes.

Cathal Boylan (Sinn Féin, Newry and Armagh)

Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. Cuirim fáilte roimh ráiteas an Aire.

I welcome the Minister’s statement, and I wish him every success in his new role. Perhaps it will be third time lucky for me, and there will be no new Ministers until the end of the mandate.

Third-party appeals are a live issue. If there is strong support for third-party appeals, either in verbal or written form, will the Minister seriously consider implementing them in the final policy?

I wish to raise the matter of the economic benefits of a development proposal as a material consideration. In the absence of draft area plans, people have made submissions to develop ground. Given the potential economic benefits, will the Minister consider examining some of those applications, even in the absence of area plans, because it will be some time before the policy is operating? Go raibh míle maith agat.

Edwin Poots (DUP, Lagan Valley)

We are considering other systems to deal with third-party appeals. People have asked us to consider various examples, and we are happy to do so. We have to weigh up the advantages of third-party appeals, which provide the public with extensive opportunities to become involved throughout the planning process. However, there are disadvantages. For instance, they can slow up the planning system, and I would be deeply concerned that that might cause the system to stagnate, which would not benefit anyone. Nevertheless, we have certainly not closed the door on third-party appeals, and we will consider the matter further.

I particularly ask people to consider the benefits of front-loading applications, whereby public consultation takes place at an early point. We want developers to consult with the public and, when possible, come to an agreed way forward. We are looking for real and meaningful discussion between those who are developing projects and members of the public, but we will not be satisfied with a box-ticking exercise. We will weigh the advantages of third-party appeals against front-loaded applications, which make the argument for third-party appeals less compelling. Nonetheless, we will consider them.

Given the absence of area plans and the fact that some developments may wish to proceed but not as much land has been approved as might otherwise be available, we are probably not in a position in which there is such a huge demand for development as there was two years ago. With many sites in Northern Ireland, the biggest problem for developers is selling houses. Consequently, many sites are not going ahead as quickly as we would like. Therefore, we need to be careful about introducing additional land that is outside current development plans.

Roy Beggs (UUP, East Antrim)

I welcome the Department’s intention to produce more flexible development plans to enable projects to be developed locally. Will the Minister confirm the continuing role of the regional development plan and how it will interact with local area plans? Will he also clarify what will happen to outstanding local area plans that are at an advanced stage, such as the Antrim, Ballymena and Larne area plan, which was consulted on many years ago?

Edwin Poots (DUP, Lagan Valley)

Area plans are working towards completion, and we hope to finish them before 2011. If it is believed that it is not possible to finish plans before that date, we will enter into discussions with the new councils’ transition committees to see how the plans can be completed. That is the route that we intend to take.

Naomi Long (Alliance, Belfast East)

I welcome the Minister’s statement and the emphasis on dealing with area plans. I trust that he will focus on trying to ensure that they are in place in a timely fashion to avoid a recurrence of the current vacuum.

What contact has the Minister had with DRD to ensure that the regional transport strategy, for example, dovetails with area plans? I am also interested in the Minister’s views on appropriate weighting for economic arguments versus, for example, built heritage, environment, local amenity, and so on.

Edwin Poots (DUP, Lagan Valley)

Our linking up with the regional development strategy has, of course, always taken place. That will not be lost, because the local transition committees, which will become the local councils, will take over the DOE function of engaging with others on the development of plans. The new council, with those powers, will act in a similar way to which the Planning Service currently acts in identifying the infrastructural needs of the local community and will work closely with DRD on that particular issue.

On the issue of economic development versus built and natural heritage and other issues, we have a planning system that goes through a consultation process whereby each Department and statutory consultee brings forward its opinions. The Planning Service does not lightly overlook those opinions at any point. What Minister Wilson indicated in his statement was that, when a decision was marginal and was not a clear-cut refusal, economic development considerations would be given precedence. So when there is a decision that planners may previously have found slightly more difficult to make a judgement on, if there are considerable economic development benefits, that decision should come down on the side of the economic development benefit.

David McClarty (UUP, East Londonderry)

As Question Time commences at 2.30 pm, I suggest that the House takes its ease until that time. Questions on the Minister of the Environ­ment’s statement will continue after Question Time, when the next Member to ask a question will be Mr Alastair Ross.

The business stood suspended.

(Mr Speaker in the Chair)

Oral Answers to Questions

William Hay (Speaker, Foyle)

Before we begin Question Time, I advise Members that from today we do not have any advance notice at the Speaker’s Table of Members who wish to ask supplementary questions. We are therefore relying solely on Members rising in their place if they wish to be considered for a supplementary question. Members need to keep rising at the end of the Ministers’ replies if they want to be called. Let me make it clear: I will call only Members who are on their feet. In the past, there has been reluctance from Members to rise in their place during Question Time; there does not seem to be reluctance when they are making points of order. It is vitally important that Members rise in their place. In the Chamber, there are Members from another House who can demonstrate how it can be done.

In the past, Members have got up halfway and sat down again, and I am not sure whether they are serious about asking a supplementary question. There are also some Members who nod up to the Chair. Let me make it clear: if Members do not rise in their place, from today onwards they will not be called for a supplementary question.

Health, Social Services and public safety

Stephen Moutray (DUP, Upper Bann)

1. asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety what is the anticipated reduction in waiting time for a bimaxillary osteotomy, and how many patients have had their waiting time for this procedure reduced since the introduction of the new waiting list initiative. (AQO 1/10)

Michael McGimpsey (UUP, Belfast South)

The waiting list initiative has halved the time which patients can expect to wait for inpatient treatments such as bimaxillary osteotomy. The current waiting time target is that patients should not wait more than 13 weeks for inpatient treatment. That compares with a 26-week wait in 2006-07. In June 2009, there were no patients on the elective waiting list for bimaxillary osteotomy.

