The Council considered a report from the literacy and numeracy working group. The House will agree that good literacy and numeracy skills are key to all other parts of the curriculum. That is true here and in the South, and the Council regards that area of work as extremely important. We have agreed that there should be an exchange of materials and good practice among teaching professionals and that the attendance of practitioners at seminars and conferences in both jurisdictions is also important, as is sharing teaching resources and training approaches.

After the previous Council meeting, I reported that we shared with colleagues in the South our experiences of the Reading Recovery programme and new materials that we have produced to help children improve their mathematical skills. The working group has also considered an evaluation of the Reading Recovery programme published by the University of Strathclyde. Proposals have been made by the two universities in the North for a dedicated centre for reading recovery training. However, that is on hold until the working group has had time to look at the idea further and evaluate the potential for such a centre to serve the island of Ireland.

I am pleased that the Department of Education and Science is considering how it might encourage the participation of more schools in the South in the Pushkin Prizes programme, with the aim of bringing participation up to a level equivalent to that of schools here. We are also pleased that a research report carried out by Children's Books Ireland on behalf of the two Departments on the reading habits of children throughout the island is to be published shortly. It is the first large-scale survey on the leisure-time reading of young people and will provide valuable information for teachers, librarians and others interested in what children like to read.

On numeracy, materials and guidance developed in the North are to be disseminated to teachers and schools in the South. The Council also endorsed the working group's proposals to examine the joint development of materials and good practice guidance in numeracy, as well as the joint development and evaluation of innovative projects to improve numeracy standards.

We are also keen to tackle in a collaborative manner the issue of how young people and children can be encouraged to attend school and achieve their potential. I reported to the Council that my Department is making arrangements with two education and library boards for four pilot programmes. Those are to be modelled on the South's home/school/community projects and are aimed at improving the involvement of parents in their children's education. The pilot programmes with a small number of schools here draw on the considerable experience of those in operation in the South, such as in north Dublin and Dundalk.

Work is also under way on the development of an information pack for schools to promote a positive attitude to school attendance. It is hoped that the initial phase will be completed early in the new academic year.

I am pleased to note that the Department of Education and Science has established a national educational welfare board, and it was agreed that there was ample scope for co-operation with the education welfare service here on a range of issues, such as professional staff development and, perhaps, jointly-developed educational welfare qualifications. The national board is a new body and, therefore, such developments will take a little time to organise.

I have said before that children have a fundamental right to be safe and protected while in school and in other situations, and to be free from the risks of child abuse while in the care of teachers, youth leaders and others. The North/South child-protection working group has examined the complex issues in that area, and I am delighted that the Department of Education and Science is preparing a discussion paper on proposals for a register of unfit people in the South. The consultation process with education partners and others is expected to run until the end of the summer, and I look forward to hearing the outcome at the next meeting of the North/South Ministerial Council.

The Council is convinced that we must co-operate to address the issue of child protection throughout these islands, and the greatest possible level of consistency of approach will be essential. In the North, we are liaising closely with the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety on the provisions to be contained in a proposed protection of children and vulnerable adults Bill, which will come before the Assembly in due course. Such legislation would provide vitally important controls in that area, but we must await the decision of the House.

The development of confidential mechanisms, both North and South, for the registration of teachers and other workers in education who are regarded as unsuitable to work with children and young people must be a high-priority objective. However, the issue is complex, and separate, yet complementary, legislation will be necessary in the North and the South.

In my statement after the previous North/South Ministerial Council meeting, I noted that the Centre for Cross Border Studies in Armagh had, as commissioned by the Council, produced a scoping study on the extent and effectiveness of existing school, youth and teacher exchange programmes. A key recommendation of the study was the need for suitable processes and structures to improve the management and facilitation of school, youth and teacher exchanges, and to improve the quality of such exchanges for participants.

