Northern Ireland Assembly, 8 April 2014

365 contributions from 53 members. The official report.

Assembly Business

Gregory Campbell (DUP, East Londonderry)

On a point of order, Mr Speaker. I wonder whether you could return to me or to the House on a matter that was raised during yesterday's take-note debate on the Assembly and Executive Review Committee's report on petitions of concern, when there was a rather weak and insipid attempt to force a vote by those who have set themselves up as an opposition. I understand that you have previously ruled on votes on take-note debates such as that.

William Hay (Speaker, Foyle)

As the Member will know, I was not in the Chair at that point yesterday. Let me look at Hansard and come back either to the Member directly or to the House.

Ministerial Statements

Mark Durkan (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Foyle)

With your permission, Mr Speaker, I wish to make a statement advising the Assembly of my response to the Mills report into waste management in Northern Ireland.

The Mills report found that we have significant criminal infiltration in the waste sector, some of which is linked to organised crime. It also identified issues for how my Department has managed that feature of the waste sector and, in particular, how effectively we have responded to the challenge posed by those who are prepared to risk human health, the economy and the environment for significant and ill-gotten financial gains. That uncomfortable finding must focus us on the broader question of resource efficiency. That must be the starting point for tackling the challenge.

In the 21st century, those societies that use resources most efficiently will have the best chance of prospering. Also in the 21st century, those businesses that view environmental challenges as economic opportunities, rather than problems, will have a competitive edge in global markets.

As the global population continues to grow and consumption levels continue to rise in the major emerging economies of China, India and elsewhere, we will see energy and material prices continue to rise.

In this world, allowing resources to be turned into waste will be an increasingly costly and risky business activity. In short, this will be a century in which the old mindset of waste as a natural by-product of economic activity will be consigned to its own dustbin. Economies and businesses that persist with that mentality will find themselves left behind by more efficient competitors.

That is why the most fundamental lesson from the Mills report is the need to drive greater levels of resource efficiency and work to curtail the creation of waste in the first place. At the highest level, therefore, my response to the Mills report is to strengthen our efforts to create, first, much higher levels of resource efficiency in Northern Ireland and, second, a much more robust, legitimate and prosperous waste sector for the remaining waste we do produce.

The benefits to the North of that approach will be to protect human health by ensuring that waste is properly managed; ensure that our environment is not damaged and degraded by illegal dumping of waste; reduce the supply of waste available for criminals through closer working with councils that collect municipal waste and arrange for its management and treatment; unlock economic gains through resource efficiency across all industry sectors; and support the development of legitimate waste operators in a well-functioning waste sector.

The Mills report tells us that we have much work to do to deliver these 21st-century benefits. Let me outline the actions that my Department will take to turn the situation around.

As has been widely reported, an estimated total of over 500,000 tons of waste was discovered last year by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) in an area adjacent to the River Faughan in the townland of Mobuoy near Derry. That area was adjacent to and included a licensed waste facility.

In June 2013, my predecessor, Alex Attwood, revoked the licence of the operator of the facility following an unprecedented investigation into allegations of large-scale criminal offending involving the illegal disposal of very large amounts of waste. He also commissioned Chris Mills, the former director of the Welsh Environment Agency, to conduct a review into the lessons to be learned from the incident. I received that report on 10 December last year and released it publicly on 18 December.

As I stated at the time, I did not sit on the report. I released the report immediately because I wanted to put Mr Mills’s important findings and recommendations into the public domain as soon as possible. That has also enabled my officials to compile an action plan based on the Mills recommendations and to engage with district councils on immediate steps we can take jointly with local government to tackle the significant problems that can arise once waste has transferred from the councils to the waste operators.

What problems did Mr Mills find? The key finding from the Mills report is that the waste sector in Northern Ireland is highly vulnerable to infiltration and that some of that activity is linked to organised crime. That, though, is not unique to Northern Ireland and also happens in Britain and Ireland. Indeed, it occurs in many countries around the world, so we are not alone in facing those serious problems, but I will not allow that fact to be used as an excuse to delay action here to address the challenge.

The report also highlights the vast profits and low deterrents that criminals can exploit. The report points to problems in the design and implementation of the waste regulation system administered by NIEA. Mr Mills found a lack of overall strategy and direction, a lack of integration between different teams in DOE, over-complication in regulatory design and deficiencies in some legislative powers.

Those are not minor problems. They will not be solved overnight. They will require a sustained effort over the next few years. I am absolutely determined to make that happen. I am pleased to announce the following key actions for fixing those problems and responding to the Mills report recommendations. I have directed the chief executive of NIEA to implement the actions in accordance with the specified timelines.

A full operational strategy with a detailed action plan will be developed and published to encourage resource efficiency, ensure the proper disposal of waste and tackle waste crime.

That will be published by the end of June.

A new resource efficiency directorate will be created to bring together the various regulatory and enforcement teams in the NIEA. That will be established by the end of May. An analysis of skills needs will be undertaken to inform a training programme to ensure that staff with the right skills are posted to the new waste directorate. The analysis will be completed by 30 June.

A review of potential legislative enhancements in areas such as duty of care, the fit and proper person test, the number of waste authorisations, waste remediation and "polluter pays" mechanisms will be conducted. That will be completed by 30 June.

NIEA will build on its existing work with other government organisations here and in Britain, in the Republic of Ireland and across Europe. That will involve a number of government bodies, but a high priority will be to strengthen significantly the partnership between my Department and the district councils, which have responsibility for the initial collection of municipal waste before it is transferred to waste operators via council-led contractual arrangements. A plan for those partnerships will be completed by the end of May. NIEA will develop a series of resource efficiency partnerships with trade associations and individual businesses. A plan for those partnerships will also be completed by the end of May.

A plan will be developed to ensure that the DOE's internal whistle-blower system is strongly promoted. That will be completed by 30 April.

Much work has already been undertaken on several of those actions. I emphasise how comprehensive the actions are. Partnerships with the business community will be strengthened, which will focus on supporting efforts by businesses to avoid creating waste and reusing any residual waste. I anticipate that that will create cost savings and enhance the competitiveness of many businesses. DOE's programmes to support community efforts to reduce waste will be enhanced. That will be wide-ranging, covering everything from continued support for the recycling infrastructure and local community waste reduction projects through to continued support for waste reduction efforts. Much stronger partnerships will be built with local councils on all waste management issues. Local councils play a crucial role in delivering waste reduction action plans and recycling efforts and arranging for the collection and disposal of waste. The agency will work much more closely with local councils to ensure that the way in which councils manage their waste collection and disposal systems, and the way in which we regulate and enforce on waste work, are in strong combination. That will help all waste operators to understand that the public sector is working closely together at central and local levels to secure major improved performance and full compliance. That will provide the extra support that legitimate waste operators need and make it harder for those operators who do not want to comply.

Clearer regulatory systems must be developed so that waste operators find it easier to understand their obligations, and it is easier for NIEA to assess whether operators are complying with those obligations. I am developing a better regulation Bill, which has been endorsed by the Executive. That will transform our overall environmental regulatory systems by creating the capacity for DOE to issue one streamlined, integrated permit to a business. It will also give NIEA uniform inspection powers. That means that an individual agency officer would be authorised to inspect against all environmental regulations rather than only a limited number, as is currently the case. That will mean that the same number of officers will be able to carry out a significantly increased overall number of inspections in a much more focused way.

NIEA has adopted a new simple operating principle. For regulated businesses' environmental compliance performance, NIEA will make it easy for good performers and difficult for poor performers. In short, if you regularly comply, you will be freed of pointless red tape and receive fewer inspections; if you have a poor compliance record or are operating outside the system, you will get a lot more attention from NIEA.

Under these general regulatory reforms, our systems and processes for regulating waste will be strengthened and improved. That will give legitimate waste operators the confidence to invest and grow their businesses. It will also give communities and businesses the confidence that any waste that they create will be properly and legally disposed of.

NIEA will continue to pursue waste criminals with the full force of the law. That is the essential and powerful safety net that must be in place to underpin all the other efforts that I have outlined. Tough and effective waste crime enforcement is critical. That is why we have employed 10 new enforcement experts in NIEA's environmental crime unit with money that my predecessor secured in the 2012 June monitoring round. We must be vigilant and fearless in chasing people who deliberately set out to make money by damaging our environment, our communities and our legitimate businesses through illegal waste dumping, fuel laundering and other forms of waste crime. It is unacceptable and must be eliminated. This tough enforcement activity for those trying to do the wrong thing will provide additional support to citizens, schools, community groups, councils and businesses that are trying to do the right thing. There is an enormous amount of work to be done if we are to create much higher levels of resource efficiency, more effectively regulate and manage waste, and eliminate waste crime in Northern Ireland. As we put all those actions in place, I am making arrangements for the Department to continue to access advice from Mr Mills to ensure that his knowledge is available to help us with the implementation of his report findings.

Finally, I refer to the motion approved in the Assembly on 11 March calling for a public inquiry into waste disposal in the north-west and the rest of Northern Ireland. I will now seek the agreement of my Executive colleagues to a full and comprehensive public inquiry into waste management issues across the North. Such an inquiry would build on the valuable findings of the Mills report but be much more wide-ranging in its remit, covering all public bodies involved in waste; the nature and structure of the waste sector and its links to Britain and the Republic of Ireland; the origins of waste crime and the uses made of waste crime proceeds now and in the past; and the effectiveness of waste regulation and waste infrastructure. Such a public inquiry would need to be conducted at a time that does not interfere with our active criminal investigation flowing from the illegal waste dump in Campsie. It would build on the findings of the Mills report by revealing more information on waste crime.

In the meantime, I will not delay action in response to the Mills report. Indeed, the actions that I have announced today will set in motion a transformation in resource efficiency and waste management in the North. That transformation will not be easy, but it is essential to protect human health, our precious environment and underpin a modern and vibrant waste sector contributing to the local economy.

I commend the statement to the Assembly.

William Hay (Speaker, Foyle)

Before we go to questions on the statement, I strongly ask Members to be particularly careful to say nothing that might prejudice any ongoing criminal investigation or any resulting legal proceedings. I ask Members to be mindful this morning of the legal criminal procedures that are ongoing at this time. If that is clear, I call Anna Lo, Chair of the Environment Committee.

Anna Lo (Alliance, Belfast South)

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I take your guidance very seriously.

I thank the Minister for his statement. I welcome the actions that he has put in place to address illegal dumping. I also welcome the public inquiry and commend him for taking on board the comments from the motion that we had a few weeks ago on the issue.

Will the Minister give us an update on the progress on clearing the site? In the meantime, what is the council doing to replace the waste operators and where is council waste being left?

Mark Durkan (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Foyle)

I thank the Chair of the Committee for welcoming the statement and for her question. The clean-up of the site is a huge issue in my constituency, naturally enough, and a big one here — and rightly so, given the potential cost. I hasten to add that the Department's immediate response was to secure money from the Executive, quite a proportion of which was used for a quick clean-up of the area so that waste that posed any potential risk to human health or the environment was removed or treated immediately. However, that leaves about 499,000 tons of waste still there, and the issue of how that will be treated remains.

NIEA is engaging top-class experts to advise on clean-up options at the Campsie site, including cost estimates. Clean-up decisions will be based on that expert advice. As that is happening, the agency has, as I said, already removed some high-risk and medium-risk waste and increased its monitoring of the surrounding environment to ensure that nothing gets into the waterways there.

Every legal effort is being used to recover the costs from the polluters. This is a high priority for enforcement action. If it is not fully successful, I will have to consider funding options at that stage.

The issue is wider than the local council because the waste that could be identified seems to have come from a very wide area and from many regions. Other councils will have made alternative legal arrangements for the disposal of their waste.

Mark Durkan (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Foyle)

There is an important role for all of us in tackling crime such as this. Today, I have outlined measures that my Department and I are taking to do so. I have met the Justice Minister and will meet him again soon to discuss deterrents to this type of crime. As I outlined in my statement, the profits are vast, but the deterrents are very low. Therefore, it is a very attractive crime. The sentences or deterrents should reflect the seriousness of the crime, which is far from victimless. It can cause damage to human health and, undoubtedly, damages the environment. Who is left to pay? Ultimately, should we be unable to make the polluter pay, it will be up to the taxpayer here to foot the bill. I think that we would have public support to pursue these criminals with the full force of the law, and I am happy to work with each and every agency to do so.

The Member also asked about enhanced partnerships between central and local government. That is key. Partnership working has existed and does exist, but it could and, indeed, will be strengthened further as we move forward. My officials and I interact regularly with the regional waste partnerships across the North. The reform of local government, which, I am sure, we will talk enough about later, will provide greater opportunities for councils to interact with the Department. With fewer councils, we can ensure greater uniformity in how they do business.

Raymond McCartney (Sinn Féin, Foyle)

Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. Ba mhaith liom fáilte a chur roimh an ráiteas seo agus, mar sin, gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as. I welcome the statement and thank the Minister for what was a comprehensive and detailed response to the issue and the Mills report. The key to this — I think that is the Minister's own word — as we take forward the ongoing work and the public inquiry, is giving communities and businesses the confidence that any waste created will be properly and legally disposed of. That is the way to take this forward. I welcome the Minister's response to the public inquiry as well. It is important that we reassure people. Being from the constituency, the Minister will know —

William Hay (Speaker, Foyle)

I encourage the Member to come to his question.

Raymond McCartney (Sinn Féin, Foyle)

— that rumours still prevail that physical structures are built on what are, as yet, undetected illegal dumps. I ask the Minister to comment on that.

Mark Durkan (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Foyle)

I thank Mr McCartney for the question. I am glad that he recognises that we are moving forward. That is very important. Although a public inquiry cannot start immediately in case it interferes with the ongoing criminal investigation, I hope that I have demonstrated to all Members today that I am not just sitting on my hands waiting until such time as we can proceed with that. That is why I have brought forward the proposals today, and I am determined to get them implemented in the timescales that I have set down today, which are challenging enough.

I am fully aware of the public concern, fear and suspicion. That is why I want to take every step possible to me to allay that fear, concern and suspicion. That is why I have agreed that we proceed with a public inquiry and why I am doing this in the interim.

The site-specific issues to which the Member refers have been taken on board and are being further investigated by the agency and, indeed, by officials in the planning department.

Pat Ramsey (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Foyle)

I commend and thank the Minister for bringing such a detailed statement to the House and for some of the actions to come out of that. All Members for the constituency, including you, Mr Speaker, will be aware of the serious worry and, as the Minister said, the fear across the city and the north-west. Can the Minister assure the House and the people of Derry and the north-west today that such incidents and levels of illegal dumping will not happen again?

Mark Durkan (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Foyle)

I thank the Member for his question. Unfortunately, I cannot give an assurance that this will not happen again; what I can do is give an assurance that it will never happen this easily again. We will not make life as easy for waste criminals as we have.

The Mills report rightly identified gaps and a lack of interaction between sections of the Environment Agency and gaps between the agency and the planning department. Prior to today, I have taken steps to address those. Where such gaps exist, there will always be criminals who are ready, willing and able to exploit them for their own financial gain, regardless of any impact on the environment or on other people. It is vital that we do not make it easy for them. The scale of the incident on the outskirts of our home city was unprecedented on this island, so I think that I can assure him that anything on that scale will not happen again and that we are taking every step to ensure that we drive crime and criminality out of the waste industry.