Some patients will have this procedure as a planned case — in other words, the operation is part of a staged treatment plan, which involves a planned series of treatments over a number of years. Such patients are placed on a planned waiting list rather than on the elective waiting list. In such cases, their waiting times for treatments are determined by clinical need rather than the elective access waiting time targets.

Stephen Moutray (DUP, Upper Bann)

I thank the Minister for his response. However, one of my constituents in Lurgan, Mr Niall McSherry, was supposed to have the surgery in November 2008. That operation has been delayed several times. Will the Minister agree today to look into the case as a matter of urgency so that Mr McSherry can have his surgery?

Michael McGimpsey (UUP, Belfast South)

The elective target times do not apply as part of planned treatment. Many people, such as children who are not yet mature enough to have the operation, have been waiting for treatment for many years. I heard what Mr Moutray said about the individual concerned. If the individual has been in a fit state to have the operation since November, he has been waiting for too long. I will be happy to investigate the case and come back to Mr Moutray, if he gives me his constituent’s name again.

Michelle O'Neill (Sinn Féin, Mid Ulster)

Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. What percentage of patients are being referred to private healthcare providers so that the waiting list initiative targets can be met?

Michael McGimpsey (UUP, Belfast South)

Without the Member specifying the area where she is talking about the independent sector being applied, it is difficult to be specific about its use. Is she referring to the particular issue of bimaxillary osteotomies, or does she have some other procedure in mind? It is part of my policy to eventually build the capacity within the Health Service so that we do not need to resort to the independent sector. At the moment, however, the independent sector provides additional capacity, and that allows our patients to be seen.

Declan O'Loan (Social Democratic and Labour Party, North Antrim)

I do not think that there is any doubt that there has been a dramatic reduction in many of the waiting lists, and that is welcome, but I wonder at what cost. One of the mechanisms for addressing the problem has been to bring in, with considerable fees attached, consultants from elsewhere. They have been brought in at weekends and put up in hotels, and the whole administration around that has been considerable. How sustainable is that policy, and has there been any analysis of the costs that are involved? What does the Minister have to say about creating a sustainable system that will keep waiting lists under control?

Michael McGimpsey (UUP, Belfast South)

To illustrate Mr O’Loan’s point, I have allocated a large sum of money for extra cardiac operations, allowing for an extra 700 cardiac operations over three years. I did that because our waiting lists were too large and too long, and patients were literally coming to harm waiting for their operations. I put that money in place to provide life-saving operations. We do not have the capacity in our hospital system to provide those operations, and it will take approximately five years to build that capacity. Therefore, the question was whether I should have waited for that capacity to be built and allowed patients to die on the waiting list or whether I should have taken the initiative. I took the initiative.

The Member asked at what cost those procedures have been made available, and I ask how the cost should be measured. Is a patient’s life measured in pounds and pence? I do not do that, and I think that doing so is the wrong way to proceed.

We have a large number of patients, and we have a capacity issue throughout the Health Service, because, as Members are well aware, the Health Service was seriously underfunded over many years. There was a serious underinvestment in infrastructure and resources; therefore, the capacity is not what is required.

I must decide whether I allow our patients to come to harm or whether I find the capacity somewhere else. I think that the Member has answered that question for me.

Alasdair McDonnell (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Belfast South)

2. asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail (i) the current capacity deficit within the Belfast Trust to meet the demand for urology services; and (ii) what steps he intends to take to address this deficit. (AQO 2/10)

Michael McGimpsey (UUP, Belfast South)

A regional review of adult urology services was undertaken recently in response to concerns about the ability of our urology services to manage growing demand, maintain quality standards, and ensure high-quality services. The review report addressed in detail how demand and capacity have an impact on that speciality. I am considering the report, and I intend to publish it for public consultation shortly.

Alasdair McDonnell (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Belfast South)

I thank the Minister for his answer. However, I suggest that there is distress out there and that there is severe pressure on the service. Although staff and post holders, both medical and otherwise, work hard, their numbers are too small and they are overstretched, which adds to the stress of patients who are badly in need of urology support services.

Michael McGimpsey (UUP, Belfast South)

I appreciate Dr McDonnell’s comment. I am aware of that situation, and that is why I conducted the review and why I intend to publish shortly a plan that will allow us to create the capacity that is required.

The demand for urology services has increased year on year, with an increase of 9·3% last year alone; therefore, we have an issue with our capacity. The review addressed that, and I will publish my response to that major deficit shortly.

I will give Members an example of the sort of numbers that we are talking about: for 2007-08, the plan funded for 33,369 separate activities, but there were actually 43,000 such activities. That meant that there was a major shortfall, but we managed much of that additional activity — some 8,500 — in-house. However, a small amount still had to be bought from the independent sector. It is a stretch for staff to attempt to manage that extra capacity, and that is why I have taken steps to review capacity and resource. Demand is rising, and historically funding has not been what it should have been.

Kieran McCarthy (Alliance, Strangford)

Thank you Mr Speaker —

William Hay (Speaker, Foyle)

I remind the Member that if he wishes to ask a supplementary question he must rise in his place.

Kieran McCarthy (Alliance, Strangford)

I am up now Mr Speaker. [Laughter.] Will the Minister exercise his authority to everyone in the Belfast Trust? That applies not only to urology patients but to sufferers of ME and ADHD who need services but from whom, I understand, referrals have been withdrawn.

Michael McGimpsey (UUP, Belfast South)

I am not aware specifically of services being withdrawn in the Belfast Trust. If the Member wishes to write to me, I will be happy to look into the situation, make investigations and come back to him.

Leslie Cree (UUP, North Down)

3. asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety for his latest assessment of the swine flu outbreak. (AQO 3/10)

Billy Armstrong (UUP, Mid Ulster)

10. asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety how much it has cost his Department to respond to the swine flu pandemic. (AQO 10/10)

Michael McGimpsey (UUP, Belfast South)

With your permission, Mr Speaker, I will answer questions 3 and 10 together.

