COMMITTEE FOR REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT
WEDNESDAY 26 MAY 2010
ROOM 21, PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS
Present:
Fred Cobain MLA (Chairperson)
Michelle McIlveen MLA (Deputy Chairperson)
Cathal Boylan MLA
Allan Bresland MLA
Willie Clarke MLA
Danny Kinahan MLA
Billy Leonard MLA
Trevor Lunn MLA
Ian McCrea MLA
Conall McDevitt MLA
George Robinson MLA
In Attendance:
Roisin Kelly (Assembly Clerk)
Trevor Allen (Assistant Assembly Clerk)
Andrew Larmour (Clerical Supervisor)
Alison Ferguson (Clerical Officer)
Apologies:
No apologies were received.
The meeting commenced at 10.40am in open session.
Members welcomed Mr Conall McDevitt to the Committee and also noted the extract of the Register of Members’ Interests relating to Mr McDevitt.
Agreed: Members agreed to write to Mr Tommy Gallagher thanking him for his contribution during his time as a Member of the Committee for Regional Development.
1. Apologies
No apologies were received.
Members noted papers which were tabled for consideration later in the meeting.
2. Draft Minutes of Meeting held on 19 May 2010
Agreed : The minutes were agreed for publication on the Assembly’s website.
10.42am Mr Boylan joined the meeting
3. Matters Arising
- Members noted correspondence from the Department for Regional Development, dated 13 May 2010, in response to correspondence from the Committee for Culture, Arts and Leisure on the availability of land in Northern Ireland for bridleways for equestrian activities.
- Agreed: Members noted correspondence from the Department for Regional Development, dated 13 May 2010, in relation to the review of financial assistance for properties not served by a water main and agreed to defer further consideration of the issue until autumn 2010.
- Agreed: Members noted correspondence from the Department for Regional Development, dated 13 May 2010, in relation to road safety in rural areas and agreed to forward the correspondence to the Committee for the Environment.
- Agreed: Members noted correspondence from the Department for Regional Development, dated 20 May 2010, in relation to the Independent Review of Economic Development Policy Implementation Plan and agreed to forward the correspondence to the Committee for Enterprise, Trade and Investment.
- Agreed: Members noted background information from the Committee office, and correspondence from the Environment Committee, in relation to aviation strategy for Northern Ireland and the proposed runway extension at George Best Belfast City Airport. Members agreed to forward the background information to, and request further information from, the Committee for the Environment. Members also agreed to request a research paper on approaches to aviation strategy across the United Kingdom.
- Agreed: Members noted background information from the Committee office, and correspondence from the Finance and Personnel Committee, in relation to the Finance and Personnel Committee’s Inquiry into the Role of the Northern Ireland Assembly in Scrutinising the Executive’s Budget and Expenditure. Members agreed to defer consideration of the Committee’s response to the Finance and Personnel Committee until the Committee meeting of 2 June 2010.
4. Consideration of the Committee’s draft report on the Roads (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill
The Committee continued its consideration of its Report on the Roads (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill.
Agreed: Members agreed the Executive Summary (paragraphs 1 to 14); the Recommendations (paragraphs 1 and 2); the Introduction section (paragraphs 1 to 10); the Consideration of the Bill by the Committee section (paragraphs 11 to 45); and the Clause by Clause Scrutiny of the Bill section (paragraphs 46 to 61) of the report.
Agreed: Members agreed that the above paragraphs, as agreed, do stand part of the report.
Agreed: Members agreed that Appendix 1, Minutes of Proceedings, stands part of the report.
Agreed: Members agreed that Appendix 2, Minutes of Evidence, stands part of the report.
Agreed: Members agreed that Appendix 3, Written Submissions, stands part of the report.
Agreed: Members agreed that Appendix 4, Memoranda and papers from the Department for Regional Development, stands part of the report.
Agreed: Members agreed that Appendix 5, Northern Ireland Assembly Research papers, stands part of the report.
Agreed: Members agreed that Appendix 6, Other Documents relevant to the Roads (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill, stands part of the report.
Agreed: Members agreed that Appendix 7, Stakeholders Invited to Give Evidence, stands part of the report.
Agreed: Members agreed that the report be the Second Report on the Committee for Regional Development to the Assembly for the 2009/2010 Session.
Agreed: Members agreed that the extract of minutes of this meeting be checked by the Chairperson and included in the appendices to the report as unapproved minutes.
Agreed: Members agreed that the report of the Committee for Regional Development on the Roads (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill be ordered to print.
11.01am Mr Kinahan and Mr McDevitt left the meeting
Agreed: Members agreed that the report will be laid, in manuscript, in the Assembly Business Office on the morning of Thursday 27 May 2010 and that it be made available for viewing by all Members of the Assembly.
Agreed: Members agreed that the report be forwarded to the Minister for Regional Development in advance of its publication.
Members noted that the report will be circulated to all Members of the Assembly on Tuesday 1 June 2010.
Agreed: Members considered and agreed a Committee press release on the publication of the Bill for issue on Tuesday 1 June 2010.