Tom Elliott (UUP, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

I thank the Minister for the update on the report. He will be aware that there is considerable frustration among the public, particularly about new laws at local councils. In Fermanagh, I have had complaints from people who have got a £75 fine for dropping a cigarette butt or a sweet paper. There is a huge difference between that and 500,000 tons of waste being dumped. Can the Minister give us and the public any reassurance about how he will deal with the bigger waste disposal dumps mainly activated by criminal gangs?

Mark Durkan (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Foyle)

I thank Mr Elliott for that question. In answer to an earlier question, I outlined my interaction to date with the Justice Minister and the future meetings that I have scheduled with him to discuss this issue. I do not believe that the current deterrents for waste crime match the seriousness of the offence. That is something that I have to work with my colleague Minister Ford and, indeed, the judiciary on.

As regards the poor individuals being fined £75 for dropping litter, I have been contacted by some of these people as well, looking for my assistance with quashing the fine. Enforcement is an important tool in addressing waste crime, but it must be done on a scale matching the offence.

Maurice (DUP, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

I thank the Minister for his statement, in which he said:

"The DOE’s programmes to support community efforts to reduce waste will be enhanced."

A lot of the waste has been deposited close to one of our valuable rivers, the Faughan. I understand that some angling clubs wrote to the Department about the issue a long time ago. The Minister was not in office at the time, but what action did the Department take, or what meetings did it set up with that angling club to discuss the matter further, so that it could be pursued long before it ever was? It strikes me that there has been reluctance to move on the issue and that something could have been done years before it was.

Mark Durkan (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Foyle)

I thank the Member for the question. He rightly identifies that it was before I was Minister and certainly before Alex Attwood was Minister, which raises this question: who might have been Minister of the Environment at that time? The Mills report flags up the issue that letters had been written and contact had been made by members of the public, including the local angling club, with concerns around the site and raises the question of why these were not acted on. This has caused me great concern, even though it happened — or did not happen — many years ago. The steps that I announced today and hope to move forward will ensure that something such as this cannot happen again and that we will not have the same silo mentality that has existed within the agency and between it and DOE planning. It is important to acknowledge that what happened and how things were or were not responded to was wrong, to ensure that it does not happen again and to have the systems and safety net in place to ensure that, when something like this is brought to the Department's attention, it is acted on immediately.

Ian McCrea (DUP, Mid Ulster)

I thank the Minister for his statement. I think that this is a genuine attempt to address the illegal dumping of waste. I have had conversations with people who express concern about this and, indeed, those in the constituency in Londonderry, and they want the House to unite in supporting the National Crime Agency. Will the Minister give an assurance that, regardless of his party's views on supporting the National Crime Agency coming to Northern Ireland —

William Hay (Speaker, Foyle)

I encourage the Member to come to his question.

Ian McCrea (DUP, Mid Ulster)

— if work can be done with that agency, he will not object to it?

Mark Durkan (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Foyle)

The Department previously worked closely with the PSNI, obviously, and continues to, along with SOCA, on the issue of waste crime. However, I have to express some disappointment at how SOCA, which is, I suppose, the predecessor to the National Crime Agency, has responded and interacted with my Department and, indeed, how it has dealt or failed to deal with waste criminals. That led someone I know to suggest that SOCA might be an abbreviation for "silent on criminal activity". As I said in answer to Mrs Cameron's question, I am keen that my Department works with each and every agency that can bring about prosecutions and asset recovery. I am happy to give that assurance again.

Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Foyle)

I thank the Minister for his statement and for the actions contained in it. I welcome the wide-ranging public inquiry that he mentioned. Has he done any work on how much that will cost?

Mark Durkan (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Foyle)

I thank the Member for his question. Well, I do not really, actually. [Laughter.] As Members will know, public inquiries by their very nature can be open-ended, long-running and, as a result, extremely costly. I have not yet conducted any calculations or estimations of how much this public inquiry would cost. I have, as I said, written to Executive colleagues indicating to them my desire to pursue the public inquiry and asking for their support. Ultimately, I will seek their financial support as well.

Jim Allister (Traditional Unionist Voice, North Antrim)

It is hard to regard the massive illegal dumping at the Mobuoy site as anything but a huge failure by the NIEA. How such a thing happened under its nose has never really been explained. Given that it is the same organisation that, with such officiousness, comes down heavily on the easy pickings of individual farmers on the slightest incident of pollution and arrogantly imposes an area of special scientific interest (ASSI) categorisation without ever properly consulting the affected farmers, does the Minister think that that organisation is fit for purpose, since it seems to have been asleep at the wheel on this big issue?

Mark Durkan (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Foyle)

I thank the Member for his question. I do not think that this was just a massive failing by NIEA; it was a massive failing by the Planning Service as well. There has been a litany of errors, and the Mills report outlines them. Today, I have announced the steps that I am taking to reduce the possibility of anything like this happening again.

Prior to this, I announced a root-and-branch review of the Environment Agency, its structures and how it operates. That will be extremely important in how we address this major issue as well as those outlined by Mr Allister. That is important not just to give confidence in the agency back to the public, but to assist its staff. For us to get the most out of them and make the most of the undoubted expertise that they have, the agency needs to be improved. I am committed to improving the agency and ensuring that it is fit for purpose in everyone's eyes.

Joe Byrne (Social Democratic and Labour Party, West Tyrone)

I thank the Minister for his statement. Technical officers from the local authority, Derry City Council, were in charge of this operation, and £50 million has gone amiss. What can be done to reassure the public that those officers and the management of that council are really in charge of dishing out the land tax money in order to make sure that this does not happen again? Will there be rigour and determination in trying to recover some of the money?

Mark Durkan (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Foyle)

I thought that Mr Eastwood's question was bad. I thank the Member for his question.

I have outlined the determination to recover the money from the criminals responsible for this incident. It is imperative that we make the polluter pay. I spoke of the need to strengthen relationships — we will do this — between central government and local government. We will also strengthen the scrutiny of the way in which councils treat their waste. I hope that that assures Mr Byrne.

Steven Agnew (Green, North Down)

I thank the Minister for seeking the agreement of Executive colleagues for a public inquiry. However, I remind him and the Executive that the Assembly has expressed its will very clearly, and I ask him to ensure that the Executive meet their duties in that regard.

The Minister made reference to the public inquiry including a comprehensive investigation of waste disposal. The motion that the Assembly passed also asked the public inquiry to investigate the role of his Department in failing to regulate other industries such as quarrying. Will he guarantee that that will be part of the terms of reference for the public inquiry?

Mark Durkan (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Foyle)

I thank the Member for his question. That was part of the amended motion that was passed by the Assembly and will indeed be part of the terms of reference of any public inquiry. I am fully conscious of the issue, and I assure the Member that it is a high priority. Already, following my instruction, the DOE permanent secretary is chairing a group of senior planning and NIEA officials to ensure a more joined-up approach, particularly around regulation of the type of activity to which Mr Agnew refers.

William Hay (Speaker, Foyle)

I ask the House to take its ease while we wait for the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety.

Edwin Poots (DUP, Lagan Valley)

In recent weeks, I have informed the Assembly about serious failings in the quality of care provided to patients and the robustness of governance arrangements in the Belfast and Northern health and social care trusts. My approach in responding to those failings has been to find out what went wrong and to ensure that action is taken to correct it, as these are serious matters and are deeply concerning for the patients and their families who have been affected by them.

In my previous statement, I said I wanted to establish the facts concerning these failings, take immediate medium-term and long-term action to correct what went wrong and ensure that the necessary learning would be applied across the entire health and social care system in Northern Ireland. I will come on to further actions taken to address the specific failings in the Northern and Belfast trusts shortly, after I outline for Members the key elements of my strategic approach to improving the quality of care provided to patients and the robustness of governance arrangements across the health and social care sector in Northern Ireland. There are three key elements to this strategic approach; a review of unscheduled care, staff involvement and governance.

First, Members will recall that, following the major incident at the Royal Victoria Hospital’s emergency department declared by the Belfast Trust on 8 January, I commissioned the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) to conduct a systemic assessment of arrangements for unscheduled care in the Belfast Trust with a view to informing the wider picture regionally. The review that is under way is being carried out by eminent professionals who are each expert in their field of unscheduled care. Its remit is to examine the fundamental underpinning systems, processes, resources and model for unscheduled and emergency care, including how we build sufficient resilience regionally.

At this point, I can tell Members that the review team has been working with the Belfast Trust to gain an understanding of the flows of patients to and within the hospitals in the trust. A wide range of relevant information has been sought and provided by the Belfast Trust, the Health and Social Care Board and other HSC organisations, including the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS). Members of the review team have had a comprehensive briefing from the chief executive and senior executives of the Belfast Trust on the programmes of change that the trust has been undertaking to improve hospital services in Belfast. During the next month, the review team will visit trust facilities and meet front line staff and managers. It will also meet other organisations in relation to the wider regional aspects of the review. The chair of the review team has had initial visits to all trusts, including the NIAS. He has advised that, in every trust, there are examples of innovations designed to improve the flow of patients and their experience of the care provided.

The review team will provide its report to me in June, but I am not prepared to wait for receipt of the final report and recommendations in June; I want to see actions now. Therefore, I welcome the fact that, to help share the learning across organisations and to consider initial findings from the work of the review team, the RQIA will hold two summit events in May. The outputs from those events will help to inform the recommendations of the final report of the review, which I have asked to be completed by mid-June. The review team's report will provide one of the three building blocks on which the improvement in the quality of patient care and governance will be taken forward.

I move on to staff involvement. I want to ensure that the need for best practice in unscheduled care is maximised across the HSC and is addressed urgently. I believe that there is no better way to do that than to directly involve the staff who deliver that care and to empower them to act. Staff involvement is, therefore, the second building block on which I intend to deliver positive change. In that respect, I participated in the Royal College of Nursing emergency care summit on 19 February, where I heard at first hand the views of emergency nurses and their commitment to drive emergency care forward and improve care for our patients.

Members will recall that, in my statement to the House on 18 March, I announced that the College of Emergency Medicine had agreed to hold an unscheduled care summit that will pull together information from a wide range of unscheduled care experts and foster action across the HSC. The unscheduled care summit, which takes place tomorrow, is about whole-system solutions. I have said before that many of the solutions to the challenges in emergency departments (ED) will be found outside the door of the ED. That is why I have asked the college to ensure that the summit brings together some of the most senior representatives of hospital medicine, general practice, nursing, social work and allied health professionals, as well as managers and representatives of the trade unions in Northern Ireland, and charges them with looking at the issues systematically.

As I told the Assembly on 18 March, the college has also agreed to work with my Department and the wider HSC to hold a follow-up event, 60 days after the summit, to build on the outcomes of the summit and develop recommendations on how to maximise the effectiveness of urgent and unscheduled care services in Northern Ireland. I expect that the summit and follow-up event will not only share vital learning but produce definitive proposals for my consideration in June this year, alongside and complementary to the RQIA's report.

Today, I am announcing the third building block of my strategic approach to delivering the improvement that the Assembly and the public have asked for. I want to see if a step-change improvement in the quality of governance arrangements across the HSC is needed and whether they support a culture of openness and transparency, a culture of enquiry and learning and a culture of redress and making amends when we get things wrong.

Subject to appropriate approvals, I am commissioning external experts from outside Northern Ireland who have a high level of expertise in the field to undertake a study to provide me with their independent advice on the effectiveness of these governance arrangements and how they can be further developed and strengthened.

In order to secure the best possible response for the population of Northern Ireland, an initial approach has been made to the former Chief Medical Officer for the Department of Health in England, Professor Sir Liam Donaldson. I am pleased to advise the Assembly that he has indicated that he would be willing to take up the assignment. No doubt you will be aware that Professor Sir Liam Donaldson has extensive experience in healthcare. From 1998 to June 2010, Sir Liam was the Chief Medical Officer for England and the United Kingdom’s Chief Medical Adviser, and his record and achievements speak for themselves. Internationally, Sir Liam served as a member and vice-chairman of the World Health Organization’s executive board and conceived of, founded and led the World Alliance for Patient Safety, which is an initiative that moved action on safety to a global scale. Terms of reference for this work, which I expect will be completed by the end of the year, are appended to the statement and are available on the Department’s website.

My strategic approach to improving the quality of care and the effectiveness of governance in the HSC could not be clearer: three significant and serious building blocks to bring about improvement. One is under way, the second will begin tomorrow, and the third I have announced today. They all involve eminent people who are experts in their field, with wide experience of healthcare. They are all working to clear terms of reference and are all taking a coherent strategic approach, and they are driven by my resolve and by the determination and commitment of all in the health service.

Although it is crucial to learn from the past, it is essential to look forward to the future and to ensure that, in learning from the past, appropriate actions are taken to ensure delivery of high-quality, safe and effective services that are underpinned by robust governance arrangements across the whole health and social care sector. That is exactly what my strategic approach is intended to do, and that is what I intend to deliver.

I have made clear and demonstrated my commitment to openness and transparency about our Health and Social Care services. I apprised the Assembly and the citizens of Northern Ireland of the serious issues in the Northern and Belfast Trusts as soon as possible after I became aware of them. In that respect, I want to take this opportunity to provide the Assembly with an update on matters relating to both trusts.

In my written statement to the Assembly on 28 March, I informed Members about the continuing work at the Northern Trust on the implementation of the improvement programme and about findings emerging from the second phase of implementation. Following the statement, a number of reports highlighted the pain and anguish suffered by the families of those patients who directly experienced serious deficiencies in the quality of care that they received. As I indicated in my statement on 28 March, I asked the trust to confirm to my Department as soon as possible that all appropriate action, such as initiating fuller investigations and making sure that all affected patients and families are given the appropriate information and support, has been completed. I also asked the trust to ensure that those individual cases have all been reported appropriately, properly investigated and that learning from those instances is effected in the trust and more widely in the HSC as necessary. I want to update Members on the assurances that have been provided to me.

The trust has advised me that it has informed the families in all 20 cases. I want to be clear: I expect meaningful engagement with families, which includes giving them the opportunity, if they wish, to participate in the serious adverse incident investigation. The families should be afforded sight of the final report and be informed of progress with the implementation of recommendations. I am seeking assurances from the trust that appropriate actions have been taken in all 20 cases to report to all relevant authorities, including the coroner, to investigate the incidents to identify learning and to implement recommendations from completed investigation. Some of those investigations are ongoing. I will be receiving regular updates in future and will keep Members fully informed.

Mr Speaker, on the matter of the Northern Trust, I will, if I may, take the opportunity to clarify that the turnaround team was appointed to the Northern Trust in December 2012, not 2011, as I inadvertently indicated in response to a question for oral answer to the Assembly on 31 March 2014.

On Monday 10 February, I delivered a statement informing the Assembly of my instruction to the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) to carry out an inspection of the emergency department and the acute medical unit (AMU) at the Royal Victoria Hospital in the Belfast Trust over the weekend of 31 January to assess the quality of care and dignity afforded to patients in those facilities.

A Belfast Health and Social Care document entitled ‘Improvement Plan for Unscheduled Care in Belfast Trust’, which is being published today on the Belfast Trust website, details the actions taken to improve unscheduled care for patients. The final report of the findings of the RQIA inspection will also be published this morning. Despite the failings identified in the report, one clear message shines through: the commitment of staff to their patients. They are staff who are genuinely upset when they feel that, for reasons outside their control, they have not given the best care to their patients. They are doctors and nurses, social workers and many other health professionals, such as porters, domestic staff and managers, who are making enormous effort to ensure that the sickest and most vulnerable people are given priority and to ensure that patient safety is protected. My thanks and appreciation go out to them all. The challenges are complex, and some of the solutions will not be immediately deliverable.