I am pleased to report that Northern Ireland, along with the rest of the UK, is experiencing a downturn in swine flu activity. Recent GP consultation rates for flu and flu-like illnesses and the number of antivirals issued — two indicators of the level of swine flu activity — have decreased. However, that recent decline in activity will not lead to complacency. Experience from previous pandemics and the advice of our medical experts mean that we must prepare for an increase in cases later this year.

My officials have developed and costed possible scenarios based on varying levels of virus spread and demand across the service, which estimate that swine flu will cost the Department between £65 million and £96 million this financial year. The best estimate, which assumes a moderate level of virus spread and demand, predicts costs of £78 million, £30 million of which has already been incurred, with £27·5 million resulting from solutions that ensure that the Northern Ireland population has the same level of protection as the rest of the UK.

I have requested permission to address the Assembly in greater detail tomorrow on swine flu, and I hope to provide an in-depth summary of the recent developments in that area.

Leslie Cree (UUP, North Down)

Will the Minister confirm that, as part of his Budget settlement, he can bid for extra funding, such as funding for pandemic flu? Does he agree that there will be consequences for the Health Service if he does not receive that funding?

Michael McGimpsey (UUP, Belfast South)

Yes. The Budget deal that I did with Peter Robinson allows for the recurrent resource plus capital plus the first £20 million of in-year money, flexibility over my budget and the right to bid for pandemic flu funding. The Budget settlement specifically contains bids for pandemic flu, so it is quite clear where we are. At that stage, I had no way of estimating whether there would be a pandemic flu or of estimating how much it would cost. There will be extreme consequences for many areas in the Health Service if the bid is unsuccessful.

Billy Armstrong (UUP, Mid Ulster)

Has there been any extra pressure on the Health Service over the summer because no money was made available for swine flu in the June monitoring round?

Michael McGimpsey (UUP, Belfast South)

I have already expended £27·5 million as part of the national agreements on swine flu. Members will be aware that, as part of the UK-wide national response, the four Health Ministers from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland meet together through Cabinet Committee, and we have agreed a series of measures. Some of those measures are already in place, and others are coming into place. I have reported on several occasions that there are sleeping contracts for vaccines, extra antivirals, extra antibiotics, personal protection equipment and so on.

Iris Robinson (DUP, Strangford)

I suggest that Members watch the House of Commons debates, and they will understand that they have to stand up every time a Member finishes his or her question.

On how many occasions has the Minister been in touch with the Treasury in London to discuss the important issue of clawing back any moneys that the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety is out of pocket for? Given that swine flu is a pandemic that stretches right across the United Kingdom, it would seem likely that the Westminster Treasury would pay that cost.

Michael McGimpsey (UUP, Belfast South)

I am pleased to hear Mrs Robinson say that it is likely that the Treasury will pay that cost. That, indeed, is news to me, and I am sure that it is also news to the Finance Minister. We look forward to that —

Iris Robinson (DUP, Strangford)

It is a real question.

Michael McGimpsey (UUP, Belfast South)

I am answering a real question, but comments being made from a sedentary position do not allow that answer to be given. It is not my responsibility. I must not tread on the responsibilities of the Finance Minister, and therefore any input I might have to the Treasury would be through the Department of Finance and Personnel. I can report that I asked the previous Finance Minister to make such an application to the Treasury last May. The response that was given in June was negative.

I and the other Health Ministers also raised the issue at our COBRA meeting and were given a similar response from an attending Treasury Minister, but I am gratified to hear that it is likely that the Treasury will meet that cost. We will all welcome that, because the cost will be over £70 million. I have stated how much the Department of Health can contribute, and that is substantial, but it does leave a very big shortfall. Anyhow, I am delighted to hear of that successful negotiation.

Claire McGill (Sinn Féin, West Tyrone)

Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. Will the Minister outline what communication he has had with the Health Minister in the South in relation to his Department’s approach to swine flu? I am particularly interested in what happens in the border counties, such as Tyrone, Fermanagh, Derry and Armagh.

Michael McGimpsey (UUP, Belfast South)

I can report, as I have done on other occasions, that my officials are in constant contact with officials from the Department of Health and Children. I have had a meeting with Mary Harney, the Minister down South, and I have had telephone conversations with her. We are taking forward and sharing all the information jointly. The information received through COBRA is also shared with the Irish Republic. We obviously have a border with the Irish Republic. One of the key steps that we are looking at taking in the UK involves the effective sharing of resources so that, if there is a swine flu surge in one part of the country but not in another, patients could perhaps be moved to areas where there is available slack. That would present great difficulties for us in Northern Ireland, but there is the possibility that there can be some cross-border sharing. That is one of the areas that I am looking at.

John O'Dowd (Sinn Féin, Upper Bann)

4. asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to outline the reasons behind the decision to withdraw funding, from 1 April 2010, from Action Mental Health Vote project in the Craigavon and Banbridge area. (AQO 4/10)

Michael McGimpsey (UUP, Belfast South)

The decision to withdraw funding from the Action Mental Health vote project was made by the Southern Health and Social Care Trust. The trust provided funding for 30 places on the project, but only 15 of those were taken up by trust clients. The service was not fully utilised by trust clients, so the trust has therefore decided to provide individualised services for its clients.

John O'Dowd (Sinn Féin, Upper Bann)

Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. I thank the Minister for that answer. The scheme, although it may not have been used by trust clients, is a very effective and efficient one. It is there to provide individual learning courses to 16- to 25-year-olds with learning difficulties in the Craigavon and Banbridge area. The scheme levers in £178,000 of funding from other sources. On many occasions, sometimes quite correctly, the Minister has complained that his Department does not have enough funding. Surely a scheme that attracts £178,000 of other funding should be supported by the trust and the Department.