5. Pre-introductory briefing on proposed Public Transport Reform legislation
Members noted correspondence from the Minister for Regional Development, dated 25 May 2010, that included the draft Transport Bill and the draft Explanatory and Financial Memorandum.
The Committee received a pre-introductory briefing from Departmental officials, Doreen Brown, Brian White and Anne Breen, on the proposed Transport Bill .
Agreed: Members agreed that a stakeholder event be organised to receive evidence, during the Committee Stage of the Bill.
6. The Civil Emergency Measures (Relevant Undertakers) ( Northern Ireland) Direction 2010: Departmental briefing
The Committee received a briefing from Departmental officials, Stuart Wightman and Eilis Ferguson , on the Civil Emergency Measures (Relevant Undertakers) ( Northern Ireland) Direction 2010 .
11.35am Mr Clarke left the meeting
11.38am Mr McCrea left the meeting
11.40am Mr Kinahan and Mr McDevitt returned to the meeting
11.47am Mr McCrea returned to the meeting
7. Procurement governance in Northern Ireland Water: Consideration of the interest expressed by the Northern Ireland Audit Office
The Committee noted correspondence from the Minister for Regional Development providing an update on the current position with regard to the ongoing audit and other work at Northern Ireland Water.
The Committee also noted correspondence from the Comptroller and Auditor General in relation to the issue of procurement governance at Northern Ireland Water, suggesting that the Public Accounts Committee takes the lead in considering the procurement governance issue.
Agreed: Members considered the correspondence from the Comptroller and Auditor General and acceded to the request that the Public Accounts Committee takes the lead on this issue.
8. Subordinate Legislation
Members noted the following Departmental proposals to make subordinate legislation:
- The Back Streets at Alliance Drive and Alliance Gardens, Belfast (Abandonment) Order ( Northern Ireland) 2010;
- The Lower Braniel Road, Castlereagh (Abandonment) Order ( Northern Ireland) 2010;
- The Waiting Restrictions (Rasharkin) Order ( Northern Ireland) 2010; and
- The Fulton Street, Belfast (Footway) (Abandonment) Order ( Northern Ireland) 2010 .
Members noted that the SL1 memos from the Department on the above proposals made no reference to their having been the subject of a public inquiry. Members noted that the Department has confirmed that the police service and relevant local councils affected by the above proposals have been informed, and the Committee office has not received any comments from the relevant councils regarding these policy proposals.
Members considered the following Departmental proposals to make subordinate legislation, which were noted at the Committee meeting on 19 May 2010:
- The Pennyburn Industrial Estate Service Road, Londonderry (Abandonment) Order ( Northern Ireland) 2010; and
- The Parking Places on Roads (Motor Cycles) Order ( Northern Ireland) 2010.
Agreed: Members agreed that the Committee would write to the Department, indicating that it was content with the policy merits of these SL1s.
Members noted receipt of the following statutory rules:
- 2010/177 The College Park / College Park East, Belfast (Abandonment) Order ( Northern Ireland) 2010.
Members noted that the Sixteenth Report to the Assembly for 2009/10 from the Examiner of Statutory Rules makes no comment on the rule .
Agreed: The Committee agreed to write to the Department for Regional Development requesting copies of the objections to the rule that have been received by the Department.
9. Correspondence
Agreed: The Committee noted correspondence from the Committee for Finance and Personnel, in relation to the employment of external advisers by government departments and agreed to forward the correspondence to the Department for Regional Development for comment.
Members noted the following Departmental press releases:
- Roads Service announces major maintenance works at M1 motorway bridge;
- Roads Service reports on schemes in Ballymoney area;
- Roads Service reports on schemes in Craigavon area;
- Roads Service reports on schemes in Limavady area;
- Roads Service reports on schemes in North Down area;
- Murphy opens £160 million Belfast Sewers Project; and
- It’s a walk off! Walk to school week cross-border challenge.
Agreed: The Committee noted an invitation from Sustrans to attend the Belfast Cycle City Conference on 1 June 2010 and agreed that an Assembly Research Officer should attend the conference and provide a written report back to the Committee.
10. Any Other Business
Agreed: Members considered a revised forward work programme for the Committee and agreed that the revised work programme should be published on the Assembly website.
Agreed: The Committee considered and agreed correspondence to the Committee for Finance and Personnel in relation to the timing of quarterly monitoring rounds, in particular the September 2010 return.
12.02pm Mr Clarke returned to the meeting
Agreed: Members considered, and agreed, a response to the Inclusive Mobility and Transport Advisory Committee (IMTAC) in relation to its comments on the Equality Impact Assessment of Restricted Zone Access Permits.
Agreed: Members noted that the Department’s Corporate and Business Plan 2010-2011 has been published and is available on the Department’s website. The Committee agreed to defer consideration of the Corporate and Business Plan 2010-2011 to the Committee’s meeting on 23 June 2010.
11. Date, Time and Place of Next Meeting
The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, 2 June 2010 at 10.30 am in Room 21, Parliament Buildings.
The Chairperson adjourned the meeting at 12.05pm.