Since the previous Council meeting, officials from both Departments have engaged with a consortium comprising the Youth Council for Northern Ireland, Léargas, and the Belfast office of the education and training group of the British Council. The consortium indicated an interest in developing the necessary structural and procedural approaches suggested in the study, and, at the North/ South Ministerial Council's request, introduced proposals as to how that might be achieved. Although some refinement of the proposals is needed, the Council endorsed the proposed structure, which comprises a programme management committee, a standing advisory committee and a joint-delivery agency. The Council agreed that officials from both Departments should continue discussions with the consortium, with a view to presenting a further report to the Council when it next meets in early autumn. The outworking of those proposals should result in a more robust and cohesive approach to school, youth and teacher exchanges, improved quality of experience for all those concerned and better value for money.

In the field of special education, the Council's initial focus has been on autism and dyslexia. The Council noted the latest progress report from the joint working group, and was particularly pleased that action is well under way on the development and production of videos for the parents of children with autism or dyslexia and CD-ROMs for their teachers. If all goes to plan, these resources, which will provide advice and guidance, will be available towards the end of the year.

The Council also noted that plans are under way at the Centre for Cross Border Studies to engage a special education teacher on secondment to organise and facilitate a jointly funded programme designed to promote dialogue and co-operation among professionals in the field of special education and to develop co-operation at a strategic level throughout the island. The programme will include exchange visits for teachers, principals, educational psychologists, inspectors and other relevant staff, with a focus on the border counties. The teacher will be in place at the start of the next academic year, and it is intended that the programmes will commence early in 2003.

The Council welcomed the publication of four comprehensive reports from the task groups on autism and dyslexia that were set up separately by the two Departments, North and South, in the autumn of 2000. The task group reports are the result of extensive research and discussions among groups of experts and practitioners in those fields. The reports produced in the South have been published, and the reports from the task groups in the North are with the printers. I intend to launch them formally early next month.

It is remarkable, though not surprising, that the reports produced by the task groups in the North and in the South identify and share many common themes. For example, the four reports highlight needs in the following areas: training for classroom teachers to identify children who may have autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) or dyslexia, to address those children's difficulties and to determine how best to meet their needs; the need for the earliest possible diagnosis and intervention; the involvement of parents in the assessment of their children's difficulties, and training for parents in suitable approaches to meeting their children's needs so that continuity of care and learning approaches can be provided during the child's day; multi-agency and multidisciplinary assessment and educational/therapy provision; and consistency in assessment criteria and levels of provision among agencies. Importantly, all four reports note a significant underidentification of children with these difficulties.

There are wide-ranging implications in these reports for service providers at all levels in the North, including in schools, at education and library board and health board level and in further and higher education. Indeed, as both autism and dyslexia are lifelong conditions, they have implications for society as a whole. I intend to convene a conference in the autumn term of this year at which service providers, policy-makers and practitioners can come together to discuss the reports and their responses to the vital, yet pragmatic, issues raised in them.

Michael Woods and I were delighted to announce a major, exciting development that will see the first centre of excellence on the island for work in the field of autistic spectrum disorders. The interim reports from the task groups showed that such a facility is badly needed.

As a result of discussions undertaken jointly by officials from the two Departments, North and South, agreement was reached in recent weeks for the acquisition of the former St Joseph's adolescent training centre in Middletown in order to establish a centre of excellence for autistic spectrum disorders. The facilities are in excellent condition, as proven by formal surveys undertaken on behalf of the two Departments, and we hope that the legal formalities can be completed in the near future.

The Departments will jointly fund the purchase of St Joseph's, and we expect that its doors will open in autumn 2003. The centre will be run by a board of management and trustees to be established on a joint basis. However, many details - such as referral and admissions arrangements, budgetary arrangements, management, staffing and teaching resources and servicing - are yet to be finalised. Those details are under examination.

Autism is a growing concern throughout the island of Ireland. The development of the centre represents a great opportunity to develop guidance on best practice. Autism is a very particular type of disorder. It causes a range of difficulties that require specialist skill and diagnosis, assessment and provision. Professionals who work routinely with autistic children are still developing their knowledge of the disorder.