Michael McGimpsey (UUP, Belfast South)

The point to stress is the one that I made in the original answer. Although the trust provided 30 places, only 15 were taken up, not all of those by clients who have learning disabilities; some were taken up by clients with learning difficulties. The Member will understand that the trust is responsible for the first of those two groups. We have to spend our money in areas that we are responsible for. I take the point that the service is valuable. It is offered to 18- to 20-year-olds, individuals who are at an important transitional period in their lives. However, if the trust pays for 30 places and only 15 are taken up, that obviously does not fit the demand that the trust has identified. The trust will now provide funding for clients on an individual basis.

I also make the point that the Health Service funds almost £1 million of transition services throughout Northern Ireland, so it is not a one-off, stand-alone service. We recognise the need for transition services, but sadly, for whatever reason, that particular service is not getting the necessary support.

Dolores Kelly (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Upper Bann)

I am also familiar with that project. Will the Minister assure the House that there was proper promotion of the service and that it was not the case that places were not taken up because people did not know about it because their key workers had not referred them to it?

Will he also give us some indication of the financial cuts to the support for such services, which are provided by the community and voluntary sector?

Michael McGimpsey (UUP, Belfast South)

As far as cuts are concerned, the Member will know that she and everybody else voted for efficiencies, not cuts. She was aware of the plans that were available from the trust when she made that vote; therefore, whatever the detail of what the trust is doing, she voted for it. Perhaps I should be asking her what the cuts are.

Dolores Kelly (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Upper Bann)

I did not vote for them.

Michael McGimpsey (UUP, Belfast South)

Well members of your party certainly did. I also know that there are Members who promised the unions that they would not vote in that way and then broke their word, but that is for another day.

I assure the House that the service is something that the trust is funding and does not take lightly. There was proper assessment made of the service. The Member may say that it is sad — I am sure that it is a very good project — but, of the 30 places available, only 15 were taken up, despite the best efforts of the trust. Not all of those places were taken by clients with learning disabilities; some were taken by clients with learning difficulties. Learning difficulties are not necessarily the responsibility of the trust; they may be the responsibility of another Department.

Barry McElduff (Sinn Féin, West Tyrone)

5. asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety what efforts his Department has made to reinstate gynaecological and obstetric services at the Tyrone County Hospital in Omagh and the Erne Hospital in Enniskillen. (AQO 5/10)

Allan Bresland (DUP, West Tyrone)

11. asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety if he supports the decision of the Western Health and Social Care Trust to move all gynaecology services to Altnagelvin Hospital. (AQO 11/10)

Michael McGimpsey (UUP, Belfast South)

With your permission, Mr Speaker, I will answer questions 5 and 11 together.

The delivery of health and social care services and the recruitment and employment of the appropriate staff to deliver those services are primarily the responsibility of trusts. I am satisfied that the Western Health and Social Care Trust has done everything possible to recruit and retain the appropriately skilled and trained staff. I am pleased to say that that is reflected in the fact that, from today, all services — outpatient, inpatient and day cases — have been reinstated.

William Hay (Speaker, Foyle)

I call Mr McElduff to ask a supplementary question.

Michael McGimpsey (UUP, Belfast South)

I have not quite finished.

The safety of patients receiving treatment in any part of the Health Service is my first priority. To ensure their safety, patients should always be treated in facilities where the skills and expertise appropriate to their needs are available. On that occasion, due to a short-term difficulty in recruiting the appropriate staff, the Western Health and Social Care Trust was unable to assure itself of the safety of the gynaecological services at the Erne hospital: that is why the services were temporarily suspended, and I am satisfied that that was the right decision.

William Hay (Speaker, Foyle)

I now call Mr McElduff to ask a supplementary question.

Barry McElduff (Sinn Féin, West Tyrone)

Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. I welcome the Minister’s response, particularly the news of the reinstatement of those essential health services taking effect from today. I ask the Minister to provide a categorical assurance that there will be no removal of essential gynaecological and obstetric services west of the Bann in future. The Minister will know that the mere mention of removing those services causes huge anxiety and inconvenience among women who are already disadvantaged by residing west of the Bann.

Michael McGimpsey (UUP, Belfast South)

Seventeen women were sent to Altnagelvin Area Hospital; some have now been returned as they did not require treatment in Altnagelvin and have gone back to the Erne Hospital. Altnagelvin, as I understand it, is west of the Bann.

Although I appreciate and understand the anxiety that Mr McElduff referred to, the Health Service — this relates to a previous answer that I gave to another Member — has been seriously under-resourced over many years. Specifically, that under-resourcing relates to the recruitment of junior doctors. To address the problem, we have increased the number of students going through medical school by 40%, from 150 to 246, per annum. However, they must work their way through the course, so it will be 2012 before we start to see the benefits. That is why that problem occurred.

I will always work to ensure that those services are retained, not just west of the Bann but in Omagh and Enniskillen. However, I will not do so at the risk of patient safety.

Allan Bresland (DUP, West Tyrone)

Thank you, Mr Deputy Minister. Does the Minister accept that the forced closure of the gynae services in the Erne and Omagh hospitals a few weeks ago because of a shortage of junior doctors reflects badly on mismanagement of the Health Service? There are similar shortages in other hospitals in Northern Ireland.

William Hay (Speaker, Foyle)

I call the Minister.

Michael McGimpsey (UUP, Belfast South)

Thank you, Mr Speaker, or “deputy master”, as you were referred to.

No, I do not accept the Member’s assertion at all. The Western Health and Social Care Trust is, clearly, very well managed, as is the Health Service throughout Northern Ireland. However, we must consider the large numbers of patients and staff whom we are dealing with and the difficulties in a number of areas. I just explained in a previous answer the difficulty of recruiting junior doctors. We recruit about 1,700 junior doctors per annum. In this case, although the Western Trust could not have known it, of the six doctors who were allocated to it, one began work; two are awaiting visas; two withdrew at the end of July within a week of their start date; and one did not meet the required competencies, so the trust will look at that through retraining.

