4.

asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety if she has considered, or will consider, the reorganisation of the Northern Ireland Fire Service.

(AQO 284/02)

Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. Le deireannas, chuir an Bhriogáid Dóiteáin críoch le hathbhreithniú cuimsitheach ar chlúdach dóiteáin anseo, agus tá mo Roinn ag déanamh machnaimh ar an dréacht-thuarascáil thosaigh den mheasúnú sin.

Ina theannta sin, tá bailchríoch á cur ar an chéad chéim d'athbhreithniú cúigbhliantúil an Údaráis Dóiteáin. Déanfaidh an dara céim den athbhreithniú meastóireacht ar an dóigh a bhfeidhmíonn an t-údarás maidir le luach ar airgead go háirithe, agus déanfaidh sé moltaí ar conas a fheidhmíocht a fheabhsú.

The Fire Brigade recently completed a comprehensive review of fire cover here, and my Department is considering the initial draft report of that assessment. Additionally, the first stage of a quinquennial review of the Fire Authority is being finalised, and the second stage of that review will evaluate how the authority performs, particularly with regard to value for money. Recommendations as to how the service's performance could be improved will be contained in the second stage review. Those reviews will provide information to help determine the future shape and deployment of the Fire Service.

The Minister has almost answered most of my questions. Is she aware of the problems that exist in the Northern Ireland Fire Brigade, especially because it does not have a Chief Fire Officer? Does she think that the Fire Authority still has a role to play in the organisation of the Northern Ireland Fire Brigade? Is there equality in the membership of the Fire Authority? Finally, does the Minister agree that the Fire Authority is a quango and should be suspended prior to complete removal, like the Assembly?

I thank the Member for her somewhat colourful supplementary question.

I have full confidence in the acting chairperson of the Fire Authority, and I also believe that assistant chief fire officer Lammey and assistant chief fire officer Craig will provide the necessary leadership to manage the brigade effectively until the new Chief Fire Officer is appointed.

With regard to the quinquennial review, the idea of having two stages is that the first stage should consider whether the present organisational structure remains the most appropriate vehicle to deliver the required service and whether the functions which the Fire Authority, in this case, carries out are still required. The stage-two review evaluates performance, and whether that review is carried out depends on the outcome of the first stage, which is being finalised at the moment.

Is the Minister aware that, apart from the dissatisfaction felt in some circles with the organisation of the Fire Service, there is also continued dissatisfaction with the way that firefighters' pay has been handled - or not, as may be the case? Will the Minister confirm that, if that issue is not resolved, the Army will have to provide cover in the event of a strike by firefighters? In such an event the Army will, in turn, require police cover, with the Minister's Department responsible for the payment of that cover. Do we, therefore, face the prospect of an IRA/Sinn Féin Minister actually paying for the Police Service of Northern Ireland?

Unless that happens before midnight tonight, Mr Wilson knows well that it is most unlikely that we will face any such prospect. However, I can say that although my Department is not directly involved in the negotiations that take place between the Fire Authorities and the staff side, the Department, along with the Fire Authority, has responsibility to consider how emergency cover can be provided in the event of a strike.

With the emphasis on the word "reorganisation", in relation to hospital services, will the Minister agree that the site of the new acute hospital for the Enniskillen area should be announced -

Order. The Member knows perfectly well that this is remote in the extreme from the question to which it is meant to be a supplemental.

The Member meant to say Omagh.

Even if Mr Foster had said Omagh, it would still not have qualified.

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5.

asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to make a statement on the waiting lists at Antrim Hospital and to give her assessment of the effects of the scarcity of community care packages on bed blocking there.

(AQO 313/02)

Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. Bhí 1,935 duine ar liosta feithimh d'othair chónaitheacha ag Otharlann Cheantar Aontroma ar 30 Deireadh Fómhair 2002. Is ionann sin agus laghdú de 100 sna sé mhí ó 31 Mhárta. Thar an tréimhse chéanna, tháinig ardú de 140 ar chásanna lae ó 2,269; bhí moill ar 73 duine a scaoileadh amach ar 30 Meán Fómhair 2002 mar gheall ar dheacrachtaí ag freastal ar an éileamh ar chúram sa phobal.

Mar gheall ar na brúnna seo, chuir mé maoiniú ar fáil do bharda breise 24 leaba san otharlann; tá sé le bheith ann faoi Mhárta 2004. Tá an t-iontaobhas ag obair chomh maith le Bord an Tuaiscirt agus le mo Roinn le teacht ar bhealaí breise le liostaí feithimh a laghdú, go háirithe i ngnáthaimh lae agus i gcúram lae agus trí phacáistí breise cúraim phobail a chur ar fáil.