When I made my statement to the Assembly on 10 February, I outlined the RQIA's interim findings from its inspection; those interim findings are now fully reflected in the report published today. I was deeply upset to hear of suggestions that dignity is not always afforded to those who die in our emergency departments. That cannot continue; it must change. I was angry that people had experienced unacceptable levels of care, and I was angry that staff do not feel supported in delivering the care that they wish to. I was particularly angry at the suggestion that targets should come before patients. That is unacceptable, and I cannot, and will not, tolerate it. In response to the report's findings, I asked the RQIA to secure from the Belfast Trust a detailed action plan setting out how it will address the failings and issues identified. That action plan, in the form of a quality improvement plan, is included in the RQIA's report and describes how the trust is addressing all the recommendations in the report. The document that the Belfast Trust is publishing today complements and provides further details on the quality improvement plan in the RQIA's report.

Following receipt of the RQIA report, at the end of last week, my officials met the senior teams of the Belfast Trust, the Health and Social Care Board (HSCB) and the Public Health Agency (PHA) to consider the RQIA's recommendations and the trust's response, as set out in the trust's quality improvement plan. At that meeting, the Health and Social Care Board and the Public Health Agency confirmed that the trust’s improvement plan was a reasonable response to the findings and recommendations in the report. The RQIA has also confirmed that it has accepted the appropriateness of the trust's quality improvement plan to take forward the recommendations of its report.

The improvement plan presents an opportunity to improve the service and to give better care to patients. It is critical that the plan be implemented without delay, and I have advised the trust of my clear expectations in that regard. I have also assured the Belfast Trust that it will have the full support of me, the Department, the Health and Social Care Board and the Public Health Agency in taking forward that challenging agenda.

My Department was also updated on the immediate actions taken by the Belfast Trust, following its meeting on 5 February with the RQIA, at which it was presented with the RQIA's interim findings. Details of the immediate actions being taken by the trust were included in my statement to the Assembly on 18 March, and I am pleased to provide a further update.

A nursing workforce review has been completed, which, as I announced in that statement, resulted in the appointment of 15 additional nurses in the emergency department and 25 in the acute medical unit. The additional nursing staff will permit, for example, an increase in the nurse:patient ratio in the resuscitation area to 1:1 and in the number of nurses in the focused assessment areas at all times to four. In the AMU, the additional staff will facilitate a greater level of personal care and assistance with nutrition.

The trust’s chief executive and senior team have reinforced to staff directly that patients must be admitted on the basis of clinical priority, not targets. There will be senior management cover for evenings and weekends to provide support and guidance for staff and aid the flow of patients. The trust, in partnership with trade unions, immediately provided support clinics in the emergency department and acute medical unit to give immediate support to all staff working in those pressurised environments. The support team was made up of senior experienced nurses, occupational health staff, human resources staff and trade union colleagues.

A review of support services has been completed and resulted in a dedicated portering team being based in the emergency department, 24 hours each day, every day. There are enhanced cleaning services in place, with dedicated cleaning staff for the emergency department until 10.00 pm and further services available from the night cleaning team until 7.00 am.

Additional catering provision is in now in place and is overseen regularly by the catering manager/supervisor. Supplies of water, tea and coffee and light snacks are available in the department at all times, and emergency stores are readily available for times of surge.

Security is readily available, 24 hours each day.

A learning and development/support programme is in place for all new nursing staff to ensure that they have appropriate levels of training and induction to support them in their new role. The trust is establishing systems to ensure that staff receive feedback on any safety concerns that they raise, including through team meetings.

Additional senior nurses for ED and AMU have been appointed to oversee clinical care. An associate director of nursing for unscheduled care is to be appointed. An ED clinical lead for safety and governance is being appointed.

The use of internal transport, with nurse escort, to ensure timely transfer between sites is being provided.

A direct assessment and admission facility for the frail elderly on level 7 in the Belfast City Hospital is in place.

The trust will ensure that additional stocks of pillows and blankets are held and are available to the sister/charge nurse for times of increased requirement. Those will be ordered, and the stocks overseen, by the ward sisters.

The trust has reviewed, and is in the process of procuring, the necessary additional patient equipment, such as cardiac monitors, IV pumps etc.

The functions of the acute medical unit have been clarified, and additional arrangements, such as a 4.00 pm meeting between the patient flow co-ordinator and senior medical decision-makers, have been put in place. Additional administrative support to ensure 24/7 clerical support in the AMU has been provided.

As I advised in my statement of 18 March, that action has built on the initiatives already taken by the trust following the recommendations in the review of the emergency department carried out last year by the College of Emergency Medicine, details of which were included in that statement.

Although the actions in the trust’s improvement plan will improve the experience of patients using the emergency department and the acute admissions unit in the RVH, the trust cannot, at this time, guarantee that the Manchester triage diagnostic timescales for patients who present at the emergency department will be adhered to at all times. That is because of the inability to fill all the medical posts, and it has the potential to impact on the care provided should seriously ill patients wait longer than recommended when the emergency department is under pressure.

That issue has been recognised by the trust and has been included in its risk register. Appropriate mitigating action is in place, which is monitored by the trust and the Health and Social Care Board.

Although I am looking to the Belfast Trust to ensure that a consistent approach is taken to the implementation of its quality improvement programme, Members can be assured that the bodies with responsibility for commissioning and regulating the health service will remain vigilant in discharging their responsibilities as we move forward. I shall be seeking their assurance that progress continues to be made, that things have improved and that momentum is maintained.

I previously referred to the five serious adverse incidents (SAIs) related to the quality of care provided by the Belfast Trust. Those incidents caused all of us to have concern about the quality of governance in the trust. My Department wrote to HSCB in February 2014 to ask it to review completed emergency department-linked SAI investigations to ascertain whether delay may have been a contributory factor, the involvement of families and carers in the investigation process and the involvement of the Coroners Service. That work, which will cover serious adverse incident investigations between 2009 and 2013, is under way. It is anticipated that it will be completed by the end of April or early May. I have updated the Chair of the Health Committee on that time frame, and I will provide a further update to the Committee once the analysis is available.

Although I am confident that our services are overwhelmingly safe and are delivering better outcomes than ever, and that the experience of the vast majority of patients, clients and their families is a positive one, there is clearly a need to provide greater independent assurance on the safety of services. Throughout the rest of this year, the RQIA will continue with a series of planned reviews, including a review focusing on the experience of older people in acute care, a separate review focusing on discharge arrangements from acute hospitals and a review focusing on the implementation of the regional stroke strategy. In addition, as part of a significant change to the work programme of the RQIA, I have decided that the RQIA will, from 2015-16 onwards, undertake a rolling programme of inspections of the quality of services in all acute hospitals in Northern Ireland each year. Currently, inspections of acute hospitals are limited to hospital infection prevention and hygiene. The inspection reports will be published by the RQIA on a hospital-by-hospital basis as they are completed, and they will focus on a range of quality indicators around triage, assessment, care, monitoring and discharge. Members will appreciate the important linkages between the programmes of work already scheduled and the further work I have asked RQIA to undertake.

In the interests of openness and transparency, and in order to provide reassurance where possible, I have instructed all six trusts to, by the end of September 2014, review all serious adverse incident reports completed between January 2009 and December 2013 and provide information to my Department covering their engagement with families and their compliance with statutory requirements to inform the coroner in cases in which patients or clients died. I have also instructed them to confirm that escalation and reporting to other organisations happened appropriately, and, if there are any general or specific issues, to report on any not previously identified to bring them to my attention.

Although that work will initially be undertaken by trusts, the Health and Social Care Board, given its responsibilities for serious adverse incidents, as well my Department, will consider any findings. The RQIA, as part of a planned review of adverse incident management, reporting and learning, will, later this year, independently investigate and quality-assure the work each trust has undertaken as part of that exercise. The RQIA will also, as part of that same planned review, consider the appropriateness of trusts' systems for identifying serious adverse incidents by considering their current arrangements for reporting and handling adverse incidents, litigation cases and complaints. That will involve RQIA sampling cases from the adverse incidents, complaints and litigation systems and reviewing trust systems for identifying, where appropriate, cases as SAIs. That work will complement and support the wider governance review that I am commissioning.

Although a number of reviews and investigations will be ongoing, it is important that we continue to implement improvements already identified. Today, I have given the go-ahead for the phased regional implementation of an enhanced assurance process for all deaths in hospitals in Northern Ireland. The mortality and morbidity review system, which is being developed by the Belfast Trust, will be rolled out across Northern Ireland hospitals over a three-year period and will record, review, monitor and analyse all hospital deaths. This system, used effectively, will provide additional scrutiny of the death certification process; enhance a culture of learning across trusts; improve reporting of serious adverse incidents where a death has occurred; act as an additional safeguard to ensure that deaths are appropriately reported to the coroner; and improve the quality of information provided to the coroner and as part of serious adverse incident notifications.

Rolling out the system will ensure that the causes of death are accurately recorded, reviewed and analysed, thereby facilitating identification of poor care management; learning from errors; openness and transparency; and improvements in patient safety and care. This will provide not only a means by which to quality assure information on deaths at hospital level but additional assurance and oversight in line with statutory responsibilities, and will ensure the identification and sharing of learning from all deaths that occur in our hospitals.

I am in no doubt that the incidents and revelations of recent weeks have dented the reputation of our health service and caused distress for those patients and their relatives who have been directly affected. I hope that the actions I have set out in this statement will provide reassurance and alleviate the worry that has been caused to many.

In conclusion, I want to assure the Assembly and the public that I am committed to ensuring that the quality of care provided to patients, coupled with the corporate governance that underpins care, is the best that it can be and that we have a mindset across the HSC that will deliver this. All the actions that I have taken in recent weeks, and the further actions that I have announced today, are designed to give assurance that the provision of high-quality care and robust systems and procedures are the routine day-to-day business of the HSC and that, when failings do occur, these are quickly identified and rectified with openness and transparency.

I believe that the facts to be established by the reviews to report later this year will confirm this to be the case. However, I also want to ensure that we learn from recent experience and refocus or redirect our efforts where necessary. I am confident that the strategic building blocks that I have put in place will, over time, deliver a step-change improvement in the quality of care provided to patients and the quality of governance arrangements across the health and social care sector in Northern Ireland. I commend the statement to the House.

Maeve McLaughlin (Sinn Féin, Foyle)

Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. I thank the Minister for his statement. However, there is little new in the statement except that there will be an initial contact with the Chief Medical Officer in England and an enhanced role for the RQIA. I listened very carefully as the Minister referred to:

"a culture of enquiry and learning".

However, I suggest that our staff and patients require a culture of action. How will the Minister deal with the criticism that this statement is simply another review and that it does not deal with assurances to families, increased recruitment, closure of beds or workforce planning? I note specifically that the Minister is seeking assurances from the Northern Trust in relation to the 20 cases in that trust. Has the assurance that appropriate action has been taken not yet been given? Is the Minister actually suggesting to the House that this statement is new or will make any difference to staff and patients in our emergency departments today? I call on the Minister to provide actions, not reviews or words.

Edwin Poots (DUP, Lagan Valley)

I note that the Member did not apologise to the Speaker for falling asleep during the speech. She must have been sleeping if she did not notice that a whole series of actions are being taken, including the employment of an additional 40 nurses; the completion of the review of support services, which has resulted in dedicated portering on a 24-hour basis each day; enhanced cleaning services being put in place; and the trust, in partnership with trade unions, providing support clinics in emergency departments and acute medical units.

Security is readily available 24 hours a day. Additional catering provision is in place to be overseen by the catering manager and supervisor, ensuring supplies of water, tea, coffee and light snacks. The Belfast Trust is enabling systems to ensure that staff receive feedback on any safety concerns. A learning and development support programme has been put in place. Additional senior nurses for ED and AMU have been appointed, and an associate director for nursing and unscheduled care is to be appointed. An ED clinical lead for safety governance is being appointed. A further measure is the use of internal transport with nurse escorts to improve timely transfer between sites. There is a direct assessment and admission facility for the frail elderly on level 7 of Belfast City Hospital. I could go on, but it is quite embarrassing.

Jim Wells (DUP, South Down)

Minister, I congratulate you on engaging the service of Sir Liam Donaldson, who is one of the foremost experts in healthcare in the United Kingdom. What engagement has the Minister had with CEM, the Royal College of Nursing and the BMA?

Edwin Poots (DUP, Lagan Valley)

The Royal College of Nursing held an emergency care summit, which I attended, and we have engaged with that organisation. Following on from that, the College of Emergency Medicine is holding a major summit tomorrow, which will involve all the key people, including the nursing staff. That will be followed up in two months with further work on the findings from tomorrow and how we have implemented the recommendations that come out of tomorrow's summit. We meet the RCN regularly and we will continue to do so. That is very important because our nursing staff provide front line care daily. They see and can identify the problems, and it is very important that we pay attention and listen to them when they identify issues of concern.

Fearghal McKinney (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Belfast South)

I thank the Minister. I will deal with the issue of SAIs. The Minister made plenty of reference to openness and transparency, but let us be clear that the issue here is about a potential cover-up and the potential failure in a statutory duty to report. So, what does the Minister propose? SAIs will be investigated, not by an external authority, but by the same trusts that held the information in the first place, and then the Health and Social Care Board and the Department will consider their investigation into themselves. I suggest that this is the health service investigating itself. Can the Minister tell us where the openness and transparency is in that?

Edwin Poots (DUP, Lagan Valley)

I think that another Member has not been paying much attention. I know that it was a long statement and maybe the concentration of some people does not last very well, but I am not sure what precisely the Member thinks we are asking Sir Liam Donaldson to do.

Roy Beggs (UUP, East Antrim)

I think the Minister for his statement on promoting quality and good governance, but, like others, I have noticed that it regurgitates much that has been said before. We have learned today of a very basic failing at Antrim hospital, where a plastic tube was inserted into the wrong patient. A memo has been issued highlighting the role of ward staff, X-ray porters and, indeed, radiographers. Can the Minister indicate, in order to produce better quality healthcare and good governance, what additional resources will be provided to enable staff to cope with the pressures? Does he agree that every member of staff has a role to play to ensure that the right patient gets the right treatment?

Edwin Poots (DUP, Lagan Valley)

The Member may think that we are living in some Utopia where 70,000 people are employed and no one ever makes a mistake. Unfortunately, people do make mistakes, and the memo that went out from the Northern Trust was to assist and to help to ensure that mistakes are minimised and happen less frequently. That is very important.

What people seem to fail to understand about serious adverse incident reporting is that it is very much a process of identifying what has gone wrong, how it went wrong and how you can avoid it happening in the future. That is what we are about, and we need to be open and transparent about these issues if we are to continually improve the services that we provide. The truth is that we provide much more extensive care than was previously the case to people who are often very ill. The consequence can be that sometimes it does not work out right because of human error and failure. We need to ensure that we minimise that, and that is the work that we are trying to do. That is what we are trying to deliver.