We are now back in a satisfactory position. It was one of those situations that could not have been foreseen. However, there are difficulties because, as I said, the capacity is not there, and, therefore, we are relying on recruitment, currently from inside the EU and then from northern India. Historically, northern India was a very fruitful recruiting ground for the Health Service for doctors, but we are not allowed to recruit there until we have exhausted Europe. That is the issue, and that is one of the problems that we face.

Full service was restored in two weeks, and I expect that we will be able to carry on, but I give this caveat: we have a shortage of doctors. I have increased the numbers going through medical school by 40%. When those graduates start to come through, I expect that our problems in this particular area will be obviated.

Kieran Deeny (Independent, West Tyrone)

We are, hopefully, talking about top-standard and high-quality junior doctors. Is the Minister not surprised how quickly those places were filled: in two weeks? Was there competition for those places, were there interviews, or were doctors simply found somewhere and put in place?

Michael McGimpsey (UUP, Belfast South)

The Western Trust is discerning in its recruitment. Two applicants were awaiting visas. I do not know the exact circumstances, but I presume that those visas have come through. Two withdrew because they got better offers somewhere else, and one is undergoing more training. Therefore, the trust has been able to extend the recruitment period. This has occurred not only in gynaecological vacancies and not only at the Erne Hospital, but five out of six applicants falling through was a most extreme situation. That is very unusual, but within two weeks the trust was able to plug that gap, and I am assured that the quality of patient care and safety will not be compromised.

Tom Elliott (UUP, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

I am pleased to hear the Minister say that services have been restored to the Erne Hospital as from today, but will he tell me whether any discussions are taking place with the body that is responsible for appointing those junior doctors to ensure that this situation does not reoccur in this or any other service?

Michael McGimpsey (UUP, Belfast South)

I have arranged to talk in depth with the trust. However, of course we undertake HR planning as far as the various competencies are concerned. It was not entirely in the trust’s control that two people withdrew at the very last minute to take what, I suppose, they regarded as better jobs, or that two others had visa problems. That was the situation. As I said, we have an historical shortage of junior doctors.

Demand on the Health Service is rising all the time. To deal with that, I have increased the numbers of students who will go through medical school by 40% from 150 to 246. The benefits of having those extra 96 students will be seen by 2012. Perhaps that action should have taken earlier, but that is not for me to say. I can talk only about my time in charge, and I believe that the steps that I have put in place will go a long way to meeting the need.

Tommy Gallagher (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

Does the Minister agree that the fact that people appointed to those posts can withdraw two weeks before starting time or not turn up because their visas are not in order shows that the procedures in the Department, the trust or the Northern Ireland Medical and Dental Training Agency must be reviewed? Will procedures be reviewed in whichever place the responsibility lies?

Michael McGimpsey (UUP, Belfast South)

I have largely answered that question. Responsibility lies with the people who, historically, made the decisions on the number of students at medical school. The answer is to recruit more students to train at medical school. There is no problem in recruiting very high-quality students to the medical school at Queen’s University. The increased recruitment should have dealt with the issue by 2012.

Issues regarding visas are outside the Department’s control, as is the withdrawal of two individuals to take a better job. I manage the situation as it stands, and we are where we are. I am not clear that I can put a stipulation on a student going to Queen’s University that they must take whatever job they are offered through our local recruitment process. The two individuals who withdrew at the last minute were irresponsible, and that is obvious to all of us. I wonder, with some trepidation, what sort of doctors they will eventually make.

REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Wallace (DUP, Belfast East)

1. asked the Minister for Regional Development what work is being carried out to prevent the repeat flooding in East Belfast. (AQO 16/10)

Carmel Hanna (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Belfast South)

2. asked the Minister for Regional Development, in light of the recent floods and those which occurred during the previous two years, if he will develop a preventative strategy for flood management. (AQO 17/10)

Peter Weir (DUP, North Down)

3. asked the Minister for Regional Development what strategy his Department is pursuing to provide long-term solutions for households which are vulnerable to flooding but which are not on flood plains. (AQO 18/10)

Conor Murphy (Sinn Féin, Newry and Armagh)

Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. With your permission, I will reply to questions 1, 2 and 3 together. I apologise in advance that that will result in a much longer answer than would ordinarily be the case.

Roads Service is responsible for the maintenance of storm water carriageway gullies that are part of the public road network, and it aims to clean all gullies in urban areas twice a year. That policy ensures that a reasonable level of maintenance is carried out on the drainage system, while taking account of the Department’s finite funding and staff resource levels. Work has been carried out in east Belfast in accordance with that maintenance policy.

Roads Service has completed flood alleviation schemes in Orangefield Lane, Merok Crescent and Tudor Drive. New gullies have been installed at Sandhill Park and Earlswood Road, and a number of replacement gullies has been installed in the lower Ravenhill Road area. In addition, further works are planned for Clonduff Drive and Wynchurch Road in the next six weeks, and investigatory work is continuing in Carnamena Avenue and Rosetta Road. However, even with the most careful and thorough planning, gullies, road drains and watercourses can simply be overwhelmed by a deluge of rain falling in a short period of time.

Northern Ireland Water (NIW) is currently undertaking a drainage area study of east Belfast, and that is scheduled for completion later this year. From that study, a drainage area plan will be formulated and subsequent proposals for flood alleviation will be considered. The implementation of any proposals will be subject to funding being available from NIW’s capital budget.

NIW recently held site meetings with residents and elected representatives at Hamel Drive, Houston Park and Cooneen Way to discuss flooding that occurred on 31 August 2009. The company has also undertaken to carry out remedial work ahead of full implementation of proposals generated by the drainage area study. That work is programmed to take place in the next two weeks.

The Rivers Agency has also advised that it proposes to undertake river flood alleviation works in east Belfast on the Loop, Knock and Connswater rivers. The agency is also working alongside the East Belfast Partnership to integrate flood alleviation measures into work associated with the Connswater community greenway.