The centre will allow all the professionals from the health and education sectors to develop expertise that can be shared more widely. I am particularly excited that this will include expertise in working with families with children who have autistic spectrum disorders. The work in the centre will focus in particular on research, the training of teachers and other professionals, and the development of guidance and advice on good practice in diagnosis, assessment and approaches to working with children with autistic spectrum disorders.

The Council was pleased to note that, under measure 5.5 of the EU Peace II programme, the two Departments had received some 33 bids for funding between the launch of the measure on 16 January and the closing date for applications on 15 March. The funds available for the promotion of school and youth co-operation amount to approximately 5·3 million euros. The total value of the bids received is 9·9 million euros, which is almost double the available funding.

Officials in both Departments have been working together closely for many months to set up the necessary administrative procedures to handle bids. I hope that the selection panel will be able to complete the selection process by early May, with notification to successful and unsuccessful bidders being made as soon as possible thereafter. I am unable to give the House any details of the bids, but there is an excellent range of types of project proposals, covering a wide variety of issues and approaches.

The Council agreed the text of a communiqué that was issued following the meeting, and a copy has been placed in the Assembly Library. A date has not been set for the next meeting, but the Council hopes to meet again in September or October.

I notice that a jointly funded centre to study autism will be based on the border. There will be a delay in the establishment of the reading recovery training centre, which was to have been based at the universities in Northern Ireland, to allow time to examine the possibility of an all-Ireland centre. There will be a jointly developed educational welfare qualification, and there is a proposal to develop jointly the evaluation of projects to improve numeracy standards.

The DUP maintains that cross-border bodies were designed to take Northern Ireland out of the United Kingdom. The report seems to confirm that the Minister is determined, by stealth and bit by bit, to marry the two Education Departments on this island. Can the Minister confirm that the Ulster Unionist Minister who accompanied him on the trip agreed to this process, or was that Minister asleep while the proposals were being put in place?

I do not really know what to say about that - it is all so predictable. As Minister of Education, I am charged with the responsibility of ensuring the best possible education for all our children. I have no doubt that the work that has been accomplished in the education sectoral format is for the benefit of all the children of this state and, in my view, of this island. People throughout the island of Ireland who are interested in education are keen to see co-operation between educationalists and the Education Ministers.

When I hear the type of comments that I have just heard, I wonder how the parents of an autistic child or the parents of a child who has problems with dyslexia feel when they hear this rubbish. This has been the most exciting announcement made thus far on education. I wonder how parents all over this island feel when they see the result of the work done on the establishment of an all-island centre of excellence for the treatment of autism. I think that those parents are elated. [Interruption].

Order.

I think that they are more than pleased that, at long last, the Departments of Education on this island are prepared to pool their resources in order to put in place centres of excellence that will be of huge benefit to all of the children of this island.

It is also important to point out that this centre of excellence has not been set up for the Nationalist or Republican children of this island. It has been set up for all the children, including Unionist and Loyalist children, who suffer great disadvantage in their lives as a result of these syndromes. Let us therefore get rid of the nonsense, and let us recognise that there is no threat to anyone in moving forward to bring about a greatly enhanced education system. People should see the developments for what they are - interesting, exciting and innovative developments, which are solely about ensuring that we have the best possible standard of education for our children on this island.

I refer to the point about teacher qualifications raised by the Minister in his statement. I note that at a previous meeting the Council agreed that the working group should look at the requirement for prospective teachers in the South to take an examination on the history and structure of the Irish education system - a requirement, as the Minister will agree, which is a significant bar for teachers from Northern Ireland who may wish to apply for positions in the Republic. While I note that the Minister says that the working group is continuing to look at the matter, it is a statement that is distinctly lacking in detail. Can the Minister tell the House exactly what progress has been made on the removal of this particular barrier?