In interaction between staff and the HSC, there were in excess of 15 million key interactions between staff and patients and social care clients. There are over 78,000 people employed in commissioning and delivering the full range of health and social care services, so one can understand that it does not take a very large percentage to have serious adverse incidents. We could get it right 99·9% of the time, but when you have 1·5 million interchanges, it can still be quite traumatic for a number of people. Thankfully, the vast majority of people reporting to us are reporting good experiences with health and social care.

Kieran McCarthy (Alliance, Strangford)

I thank the Minister for his rather lengthy statement. I noticed that it was delivered with less enthusiasm than perhaps previous statements. Perhaps that is a sign that the Minister is getting tired, disillusioned or is maybe fed up with making excuses for inefficiencies in the health service.

However, we are where we are at. I just want to go back to the question of staff involvement. He said in his statement:

"I participated in the Royal College of Nursing emergency care summit on 19 February".

The Health Committee met the Royal College of Nursing a couple of weeks ago and they were absolutely at their tether's end in relation to —

William Hay (Speaker, Foyle)

I encourage the Member to come to his question.

Kieran McCarthy (Alliance, Strangford)

I will do my best, Mr Speaker. They were at their tether's end in relation to how they were being treated and the Minister met them in February. When will these hardworking and hard-pressed staff see the light at the end of the tunnel? If nurses and their staff are under extreme pressure, there is no doubt that our patients will suffer and perhaps that is one reason why we are in the mess we are in today.

Edwin Poots (DUP, Lagan Valley)

I will be very blunt about it: our entire system is under extreme pressure, so I recognise that nurses are under extreme pressure, as are clinicians, management, staff on the floor, including porters, cleaners and the other ancillary staff, as are allied health professionals and social workers. The pressure is arising largely as a consequence of more and more work. We are victims of our own success in that more people are living longer and the consequence is that we get more ill people with complex conditions arriving at our hospitals, very often unscheduled, for emergency care, and we have to respond to that. I am being asked to respond to that very often with less and less. Indeed, next year I am going to be asked to respond to it with £70 million less as a consequence of welfare reform. We cannot get away from these things. If others wish to starve the health service, do not come complaining if the service is not as good as you anticipate it should be.

We have managed to improve things considerably over the past three years. We have managed to improve the outcomes in cancer, cardiac care, stroke and sepsis. Those are the big killers in our hospitals. We have managed to reduce waiting times, but I cannot do it, and I do not think that anybody else could do it, with the proposed cuts that are coming our way as a result of welfare reform. The House needs to be aware of that as do the public. Those who want to put welfare reform before health will diminish the healthcare of our population, and we need to make it very clear to the public that, if that is the choice that people in the Assembly want to make, the public will suffer as a consequence.

Edwin Poots (DUP, Lagan Valley)

I see only a powerful desire among staff to ensure that things are done in a much more open way than was previously the case. A culture existed in health for many years that that was not the way that things were done. People recognised, particularly after the hyponatraemia inquiry, the detrimental impact that the lack of openness had, first and foremost, on the families. The consequences were absolutely devastating for those families, but it also had a hugely detrimental impact on the members of staff — the doctors and nurses. People recognise very clearly that that is not somewhere we wish to be in the future and it is much better to be open about these things at the outset.

I do not think that we want to get into a claim culture in health in Northern Ireland, as that would have the ability to destroy the health and social care system. We need to be open and transparent with people when mistakes are made, and there needs to be an understanding by everyone that, on occasions, mistakes are made. We in the health service need to ensure that we minimise such mistakes and seek to ensure that we provide the best possible care to all our people at all times.

Mickey Brady (Sinn Féin, Newry and Armagh)

Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. I too thank the Minister for his statement. Minister, in answer to the question from the Chair of the Committee, you went through a litany of changes. Might it be naive to suggest that those already should have been an integral part of the health service?

We are to have reviews about the reviews, and we have innumerable reviews already. Does the Minister realistically think that Transforming Your Care can be introduced to any degree until that is all completed?

Edwin Poots (DUP, Lagan Valley)

I might remind the Member that his party held this Department at one stage. Much of the stuff that we are talking about as far as culture is concerned was not challenged when his party held the Department. It is us. We are seeking to change the culture that people are carping and complaining about. You did not seek to change that culture. The opportunity existed for previous Ministers to do it, and they did not do it. Do not come criticising me when your Minister did not do it when Sinn Féin held the Department.

Ian McCrea (DUP, Mid Ulster)

I welcome the Minister's statement. I commend him for coming to the House with it and doing what many other Ministers do not do, which is to come with the good and the bad news. In the Minister's statement, he referred to the rolling programme of RQIA hospital inspections. Will he provide some further detail on how he sees that being rolled out?

Edwin Poots (DUP, Lagan Valley)

I thank the Member for the question, which is more about how we can improve things than about complaining and making a virtue of it.

Previously, RQIA unannounced inspections of hospitals were limited to hygiene and cleanliness. We propose that inspections will focus on a number of quality indicators: triage, admission, assessment and discharge. All those areas will be covered. The proposed programme of inspections will be unannounced and will focus on a selection of quality indicators that the trusts will not be pre-notified of. The RQIA inspection reports will be published on a hospital-by-hospital basis, as and when they are completed, which will allow benchmarking of the best.

The RQIA already has a number of planned reviews under way. They will focus on acute hospitals and are more wide-ranging than a focus on particular services. The reviews will include a review of the experience of older people in acute hospitals, which is very important, and discharge arrangements for our acute hospitals.

Daithí McKay (Sinn Féin, North Antrim)

Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. I refer to the 20 families who were affected in the Northern Trust area, on which the Minister made a previous statement. Minister, those 20 families were not all informed before you made that statement and, indeed, had to go to other MLAs and to the media to get in contact with the health service to find out whether it was actually them they were talking about. I find it highly ironic that the Minister accuses other people of being asleep, when he was asleep at the wheel in that case. When will the Minister focus on his own job? When will he stop focusing on welfare reform or even Bairbre de Brún? At the end of the day, the buck does not stop with her or with the trusts: the buck stops with you.

Edwin Poots (DUP, Lagan Valley)

Obviously, something that I said previously must have stung. It is good to see that that is the case. The 20 cases that were identified were identified by the current directors in the Northern Trust. They came to me, and I made it public. That was the openness.

Daithí McKay (Sinn Féin, North Antrim)

You did not make sure to tell the families.

William Hay (Speaker, Foyle)

Order.

Edwin Poots (DUP, Lagan Valley)

The Member had his opportunity, and he failed to make his point very well. That is his problem.

The trust sought to inform all the individual families that were involved. I asked the trust to ensure that meaningful engagement took place, so that is a matter that I have been clear about. Meaningful engagement must take place with the families, which will include giving them the opportunity, if they wish — not all the families wish to do so — to participate in the serious adverse incident investigation. They should be afforded sight of the final report and be informed of the implementation of the recommendations.

My Department has written to the Northern Trust to seek further information on the 20 cases, so we are not asleep at the wheel. We are focused on ensuring that the trust follows up on what we have asked. Investigations are ongoing, and I will receive regular updates on the outcome of those investigations and on the implementation of the recommendations.

Seán Rogers (Social Democratic and Labour Party, South Down)

Thanks to the Minister for his statement. Minister, you talk about whole-system solutions. If we are to learn from the past and provide a strategic approach to healthcare provision in the future, do you not think it is long past time that you agreed to an independent review of Transforming Your Care to measure its effects on pressures and patient outcomes?

Edwin Poots (DUP, Lagan Valley)

I have previously told Members that, if they have better ideas than Transforming Your Care, we need to hear about them. I ask those who suggest that we should not proceed with Transforming your Care, "What are you proposing — that we build two additional hospitals with another 1,000 beds in Northern Ireland?". I propose taking people out of hospitals, providing care and support for people outside of hospitals and ensuring that they receive the appropriate care. What are other Members proposing? If they are saying that Transforming Your Care is not the way, what are they suggesting? We will wait. There is plenty of time. We have months ahead to hear the ideas.

The only issue that I have with Transforming your Care is that I want to see it implemented faster, quicker and better. That is where I will put pressure on — not for a review but for faster implementation. It is the only way forward that I can see and the only way forward that my health professionals can see. The experts, the Chief Medical Officer and all of the team identify Transforming Your Care as the best way forward. It is not something that is completely new and radical; it is completely logical. That is why we will continue to go down that route.

John McCallister (UUP, South Down)

It is great to see the collective responsibility of the Government working so well. I have several points. On workforce planning, there is no clear strategy on how you will fill vacant posts at Lagan Valley, Downe or other hospitals like that. As Mr McKinney pointed out, effectively, the health service is investigating itself. Crucially, setting aside welfare reform, TYC is to take £83 million out of the acute aide of the health service and move it into social care. Does that not effectively leave his flagship policy dead in the water?

Edwin Poots (DUP, Lagan Valley)

It certainly does not. Moving money from one to the other is completely rational. For example — I see some Members getting excited already — just a few years ago, 60% of the mental health care budget was spent on hospitals and 40% was spent in the community. It is now 56% in the community and 44% in hospitals. The shift of funding has ensured that we improve healthcare by moving away from a hospitalised, institutionalised system to one where we can provide a greater level of care in people's homes, their communities and the primary care facilities. We make no apology for moving towards identifying conditions at an earlier point, intervening at an earlier point and providing support and care for people in those situations in the community where they belong, as opposed to institutionalising people in hospitals.

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

I had not intended to ask a question, and I certainly do not mean to cause the Minister palpitations. However, having listened to the answer that he gave to my colleague earlier about the review of all adverse incidents, I have to ask this: Minister, this is déjà vu, is it not? We have been here before, asking health trusts to investigate themselves. Surely, that is not on.

Edwin Poots (DUP, Lagan Valley)

It is always good when I provoke Mr Dallat into asking a question. That is what the Chamber is about: exchange and question and so forth. I welcome that.

We have sought to ensure that we can move things forward. The trust has the information at hand, so it will have a course of work to do. However, on governance, openness and transparency, the inquiry, learning, the culture of redress and making amends, we are commissioning the services of Sir Liam Donaldson. He will carry out work on that, with independent advice on the effectiveness of the governance arrangements and how they can be further developed and strengthened. Bringing someone of that standing in to assist us is very significant, and I welcome the fact that Sir Liam Donaldson is prepared to take up the assignment. I have no doubt that we will all have something to learn from his extensive experience and skill, which has been gained over many years, not just in the United Kingdom but across the world.

Jim Allister (Traditional Unionist Voice, North Antrim)

Three years into office, more reviews, more summits, more fine words, but no review of what I suggest again to the Minister is one of the biggest contributors to the difficulties and chaos in our A&Es: the reduction in the number of beds in our hospital system. Over the past five years, the number of beds has been reduced by between 16% and 20%. Is that not a big contributor to the logjam in our system?

Edwin Poots (DUP, Lagan Valley)

The Member needs to understand that people stay in hospital for shorter times, and, consequently, there is a lower requirement. In all this, there is an issue that we need to identify: at what number of occupied beds can we critically run a hospital? The tipping point can be difficult, at times, if a hospital is already at capacity. It is important that we continue to observe the situation and ensure that we have appropriate beds available. The truth is — the Member and the House should be aware of it — that about 30% of our hospital beds are being used by people who could have been discharged. Some of them may be there for only a day longer than they should have been, but they could have been discharged.

Therefore, we need to do more work on the social care side to ensure that the appropriate packages are in place and on the step-down facilities to ensure that people who still require considerable care, but not necessarily in hospital, have that care available. There are courses of work that can be done. However, I do not believe that the answer lies in creating more hospital beds; the answer lies in ensuring that we maximise their utilisation and that people are discharged at the appropriate time and to the appropriate location.

George Robinson (DUP, East Londonderry)

I commend the Minister for his very welcome statement and congratulate him on the job that he is doing in difficult circumstances. What experience does Liam Donaldson bring, particularly in patient safety?

Edwin Poots (DUP, Lagan Valley)

Sir Liam was chair of the World Health Organization's patient safety programme and the National Patient Safety Agency. He is currently the patient safety envoy to the director general of the World Health Organization. He is recognised as the leading international voice on healthcare, quality and patient safety. As Chief Medical Officer in England, he was responsible for seminal reports on patient safety, including 'An Organisation with a Memory', 2000; 'Getting Ahead of the Curve: A Strategy for Combating Infectious Diseases', 2002; 'Good Doctors, Safer Patients: Proposals to Strengthen the System to Assure and Improve the Performance of Doctors and to Protect the Safety of Patients', 2006; and Safety First, 2006. This is an individual who has spent a lot of time on and dedicated a lot of his expertise to patient safety. It is really good news for Northern Ireland that we have been able to secure his services to assist us in further improving patient safety in our hospitals.

Executive Committee Business

William Hay (Speaker, Foyle)

I call the Minister of Health — the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment. I apologise, Minister.

Arlene Foster (DUP, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

I am glad to be the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment. I beg to move

That this Assembly endorses the principle of the extension to Northern Ireland of the Consumer Rights Bill.

The Consumer Rights Bill was introduced to Parliament on 23 January 2014. It is intended to amend or extend existing UK-wide consumer and competition legislation. The primary aim is to make it easier for consumers to understand and access their key rights in relation to quality goods and services. The Bill will do this by consolidating in one piece of legislation key consumer rights covering goods, services, digital content, such as e-books and software, and the law relating to unfair terms in consumer contracts. These existing rights are currently contained in eight separate pieces of legislation.

The Bill will, therefore, address one of the major problems with the existing law, which is that it is overly complex, making it difficult to understand. That complexity creates confusion that causes detriment for consumers and business, as it results in unnecessary and time-consuming disputes. As part of this consolidation of consumer rights, the Bill will also implement the remaining provisions of the consumer rights directive. The directive’s other provisions have already been implemented by two sets of UK-wide regulations.

The Bill will create clarity by being more prescriptive on how long certain rights will continue to exist, rather than leaving that to be decided according to the circumstances of each individual case. It will introduce a right to reject goods that are not of satisfactory quality for up to 30 days, removing the current uncertainty. After 30 days, traders can offer a repair, which, if unsuccessful, rekindles the right to reject.

The Bill will make it easier for consumers and small and medium-sized enterprises to challenge anticompetitive behaviour through the Competition Appeal Tribunal.

The Bill consolidates the enforcement powers used by trading standards departments to investigate breaches of consumer law, which are currently contained in around 60 pieces of legislation. It will also give the civil courts and public enforcers greater flexibility to take the most appropriate action for consumers when dealing with breaches or potential breaches of consumer law.

The Bill has been drafted as the result of extensive research and after an exhaustive consultation process. That process started back in 2008 when the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills launched a call for evidence on the need to reform UK consumer law. That was followed by three separate consultations on various aspects of the Bill. Northern Ireland was included in all those consultations, and a response was provided by the Consumer Council for Northern Ireland, which supported the intention to simplify and clarify consumer rights.

Independent research was also commissioned to provide empirical evidence of the reality of business practices in relation to consumer rights. That involved an initial sample of 1,000 businesses and was followed up with interviews with a smaller sample of those businesses. A draft Bill was published in June of last year, bringing together the various proposals included in the previous consultations.

The proposals in the Bill have been welcomed by business and consumer groups alike across the UK, including the Northern Ireland Consumer Council. The benefit for consumers is quicker and equitable resolution of their disputes. For businesses, it will mean that less time and resources will be employed in trying to resolve consumer disputes and reduce the potential loss of goodwill that such disputes can cause. Additionally, businesses will ultimately benefit from the opportunities for growth that increased consumer confidence will help to create.