With regard to a preventative strategy for flood management, Roads Service is involved with the implementation of the draft Water Environment (Floods Directive) Regulations. Those regulations establish a framework for managing flood risk which is aimed at reducing the adverse consequences of flooding on health, environment, cultural heritage and economic activity. They place obligations on government to identify areas of potential significant flood risk by undertaking a preliminary flood-risk assessment of all river basin and coastal zones by December 2011.

Flood-risk management plans must be produced by December 2015. The plans will focus on prevention, protection and preparedness and will detail objectives and measures to reduce significant risk in those areas. Rivers Agency will take the lead in implementing the directive in the North. The directive represents a shift to a more integrated, proactive and holistic approach to reducing flood risk. It emphasises the use of sustainable flood management.

In order to provide long-term solutions for households that are vulnerable to flooding, responsibility for drainage infrastructure is shared among Roads Service, DARD — through its Rivers Agency — and NIW. Procedures for liaison and co-ordination of emergency responses among those organisations are set out in the best practice guidelines. Those guidelines are currently being reviewed.

There is also a shared flooding hot-spot list, which identifies the areas that are at greatest risk of flooding as well as the lead drainage organisation for each location. The organisations also take the lead in developing and implementing measures to reduce the likelihood of future flooding at those hot spots. Each drainage organisation also holds its own hot-spot list and has its own programme for dealing with those on a priority basis.

Following the extreme flooding that occurred in 2008, a flood improvement action plan was developed. Measures to deal with emergency planning, actual response and the clean-up and recovery phases are currently being implemented by all three aforementioned organisations.

NIW has advised me that most of the core sewer systems in the North are combined sewer systems, which take storm water as well as foul sewage and are, therefore, susceptible to flooding during high rainfall events. Long-term solutions are being developed that are based on flooding records and hydraulic modelling. Each solution will be costed and prioritised according to the severity of the flooding.

It is intended that expenditure will be focused on properties that are at risk of eternal — sorry, internal — flooding. Pardon my mistake. Progress on work to resolve flooding issues will depend on the outcome of funding that is available to NIW as a result of PC10 — the price control for 2010-13 — which is currently under consideration.

Wallace (DUP, Belfast East)

I thank the Minister for his reply. I am sure that he will agree that we can too easily forget the impact that flooding has on families and individuals. A 93-year-old lady who lives in the Cregagh estate in my constituency of East Belfast has been subjected to flooding on no fewer than six occasions. None of our constituents should have to endure that situation, never mind a lady of 93 years of age. I understand that similar situations have occurred throughout east Belfast. What co-ordination has there been and what meetings have taken place between the Department and all the relevant agencies to ensure that the remedial work that is necessary in those areas is carried out as soon as possible?

Conor Murphy (Sinn Féin, Newry and Armagh)

I understand the personal stories that are heard often. In 2008 and, indeed, in 2007, I had the opportunity to visit people who had been affected by flooding in east Belfast. I appreciate that flooding causes great distress as well as damage, particularly when it is foul sewage as well as storm water flooding that gets into people’s homes. I wish to see those issues addressed sooner rather than later.

In my answer, I outlined that meetings had taken place and courses of action been agreed, some of which will take place during the next two weeks in specific areas where there have been problems. Of course, a study that is specific to east Belfast — the drainage area plan — is ongoing and is intended to be completed by the end of 2009. A set of measures will emerge from it. Rivers Agency has also done work on the three rivers in east Belfast, because the swelling of those rivers contributes to the drainage backup that causes flooding in the Cregagh estate and other areas. Therefore, measures are being taken in the short term. The agencies that are involved will be happy to meet the Member and any other elected representatives on site to discuss those issues. Longer-term measures are being put in place through studies.

Carmel Hanna (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Belfast South)

The Minister has mentioned budget. Is a plan in place or a budget available to replace the entire worn-out and out-of-date drainage infrastructure, particularly in Belfast? I am aware that bits and pieces are being done. However, I have heard that all existing infrastructure is old and worn out. Is there a requirement to address the loss of natural drainage owing to overdevelopment in places such as south Belfast?

Conor Murphy (Sinn Féin, Newry and Armagh)

I have not had the same kind of feedback as the Member has had about the general state of the infrastructure, which is considered to be satisfactory.

Building infrastructure that will cope with some of the summers that we have had recently would probably require the Executive’s Budget for a number of years. If we were then to have several dry summers, people would ask, quite rightly, what the point of all that investment was. The issue is about getting infrastructure that can cope with as much as we expect it to cope with. Our infrastructure could not possibly have coped with the deluges and torrential downpours that we have experienced over the past number of summers. However, to provide infrastructure that could cope would drain not only the DRD budget but the entire Budget substantially.

There is a sense that a piecemeal approach to the issue has been taken in Belfast. Studies have to be focused on areas that have a history of repeat flooding in order to address the problems there. Wider studies have been conducted into the persistent problems in east Belfast over the past number of years.

There were problems in south Belfast, particularly in the lower Ormeau area. The sewerage project in that area will have an impact on the Lagan and on the type of backup that was taking place in times of heavy rainfall. We have already seen those problems being addressed, and there have not been the same incidents that there were in that area four or five years ago. Then, it seemed like flash flooding in the lower Ormeau Road area was becoming a repeat occurrence.

The areas that are becoming hot spots are being addressed, and measures are being taken. I do not get the sense that the overall infrastructure needs the type of upheaval that the Member suggested.

Peter Weir (DUP, North Down)

Like most MLAs, I am faced with a situation every time there is a heavy downpour. It seems to be the case that it is always the same two or three streets and the same two or three households that suffer and that there is a lack of long-term solutions to the problem.

