MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS OF
THE COMMITTEE FOR AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT
FRIDAY 16 MARCH 2001
HELD IN ROOM 135, PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS
1. General Committee Business
2. Update on Foot and Mouth Disease Outbreak
3. Aggregates Tax in Northern Ireland
4. DARD Business Strategy 2001/2002
5. Speaker's St Patrick's Day Reception
6. Minutes of Proceedings on 9 March 2001
7. Matters Arising
8. Statutory Rules
9. Any Other Business
10. Draft Regional Development Strategy
11. Date of Next Meeting
Present:
Mr G Savage (Deputy Chairman)
Mr B Armstrong
Mr J Dallat
Mr B Douglas
Mr D Ford
Mr G Kane
Mr G McHugh
Mr I Paisley Jnr
Apologies:
Dr IRK Paisley MP MEP
Mr PJ Bradley
Mr F Molloy
In attendance:
Mr P Moore
Mr B Kennedy
Mr J McCourt
Miss K Hewitt
The Deputy Chairman called the meeting to order in Public Session at 10.03am.
1. General Committee Business
1.1 The Deputy Chairman informed members that the Hansard record of the Minister's session with the Committee on 9 March 2001 was now available.
Top2. Update on the Foot and Mouth Disease Outbreak.
2.1 The Deputy Chairman welcomed the Minister and DARD officials Mr Peter Small (Permanent Secretary) and Mr Bob McCracken (Chief Veterinary Officer). The Deputy Chairman expressed members' appreciation to the Minister for agreeing to spend more time with the Committee, and invited her to make a statement.
2.2 The Minister made a statement on the current position in relation to the outbreak, including action taken and preventative measures and reference to the situation in GB. Local action included the setting up of a confidential rural support helpline.
Mr Armstrong attended the meeting at 10.15am.
2.3 Following the Minister's statement, members asked questions covering maintenance of, and potential for lifting of, restrictions; tracing of imported animals; intention to review procedures in conjunction with the Republic of Ireland; regionalisation; the importance of stringent measures at ports and on farms; and publicity.
2.4 Members asked the Minister to pass on thanks and appreciation to DARD staff on the ground for their efforts. The Minister agreed to meet the Committee to give a further update on the foot and mouth disease situation on Friday 23 March 2001.
2.5 The Deputy Chairman thanked the Minister and her accompanying officials, and they left the meeting at 10.51am.
The Deputy Chairman adjourned the meeting at 10.53am. The meeting resumed at 11.02am with the Deputy Chairman and Messrs Dallat, Douglas, Ford, Kane and McHugh present.
Top3. Aggregates Tax in Northern Ireland.
3.1 The Deputy Chairman welcomed representatives from Friends of the Earth, Mr John Woods (Head of Campaigns) and Mr Declan Allison (Assistant Campaigner) to the meeting at 11.03am and invited Mr Woods to make a statement.
3.2 Mr Woods described the organisation of Friends of the Earth in Northern Ireland in the UK context, and the background to the aggregates tax and their concerns. He also referred to their intention to commission research into the potential of the local food economy.
3.3 Mr Allison referred to his paper, which was before the Committee, and made a number of points relating to environmental issues; organic farming; farmers' markets; alternative employment; and alternatives to aggregates use.
Mr Armstrong returned to the meeting at 11.13am.
3.4 Members then asked questions to clarify and expand on the matters raised, and on related issues including the threat of local jobs moving to the Republic of Ireland; pollution; costs; and transport infrastructure.
3.5 The Deputy Chairman drew the session to a close and thanked the representatives of Friends of the Earth, who then left the meeting at 11.36am.
3.6 Resolved: that the Clerk will write to Mr Woods on behalf of the Committee, thanking him and his colleague for their attendance and looking forward to seeing the outcome of their proposed research in due course.
Top4. DARD Business Strategy 2001/2002
4.1 The Deputy Chairman welcomed DARD officials, Mssrs Gerry Lavery, Stuart Johnston and Tom Rodgers to the meeting and invited Mr Lavery to speak.
4.2 Mr Lavery set out the background to, and context of, the Department's Business Strategy, explaining the links with the Programme for Government; the Department's Public Service Agreement; business plans in each of the 12 DARD business areas; and accountability down to individual officer level.
Mr Ford left the meeting at 11.56am
4.3 Members' questions covered a number of matters including:
- Relating targets to ultimate aims.
- The disrupting effect of the current foot and mouth disease emergency.
- The Beef Quality Initiative.
- Co-operation with rural communities.
- Implications for tourism.
- Inter - Departmental and inter-Agency approaches.
- Rural proofing.
Mr Ford and Mr Paisley Jnr returned to the meeting at 12.14pm.
- Primary producers and the effects of imports
- Restructuring of the farming industry
- Commitment to EFQM Excellence Model
4.4 Mr Lavery advised that the Department would be monitoring progress on a quarterly basis and offered to update the Committee on that basis.
4.5 The Deputy Chairman thanked the officials, who then left at 12.31pm.
4.6 Resolved: that the Clerk should write to DARD thanking the officials for their presentation and advising that the Committee accepts the officials' offer of quarterly progress reports.
At 12.32pm the Deputy Chairman considered a letter from the Speaker which had been delivered by hand to the meeting.
Top5. Speaker's St Patrick's Day Reception.