In addition, I note that although the requirement for the Irish language now exists only in secondary schools in the Gaeltacht, or where teaching is through the medium of the Irish language, it is still a requirement in all primary schools. Again, that is a significant barrier to a substantial number of teachers in primary schools in Northern Ireland who may wish to apply for positions in the Republic. I wonder whether the Minister can tell us what precise -

Order. I ask the Member to come to his question. This is an opportunity to ask a question of the Minister.

What precise progress has been made in removing this barrier as well?

First, as the Member correctly said, the Irish-language proficiency requirement is now limited to teachers in the primary schools, second-level teachers in Gaeltacht schools and teachers required to teach through the medium of Irish. In addition, individuals are now afforded a five-year period in which to satisfy the proficiency levels of the Irish language requirement, and the differential rates of pay pending the acquisition of the certificate have been abolished. Obviously, great progress has been made, and there is no doubt whatsoever that this will be of considerable relief to many teachers who have expressed an interest in having greater mobility on the island of Ireland. On the whole issue of primary schools, we have to recognise that, thus far, the Department of Education and Science in Dublin has shown considerable flexibility and a willingness to explore all of these issues. I have no doubt that we will return to this matter again.

Pending the establishment of the general teaching council, the working group will be giving further consideration to the requirement for an examination on the history and structure of the Irish education system and to the present arrangements for the recognition of qualifications. All this work is fledgling, and we are exploring the willingness on all sides to recognise the huge benefits of making life easier for teachers. Huge benefits can be accrued by the education systems, North and South, and that is what this is designed to do.

I welcome, and am looking forward to, the launch of the task group's report early next month. The Minister has mentioned some of the matters that the report will deal with, but will it make any recommendations? If so, will there be a timetable for implementing them? Can the Minister assure the House that there will be adequate funding for full implementation? How will this report fit in with the special education needs and disability Bill? Will it in turn be put on the back burner as, unfortunately, has happened with the Bill? The Department has not seen fit to present it during the lifetime of this Assembly. Where will the report fit in the bigger picture?

Everyone interested in special education will be keenly interested in the publication of these vital reports on autism and dyslexia. These reports will clearly show all involved in education how to deal with these problems. There is not much point in bringing out reports on important issues if we are not prepared to make proposals. It is vital that we do that.

I have seen some of the work that has been done in the reports that have been published by the Department of Education and Science in Dublin. As I said in my statement, the similarities between our systems of education, considering the work that we have done through our working groups on autism and dyslexia, are startling. Clearly, there is much to be gained, and we intend to make progress here. I will be holding conferences in the autumn to discuss the response of the education sector to the autism and dyslexia reports, and we obviously want to hear people's views on them. They will make powerful contributions to the debates on these subjects. Special education has been a top priority since I became Minister of Education. I understand and recognise the great difficulties that many parents, children and educationalists have with this.

Ms Lewsley also mentioned the special education needs and disability Bill. The difficulty with that was that, at the beginning, the Bill was being taken forward by two Departments - the Department for Employment and Learning and the Department of Education. It has now been decided that the Department of Education will take it forward. It is a complex Bill with many issues connected to it. Just look at the reaction to the attempt to put such legislation in place in Dublin. There was huge controversy recently with people alleging that it did not adequately meet the needs of those who were affected. We do not want to make the same mistake, so we are being careful to ensure that our approach is comprehensive.

Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. I also welcome the Minister's statement, but not for any party political reason. Much in it and many recent announcements, particularly about special education, are welcome. I have a particular interest in autism, and many parents have contacted me recently who are hopeful and excited about the prospect of a centre of excellence in Middletown.

It has given them renewed hope. Many parents get frustrated when dealing with the issue of autism with educationalists and boards. The centre is good news for Middletown and for the parents of children with autism throughout the island of Ireland.

The statement rightly says that the reports from the task groups will have wide-ranging implications for service providers at all levels in education. In the experience of those of us who have attempted to deal with boards and educationalists on the problems of autism, that is much needed. Can the Minister tell us when the centre will be up and running, and whether he expects it to play a central role in the outworking of the implications of the reports from the task groups?