I welcome the Minister’s remarks about co-ordinated action to provide long-term solutions. However, will he confirm that the long-term co-ordinated plan will not act as a barrier to finding solutions as soon as possible for hot spots that are being hit on a constant basis? Flooding makes a relatively small number of people’s lives a misery.

Conor Murphy (Sinn Féin, Newry and Armagh)

I agree absolutely. Actions are being taken on different levels, and some of them are dealing with specific local problems. Actions have been taken, and some have been proposed for the next number of weeks. I can see that those actions have been effective in some areas, and that they are no longer on the hot-spot list. Unfortunately, other areas have gone on the list. Lord Browne mentioned someone whose house had been flooded six times: we are getting repeat occurrences. I have always encouraged and will continue to encourage Rivers Agency, Roads Service and NIW to meet elected representatives and residents in those areas in order to try and find local solutions that will affect the here and now while long-term solutions are developed.

Naomi Long (Alliance, Belfast East)

It is clear that the drainage area study will need to be funded and implemented, and that may take a considerable length of time: I agree with the previous Member about that. In the interim, will the Department for Regional Development and NIW be talking to the Planning Service about any need for restrictions in development and further intensification in areas in which the infrastructure has been shown to be inadequate? Have there been any discussions at the Executive about the potential for schemes to help residents insure their properties, because people often find that difficult. In England, the Government have arranged such schemes.

Conor Murphy (Sinn Féin, Newry and Armagh)

Planning applications involve consultation with Roads Service and NIW on whether the infrastructure exists to cope with developments. In certain areas, NIW has said that there should be no more developments because the infrastructure has to be brought up to a higher standard, while others complain that we are frustrating developments. I exclude the Member from that, but we get it from both sides. In an area where the infrastructure is either not appropriate, is not at a level to service, or the problems are ongoing, NIW will tell planners that the infrastructure cannot cope with further development, and planners have taken decisions to refuse planning permission on that basis.

The answer to the other part of the Member’s question is that the Executive did meet. In the first instance, there is a fund to assist people with the immediate effects of flood damage. There were discussions about insurance at previous Executive meetings, and one of the big concerns was that many households had no house insurance.

If there is anything that the Executive can do to help, I am sure that they would be happy to discuss proposals. No specific proposals have been brought forward, but we want to encourage people at least to try to get insurance in the first instance. If there are insurance companies that are unwilling to insure properties because of a history of flooding, the Executive would want to try and assist those affected.

David McNarry (UUP, Strangford)

Trying to be called to ask a supplementary question is very good exercise.

There were concerns about communications. What discussions has the Minister had with the Minister of Finance and Personnel about the effectiveness of the emergency telephone service, particularly during the most recent flooding in east Belfast? Was he able to extract any guarantees about improvements to that helpline?

Conor Murphy (Sinn Féin, Newry and Armagh)

I received a briefing after the flooding in east Belfast, because I was made aware, through the media in particular, of complaints that people were unable to access the helpline. In previous incidents of flooding, there had been confusion about which agency was responsible. Some of the agencies involved are outside the Executive’s control, so the response to incidents of flooding is a complex picture, particularly in bigger occurrences where the clean-up may involve local government, the police, the Fire Service and the agencies that are directly under the control of DARD and DRD.

There was a discussion about the provision of a single helpline; there was some argument that it had not worked as well as people would have liked it to. In the briefing that I received, I was told that people felt that a helpline was a good idea and that problems included a lack of staff, which was due to the absence of a severe weather warning.

The helpline service is worthwhile. There were one or two complaints from people who did not get the full benefit of the helpline, but it provides people with a one-stop shop to access the service that they require. Often, the wrong agencies are called out, which leads to a delay in their response to people who need their services. The helpline is a good idea, but, as with any new service, it sometimes takes teething problems to iron out the edges, which was the case in this instance.

Gregory Campbell (DUP, East Londonderry)

4. asked the Minister for Regional Development, following completion of the work on the dual carriageway between Maydown and Eglinton Airport, if there are any plans for the continuation of a dual carriageway bypassing Ballykelly to Limavady. (AQO 19/10)

Conor Murphy (Sinn Féin, Newry and Armagh)

Roads Service has advised that the programme of strategic road improvements proposed over the ten years of the investment strategy for Northern Ireland for the period 2007-2018 is in the investment delivery plan for roads. The plan contains one further scheme for the section of the A2 between the City of Derry Airport and Limavady — a dual carriageway bypass at Ballykelly, which will be approximately six kilometres in length. Roads Service anticipates completion of that scheme towards the end of the delivery plan period.

Gregory Campbell (DUP, East Londonderry)

I trust that the outstanding access issue that I understand to be still ongoing at Campsie with regard to the existing dual carriageway will be resolved this week. I know that senior Roads Service officials are speaking to businesses that have been affected.

In relation to the proposed link between Eglinton and Limavady, either through or around Ballykelly, can I take it that there will be intense discussions with landowners and public representatives to avoid the problems that emerged with regard to the proposed dual carriageway from Tyrone to Londonderry?

Conor Murphy (Sinn Féin, Newry and Armagh)

As the Member may be aware from his own tenure in the Department for Regional Development, there is rarely a road-building scheme that proposes to go through open countryside that does not involve land issues. Some of those issues can be managed; others are more severe. The scheme that the Member referred to — the construction of a road between Derry and Aughnacloy — is the most substantial road scheme that we have ever been involved in and will involve the largest ever number of landowners. Therefore, that scheme will have the most significant effect on landowners of any scheme to date.

There is standard procedure in place. It has been deployed on the Dungannon to Ballygawley road, the Newry bypass, the Belfast to Newry road, the Derry to Belfast road, and on all other major road-building schemes which required the same type of process because roads had to go through farm lands or other properties had to be removed. That procedure is deployed where there is discussion with elected representatives, negotiation over compensation or access issues for people. That is an inevitable part of road-building schemes and one which sometimes takes much longer than building the road itself.