Most of the Bill's provisions deal with a range of transferred matters, apart from those dealing with competition matters. However, all the legislation dealing with consumer rights that will be amended by the Bill has been made on a UK-wide basis. I consider it to be in the best interest of Northern Ireland consumers that the legislation setting out their rights to quality goods and services is no more complex than it needs to be. Enshrining those rights in one statute as opposed to the current eight pieces of legislation is a major step forward in reducing the current complexity.

It is important that consumers and businesses in Northern Ireland should benefit from those changes at the same time as their counterparts in Great Britain, given the increasing growth in Internet retailing and in retail outlets with branches across the UK. Including Northern Ireland in the Bill will mean that the objective of clarifying and simplifying consumer rights will be shared by consumers and businesses across the UK.

I commend the motion to the Assembly.

William Hay (Speaker, Foyle)

I understand that Mr Agnew will speak on behalf of the Committee for Enterprise, Trade and Investment.

Steven Agnew (Green, North Down)

That is right, Mr Speaker, thank you. I welcome the opportunity to speak in the debate on behalf of the Committee for Enterprise, Trade and Investment. At its meeting on 16 January 2014, the Committee considered an update from the Minister on the progress of the Consumer Rights Bill, which was published in June 2013. The Minister advised that a legislative consent motion would be required for the Bill, which is designed to make markets work better and reduce regulatory burdens for business.

As consumer law is a devolved matter, the Committee wrote to the Minister seeking the rationale for bringing the legislation through via a legislative consent motion rather than legislating in the Northern Ireland Assembly. On 6 February 2014, the Committee considered the Minister's response, which advised that the proposed approach would be of more benefit to consumers in Northern Ireland than introducing separate legislation through the Assembly; that the Bill's provisions covered reserved and transferred matters and therefore any Northern Ireland legislation could only replicate the parts of the Bill that fell into the transferred field; and that separate legislation would confuse consumers and would undermine one of the Bill's principal aims, which is to have all consumer rights that relate to goods and services in one statute. The Minister further advised that any delay in introducing Northern Ireland legislation would be disadvantageous to Northern Ireland consumers.

The Committee explored those issues further during an oral briefing from DETI officials on 20 February 2014. Officials clarified that the Bill was an opportunity to consolidate legislation, rectify weaknesses regarding downloaded content and clarify how consumers can get redress when purchasing goods or services. Officials also informed the Committee that, during the consultation phase for the Bill, no issues were identified that were peculiar to the needs of businesses or consumers in Northern Ireland.

As part of its deliberations, the Committee considered correspondence from the Consumer Council at its meeting on 27 February. The Consumer Council advised that it welcomes the Bill and its intention to simplify and clarify the law for consumers. It also advocated an effective information campaign to ensure that consumers are aware of the rights and remedies available. The Minister may be in a position to inform the Assembly of any proposals to increase awareness of the Bill's provisions.

Having considered all the evidence, the Committee agreed to support DETI in seeking the Assembly's agreement to the UK Parliament considering provisions of the Consumer Rights Bill. The Committee agreed its report outlining its position. That report was circulated to all Members and published on the Committee web page. The Committee supports the motion.

I would like to speak very briefly as an individual Committee member and as a representative of the Green Party. In recent times, the Committee has increased its scrutiny of legislative consent motions and other regulations that come before the Committee. Failure to scrutinise legislation fully would be a failure in the role of Assembly Members as legislators and the role of the Committee as a scrutiny body. I ask the Minister and her Department to work with us in that regard and to provide information up front, which will facilitate speedy deliberation from the Committee. I look forward to working with the Minister in that regard.

Fearghal McKinney (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Belfast South)

I welcome the opportunity to contribute today in my capacity as a member of the Enterprise, Trade and Investment Committee. As we heard, the draft Bill was published in June 2013, and its overall spirit to promote efficiency within markets and to reduce the regulatory burden on business is one that the SDLP agrees with.

Consolidating sixty pieces of legislation into one is an admirable change that we and the Committee support, as it makes the legislation easier to understand and access for the consumer. The Bill will provide for faster compensation for the consumer when they have been wronged under competition law. The Bill has an important function, and that is to simplify the law so that the rights and responsibilities of the consumer are clear. As Mr Agnew pointed out, the Consumer Council said that consumer proficiency is extremely important in this regard. The Bill, although technical, will help to make often daunting compensation procedures simpler, more cost-effective and more accessible, and the SDLP supports the Consumer Rights Bill legislative consent motion.

Mitchel McLaughlin (Sinn Féin, South Antrim)

Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. On behalf of my party, I support the motion. Very often, the Assembly deals with legislation that perhaps, at times, overlaps or duplicates what is done elsewhere, with no great improvement or difference. There are also opportunities to stamp our personality on legislation. For that reason, I come somewhat reluctantly to the issue of legislative consent. In this instance, I think that it is a pragmatic and efficient response, given that there is an overlap between what are devolved matters and issues that are not transferred. It would be altogether too complicated to expect consumers to understand the full suite of rights and entitlements that they have. In this instance, I think that the Minister has brought forward an entirely sensible proposition that we support.

Arlene Foster (DUP, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

I thank Mr Agnew who spoke on behalf of the Committee and the other Members who spoke on their own behalf.

This is a pragmatic way of dealing with the issues. It would be unacceptable if consumers were confused about what rights they were able to access and deal with in Northern Ireland because we went our own way. The legislative consent motion means that we have a very clear agenda on consumers' rights and businesses' responsibilities. Therefore, I welcome the fact that Members have indicated their support for today's motion.

Eight pieces of legislation will now be consolidated into one. From my point of view, that is a very good move forward to better regulation. Indeed, I had the opportunity just yesterday to discuss such issues with Lord Curry of our red tape review. We need to do more of that.

I thank Members for their queries in Committee. They raised sensible queries that we were able to deal with, as, indeed, was the Consumer Council. I hope that everyone understands that this is a good motion, and I commend it to the House.

Notice taken that 10 Members were not present.

House counted, and, there being fewer than 10 Members present, the Speaker ordered the Division Bells to be rung.

Upon 10 Members being present —

Question put and agreed to.

Resolved:

That this Assembly endorses the principle of the extension to Northern Ireland of the Consumer Rights Bill.

The sitting was suspended at 12.26 pm.

On resuming (Mr Principal Deputy Speaker [Mr Mitchel McLaughlin] in the Chair) —

Oral Answers to Questions

Mitchel McLaughlin (Sinn Féin, South Antrim)

Questions 1, 2, 8 and 14 have been withdrawn.

Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Foyle)

3. asked the Minister for Regional Development to outline the anticipated cost of developing the old Waterside station as an integrated transport hub. (AQO 5964/11-15)

Danny Kennedy (UUP, Newry and Armagh)

Translink has been considering proposals for a new rail station in Londonderry for some time. As part of that process, it completed a study, which was the subject of a public consultation during 2013. That identified the old Waterside station as the preferred location for a new rail station.

Translink has progressed work on a business case for a new rail station. Initial estimates show that the cost of developing the old Waterside station, which is a listed building, is considerable. It is also clear that the preferred location for a new station presents the opportunity for a wider development, which may attract EU funding sources. I have asked officials to explore this option further.

The enhanced project would involve redeveloping the old station as an integrated active travel and public transport hub. In that regard, the project would link into the existing active travel infrastructure, the Peace Bridge and related greenways, acting as a focal point for cycling, walking and public transport and linking the local walking and cycling infrastructure with the regional rail network.

In addition, to enhance the cross-border role of the station and reflect the funding criteria, the project would involve the development of cross-border cycle routes or greenways, linking County Donegal to the existing active travel infrastructure within Londonderry.

The project is at an early stage and delivery will, of course, be dependent upon securing the necessary levels of funding and, when seeking EU funding, ensuring compatibility with specific eligibility criteria. I have, however, asked my officials to engage immediately with key stakeholders to develop detailed plans.

Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Foyle)

I thank the Minister for his answer. Subject to seeing the full detail, I welcome the announcement. Will he assure the House that the city centre bus station is secure because we see it as a vital part of our travel infrastructure and public service infrastructure in the city?

Danny Kennedy (UUP, Newry and Armagh)

I thank the Member for his supplementary question and the welcome that he has given to the announcement of the hub proposal. The general reception in the Londonderry area has been positive. It might be helpful to clarify further the vision that we have for a transport hub at the Waterside site.

The vision is for an innovative active travel and public transport hub that would serve the wider city and the surrounding area. It would provide cyclists with some facilities and would include parking, changing and maintenance within a refurbished station. In addition, the station would be directly linked to the Peace Bridge and the existing greenways. Opportunities would be explored to extend walking and cycling infrastructure in the city, including between the University, Ebrington and cross-border links.

The Member asked about the existing bus terminus. It is not envisaged that the proposed development will include a new bus station. The intention is that connectivity will be improved between existing facilities and new facilities, with overall transport services being enhanced as a result.

Cathal Ó hOisín (Sinn Féin, East Londonderry)

Go raibh maith agat, a Phríomh- LeasCheann Comhairle. I thank the Minister for his answers. Does he have any estimates of the costings for any new hub for the Waterside? He referred to connectivity. How will the new Waterside hub connect with the proposed developments at Bellarena or those envisaged for Eglinton or Ballykelly?

Danny Kennedy (UUP, Newry and Armagh)

I am grateful to the Member for his supplementary question. Obviously, we are in the very early stages of the project development and it is not possible to provide accurate costings. Early estimates suggest somewhere in the region of £17 million as a starting point. So, that is a significant potential investment. I have made clear that, at this point, there is nothing in any budget for that. I have been open and honest about that. I will, of course, look to the Member, and his colleagues around the Executive table, for further support when we develop our proposals as to having them properly funded.

As for overall development, the Member will know of the enhancements that we made in saving the Coleraine to Londonderry line. There is the potential for further enhancements at various parts of that. The loop system work is due to be undertaken in the next couple of years. We will continue to develop that. All in all, we are very focused on public transport opportunities for enhancing road, rail and other modes, including cycling and walking.

Trevor Clarke (DUP, South Antrim)

4. asked the Minister for Regional Development for his assessment of the impact the Reservoirs Bill (NIA 31/11-15) will have on reservoirs for which his Department has responsibility. (AQO 5965/11-15)

Danny Kennedy (UUP, Newry and Armagh)

Northern Ireland Water already manages the reservoirs under its control, in line with standards set out in the Reservoirs Act 1975 for England and Wales. The introduction of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development's Reservoirs Bill will therefore not have a major impact on NI Water. It will, however, be required to introduce a new activity in relation to the preparation and maintenance of formal on-site and off-site flood plans. In addition, the introduction of the Bill is likely to reduce the potential sale value of surplus reservoirs, because a buyer will have to comply with the Reservoirs Bill and carry out the required surveys and any necessary maintenance.

Trevor Clarke (DUP, South Antrim)

I thank the Minister for his answer. I detect from the answer he gave that the cost to the Department is not quantifiable. However, I am sure that he will, like me, be disturbed by the number of reservoirs we have that are actually in private ownership and the effect that the Bill could have on those. Certainly, from my little knowledge, the last one I heard of, in 'The Dam Busters', was blown up before it caused any severe damage. I am sure that the Minister is somewhat concerned. Will the Minister tell the House whether he will be supporting the Reservoirs Bill as it goes through its stages, given that some of us believe that it will place an unnecessary cost and burden on his Department and landowners?

Danny Kennedy (UUP, Newry and Armagh)

I am grateful to the Member for his supplementary question and, indeed, his recollection of a very good film. Obviously, the progression of the Reservoirs Bill is a matter for the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, through Committee Stage and on the Floor of the House. We await that.

The Member made a point about the overall ownership of reservoirs. NI Water owns approximately 46 reservoirs, 23 of which — exactly half — are no longer used for water supply. It may well be that, in the future, NI Water will want to look at offloading those and at engaging with the public sector — initially, with other Departments — and, perhaps, other interested bodies, such as councils. With the reorganisation of local government, it will be interesting to see whether any of those previous water supply facilities could be utilised by councils to become recreational areas.

Declan McAleer (Sinn Féin, West Tyrone)

Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. Minister, there is still a lack of clarity as to who would be the reservoir manager in situations where NIW leases a reservoir to, say, a community organisation. Are you in a position to help clear up that matter?

Danny Kennedy (UUP, Newry and Armagh)

Under the current legislation, which, my understanding is, will still apply or will transfer within the new legislation, whoever is considered the owner of a reservoir becomes the reservoir manager. So, if it is NI Water currently, that is who owns it and that is who has to manage it. If it is purchased by any other body, group or even by an individual, as I outlined in my initial answer to Mr Clarke, that buyer will have to comply with the Reservoirs Bill and carry out required surveys and any necessary maintenance. We are absolutely clear that, if you own it, you manage and maintain it.

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

Perhaps I can fish a little deeper and ask the Minister whether there is an opportunity to develop fishing tourism, possibly regenerating communities that have had those reservoirs down through the years? Is this a golden opportunity for the Assembly to demonstrate some collaborative development?

Danny Kennedy (UUP, Newry and Armagh)

I am grateful to the Member for his supplementary question. I think that there are opportunities. If reservoirs are no longer being used as a water supply for NI Water, it effectively makes more sense to put them on the open market and find out who, whether a group, a Department or an agency, would want to be responsible for them. I would encourage that because angling is a healthy and popular pastime, and I see opportunities for local councils to develop an interest in it. There would be an initial purchase cost, but a lot of these reservoirs have been well maintained over the years and would be an asset to any council, group or body.

Leslie Cree (UUP, North Down)

Will the Minister confirm when work to drain Portavoe reservoir began, when it is likely to be refilled again, and what action is being taken to protect wildlife and habitat in that area?

Danny Kennedy (UUP, Newry and Armagh)

I am grateful to the Member for the question. It is an important question, and I beg some indulgence, Mr Principal Deputy Speaker, in giving my answer.

The lowering of the water level in Portavoe reservoir began in October 2013 and is required to assist essential health and safety work to refurbish valves and other maintenance work required to protect the structural integrity of the reservoir. NI Water is unable to complete the work without draining the reservoir because of the nature of the construction of the valve tower and the need to access the scour valve for refurbishment. The scour valve is an essential element for releasing water from the impounding reservoir to ensure the protection of properties from flooding downstream because of a large rainfall event. It is expected that water in the reservoir will be lowered to the required level by the end of April 2014, and the maintenance work will be completed by the end of July 2014. These dates are, however, subject to favourable weather conditions as the low water level must be maintained to enable maintenance work to progress.

As the Member will know, some concerns have been raised about the lowering of the water level. I repeat that it is required to carry out essential health and safety work. Northern Ireland Water has had ongoing consultation with the NIEA and DCAL on the planned works. I have taken a personal interest in the issue because I am aware of adverse public comment. I want to satisfy myself that NI Water and all the other agencies have performed in a proper manner and that the necessary consultations, or at least briefings, have been provided to all interested parties. In order to prepare for the works, DCAL had not stocked fish into the reservoir since last August, and, consequently, the lowering of the water level should have had minimal impact on the fish remaining in the reservoir.

Mitchel McLaughlin (Sinn Féin, South Antrim)

Minister, I gave you some leeway because I felt that you were responding, perhaps to some media commentary today, but the two-minute rule normally applies.