5.1 The Deputy Chairman asked for the Speaker's letter to be read aloud to members. In the letter, the Speaker sought the Committee's view as to whether he should cancel a reception which he had arranged for approximately 150 guests in Parliament Buildings on St Patrick's Day.
Mr Douglas left the meeting at 12.35pm.
5.2 Members deliberated.
5.3 Motion:
That this Committee advises the Speaker that he should not proceed with the event.
[J Dallat]
5.4 Amendment:
Delete all after 'should' and insert 'take the views of the Minister and the Chief Veterinary Officer before deciding whether to proceed with the event'.
[B Armstrong]
5.5 After further deliberation, members voted on the amendment by a show of hands. The result was three for the amendment and three against and the amendment therefore fell.
5.6 Members voted on the motion by a show of hands. The result was three for the motion and four against. The motion therefore fell.
5.7 Resolved: that the Speaker should be notified of the Committee's deliberations.
Mr Dallat and Mr Ford left the meeting at 12.56pm
Top6. Minutes of Proceedings on 9 March 2001
6.1 Resolved: that the draft Minutes of Proceedings for 9 March 2001 were approved.
Top7. Matters arising from the meeting on 9 March 2001
7.1 More time for sessions with Minister on the foot and mouth disease situation. Members noted the Chairman's letter to the Minister as resolved by the Committee on 9 March 2001.
7.2 Committee Inquiry into the LMC. Members noted the letters issued to relevant organisations to seek submissions to the LMC Inquiry.
7.3 Committee Inquiry into the Rural Development Programme. Members approved the draft Press Release and Public Notice announcing this Inquiry, including the costs of such notice, and agreed that suitable invitations should be issued, under the Chairman's authority, to relevant organisations to submit evidence. The Clerk informed the Committee of the PAC Clerk's response in support of statutory committees following up PAC Reports.
Mr Dallat returned to the meeting at 1.04pm.
Top8. Statutory Rules.
8.1 The Pig Industry Restructuring (Capital Grant) Scheme (Northern Ireland) 2001.
8.2 The Committee considered the Pig Industry Restructuring (Capital Grant) Scheme (Northern Ireland) 2001.
Resolved: that the Committee recommends that the Assembly confirms the Rule.
8.3 The Pig Industry Restructuring (Non-Capital Grant) Scheme Order (Northern Ireland) 2001.
8.4 The Committee considered the Pig Industry Restructuring (Non-Capital Grant) Scheme Order (Northern Ireland) 2001.
Resolved: that the Committee has no objections to the Rule.
8.5 Countryside Management Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2001: Examiner's Report.
8.6 Members noted a report from the Examiner of Statutory Rules relating to the Countryside Management Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2001 which the Committee had approved recently. The Examiner had nothing to report.
Top9. Any Other Business.
9.1 Possible Future Inquiry. A member referred to the possibility of an Inquiry into the foot and mouth disease outbreak. The member was reminded that, at the meeting on 2 March 2001, members had resolved that such Inquiry would not be appropriate at this time, but could be considered when the current emergency is over.
Mr Paisley Jnr left the meeting at 1.10pm.
9.2 Hague Preference: Distribution of UK's Gains for 2001. Members noted the outcome to the Minister's consultation letter of 22 January 2001 which members had already seen.
9.3 Fish Industry Forum Document "Strategies and Requirements for the UK Seafood Industry". Members noted this document.
9.4 Executive Programme Funds: Figures Submitted by DARD. Members agreed to defer consideration of this item until the meeting on 23 March 2001.
9.5 The Minister's reply on Fisheries Issues. Members agreed to defer consideration of this item until the meeting on 23 March 2001.
9.6 Lights Dues. The Committee approved a draft letter to the Prime Minister, seeking removal of the requirement for Northern Ireland fishermen to pay lights dues.
9.7 LFA Compensatory Allowances Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2001. Members noted further information in relation to claimed forage area calculation which had been supplied by DARD in response to a member's question at the 2 March 2001 Committee meeting.
9.8 Foot and Mouth: Possible urgent changes to the Beef Special premium scheme. Members noted this advance notice from the Minister's office.
9.9 DARD Rural Development Strategy. The Clerk advised the Committee that the Department's Rural Development Strategy document had just arrived in the Committee office. Members agreed to consider it as part of the Rural Development Programme Inquiry.
Resolved: that DARD officials be invited to give evidence on 30 March 2001 in relation to the Strategy as part of the Inquiry. This invitation was to be incorporated into the letter inviting DARD to submit evidence to the Inquiry into the Rural Development Programme.
9.10 Motion for Debate on the Beef and Pigs Reports. Members noted that the Motion for debate on 26 or 27 March 2001 has now been lodged.
The Deputy Chairman declared the meeting closed to the public at 1.18pm and continued in private session.
Top10. Draft Regional Development Strategy. Members agreed to defer consideration of this item until the meeting on 23 March 2001.
Resolved: that the Clerk would seek agreement from the Committee for Regional Development, for this Committee's response to be deferred until after its next meeting.
Top11. Date of Next Meeting
11.1 Resolved: that the next meeting would take place on Friday 23 March 2001 at 10.00am in Room 135, Parliament Buildings.
TopThe Deputy Chairman brought the meeting to a close at 1.24pm.
9 March 2001 / Menu / 23 March 2001