The centre will be up and running in the autumn of next year. We, and the Department of Education and Science, will be under great pressure to achieve that, but we are determined that the centre of excellence will open next autumn. The centre will provide a huge relief for parents all over the island of Ireland who, for far too long, have been struggling with that condition. I am very much looking forward to the establishment of the centre of excellence. The results of the working parties and groups will be factored into the work to be done at this important research and assessment centre.

I thank the Minister for his comprehensive statement covering a wide range of issues. It is obvious that the work being done on the different educational issues will help all the children of the island, including the children of Northern Ireland.

I will confine my questions to several specific issues. Will the evaluation of the recovery programme from the University of Strathclyde, dealing with literacy and numeracy, be passed to the Education Committee so that it can have a look at the findings? Is there any indication of a timetable for the complementary legislation on child protection? Ms Lewsley has already referred to the delays.

Finally, although I warmly welcome the establishment of the centre, and the work that will be done with autism and dyslexia, will the necessary funds for the work be made available without being taken from the capital or general education budget? The Minister knows that special education is a pet project of mine and that I believe that it should be considered specifically and differently.

The Strathclyde report will be made available to the Education Committee. My officials have worked closely with Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety officials on the proposals for the protection of children and vulnerable adults Bill. We have already been out to consultation on those. The consultation period ended on 31 December 2001. The comprehensive proposals are intended to cover all those working with children, including teachers and other education sector employees, and the main proposal is to establish a statutory list of persons who are unsuitable to work with children.

It will not dispense with the need to carry out a criminal records check on educational sector employees. As stated in the consultation paper, the Bill would create a broad equivalent to the Protection of Children Act 1999 and Part VII of the Care Standards Act 2000 in England and Wales.

Through the Bill, and by mirroring the approach adopted in the Protection of Children Act 1999, the Department of Education proposes to make an amendment to the regulatory powers contained in the Department's primary legislation to allow the Department to draw up Regulations to strengthen, where appropriate, the safeguards in the education sector. Drawing up any such Regulations would involve separate consultation in due course.

The last matter is where the money will come from. I am very conscious of the points that have been made by the Member in the past about the need to ring-fence special education resources. We believe that we have adequately proven in recent times that funding must be in addition to the special educational needs budget. For example, the funding for Middletown will be in addition to the special needs budget. We have already had £1·7 million from the Executive programme children's fund.

Three years ago I asked the Minister to investigate the possibility that those who had earned their livelihood in the South of Ireland teaching and lecturing could have their superannuation made available if they came to reside in Northern Ireland. Can the Minister assure us today that that anomaly has been eradicated and that those who worked and earned their superannuation in the South of Ireland could enjoy the less inflationary situation in the North and receive their salary here?

At the moment, as everyone knows, teachers who move to take up a job either in the North or the South cannot add their previous service to their new employment for the purposes of calculating pension benefits. That is an obstacle to mobility, and its removal would benefit all teachers, North and South.

This is a complex area, and several technical issues must be thoroughly investigated and resolved before firm proposals can be brought before the Council. The working group will notify the Centre for Cross Border Studies of the work carried out to date. Careful consideration needs to be given to the implications for other public sector schemes, particularly those with a high degree of cross-border movement of members. Even though the discussions have some way to go, I am pleased that the working group has shown that there is potential for agreement between the jurisdictions in relation to the establishment of a transfer system for teachers' pensions. The Member can be assured that all issues, including those that he has raised, will be considered.

I also welcome the increasing co-operation, which is so necessary and so much overdue. This is all about children. In an effort to rebuild the natural infrastructures that were destroyed by partition, are there any plans to formalise arrangements so that pupils that live along the border can attend the school nearest their home, when that school is on the other side of the border, be it North to South or South to North?

That is a difficult issue, and one that has been raised in several ways recently, particularly in relation to school transport along the border. I have previously signalled my willingness to explore, with the Department of Education and Science, how we can deal with that matter under the education sectoral format, and I hope to do that in the future.