Michael McGimpsey (UUP, Belfast South)

5. asked the Minister for Regional Development for his assessment of the impact the reduction in non-domestic water charges has had on business in South Belfast. (AQO 5966/11-15)

Danny Kennedy (UUP, Newry and Armagh)

From 1 April 2014, Northern Ireland Water has reduced all non-domestic charges by 4% on average. Although the actual impact on businesses will differ depending on the volume of water they consume or the rateable value of their premises, I will give examples that indicate the savings that businesses typical of those in South Belfast might expect this year. A shop that, last year, paid £310 for water and sewerage services will save £13; a restaurant or café that last year paid £1,540 will save £60; and a medium-sized factory or industrial unit that was billed over £3,000 last year will save £127.

It is not only businesses that will benefit. The reductions will mean lower bills for hospitals, churches, residential homes and many voluntary organisations that also pay water and sewerage charges. As the Member will know, this is the second year in a row in which NI Water has reduced non-domestic charges. That means that, in real terms, taking inflation into account, non-domestic customers will pay 11·7% less for their water and sewerage services than they did two years ago. That is good news.

Michael McGimpsey (UUP, Belfast South)

Yes, that is good news as far as business is concerned. I remind the Minister of another piece of good news from Roads Service: the reduction in car-parking charges in towns in Northern Ireland, including Newtownards, Magherafelt, Newry and Ballymena, all of which are getting reductions. That is to help businesses, but the one place that was excluded was Belfast. If Belfast is included in the reduction of non-domestic water charges, what is the logic of its being excluded from the reductions in car-parking charges? Belfast traders are equally entitled to the support.

Danny Kennedy (UUP, Newry and Armagh)

I am grateful to the Member for his supplementary question. Of course, the House will know about the announcement that I made in the past 24 hours to bring some relief to town centres across Northern Ireland. It will apply to 95 car parks in 28 towns and cities across Northern Ireland. The announcement has been warmly welcomed by retail outlets and operators and chambers of commerce.

I understand the Member's point about Belfast. I have worked closely with the Belfast chamber and other agencies, including Belfast City Council, on a range of measures. The quality public transport bus and rail service in Belfast is significant; we also have to bear in mind the park-and-ride facilities that serve into the centre of Belfast. Those facilities have boosted retail trade as, indeed, have measures on fares brought forward by Translink such as Metro Saturdays, which are very good value indeed. The accumulation of all those measures, I think, means that Belfast is being fairly treated. We will continue to look at the issues and give assistance wherever we possibly can.

Mitchel McLaughlin (Sinn Féin, South Antrim)

Of course, the supplementary and your answer had nothing to do with the original question. I want to make that point very clearly. [Laughter.]

Fearghal McKinney (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Belfast South)

The reductions are welcome, but bills still represent a substantial cost, particularly to small businesses. What advice and support is available to businesses to help them to conserve water and, ultimately, reduce bills?

Danny Kennedy (UUP, Newry and Armagh)

I am grateful to the Member for his supplementary question. Indeed, he raises an important point that many operators of businesses, small and large, continue to raise. It is important that they liaise with NI Water to see how savings can be effected, not just in their bills but in their overall usage. I encourage all businesses and customers to do that.

Bronwyn McGahan (Sinn Féin, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

6. asked the Minister for Regional Development for an update on the Enniskillen bypass. (AQO 5967/11-15)

Danny Kennedy (UUP, Newry and Armagh)

The A4 at Enniskillen forms part of the south-western key transport corridor, which provides access between the east and the Fermanagh lakelands and cross-border regions. The majority of traffic passing through Enniskillen converges at the Gaol Square junction in the centre of the town, resulting in considerable congestion during periods of peak traffic demand. Details of the preferred route corridor for the proposed Enniskillen bypass were made public in July 2011. Since then, scheme development has been ongoing with a view to being in a position to announce the preferred route alignment in mid-to late 2014. Further development of the project beyond the identification of the preferred route will depend on the outcome of future budgetary settlements.

Bronwyn McGahan (Sinn Féin, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

Go raibh maith agat. I thank the Minister for his response. Can he give me a clear timescale for the completion of the project?

Danny Kennedy (UUP, Newry and Armagh)

I am grateful to the Member for that. She will know that options for a preferred route are still under consideration. As for an indicative assessment of the likely scale of the works involved, we do not have sufficient detail to identify a preferred solution at this point. All of that factors into the timing and, indeed, cost. Our current estimate is somewhere between £20 million and £30 million. We are aware of the importance of the scheme and the potential is there. If everything were to go well, we would be looking at procurement and possibly a contractor in place by mid-2018. However, it is dependent on finance, and I caution the Member with that warning. The friendly advice that I offer her, as I offered her colleague, is that, if you want to help me to get more money from Executive colleagues, I will not turn you away.

Tom Elliott (UUP, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

The Minister will be aware that I continually lobby him on this issue. Has he held any consultations with landowners in the area on the preferred route, and has any testing been carried out on the ground conditions?

Danny Kennedy (UUP, Newry and Armagh)

I thank the Member for his supplementary. I can confirm that he has badgered me continually about the project, as I would expect him to from his constituency point of view. We await the publication of the preferred route later this year, the statutory consultation that will flow from that and, potentially, a public inquiry, which could commence as early as 2016. The conclusion of the requisite environmental surveys and assessments and the detailed highway design will be subject to the availability of finance, and, of course, it is important that there is ongoing consultation with landowners and property owners.

George Robinson (DUP, East Londonderry)

May I be bold enough to ask the Minister about progress on the Dungiven bypass?

Mitchel McLaughlin (Sinn Féin, South Antrim)

Careful. Let us see whether a relationship can be drawn with the original question.

Danny Kennedy (UUP, Newry and Armagh)

I am grateful to the Member for his geography lesson: Dungiven is in close proximity to the Enniskillen bypass. [Laughter.] The Member will know that we are still considering the inspector's report arising out of the public inquiry. The issues are not yet concluded, and we hope to make progress on outlining our thoughts on that in the not-too-distant future.

Samuel Gardiner (UUP, Upper Bann)

The Minister is very familiar with my question of the Minister because I continually hound him on the subject, but I hope that he takes it to heart this time. It is about Millennium Way in Lurgan, from the Malcolm Road to the Gilford Road area. The Lurgan people have been waiting for about 20 years for that road to be extended and completed, and I am still patiently waiting, Minister. Can you tell me when you are due to start?

Mitchel McLaughlin (Sinn Féin, South Antrim)

I was hoping that you would at least use the word "bypass". [Laughter.]

Danny Kennedy (UUP, Newry and Armagh)

I think that a number of Members have bypassed some of the main issues, but it is a test that hopefully we are up to. I am conscious of the long-standing interest that the Member has had. He has been pressing for work to be done at Millennium Way in Lurgan over many years, and I am pleased to update him. We recently obtained updated planning permission for the scheme. That is hot off the press. That came through from Planning Service, I think, at the end of last month. Hopefully, that will help us as we seek to progress that important scheme. I know that it will benefit the people who live in Lurgan and travel to it.

Mitchel McLaughlin (Sinn Féin, South Antrim)

Mr Jim Wells is not in his place.

Maeve McLaughlin (Sinn Féin, Foyle)

9. asked the Minister for Regional Development to compare the average travel time for the entire A6 route with average travel times on other main routes. (AQO 5970/11-15)

Danny Kennedy (UUP, Newry and Armagh)

The 2011 regional strategic transport network journey times survey reports that, during the morning peak, the north-west key transport corridor, which includes the A6, has an average travel time for Belfast to Londonderry of one hour and 22 minutes, with an average speed of 49·9 miles per hour; and from Londonderry to Belfast of one hour and 33 minutes, with an average speed of 43·3 miles per hour. That is 68 miles. In comparison to other journey times during the morning peak, on the eastern seaboard corridor, Larne harbour to Belfast, which is 24 miles, takes 44 minutes. In the opposite direction, the journey time is 32 minutes. That is prior to the commencement of ongoing works on the A8.

Elsewhere on the eastern seaboard corridor, Newry to Belfast, which is 35 miles, takes 41 minutes, with the journey in the opposite direction taking 33 minutes. On the northern corridor, the journey time from Moira roundabout along the A26 to the M2 and Coleraine, which is 62 miles, takes one hour and 21 minutes. In the opposite direction, it takes one hour and 15 minutes. On the western corridor, the journey from Londonderry to Strabane, Omagh, Ballygawley and the land frontier at Aughnacloy, which is 56 miles, takes one hour and 20 minutes. In the opposite direction, it takes one hour and 32 minutes. On the south-western corridor, the journey time from Enniskillen to Belfast, which is 84 miles, takes one hour and 38 minutes, whereas, in the opposite direction, it takes one hour and 21 minutes. The Carrickfergus to Belfast morning commute of 6·8 miles along the A2 takes 22 minutes to complete, whereas, in the opposite direction, it takes 14 minutes. That is prior to the commencement of ongoing improvement works.

I will be happy to hear your supplementary question.

Mitchel McLaughlin (Sinn Féin, South Antrim)

You probably answered all the supplementary questions.

Maeve McLaughlin (Sinn Féin, Foyle)

Go raibh maith agat. I thank the Minister for that response. As somebody who travels the Derry to Belfast road at least four times a week, I wonder about the time of one hour and 23 minutes. Does the Minister travel in a helicopter or what is he driving? Specifically on the difficulties on the A6 at Dungiven and Moneynick, is there an assessment of the average travel time, particularly between those two bottlenecks?

Danny Kennedy (UUP, Newry and Armagh)

I am grateful to the Member and glad that she did not ask me to repeat the answer. The issue that she raises is fundamental as to the need for the A6 scheme. I am a supporter of that project, and I want to see it advanced as quickly as possible. That would significantly impact on and benefit journey times particularly.

In respect of the A6 and Randalstown section, I am pursuing the potential for alternative finance. There have been discussions with the European Investment Bank and, indeed, DFP in the Executive, and we are looking at options where we could bring that scheme forward. So, there is no lack of willingness for us to bring forward a project of that nature.

Mitchel McLaughlin (Sinn Féin, South Antrim)

That ends the period for questions for oral answer. We will move to topical questions.

Robin Newton (DUP, Belfast East)

1. asked the Minister for Regional Development what action he is taking or intends to take to protect householders in east Belfast, given the history of summer flooding in that area, with rainfall reaching deluge proportions within a short period of time. (AQT 1001/11-15)

Danny Kennedy (UUP, Newry and Armagh)

I am grateful to the Member for his question. He will be aware that, during the most recent episode of flash flooding, as it then was, within the past couple of years, I made it my business to go out on site to look at conditions and, obviously, to try to bring forward measures that would alleviate the problems and improve the systems that operate there. There are capacity issues and, I suppose, issues of an historical nature. Nevertheless, I believe that NI Water has been attempting to improve the service that it offers to alleviate the problems.

I could never stand here and say that we have flooding solved or that it is eradicated. We want to take measures that will militate against flooding, but, in sharp periods of rain, volume can sometimes overtake the current systems, and it is a matter of trying to improve the systems that are there over a gradual period. Of course, that is not a cheap option either, and we should not underestimate some of the costs involved.

Robin Newton (DUP, Belfast East)

I welcome the words of the Minister. Given the history of this and given that some residents have been flooded three or four times, it would give encouragement to them if either of the capital schemes planned for the area could be announced and brought forward. That would give at least some encouragement, and residents would see investment to address the issue.

Danny Kennedy (UUP, Newry and Armagh)

I am grateful to the Member. I do not disagree with his assertions. He will know that we are financially challenged. He will also know that his party colleague and my Executive colleague, Minister Hamilton, is painting a reasonably gloomy picture for the next couple of years for investment. That impacts on all Departments, including Regional Development, and, in turn, on the agencies, including Northern Ireland Water, that are under my control. If more funding can be made available and freed up, I will certainly not be slow in ensuring that it is spent properly to mitigate and reduce the risk of flooding, not only in east Belfast but in other areas. Of course, over the most recent winter, we had the impact of the coastal flooding issues. They have been impacting too in some areas. We need to think carefully how we can get the necessary funds made available to spend that money wisely.

Ian McCrea (DUP, Mid Ulster)

3. asked the Minister for Regional Development what discussions he has had on charging for admission to motorbike road races in line with the arrangements for the Ulster Grand Prix. (AQT 1003/11-15)

Danny Kennedy (UUP, Newry and Armagh)

I am grateful to the Member for his topical question. Recently, I attended the launch of the North West 200, and I recently signed off the roads orders. That is principally my prime and sole responsibility. It is an event that I support, and it was for one of those reasons that I successfully carried through the legislation to provide extra flexibility for contingency days for the North West 200.

The sport itself is not my responsibility. I would respectfully say that DCAL should have some input to that. For some reason — again, I have to be honest — there seems to be not much enthusiasm from DCAL to support that sport. That is a matter for others to comment on or to explain. Of course, the Member's party colleague Minister Foster, who has responsibility for tourism, has responsibility for ensuring that the tourism market is fully exploited for the international event that the North West 200 has become.

Ian McCrea (DUP, Mid Ulster)

I thank the Minister for his answer. I am somewhat confused as to why other Ministers, namely the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure, would be found wanting in respect of this. Will the Minister assure the House, the motorcycling fraternity and the organisers of the races that he will have discussions with his Executive colleagues, whether it be the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment or the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure, to try to ensure that the issues that he refers to as having not been moved forward are indeed moved forward?

Danny Kennedy (UUP, Newry and Armagh)

I am grateful to the Member for his supplementary question. I confirm that, in the aftermath of the washout on the Saturday of last year's event, I had discussions with ministerial colleagues, both the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure and the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment. That, in turn, led each of us to look to the responsibilities that we all have in assisting the organisers of the North West 200. The product of that was the Road Races (Amendment) Bill that I successfully carried through the House. That is appreciated by the organisers of the North West 200 and by the whole House generally. It is a matter for other Ministers to indicate how they have been assisting the organisers of not only the North West 200 but the other highly popular sports that we have in Northern Ireland.

Alban Maginness (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Belfast North)

4. asked the Minister for Regional Development to update the House on any plans to improve the Enterprise service, given that Michael Portillo — I was never a great fan of his when he was in office but I am a great fan of his programmes about railways — recently emphasised in his programme about Irish railways the importance of the route taken by the Enterprise between Belfast and Dublin. (AQT 1004/11-15)

Danny Kennedy (UUP, Newry and Armagh)

I am grateful to the Member for his topical question and, indeed, for his interest in seeing railways enhanced and progressed. I am happy to say that we have been able to put forward a scheme through the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB), working with other Departments here, that will enhance facilities to the Enterprise service. That is very welcome. That was the replacement scheme for the project for a bridge at Narrow Water. I am not going to rehearse the disappointments that many had in respect of that, but, to ensure that European money available to the Executive was not lost, it was important to bring forward a scheme. The best candidate for that was work to the Enterprise that will enhance the existing service. The Enterprise service had grown a bit tired and jaded, but, with this work, it will continue to attract more users including, I hope, the Member himself and, indeed, Michael Portillo.

Danny Kennedy (UUP, Newry and Armagh)

I am very grateful to the Member. I will not comment on whether his question reflects a long-standing ambition of his to be a more permanent Member of Dáil Éireann.

