COMMITTEE FOR ENTERPRISE, TRADE AND INVESTMENT
MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS
THURSDAY, 21 OCTOBER 2010
ROOM 30, PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS
Present:
Mr Paul Butler (Deputy Chairperson)
Mr Leslie Cree
Mr Paul Frew
Mr Paul Givan
Ms Claire McGill
Mr Gerry McHugh
Mr Sean Neeson
In Attendance:
Dr Kevin Pelan (Assembly Clerk)
Ms Sohui Yim (Assistant Clerk)
Ms Michelle McDowell (Clerical Officer)
Mr Dominic O’Farrell (Clerical Officer)
Apologies:
Mr Alban Maginness (Chairperson)
Mr William Irwin
Ms Jennifer McCann
The meeting began at 10.33am in closed session.
1. Update on Hydrocarbons Licensing Directive: Written briefing
Members discussed the written briefing.
Agreed: To receive the outcomes of the Department’s meetings with the applicants for licensing.
Agreed: To be kept informed of legal proceedings (if any) against the Department.
The meeting moved into public session at 10.34am.
2. Apologies
Apologies are detailed above.
3. Minutes of meeting held on the 14 October 2010
Agreed: The draft minutes of the meeting on the 14 October were agreed.
4. Matters arising from meeting on 14 October 2010
Members noted a response from the Department regarding how it plans to revise its spending plans as a consequence of the £9.6m September Monitoring Bids being unmet.
Members noted a response from the Department regarding the subsidy for satellite broadband users.
Members noted a response from the Department regarding the Gas Network Extension Study.
Members discussed a letter from HSENI to a member of the public regarding queries on electrical installation standards in NI.
Agreed: To forward the letter to the Finance and Personnel Committee and to continue to monitor this situation.
Members noted a response from the Department regarding the Green Paper entitled, “Financing a Private Sector Recovery.”
Agreed: To forward the response to the Finance and Personnel Committee.
Members noted additional information from the Finance and Personnel Committee regarding the concurrent meeting on banking issues.
Agreed: Content with the issues presented in the Assembly Research paper.
Agreed: To forward the research paper to relevant witnesses for the next concurrent meeting.
Members noted a briefing paper from NITB with an update on the progress of the Business Tourism Action Plan.
Members noted a response from the Department regarding Slemish Mountain on the St. Patrick’s Trail Project.
Agreed: To consider scheduling a familiarisation visit along the Trail including Slemish Mountain in the future.
Members briefly discussed the Energy Bill and noted that they are awaiting the Department’s comments and views on Clause 10 and Clause 14 of the Bill.
Agreed: To forward the Department’s comments on Clause 10 of the Bill, along with the Committee’s views to the Consumer Council for comment.
5. Renewable Energy Inquiry – Oral evidence from GT Energy
GT Energy officials joined the meeting at 10.58am.
Members received an oral briefing from Michael Doran, Executive Director, Action Renewables and Padraig Hanly, Executive Director of GT Energy. Key issues discussed included geothermal energy, renewable heat incentives and renewable obligation certificates (ROCs) vs. Feed-In Tariffs (FITs).
Paul Givan joined the meeting at 11.25am.
GT Energy officials left the meeting at 11.27am.
6. Renewable Energy Inquiry – Oral evidence from IBEC-CBI Joint Business Council
IBEC-CBI Joint Business Council officials joined the meeting at 11.29am.
Members received an oral briefing from Nigel Smyth, Director and Kirsty McManus, Programme Manager, CBI Northern Ireland. Key issues discussed included renewable energy incentives, micro-generation and planning issues.
IBEC-CBI Joint Business Council officials left the meeting at 12.06pm.
Agreed: To receive, from the Department, a summary of the progress and organisations represented on the sustainable energy working group.
7. Economic Appraisal of New Export Initiative: Written briefing
Members discussed the written briefing.
Agreed: To ask Invest NI to provide an update of the Initiative following the announcement of Budget 2010.
Agreed: To receive comment from Invest NI in relation to the key market failures identified in the “Summary of Assessment of Need” section of the briefing.
8. Correspondence
Members noted the following items of correspondence:
I. Invitation to Chair from the Causeway Coast and Glens Heritage Trust.
II. Goldblatt/McGuigan report on the economic impact of the Agri-food sector in Northern Ireland.
III. Invitation to members from the NI Assembly and Business Trust to an economic development briefing breakfast with Alastair Hamilton.
9. Any other business
Agreed : To start the meeting of 4 November at 10am.
Sean Neeson left the meeting at 12.12pm.
Members raised the issue of the NIAUR Consultation on the options of coordinating the relinquishing of Firmus Energy’s supply exclusivity in the ten towns area.
Agreed:To write to the Utility Regulator to ask that he confirms that no decision will be made on the way forward until the Committee has had the opportunity to consider the consultation responses.
Agreed: To write to the DETI Minister to express the Committee’s views on the matter.
Members raised the issue of the Presbyterian Mutual Society.
Agreed: To invite Departmental officials to the Committee to provide an update on the situation.
10. Date, time and place of next meeting
The next meeting of the Committee will take place on Thursday 4 November at 10.00am, Parliament Buildings, Room 30.
The Deputy Chairperson adjourned the meeting at 12.20pm.
Paul Butler
Deputy Chairperson
Committee for Enterprise, Trade and Investment
November 2010
14 October 10 / Menu