The Member is quite right to draw attention to this. People have rights and, where proposed schemes go through their land or affect their properties, they have the right to be consulted, to be compensated for access issues, and for other issues that they raise to be properly dealt with. In the course of doing that, it is always the case that local elected representatives who have an interest should be involved and be kept abreast of how those things are happening. We must make sure that they have an opportunity to have an input.

John Dallat (Social Democratic and Labour Party, East Londonderry)

I am sure that the Minister will be absolutely horrified to learn that yesterday there were tailbacks of several miles at Ballykelly. The question being asked is: what is the timescale between producing plans and constructing the necessary improvements? I am thinking in particular of Dungiven, where the plans exist, but there is no indication yet as to when the people of that town will be relieved of the pollution from which they are suffering.

Conor Murphy (Sinn Féin, Newry and Armagh)

The Member must not have attended any of the public events at which the indications and time frames were given in relation to the Dungiven bypass. Similarly, in relation to the Ballykelly bypass, the land acquisition process and discussions around access issues have started. We went to Dungiven and spoke to the community about the process that is unfolding and the time scales involved. Of course, in common with the people in the area that I represent, they would have preferred it had the road been built 30 years ago; however, they understood fully the process that we have outlined and the time frames involved and were satisfied that, at last, someone has taken the initiative and is pushing those schemes forward.

Martina Anderson (Sinn Féin, Foyle)

5. asked the Minister for Regional Development to outline his Department’s policy on corporate social responsibility. (AQO 20/10)

Conor Murphy (Sinn Féin, Newry and Armagh)

My Department is strongly committed to corporate social responsibility and has articulated how it aims to develop that in its corporate and business plans for 2009 to 2011. We are committed to being a socially and environmentally responsible organisation and an excellent employer. Therefore, my Department’s policy focuses on four key themes: community, environment, workplace and responsible procurement. My officials are in the final stages of developing a formal corporate social responsibility policy for DRD which will take into account the wide spectrum of measures that we will take now and in the future. It is my intention to launch that policy in the autumn.

We are very keen to support our staff in making a personal contribution to the community. One of the ways we hope to achieve that is through our partnership with Business in the Community. That will allow us to participate in schemes such as the Time to Read initiative, which 15 members of staff have enrolled in for the 2009-2010 academic year.

We wish to develop areas such as research development where we can, through internships and work placements, engage in partnership with undergraduates and graduates to work on research associated with promoting sustainability. In spring of this year, under the corporate social responsibility banner, I decided to launch a student bursary scheme with the aim of encouraging studies in subjects relevant to DRD objectives. The scheme offers an opportunity for students in their final year of studying for an MSc in engineering at Queen’s and those studying for a BSc in engineering or a BSc in transport at Jordanstown. There are a total of 10 £1,000 bursaries available, which will be awarded to five students from each university. I intend to present the bursaries to the successful candidates later this month, and I will continue to engage with my Department’s corporate social responsibility policy as it goes forward, to implement further new initiatives and to drive through its implementation.

Martina Anderson (Sinn Féin, Foyle)

Go raibh maith agat. I thank the Minister for his answer. How is his Department providing the social requirements in the procurement contracts, particularly in relation to the positive community and social benefits that will be ensured when those contracts go through?

I thank the Minister for his intervention during the week, which ensured that the trains coming into Derry will now arrive at 9.00 am. Go raibh míle maith agat. Stand up for Derry.

Conor Murphy (Sinn Féin, Newry and Armagh)

My Department is following guidance prepared by DFP’s Central Procurement Directorate and the Equality Commission on sustainable development and equality of opportunity in public sector procurement. In line with that guidance and at my instruction, action plans have been produced by Roads Service, NI Water and Translink.

Those will include proposals for implementing critical community impact and social objectives, such as increasing access to public sector procurement opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises, encouraging the economically inactive back into the workplace and encouraging training and skills development through, for instance, apprenticeships. Roads Service’s action plan ensures that social and environmental factors are considered alongside financial factors when making procurement decisions. The plan has a package of actions to deliver the step change that is needed to ensure that Roads Service and its partners are focused on better design, low waste, higher recycle content, respect for biodiversity and delivery of its wider sustainable development goals.

Basil McCrea (UUP, Lagan Valley)

Will the Minister outline any achievement highlights from his corporate social policy? How much did that cost the taxpayer?

Conor Murphy (Sinn Féin, Newry and Armagh)

I am surprised that the Member feels that promoting corporate social policy should be restricted by cost. All Departments have a duty to display a socially responsible attitude to procurement and actions taken. I will repeat one initiative that I mentioned in my previous answer: the bursary scheme. Later this month, after the successful candidates have been selected, the Department intends to award bursaries. It is designed to encourage students from here and to assist them with areas of their studies that relate to Department for Regional Development policy. Five students from Queen’s and five from Jordanstown will receive £1,000 bursaries; that is £10,000 for starters.

Jim Shannon (DUP, Strangford)

In the Minister’s response to the initial question, he mentioned opportunities that are available to university students. Will he confirm that such bursaries will also be available to students who attend colleges of further education? The Minister is probably aware that student numbers are greater this year then ever before. Therefore, there is an eagerness to take advantage of bursaries and job opportunities and to ensure that everyone receives an equal chance.

Conor Murphy (Sinn Féin, Newry and Armagh)

The Member is correct. I highlighted one scheme: in my previous answer, I said that Roads Service, NIW and Translink, in the contracts that they secure, encourage the use of apprentices and encourage the economically inactive back into work. The Department has specific proposals on scheme sizes, the number of apprentices that we expect the scheme to employ and the number of economically inactive people who return to work as a result of it. The bursary scheme is particularly directed at universities, but a range of other measures aims to bring people in through skills and offers them opportunities to be involved. Some major infrastructure and engineering schemes are ongoing here, and they provide tremendous opportunities for young people to become involved, learn skills and gain experience.