The inpatient waiting list total at Antrim Area Hospital, on 30 September 2002, was 1,935. That represents a reduction of 100 in the six months from 31 March 2002. Over the same period, day cases rose by 140 from 2,269 to 2,409. There were 73 delayed discharges at 30 September 2002, due to difficulties in meeting the demand for care in the community. In recognition of these pressures, I have made funding available for an additional 24-bed ward at the hospital, scheduled to be in place by March 2004. The trust is also working with the Northern Health and Social Services Board and my Department to find further ways to reduce waiting lists, particularly for day procedures, day care and through the creation of additional community care.

Does the Minister agree that there is an acute shortage of community care provision in the Homefirst Community Trust area and that a contributory factor to the lack of community care is that patients in Northern Ireland receive some of the lowest levels of funding per patient in the Health Service? Will she confirm that beds are being blocked and that patients are being admitted on an emergency basis because they are not being adequately treated in the community? For example, east Antrim has some of the longest occupational therapy waiting lists. Will she explain why the consultant rheumatologist for the Northern Health and Social Services Board area had to close her list in March 2000? Furthermore, would she care to comment on the rumour that the Massereene ambulance depot is being considered for relocation and on the effects that that would have on jobs and the delivery of care in the community?

I am slightly at a loss to understand the connection between an ambulance and the provision of money for care in the community. However, if the Member wishes to write to me on the subject, I would be happy to take up that point with him.

On several occasions I have stated that years of underfunding have affected not only hospital capacity but, vitally, care in the community to the extent that it impacts on people who are admitted inappropriately to hospital and on people who are ready to go home but whose discharges are delayed because they are not able to go home. It also has an impact on those waiting for services in the community. That is why I secured an additional £19·1 million for the current financial year, which will increase the capacity of health and social services boards to make payments to care homes, to implement the changes that I have already outlined in nursing care, and to support an additional 1,000 people in community settings. I continue to seek extra funding to increase that number even further. I continue to prioritise delayed discharge. I assure the Member of that and of the restoration of domiciliary care as a cost-effective alternative to institutional care.

The Minister's answer to the Member for East Antrim and to supplementary questions from other Members illustrates the overall, unsatisfactory state of the health sector in the Province. As her period in charge comes to an end today, what does the Minister think she has achieved in office? Bearing in mind that hospital waiting lists have deteriorated to the extent that they are now the worst in Europe; that expensive consultations have provided few tangible results; that our acute hospitals have insufficient resources; that staff are overworked and feel undervalued; and that GPs do not involve themselves in local health and social care groups, what were the Minister's aims, and what does she think that she has delivered?

Order. It would be in order for the Minister to answer the points of the supplementary question that relate to the primary question.

When I came into office one of my priorities was to address the situation that I found and that the Member's party would also have found, had it not passed over this portfolio. The situation was that, for many years, there had not been sufficient investment in hospital or community services, capacity, equipment, staff or staff training. Therefore, one of my major achievements has been to highlight and document that in workforce planning and to seek, and to some extent gain, the funding to put that in place. With regard to the scarcity of community care packages, people will see that, since I took on this portfolio, there has been a shift towards community care and more money invested in community care than there had been for some time.

Members have recognised that.

There is also integrated working as shown by the work that was done originally on winter pressures, and that has been extended to greater integrated working in the whole service. As Members know through a variety of announcements, work has also been done on replacing equipment; on new additional staff, particularly for nurse training; on the provision of an overall strategic view of the way forward; and, specifically, to address delayed discharges and inappropriate admissions to hospital.

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6.

asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety how many responses have so far been made to the public consultation on the five-year tobacco action plan.

(AQO 338/02)

Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. Fuarthas freagra is tríocha go nuige. Críochnaíonn an tréimhse chomhairliúcháin ar 15 Samhain 2002.

Thirty-one responses have been received so far. The consultation period ends on 15 November 2002.

Since the plan's aim is to reduce the amount of smoking in the Northern Ireland population, can the Minister assure us that her Department leads by example? What measures are in place among her staff to discourage smoking in the Department? For example, are there smoking rooms in the departmental headquarters and such buildings?