Ultimately, we want to improve the travelling times between Belfast and Dublin. That is in everybody's interest. It is in the interests of business, tourists and, generally, Northern Ireland Railways and its counterparts. The Member will probably know that there are some issues with the Dublin network services that have to be accommodated, but I am very pleased to say that, on these issues, I have a good working relationship with my counterpart in the Republic of Ireland. I hope that we can progress things. I see the work that we are engaged in to provide increased facilities with SEUPB funding as a continuation of that.

Peter Weir (DUP, North Down)

The Minister should not worry: I am not a Portillista nor will I mention bypasses.

Peter Weir (DUP, North Down)

5. asked the Minister for Regional Development why the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, and specifically its wildlife unit, was not consulted before action was taken at Portavoe reservoir. (AQT 1005/11-15)

Danny Kennedy (UUP, Newry and Armagh)

I understand the importance of the issue. I suppose that, under topical questions, a Member is entitled to raise any issue. I explained the current position in a fairly extensive answer to Mr Cree. I said that there were lessons that could and should be learned about consulting as a consequence of this. I will task officials to provide me with the information and the full background to the work. I understand that it has raised public concerns, but my understanding is that the NIEA and DCAL were certainly aware of the intention to carry out necessary maintenance work to the reservoir. I indicated that, as a consequence of that, DCAL had not stocked anything since August 2013. If there were missing parts in the consultations, I want to get to the bottom of that so that we can identify them, learn the lessons and apply them for future use.

Peter Weir (DUP, North Down)

I thank the Minister for his positive response. Will he give us an assurance that, when the investigations take place about the lessons learned, perhaps a written statement will be produced to the Assembly and assurances given that the mistakes in the consultation on Portavoe reservoir will not be repeated?

Danny Kennedy (UUP, Newry and Armagh)

I am grateful to the Member for his supplementary question. I do not want to make a drama out of a crisis. I will reflect on the information given to me and on its public content. I will reflect on the best way to communicate that to Members for the constituencies of North Down and Strangford, because the reservoir forms part of the boundary between the two council areas, if not the Assembly and parliamentary constituencies.

Raymond McCartney (Sinn Féin, Foyle)

6. asked the Minister for Regional Development for an update on the park and ride at Bellarena, and to acknowledge, in light of the previous question about the railway, that another Michael — Michael Palin — described the Derry to Belfast line as the most beautiful journey in the world. (AQT 1006/11-15)

Danny Kennedy (UUP, Newry and Armagh)

I am grateful to the Member for his question. If he would care to write to me specifically about the issue, I will ensure that we get an update for him. I am aware that there are plans and proposals for the railway and other modes of transport, including, as he said, a park-and-ride facility that will facilitate sustainable modes of transport and assist people in the area. That is where we want to get to not only in Belfast but in Londonderry and other places in Northern Ireland. The Member will be aware that I was recently in Copenhagen, where I saw evidence of sustainable modes of transport really making a difference to the quality of life experienced by the local population. We would do well to replicate that here. I am passionate about that, and, when I see opportunities and funding is available, we will certainly try to exploit them. I am keen on cycling and walking and rail, bus and other public transport issues.

Mitchel McLaughlin (Sinn Féin, South Antrim)

Before we proceed, I inform Members that question 9 has been withdrawn.

Fearghal McKinney (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Belfast South)

1. asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to outline any recent discussions she has had with representatives of the film industry in line with her strategy to grow the local film industry. (AQO 5976/11-15)

Arlene Foster (DUP, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

Attracting large-scale, internationally mobile television and film production to Northern Ireland is a vital component of growing the local film industry. At the end of March, I met senior vice-president of the Walt Disney Company, Mr Jerry Ketcham, to discuss the potential for his organisation to film in Northern Ireland for the first time. Mr Ketcham was in Northern Ireland with his executive vice-president, Mr Tony To, on an official visit organised by Northern Ireland Screen. I am advised by officials that the visit went very well and that the company is keen to work in Northern Ireland in the near future.

You will also be aware that my ministerial colleagues met Mike Lombardo and his team at HBO during their recent visit to the United States. We are confident that HBO will shortly announce that series five of 'Game of Thrones' is to go ahead again at Belfast’s Titanic Studios. Growing the independent production sector is critical to the future success of the local industry. I recently met the respective production teams from the BBC’s 'Blandings' and the film 'Miss Julie'. I was impressed by how well filming had gone for them in Northern Ireland and the support that they had received from Northern Ireland Screen.

Fearghal McKinney (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Belfast South)

I welcome the news of DETI's recent announcement of more than £40 million for the industry. Typically, the industry accumulates pots of money towards an end product. Has the Minister had discussions with the British and Irish Governments about promoting the industry and supporting it across the island?

Arlene Foster (DUP, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

Our Government — the UK Government — have taken great steps forward with tax credits. One of the things that we talked about with Walt Disney was the fact that this has become a very good place in which to invest in production. It is one of the reasons why Northern Ireland Screen is looking to increase what it does. As he will recognise, taxation is very important for such productions. Of course, if there are opportunities to work with the Republic of Ireland's Government, we will do that as well.

The screen industry here has developed strongly over the past three to four years in large-scale and other areas of production with which, I am sure, the Member is more familiar than some other Members, including entertainment, factual and animation. We want to encourage others to look at Northern Ireland for the skill sets that we are developing in production and the Northern Ireland Screen work that is being done. It is a very good news story. We will seek to grow it even further.

Peter Weir (DUP, North Down)

I will try to be suitably animated in my supplementary. The Minister made reference to the discussions with HBO. Can she provide us with an update on the agreement between HBO and Tourism Ireland and tell us what the implications of that agreement will be?

Arlene Foster (DUP, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

That, again, is very good news. It is the very first time that HBO has engaged in such an agreement with partners such as ourselves and Tourism Ireland. Essentially, Tourism Ireland and HBO will capitalise on the worldwide success of 'Game of Thrones'. After six months of detailed negotiations, we will now be able to access all their Facebook and Twitter feeds to reach their fans across the world. That is a tremendous endorsement of their work in Northern Ireland. It allows Tourism Ireland to show off the areas where 'Game of Thrones' is filmed. Some Members may now realise that it happens across Northern Ireland from the Marble Arch caves, which, of course, I want to talk about, up to the north Antrim coast and down to Castleward. All those areas will be covered in this publicity. It is a good news story and one that I hope we can benefit from.

Barry McElduff (Sinn Féin, West Tyrone)

Go raibh maith agat, a Phríomh-LeasCheann Comhairle. I commend the Minister and the other Executive Ministers on their efforts in promoting the film industry. The Minister referred to the global success of 'Game of Thrones': has she any further thoughts on how to promote the film locations as potential tourist attractions? She made some reference to that in her last answer.

Arlene Foster (DUP, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

Obviously, the work that we are doing with HBO on 'Game of Thrones' will be very important. The Northern Ireland Tourist Board and Tourism Ireland are working with the National Trust because it was the setting for the film 'Miss Julie', which, I understand, is being considered for Cannes. If that happens, it will also be a tremendous endorsement of what has happened here. I know that everyone in the Chamber watches 'Blandings' on a Sunday evening and will have seen the fabulous views of Crom Castle. We intend also to use that to increase our tourism potential. There has been a great uplift from the film sector helping the tourism sector, and we intend to grow that as the years go on.

Sandra Overend (UUP, Mid Ulster)

The fourth series of 'Game of Thrones' is due to be filmed here, and there is a major increase in the budget for Northern Ireland Screen. Is the Minister content that the skills in the creative industries and the supporting roles — no pun intended — are here in Northern Ireland? What discussions has she had with the Minister for Employment and Learning to extend training in the sector?

Arlene Foster (DUP, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

I am content that we have the skills here, and that is endorsed by the fact that people have come here and invested, whether in animation or in other factual or entertainment series, such as 'The Fall' and 'Line of Duty'. All the firms involved found the skills that they needed when they came to Northern Ireland, so I am content that those skills are there. If we move up to the next level, we will need more people to get involved in the sector. Therefore, we will need to engage with the local colleges in particular. I know that the Minister for Employment and Learning will work with me to make sure that we have the appropriate skills learning. The advantage of Northern Ireland is that we can be flexible when opportunities arise. It is one of the strongest selling points for Northern Ireland, and we should look forward to the opportunities that the sector will provide for us over the coming months and years. It is a very exciting time for Northern Ireland. I know that Northern Ireland Screen has an ambition that Northern Ireland will be the largest production area in the UK and Ireland outside London. We really can achieve that, and it would be a great fillip for Northern Ireland.

David Hilditch (DUP, East Antrim)

2. asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to outline the challenges facing large scale generators of electricity power located in Northern Ireland. (AQO 5977/11-15)

Arlene Foster (DUP, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

Compliance with European Commission obligations on emissions is a key issue for our large-scale generators. The Commission has also called for the coordination of trading arrangements for electricity markets across Europe. This will require the redesign of existing market arrangements and consideration of how generators will participate in and be remunerated under new structures. Work on the market redesign is progressing, and the generators have opportunities to input into the process.

David Hilditch (DUP, East Antrim)

I thank the Minister for her answer. Minister, how important is the North/South interconnector for long-term security of supply?

Arlene Foster (DUP, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

I am on record as saying that the North/South interconnector is critical for our long-term security of supply, and that is still my position. As I understand it, NIE has resubmitted its revised planning application and environmental impact assessment to the Department of the Environment. We are hopeful that we can now progress on the North/South interconnector to deal with the issues that we know are in front of us. It is not that we are unaware of the consequences; we know fine well that we have a pinch point in 2016 and, indeed, another in 2021. Therefore, we need to progress with the North/South interconnector.

Cathal Boylan (Sinn Féin, Newry and Armagh)

Go raibh maith agat, a Phríomh-LeasCheann Comhairle. Does the Minister agree that greater cooperation across the island is needed to deliver energy? What discussions has she had with her Southern counterpart about delivering that for the future?

Arlene Foster (DUP, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

The last conversation that I had with Pat Rabbitte was about the North/South interconnector and the fact that we absolutely needed it to be put in place. He is very clear that he needs it in place, and I am very clear that we need it in place to make the single electricity market work to the benefit of everybody in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. It is a very strong story of North/South cooperation because we want the interconnector to happen.

Alban Maginness (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Belfast North)

I share the view of the Minister that this is very important for the development of the electricity industry throughout Ireland. Could the Minister indicate whether a time or date is indicated — even a speculative date at this stage — for the public inquiry that would take place?

Arlene Foster (DUP, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

No, I cannot, because, as he will appreciate, that is a matter for his colleague, the Minister of the Environment. All I can do is urge him to deal with it in as timely a manner as he can, and I hope that that will be the case.

Jim Allister (Traditional Unionist Voice, North Antrim)

Does the Minister acknowledge that there is a looming crisis of insufficiency in indigenously generated electricity? If she does, how does she propose to deal with that, particularly given the stalling of the interconnector?

Arlene Foster (DUP, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

What I recognise and have already referenced is that we will have an issue in 2016. That is why the Systems Operator put out a call for additional generation, and he will have the answers to that call, as I understand it, by the end of May. If there is no interest in the market — I do not believe that will be the case — then, as he is aware, I have the powers to intervene in generation. I hope that the market will bring forward options to deal with that point in 2016, when our capacity buffer, if you like, will be 200 megawatts — at the moment, it is 600 megawatts — and, therefore, we will be able to deal with the issue in 2016.

A more pressing problem will be in 2021 if the North/South interconnector is not in place, because that will provide us with a bigger issue. Whoever is in my position in the years to come will have to keep a close eye on that and take whatever actions are necessary to make sure that we have security of supply in the short, medium and longer term.

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

3. asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to outline any recent discussions she has had with the British and Irish Governments on the proposed short stay common travel visa. (AQO 5978/11-15)

Arlene Foster (DUP, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

The Prime Minister met Taoiseach Enda Kenny last month at the Anglo-Irish summit, where they welcomed ongoing collaboration on visas to help to strengthen the common travel area. The visa waiver scheme is an action point included in the economic pact that was developed as part of the G8 summit legacy to help Northern Ireland to build a prosperous and united community.

The Home Office continues to work with officials in the Irish Government to further secure the external common travel area border and ensure that visa reciprocation is a part of that. Subject to appropriate safeguards, the United Kingdom Government will look to pilot a scheme permitting visitors from some destinations to enter the United Kingdom from the Republic of Ireland using an Irish visit visa without the need for a UK visa.

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

I thank the Minister for her comprehensive answer, but, given the impending vote on Scottish independence, has the Minister had any indication of how it will impact on the visa if the Scottish people should vote for independence?

Arlene Foster (DUP, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

I would imagine that that would be an issue for the Scottish Parliament in that very hypothetical situation. She knows that there is a common travel area between us, the Republic of Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. What we were trying to do, if people came from faraway places like China and India into the Republic of Ireland, was attract them up to Northern Ireland. That is the key element to this.

As I understand it, the roll-out of biometrics is a key part of this. Once the Irish Government have that in place, things will be able to progress. That will make a difference to us in Northern Ireland because we will be able to attract people up, particularly from Dublin.

Ian McCrea (DUP, Mid Ulster)

Can the Minister outline any new air routes that have been identified as being important to develop here in Northern Ireland?

Arlene Foster (DUP, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

Again, this is one where there are no secrets. I have been clear that I want to see a route from Canada developed. I also have key targets for European routes, principally into Germany, and I would love to see a Brussels connection from Northern Ireland. That direct connectivity would help our influence in Brussels.

In that context, I very much welcome that, in his recent Budget, the Chancellor said that he will look again at start-up aid for new routes from regional airports. That sort of air route development fund, which we have been prevented from developing in Northern Ireland, will of course be of great help to us because of our distance and the fact that we are not on the mainland but on the island of Ireland. We will want to explore that with the Department for Transport to see how that could develop and what benefit it could be to us. We will have ongoing discussions with that Department, and I think that it will assist us in getting new routes into our airports.

Mitchel McLaughlin (Sinn Féin, South Antrim)

I have already drawn attention to the necessity for supplementary questions to address the original question. That was quite a long haul route and a long way from common travel visas.

Mickey Brady (Sinn Féin, Newry and Armagh)

Go raibh maith agat, a Phríomh-LeasCheann Comhairle. I thank the Minister for her answers so far. I think that you have answered my question to some extent, but what work has been done to identify the potential growth in that area when a solution is found?

Arlene Foster (DUP, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

We recognise that there has been a growth in those from faraway destinations coming to the island of Ireland through Dublin, and we want to be able to attract those people to Northern Ireland. In fact, just yesterday, I attended a meet the buyer event in Enniskillen, at which 120 tour operators from across the globe were trying to find out about our product and experiences in Northern Ireland. If we can attract air routes directly into Northern Ireland, I think that that will have a huge benefit for us. However, they were very impressed with what we have to offer and the experiences that are available. I hope that next year will be another good year for tourism in Northern Ireland.

Danny Kinahan (UUP, South Antrim)

4. asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment what steps have been taken to finalise a tourism strategy for Northern Ireland since the consultation on the draft strategy was issued in February 2010. (AQO 5979/11-15)

Arlene Foster (DUP, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

The key strategic targets for tourism are contained in the Programme for Government (PFG) and the economic strategy.

The past couple of years have been highly successful for Northern Ireland tourism. My focus has been on delivering on the tourism product, major events and global marketing campaigns to ensure success and bring maximum economic benefit to the local economy. I am delighted with what has been achieved, and it is now an opportune time to consider future plans. A review of the Northern Ireland Tourist Board and wider tourism structures is due to be completed by the end of May 2014. When I have the recommendations from that review, I will take stock of the action that is needed to ensure that we deliver on my and the industry’s aspiration to grow tourism into a £1 billion industry by 2020.