I thank the Minister for his comprehensive and detailed statement on the North/South Ministerial Council education sectoral meeting. Several points have been covered that are of interest to the Committee for Education, including child protection, special education and exchange of pupils and teachers. What structure is proposed for the development and delivery of that exchange programme, which would be of particular benefit to schoolchildren on both sides of the border?

The proposed structure has three elements: a programme management committee, which will be responsible for the development of policy and strategy; a standing advisory committee, which will involve a range of stakeholders and which will contribute to policy development and advise on priorities; and a joint development agency, which will promote the programme, target schools and youth groups, assist partner finding, develop new initiatives and put in place monitoring and evaluation procedures.

I welcome the very significant change in Sinn Féin policy on literacy and numeracy. People associated with the distribution of the Pushkin Prize will no longer be subjected to Sinn Féin attacks, and that is to be welcomed. I hope that the Minister will now give a categorical assurance to the House that neither he nor his Colleagues, nor his party operating in Ulster or in the Republic of Ireland, will engage in such attacks or threats of attacks on schools associated with the distribution of the Pushkin Prize programme.

The Minister mentioned child protection in his statement. Will the people who are registered as unfit, North and South, include those with a criminal record? Will it include people who have been involved in punishment beatings? Will it include people who have confessed to being commanders in terrorist organisations? If those people are registered as unfit to have any involvement with children, will that also apply to departmental staff?

I have attended events sponsored by the Pushkin Prize in the company of the Duchess of Abercorn. She is doing a magnificent job showing children all over the island of Ireland their real potential for poetry, story telling and story writing. The Duchess of Abercorn and the Pushkin Prizes make a tremendous contribution to the education of our children. I have no difficulty whatsoever in associating myself with a very progressive area of work.

The second part of the question is more political than educational, but it is in all of our interests - and I am very keen to see this happen - that no one who is unfit will work with children.

Pneumoconiosis, etc (Workers' Compensation) (Payment of Claims) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2002

TOP

I beg to move

The Regulations were laid before the Assembly on 12 April 2002, and they will not come into operation until the day after they are approved by resolution, which is tomorrow. The Department for Employment and Learning operates the pneumoconiosis scheme under the Pneumoconiosis etc (Workers' Compensation) (Northern Ireland) Order 1979. The scheme acts as a safety net for employees who have contracted one of the lung diseases covered by the Order, but who are unable to take court action to recover damages from the liable employer or employers. That is generally because the employer has ceased trading.

The scheme offers a one-off lump sum payment as compensation to eligible individuals or their dependants. The Regulations will increase the amount of compensation payable under the Order by 3·8%, which is in line with the retail price index. Such regular increases ensure that the compensation payments made to sufferers of these terrible diseases keep pace with inflation. I commend the Regulations to the Assembly.

I support the motion to affirm Statutory Rule 133/2002, albeit subject to a qualification to which I will come.

As the Minister says, the Statutory Rule relates to sufferers or their dependants, where the employer no longer carries on business. The Committee considered the policy behind the Statutory Rule on 29 November 2001, when it agreed to seek clarification from the Department. The Committee subsequently received details of the financial consequences of this legislation. The Department's response was placed before the Committee on 24 January 2002, and at that stage, the Committee agreed to support the policy.

The Committee considered the Statutory Rule at its meeting on 18 April. However, due to the late laying of the Statutory Rule there was little time for the Committee and the Examiner of Statutory Rules to consider the detail. The timing was tardy. However, it was more worrying that the Statutory Rule contained a technical drafting error. This was set out in the Examiner of Statutory Rules draft report of 18 April - the same day as the Committee meeting. Due to the serious nature of the Statutory Rule for those it affects, to which the Minister has rightly drawn attention, the Committee does not wish to delay compensation. Thus, we have agreed to affirm the motion now, but on the condition that a further Statutory Rule subject to negative resolution is laid in the near future. The Committee seeks that assurance from the Minister.

