COMMITTEE FOR ENTERPRISE, TRADE AND INVESTMENT

MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS
THURSDAY, 13 MARCH 2008
ROOM 21, PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS

Present:
Mr Mark Durkan MP (Chairperson)
Mr Leslie Cree
Mr Simon Hamilton
Ms Jennifer McCann
Mr Gerry McHugh
Mr Robin Newton
Mr David Simpson MP

In Attendance:
Ms Lucia Wilson (Assembly Clerk)
Mr Trevor Allen (Assistant Assembly Clerk)
Mr Stephen White (Clerical Supervisor)
Mr Jim Nulty (Clerical Officer)

Apologies:
Mr Paul Maskey (Deputy Chairperson)
Dr Alasdair McDonnell
Mr Alan McFarland
Mr Sean Neeson

The meeting opened at 10.43a.m. in public session.

The Committee elected Mr Cree as Chairperson in the absence of Mr Durkan. Proposed: Mr Hamilton; Seconded: Mr Newton.

1. Apologies.

Apologies are detailed above.

2. Declaration of Interests.

Gerry McHugh declared interests as the owner of a small farm; Membership of the Board of Governors of St. Mary’s Primary School in Tempo; Directorship of the Women in Agriculture Board; and Life Membership of NIAPA.

3. Minutes of meeting held on 21 February 2008.

Agreed: The draft minutes of the meeting on 21 February 2008 were agreed.

4. Matters Arising from 21 February meeting.

Members noted a response from the Department regarding the delay in the Walled City Lighting Strategy.

Members noted a memo to the Departmental Assembly Liaison Officer regarding the opportunity for the Department to brief the Committee on subordinate legislation at SL1 stage.

Agreed: Members noted that the department has received a copy of the committee response to the RIS draft action plan and agreed to publish the committee response on the Assembly web site. Members also agreed that the clerk write to responders’ thanking them and providing them with a copy of the committee’s response. Members also noted a copy of the DOE and DARD responses.

10.50am Mr Durkan joined the meeting and took the Chair

Members noted that the Committee’s response to the “Varney Review of the Competitiveness of NI” has been forwarded to the Varney review team. Members also noted a response from the Varney Review Team to the Committee.

Members noted correspondence from Mike Smith dated 26 th February indicating that he was not submitting a response to the review.

Members noted that the CBI has responded to the Review directly through the Business Alliance .

Agreed: The committee agreed that its response to the Review be published on the Assembly’s web site and that the clerk write to respondents thanking them and providing them with a copy of the response.

Members also noted a copy of the response to the Review from the Agriculture and Rural Development Committee .

Members noted the Department for Finance and Personnel’s written submission to the Committee for Finance and Personnel in relation to the Varney Review.

Members noted a report in the Business Telegraph relating to a possible inquiry into corporation tax by the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee.

5. Chairperson’s Business

Agreed: Members were updated on the Chairperson’s attendance at a lunch with Dr Paula Dobriansky, US Under Secretary of State and Special Envoy on Northern Ireland on Tuesday 26 th February.

Members agreed to a proposed visit to Invest NI.

Agreed: The Chairperson updated Members on a meeting on that he and the Deputy Chairperson held with the Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson of the Education and Learning Committee on 26 th February. Members agreed to a range of proposals to take forward issues of mutual business interest.

6. Report from Committee Visit

10.58am Mr Simpson joined the meeting

The Chairperson updated Members on the visit to Enterprise NI on 28 th February at Craigavon Innovation Centre. Members noted a press article on the visit and papers from Ann McGregor, Chief Executive of Enterprise NI, outlining key issues from the visit and on the ending of the grant for Invest NI’s Start a Business Programme.

7. Inquiry into Credit Unions

Members noted a summary paper of the evidence received to date on the key issues facing credit unions in Northern Ireland.

Agreed: Members discussed and agreed the terms of reference and how to progress its inquiry into “The Role and Potential of Credit Unions: Opportunities and Barriers in Northern Ireland.”