Danny Kinahan (UUP, South Antrim)

I congratulate the Minister much that has been achieved, but we really were looking forward to the report. If I have gathered what she has said correctly, we will get the results based on the consultation shortly. Does she see the review as something that can really pull all of us together to help to sell Northern Ireland in particular, rather than the whole of Ireland?

Arlene Foster (DUP, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

As the Member will know, my focus is always on how we can give standout to Northern Ireland. That has always been my focus and will continue to be my focus.

Frankly, we have moved on from the tourism strategy. I remind the Member that it was his party leader who said that we needed to move away from strategies and into action. Anyone who has been looking at what has happened in tourism over the past number of years will have seen a lot of action with the product that we now have available, the events that we have been able to bring to Northern Ireland and, indeed, a whole uplifting of the skills in the hospitality and tourism industry. I think that a lot has been achieved. We should take pleasure from that, but should also plan for the future. That is why the review of the Northern Ireland Tourist Board comes at an opportune time. I look forward to receiving that review at the end of May.

Sammy Douglas (DUP, Belfast East)

I have just come from a meeting of the all-party group on tourism, at which there was a major presentation on the Giro d'Italia and the tremendous opportunities that it presents to Northern Ireland. Will the Minister indicate whether the tourism targets in the Programme for Government have been met to date?

Arlene Foster (DUP, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

I was very pleased that Stephen Roche was able to be with you at the all-party group on tourism. The Giro is almost upon us, there is a lot happening, and the world is looking at Northern Ireland. I hope that everybody is ready to wear pink, because it is hugely important that we are all in the pink for May.

All PFG tourism commitment targets have been met to date, including key milestones for visitor numbers and tourism revenue in 2012, with 3·2 million visitors spending £539 million up to September 2013. We are well on our way to meeting our Programme for Government targets of 4·1 million visitors and £637 million of revenue. I pay tribute to the Tourist Board, Tourism Ireland and all in the industry for the way in which they have come together and played it very well with one team and one voice. I am very pleased with the industry.

Pat Sheehan (Sinn Féin, Belfast West)

Go raibh maith agat, a Phríomh-LeasCheann Comhairle. Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as ucht a freagra.. I thank the Minister for her answers thus far. Does she accept that her inability to deal with such matters as VAT on tourism products and air passenger duty actually hampers our efforts to attract the maximum number of visitors to these shores?

Arlene Foster (DUP, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

No, I do not accept that. Indeed, when we asked the Chancellor to intervene on air passenger duty, he did so. He gave us the power to reduce the band B to zero, and that allowed us to have a very strong tool when we go out to look for new flights of an international status, and allowed us to keep the flight to Newark. VAT, of course, is a reserved matter for the Parliament in Westminster. I look forward to the day that his party members take their seats and perhaps put forward an argument on VAT.

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

I thank the Minister for her answers and, indeed, for her endeavours to develop tourism in Northern Ireland in these more peaceful times. Given that international tourists in particular do not recognise political borders and tend to migrate North and South, has she had any input to the tourism policy review that was announced in Dublin?

Arlene Foster (DUP, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

I was made aware of the policy review by the Minister when he launched it. However, I have not been involved in any policy development, and I do not believe any of my officials have either, but I stand to be corrected on that issue. He is looking at his policy, whereas I am looking at the structures of the Tourist Board, so the two are slightly different, but we certainly have a good working relationship and we always endeavour to work together when it is to benefit both parts of the island, as the Member will know through the Rugby World Cup, which we are working on together with the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure.

Cathal Ó hOisín (Sinn Féin, East Londonderry)

5. asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment what are the reasons behind the lack of Invest NI investment in the north-west. (AQO 5980/11-15)

Arlene Foster (DUP, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

Invest Northern Ireland support and engagement with north-west stakeholders and businesses in the past three full financial years should by no means be viewed as a lack of investment. Between 2010-11 and 2012-13, Invest NI offered £27 million of assistance towards viable projects in the north-west region, contributing towards a total planned investment in the area of £136 million over the same three-year period. That support promoted 2,404 new jobs and safeguarded 160 existing jobs. Start-up assistance was also provided to 1,298 indigenous businesses through the enterprise development programme or regional start initiative.

For Invest NI to be able to offer support, it is reliant on businesses approaching it with viable business plans to increase their competitiveness or gain a larger share of local and international markets. I therefore encourage the Member to recommend businesses he is in contact with to engage with Invest Northern Ireland to see what help can be offered.

Invest NI is often criticised for not directing foreign investors to the north-west. This is a point that I have repeatedly clarified, but I will do so again: Invest NI cannot direct investment to specific geographical areas. It is the investor that chooses the location that best meets their needs.

Cathal Ó hOisín (Sinn Féin, East Londonderry)

Go raibh maith agat, a Phríomh-LeasCheann Comhairle. Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as ucht an fhreagra sin. Does the Minister recognise the disparity that exists even within the north-west area between the constituencies? Much help goes to the Foyle constituency and less to the West Tyrone and East Derry constituencies.

Arlene Foster (DUP, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

I think, when he talks about the north-west, it is Strabane, Londonderry and Limavady that are taken into consideration in the figures. If there are divergences, we rely on the local councils to work with us to work up plans to deal with those issues.

There are some very good plans. I think of the Inspire programme for one, which Strabane District Council has developed with Omagh District Council through the local economic development programme. There are other very good programmes worked up alongside the councils as well. Therefore, it is a question of working together and not waiting for someone to come along and offer a solution. This is about collaborative working, and I hope that the Member is up for that collaborative working.

Mitchel McLaughlin (Sinn Féin, South Antrim)

Before we go to supplementaries, I remind Members that there is a very specific reference in the question to investment in the north-west.

Leslie Cree (UUP, North Down)

I wonder whether the Minister envisages that pilots such as the pop-up Invest NI office, which I understand is going to Limavady, could stimulate the sort of business activity that some elected representatives complain about the lack of?

Arlene Foster (DUP, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

The pop-up shop from Invest Northern Ireland visited Queen Street in Belfast. It then went to the Erneside shopping centre in Enniskillen, and it is going to Limavady as well. Invest Northern Ireland is making the effort to make people aware of the help, assistance and programmes that are available. I have not had the full feedback from Enniskillen. However, there was very good engagement for the visit to Queen Street — I think that it was in Queen's Arcade in Belfast — with people coming in through the doors and learning for the very first time about Invest Northern Ireland and what it was doing. I can see us doing more of that, because sometimes the message about what Invest gets involved in does not seem to be getting out there. I am very keen to make sure that everybody is aware of what is available.

George Robinson (DUP, East Londonderry)

How important is the One Plan in growing the north-west economy?

Arlene Foster (DUP, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

The One Plan has been developed by a number of stakeholders in the Derry City Council region. It is something that we have been involved in, from an Invest Northern Ireland perspective, and the Executive have endorsed it as well. Therefore, it is a very important plan, and it is a very good example of a holistic approach to how things can be achieved and moved on. It is a very positive way to look at development in an area, because you are actually taking in a whole range of factors, and not just dealing with factors on their own at a particular point in time. I think that the One Plan is a good example, and it is one example of how to deal with things. Another example is what the Fermanagh/Omagh region is doing with its Smart region work, and I have been heavily involved in that as well. It is an attempt to say, "This is what we envisage for the region; how can you help us to deliver it?" I think that that is a very good example of how to do things.

Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Foyle)

We had the good announcement last week of around 10 jobs for a local company. With regard to the opportunities at Fort George, what work is Invest Northern Ireland doing to attract investors to that site and to any other vacant sites in the city?

Arlene Foster (DUP, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

Again, it is about being aware of what is available for inward investors and indigenous companies, so that when they ask us questions about particular needs, we know where those needs can be satisfied. Fort George is a very good site. It is very central to the city, but it has plenty of space. Of course, it has the Hibernia link into it as well, which is a very strong selling point. Invest Northern Ireland's property division is very much aware of Fort George, and the local office in Londonderry is very much aware of it as well.

Roy Beggs (UUP, East Antrim)

6. asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment what role her Department plays in the licensing of current commercial proposals to store gas and compressed air in caverns within geological salt layers in the Larne area. (AQO 5981/11-15)

Arlene Foster (DUP, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

Under the Mineral Development Act (Northern Ireland) 1969, DETI has powers to grant licences for the prospecting and mining of selected minerals, including salt, in Northern Ireland. My Department has granted a mineral prospecting licence to Gaelectric Developments Limited to explore for suitable salt beds for its proposed compressed air energy storage project. Subsequent solution mining of the salt to create caverns would require a mining licence from my Department.

In addition, Islandmagee Storage Limited has a mineral prospecting licence for salt exploration on Islandmagee. However, as the Mineral Development Act applies only to onshore Northern Ireland, the company would not need a DETI mining licence for the creation of natural gas storage caverns beneath Larne lough.

Mitchel McLaughlin (Sinn Féin, South Antrim)

That ends the period for oral questions. We now move on to topical questions.

David McNarry (UKIP, Strangford)

1. asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to clarify whether there is a disparity in the numbers employed at Harland and Wolff outside the local unemployment/employment register, given the issue scripted by the media today as “tensions in east Belfast”, with 500 imported labour jobs relative to 150 local jobs. (AQT 1011/11-15)

Arlene Foster (DUP, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

I thank the Member for his question. It is one that I thought he might raise with me when I saw his name on the list today, so I asked Harland and Wolff some questions before I came to the House. As I understand it, Harland and Wolff was awarded the contract for the dry docking of the rig by an international oil group, Dolphin Drilling, in August 2013. It is a very big contract. Initially, it was only a 60-day contract. It had a very short turnaround and required a very swift response from Harland and Wolff to secure the work into the shipyard. It had to react very quickly to secure and provide the necessary workshops and short-term contracts. Although I acknowledge that it has gone beyond 60 days, those contracts are short term. In many ways, the wider economy in Belfast has benefited from the fact that the contract has gone on longer than 60 days. Indeed, I know that a lot of the hospitality industry, for example, has really benefited from the fact that those workers are here.

I am told that Harland and Wolff has brought in 600 temporary workers to complete the renewal, upgrade and maintenance work on time. Those are estimated figures. Mr McNarry might have different figures. I am told that there are 200 workers from the Northern Ireland labour pool and 200 from the Scotland and north-east of England labour pool. The balance is made up from European countries.

We should ask why that is the case. It is the case that there was a shortage of skilled steel workers and welders in Northern Ireland following the decline of the shipbuilding industry. That raises the question of whether we should be doing something about the skills of people in that area and generally in Northern Ireland. I am certainly happy to have a conversation with the Employment and Learning Minister about that.

David McNarry (UKIP, Strangford)

I thank the Minister. I appreciate her comprehensive answer and diligence in sourcing at least some indication of what that contract is about. I will not argue with her, but I think that there is more to be told about it. In future, when the Minister announces news of job creation, which will be welcome, will she mean jobs to reduce our unemployment figures or those of other countries?

Arlene Foster (DUP, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

Well, of course, the Member knows that I did not announce those jobs. If he would care to go back and look —

David McNarry (UKIP, Strangford)

I did not ask about those jobs; I asked about future jobs.

Arlene Foster (DUP, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

Well, you made the point about whether, if I make job announcements, I will ensure that they are jobs for Northern Ireland people. I did not, of course, announce those jobs because I was very aware at the time that it was a short-term contract and they would be short-term jobs for whoever would fill them. They would not be permanent jobs. The Member should look at that point in particular.

Of course, we are very aware that when companies come to Northern Ireland — I am talking now from a foreign-direct-investment point of view — they will, on occasion, bring people with them to embed the new company in Northern Ireland. It is wrong for us to say that we want jobs in Northern Ireland only for Northern Ireland people. We want people to come to Northern Ireland and share their skills and experiences with us here in order to build up our workforce so that we can be competitive and global. It is wrong to say that we are interested only in jobs here for people from Northern Ireland.

Judith Cochrane (Alliance, Belfast East)

2. asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to update the House on the agri-food loan scheme and to detail which banks are participating. (AQT 1012/11-15)

Arlene Foster (DUP, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

I am very pleased to say that the first broiler phase of the scheme is now open for business. It took a little longer than some of us would have liked, but it is now open for business.

The first loan under the scheme has been approved by the First Trust Bank, so it gets a gold star. The participating banks are the Bank of Ireland, Barclays, Danske Bank, the First Trust Bank and the Ulster Bank.

Judith Cochrane (Alliance, Belfast East)

I thank the Minister for her answer. Are there any plans to roll out that type of scheme to any other sectors?

Arlene Foster (DUP, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

Yes, there are. That was really a pilot scheme. We recognised that there was a need in the poultry sector, given its growth and the fact that a lot of farmers did not have the requisite security needed to access money from traditional loans and banks. Therefore, we came in with this innovative scheme and ensured that we got the participation of the banks that I listed. That meant that the banks are now more engaged than ever with the industry. The broiler sector was the first to benefit, but I hope that the scheme will be used more widely in the poultry sector, the pork sector and other agri-sectors.

Trevor Clarke (DUP, South Antrim)

3. asked the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to outline the value of the Giro d’Italia to Northern Ireland, given that some people would rather focus on the negatives. (AQT 1013/11-15)

I congratulate the Minister on her work for tourism in Northern Ireland, particularly given the announcements in the past couple of weeks about the Irish Open, which is coming to Northern Ireland in two future years, and the Giro, which is coming much sooner than the Irish Open.

Arlene Foster (DUP, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

I thank the Member for his comments about the events that we have been able to announce recently. It is tremendous to welcome the Irish Open back to Northern Ireland in 2015 to Royal County Down and in 2017 to the Lough Erne golf resort in Enniskillen.

We also launched the Circuit of Ireland, which takes place over the Easter weekend. That is another strong race that has taken on a new emphasis because Eurosport is involved, and it is now part of a European network. We launched the North West 200 as well, which is being upped to a festival. We very much look forward to that event, which is happening over a week in May.

A lot of things are happening in May, not least, as I said, the Giro d'Italia. We have been working hard with the team in Shadetree Sports and the organisers RCS to make sure that we get the greatest benefit out of the Giro d'Italia. The working groups are working hard with local councils to try to make sure that they can capitalise on the Giro and the opportunities that it brings to local areas. We have a full branding campaign that will run along the course for the whole event. We have promoted the event to our key consumer markets in Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and across Europe. It will be a tremendous event for us, and I look forward to it very much.

Trevor Clarke (DUP, South Antrim)

I thank the Minister for that answer. Given the success in bringing the Irish Open back to Northern Ireland, would it be possible to bring the Giro d'Italia, which is coming here next month, back in the future, given the excitement among many people in our constituencies about seeing it for the first time in Northern Ireland? If it did come back, would it be possible to open up roads in other parts of the Province so that people could see and enjoy what we have over here?

Arlene Foster (DUP, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

I thank the Member for his question. He is right to talk about what will happen after the race and its legacy. The Giro d'Italia has a very strong legacy programme, and I have had representations from people in south Down about the Gran Fondo, as it is called, which runs races in the following years that get the community involved in the Giro brand and keep cycling alive. I have met cycling groups from across Northern Ireland, and the number of people who are involved in cycling across Northern Ireland is quite amazing. This is a great event for them and for our tourists, whom we look forward to welcoming in May.