I would like the Minister to reassure the Assembly that the issue of the treatment of associates of those affected, who also develop the disease as a result of contamination from the primary source through contact with clothing, for example, will be addressed. However, I accept that that the issue has wider implications than this Statutory Rule, since this rule is about supporting ex-employees of businesses that have gone bankrupt. The Committee for Employment and Learning supports the motion.

Dr Birnie has already asked my question.

That rarely stops other Members from asking the same question again. The Member is to be commended for his consideration.

These Regulations provide much needed support to sufferers of industrial lung diseases who are unable to claim damages from the owners of the businesses responsible for their condition. It is important that compensation levels are not allowed to erode through inflation. For this reason the rates of payment should be increased in line with the retail price index.

First, I apologise to the Committee for the short time it had to consider the Statutory Rule. Secondly, in answer to the Chairperson's question, the issue of associates can be looked at. Thirdly, in his scrutiny, the Examiner of Statutory Rules identified an ambiguity in regulation 2(1). The Department will make an amendment removing the ambiguity through negative resolution as soon as possible.

Maternity and Parental Leave Etc (Amendment No. 2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2002

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I beg to move

These Regulations were laid before the Assembly on 5 April 2002 and came into operation on 21 April 2002. They are subject to confirmation by the Assembly within six months of that date. They amend the Maternity and Paternal Leave etc Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1999, which I shall refer to as the principal Regulations. The principal Regulations implemented in Northern Ireland the European Framework Agreement on Parental Leave. They introduced a new right for employees who had a baby or adopted a child on or after 15 December 1999, and who had completed one year's qualifying service with their employer, to take 13 weeks' unpaid parental leave within five years of their child's birth or adoption.

The amended Regulations extend the right to unpaid parental leave to the parents of children who were born or adopted in the five years before that date. They increase from 13 weeks to 18 weeks the amount of leave that is available to the parents of disabled children. In addition, they allow more parents to balance more effectively their work and home lives, and they give the parents of disabled children much-needed flexibility. Those arrangements will benefit not only employees, but also employers and society in general.

I confirm that, although a paternal leave Regulation may be very desirable, these are maternity and parental leave Regulations, which are slightly different.

That is an important point, Mr Speaker. Thank you for your clarification.

The Committee supports the motion to confirm Statutory Rule 135/2002. The original pre-draft Statutory Rule was placed before the Committee at its meeting on 24 January 2002. The Committee sought clarification as to whether the Statutory Rule was intended to create parity between Northern Ireland and Great Britain. That information was presented to the Committee on 21 February 2002. At that stage the Committee agreed to support the broad policy aspects of the Statutory Rule, which the Minister outlined. At its most recent meeting on Thursday, 18 April 2002, the Committee agreed to support the Statutory Rule.

I extend my apologies for reading the title as it was spelt on my paper. I should have known better.

The Statutory Rule helps working parents to balance their professional and family lives. In so doing, it encourages skilled employees who might otherwise have difficulties in striking a work/life balance to remain in the workforce. In addition, it is fundamentally good for parents and children to spend more time together.

Public consultation carried out by my Department identified widespread support for the right to parental leave. Now that businesses have become familiar with their responsibilities under the 1999 Regulations, they will have no difficulty in adjusting to the increased amount of leave that will be available to the parents of disabled children, and the extension of parental leave to all parents with children under five, when the amended Regulations come into operation.

Mobile Phones

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I beg to move

The motion arises from the concerns and representations that have been made to me and to other Members. Mobile phones are a dangerous necessity in our daily lives, and our work is almost impossible without them. Talking on a mobile phone has become as natural as eating or sleeping. They are used universally, and, were it not for our mobile phones, Members and other politicians would be excluded from the cut and thrust of political life. However, danger arises from the masts that are placed around the country to pick up signals and ensure that our conversations proceed uninterrupted no matter where we are.

The problem is that telecommunications masts are increasingly being placed in urban areas or in proximity to housing and schools. Last week, a plan was passed to allow the erection of a mast in one of the main shopping streets in Newtownards. The mast is so centrally located that children going to school and adults going to work will pass it every day. Some people will work in the buildings adjacent to it, and that might make many businesses consider their future and relocate elsewhere. Businesses that were thinking of opening in Newtownards might think again if they face the prospect of having a telecommunications mast outside their front door.

