COMMITTEE FOR ENTERPRISE, TRADE AND INVESTMENT
MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS
WEDNESDAY 23 JANUARY 2002 AT 10.45AM IN
ROOM 144, PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS
Present:
Mr P Doherty MP (Chairperson)
Mr B Armstrong Mrs A Courtney
Mr D McClarty
Dr D O'Hagan Mr J Wells
Apologies:
Mr S Neeson (Deputy Chairperson)
Mr W Clyde Dr A McDonnell Ms J Morrice
In attendance:
Mrs C White (Committee Clerk)
Mr M Anderson (Assistant Committee Clerk)
Mr R Anderson (Clerical Supervisor)
Miss A Fowler (Clerical Officer)
Dr P Gilleece (Assembly Researcher)
In attendance for the public evidence session at 11.05am:
Mr J Wolstencroft, Mr D McLean and Dr T Forsythe (Industrial Research and Technology Unit (IRTU)) and Mr G McConnell (Department for Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI))
The meeting opened in public at 10.45am.
1. Committee Visits
1.1. The Committee considered locations for potential visits.
Agreed - to visit a number of locations within Northern Ireland.
2. Health and Safety Executive Northern Ireland Corporate Plan 2002-2005
2.1 Agreed - to defer the Plan until next weeks meeting to enable members to consider the document fully.
Mrs Courtney joined the meeting at 11.00am.
3. Letter from Airtricity
3.1. Agreed - to write to the Committee for the Environment to ascertain the present status of planning applications for potential windfarms in Co Fermanagh and Co Tyrone.
4. Economic Taskforces to Counter Unemployment and Poverty in West Belfast
4.1 Agreed - to write to the Department for Enterprise, Trade and Investment requesting the information required by the Committee for Employment and Learning.
5. Telecoms Strategy for Northern Ireland
5.1. Officials from IRTU/DETI gave a presentation on the Strategy for a World Class Telecommunications Infrastructure in NI and answered questions posed by Members.
Mr McClarty left the meeting at 12.03pm
The Committee agreed to meet in private session - The meeting went into private session at 12.14pm.
Mr McClarty rejoined the meeting at 12.25pm.
6. Human Rights Commission - Proposals for a Bill of Rights
6.1 Agreed - a response to the Human Rights Commission and to copy the response to the Committee for the Centre.
7. DETI Initial Consultation Document "Towards a New Energy Market Stategy for Northern Ireland"
7.1 The Committee read the advance copy of the Consultation Document.
Agreed - that there were no issues raised in the document to be included in the Draft Energy Inquiry Report.
8. Energy Inquiry Report
8.1 The Committee continued to deliberate on its Energy Inquiry Report.
9. Minutes of the last meetings
9.1. Agreed - the minutes of 15 January 2002 and 16 January 2002.
10. Date of next meeting
10.1 The next meeting of the Committee will be held on Wednesday 30 January 2002 at 10.30am in Room 144, Parliament Buildings.
The meeting closed at 1.00pm..
Mr Pat Doherty MP
Chairperson