8. Innovation Inquiry

11.07am Mr Hamilton left the meeting

Agreed: Members agreed to continue to scope issues in relation to innovation in advance of launching a formal inquiry later in the year. .

9. Subordinate Legislation

Members noted and were content with the following items of subordinate legislation:

• SL1 – The Companies (Late Filing Penalties) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2008
• SL1 – The Limited Liability Partnerships (Filing Periods and Late Filing Penalties) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2008

The Committee noted the following Statutory Rule, which is subject to negative resolution, and the report of the Assembly’s Examiner of Statutory Rules:

• The Measuring Instruments (Use for Trade) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2008 (SR 2008/52)

The Committee raised no objection to the Rule.

Question put and agreed:

“That the Committee for Enterprise Trade and Investment has considered The Measuring Instruments (Use for Trade) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2008 (SR 2008/52) and has no objection to the rule.”

11:20am The Chairperson suspended the meeting
11:23am The meeting resumed

10. Start a Business Programme – Briefing from Officials

Invest Northern Ireland Officials Graham Davis and Paul Brush joined the meeting at 11.23am and briefed the Committee on the withdrawal of the initial grant provided as part of the Start a Business Programme.

Agreed: The Committee agreed to write to the Minister and the Department in relation to the issued raised during the briefing.

Officials left the meeting at 12.33pm.

11. Forward Work Programme.

Members noted that a revised Forward Work Programme will be produced detailing the future work of the Committee from April to June 2008.

Members noted that the briefings from Department Officials on the Better Regulations Report and from the FSB on Business Regulation would be rescheduled for after the Easter recess.

12. Correspondence

The Committee noted the following correspondence which had been issued for their information prior to the meeting:

• Letter from the NIO’s Freedom of Information Manager re: the delay in responding to a request for information dated 24 th January 2008
• Letter from John Jenkins of the History, Openness and Records Unit at the Cabinet Office re: requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 dated 24 th January 2008
• Article published in the Belfast Telegraph on 29 th February 2008 regarding the Giant’s Causeway
• Letter and response from Chairperson to Nigel Dodds OBE MP MLA re: request to receive a briefing from the Northern Ireland Energy Agency
• A letter answering an Assembly Question regarding the Northern Ireland Energy Agency funding
• Copy Forward Work Programme of the Public Accounts Committee
• Letter and background information from Aidan Langan of Enterprise Equity re: request to brief the Committee on the need for private equity in the Northern Ireland economy
• Copy responses from Advice NI to the Draft Programme for Government, Budget and Investment Strategy; the OFMDFM Committee’s Child Poverty Enquiry; and the Social Development Committee Benefit Uptake Evidence.
• Letter and response from the Chairperson to Nigel Dodds OBE MP MLA re: Giants Causeway Visitor Centre
• Letter from Climate Change Coalition Northern Ireland re: issues of concern to the organisation
• Letter from Phoenix Gas re: opening of the gas network.

13. Any Other Business.

Agreed: Members noted correspondence from Leslie Morrison of Invest Northern Ireland in relation to Invest Northern Ireland’s Corporate Plan 2008-2011and agreed to revisit this issue following the Easter recess.

Members noted th at the draft DETI Corporate plan has been issued for public consultation and agreed to revisit the plans after Easter Recess.

Members noted an offer of awareness workshops for MLAs on public procurement by Central Procurement Directorate (CPD).

Members requested an update from the Health and Safety Executive on the recent collapse of a building on a construction site in Victoria Street, Belfast.

14. Date, time and place of next meeting.

The next meeting will be held on Thursday 20 th March at 10.30 a.m. in room 21, Parliament Buildings.

The Chairperson adjourned the meeting at 1.00pm.

Mark Durkan
Chairperson
Committee for Enterprise, Trade and Investment
20th March 2008.

21 February 08 / Menu