Masts are creeping across the countryside. I do not wish to see any more of them in towns or near people's homes. Telecommunications masts have the potential to dent seriously the productivity of a town and its ability to attract new investors. They will be as devastating to many towns as the repercussions of the disaster of September 11, which are still being visited on many towns in the Province.

Telecommunications masts have caused controversy across the Province among all political parties and individuals on many grounds, including visual obstruction, neighbour notification, the proximity of houses, and strongly and sincerely held health concerns.

We have been told that telecommunications companies will face tighter restrictions on planning and masts. However, that does not account for the number of masts that were erected with prior approval in areas where there was opposition from 99% of the local residents. One of the largest petitions voicing opposition to the erection of a mast occurred in my constituency, where more than 1,200 people wrote in opposition to one such application.

Masts are regularly erected with no regard for the people who live next to them. They are everywhere, and they are often conspicuously placed without any scrutiny of the architectural style of the town or the area. Usually those monstrosities are hoisted up with no consideration of the area's character.

We need only look at the countryside to see how much of the landscape has changed for the worse. Masts have marred areas of incredible beauty along the County Down coast, and that is a problem. The masts detract from the natural beauty of Northern Ireland, where the potential for tourism has only recently been revealed after 30 years of terrorism, which, if recent news reports are to be believed, may not be over yet.

To place masts in rural locations may lead some to believe that there is less of a problem. However, I am convinced - as are many elected representatives - that there is more than one problem with placing masts in the countryside. What is the effect of siting a mast in the middle of a field of staple foods, such as wheat, potatoes or barley? What effect will that have on our health and the health of our children? People ask those questions every day. Sir William Stewart's report stated that people's susceptibility to environmental hazards can vary. However, the Assembly works for all people in Northern Ireland, whether or not they are susceptible to such hazards. We have a duty to protect everyone.

Sir William Stewart's report is lengthy. However, it contains much good information of which Members should take note. It is not fully known whether masts built in arable fields can leak emissions into the food chain, as mobile phones are a burgeoning technology and not enough research has been completed to be sure of the answer to such queries. People have health concerns, and they are worried. The Assembly must, therefore, respond to those concerns.

The Government would have us believe that there is minimal risk. However, they told us that it was safe to eat beef and that CJD would never enter the food chain. Sadly, Northern Ireland suffered the latest death from that disease only last week. It left a young woman without her husband and partner in life, two young children without a father, and, indeed, Newtownabbey Borough Council without a rising talent.

The Government also told us that overhead power lines were as safe as houses. However, power lines have been shown to contribute to the development of cancers. Four thousand people are killed each year in their homes, and three million turn up at accident and emergency wards with serious injuries that were sustained at home. That demonstrates the sort of rot that the Government sometimes tell us to keep us quiet.

Such new technologies need to be thoroughly investigated before they are made available or intrude into the everyday lives of the people of Northern Ireland. The problem with mobile phone masts, and the phones themselves, is that they were let loose on people without such investigations being made, and they have now become far too integral to modern life to be removed. However, we can limit the possible damage by being prudent with laws and regulations and by investing in research.

The first area that should be stringently regulated is the planning minefield. I am glad that the Minister is present for the debate, because I spoke to him about the issue in Newtownards two weeks ago. Planning has let many people down. It seems that if and when a telecommunications company wishes to install a mast it can do so without a licence if the area is not one of special control.

In Ganaway in my constituency, an application was made for a 15-foot mast in February 2001. Planning permission was deferred because the mast would have been too close to a planned caravan park and dwelling. A second planning application was made, putting the mast even closer to the caravan park. The objectors to the first application were notified. Notification also went to the press on 9 August 2001. Objectors submitted a petition on 15 August 2001. Five days later the planners notified the objectors that, after due consideration, permission had been granted for the erection of the mast.

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