We have taken considerable steps to discourage smoking. The Member knows that all steps have been taken to ensure that our staff, as others, lead by example in the work that must be done on this. We have undertaken public information campaigns. We have television advertisements, a web site and a magazine, all aimed at discouraging smoking among young people. Earlier this year we released the hard-hitting television advertisement entitled 'Artery', which we saw earlier this year. That was aimed mainly at adult smokers, particularly disadvantaged adults. There is a campaign to promote a telephone helpline service. The Member will be pleased to note that work on a new campaign is well under way, as is action to award a contract for a permanent telephone helpline to complement cessation services.

How can the Minister take any action on the responses to the five-year tobacco action plan when she has singularly failed to address the waiting lists for operations; the deficit of staff in almost every sector; and the total lack of confidence of the general public in her ability to do the job?

I am somewhat reluctant to respond to a series of questions that, like the heckling today, has more to do with current selection conventions in the Unionist community to choose candidates for forthcoming elections than with services.

However, the work that I outlined in answer to the previous question is only a small part of all the work that has been done. We have been working towards a ban on tobacco advertising. There have been public information campaigns, and considerable work has been done on the key target groups. We have also been working to get the public health messages out, and we have been working particularly hard to ensure that the public are personally engaged in this, so that all aspects of one of the greatest causes of disease in our population are tackled and fought. That is alongside the wider social and economic determinants of health, which I am delighted that we have been able to address in our 'Investing for Health' strategy.

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7.

asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety what steps she is taking to create a neutral working environment in Fire Service properties.

(AQO 336/02)

Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. Agus í ag coimhlíonadh a gealltanais timpeallacht neodrach oibre a chruthú i ngach áitreabh de chuid na Seirbhíse Dóiteáin, tá polasaí comhionannais deise agus scéim chomhionannais alt 75 i bhfeidhm ag an Údarás Dóiteáin. D'aontaigh an t-údarás chomh maith le hionadaithe foirne ar chomhfhógairt chosanta a bhfuil sé de aidhm aici timpeallacht chomhchuibhiúil oibre a chur chun cinn d'fhoireann na Seirbhíse Dóiteáin go léir. Tá cóip di ar taispeáint i ngach áitreabh de chuid na Seirbhíse Dóiteáin.

In fulfilling its commitment to the creation of a neutral working environment in all Fire Service premises, the Fire Authority has an equal opportunities policy and the corresponding section 75 equality scheme in place. The authority has also agreed with staff side representatives a joint declaration of protection aimed at promoting a harmonious working environment for all Fire Service staff, a copy of which is displayed in all Fire Service properties.

I regret that the Member will not be able to ask a supplementary question on this occasion.

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Finance and Personnel

1.

asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel to provide an update on the implementation of the Peace II programme.

(AQO 302/02)

The Minister of Finance and Personnel (Dr Farren): The implementation - [Interruption].

Order.

Implementation of the Peace II programme is, I am pleased to say, progressing steadily. All implementation bodies have been appointed, and all measures have been opened. Nearly 2,700 applications have been received, and many grant offers have been made. Payments to projects began in May, and discussions are taking place with the European Commission to finalise the programme complement as soon as possible. The Special EU Programmes Body will be working with all implementation bodies to ensure that targets for expenditure under the programme are met.

The Peace II programme provides a great basis for building more voluntary and community capacity. There were reports about difficulties with certain sectors, particularly the community and voluntary sectors. What is the Minister doing to address the situation that some of those sectors find themselves in when dealing with funding difficulties?

I have been made aware of concerns in the community and voluntary sectors about funding allocations and applications being assessed in time. I have directed that work being introduced on several fronts should address those concerns. Discussions have taken place in the Administration and with the implementing bodies for the programme. I regret to say that following today's Question Time one of my last official duties will be to meet with representatives of intermediary funding bodies to hear their concerns and to tell them how these are being addressed, so that we can identify and remove obstacles to the more rapid allocation of money to projects and groups that have applied for funding.

There will be a review of the application form that has caused some concern and a review of processes to make submitting applications easier. There will be continuing discussions with the European Commission to identify ways of simplifying the application of its regulations, and there will be a review of the scope of activities that can be funded from measures in the programme in consultation with the monitoring committee. At a meeting of the North/South Ministerial Council in Ballycastle last Wednesday, my counterpart from the Dublin Government, Tom Parlon, Minister of State at the Department of Finance, and I had a report from the chief executive officer of the Special EU Programmes Body on some of those issues. As I have already said, I will be taking forward some of those discussions with representatives of intermediary funding bodies later this afternoon.

Can the Minister confirm the uptake for the Peace II programme in constituencies across the Province, particularly in Strangford? What steps is his Department taking to ensure that equitable funding is available for all sustainable projects in the Province, especially in Strangford?

The Member has asked a question that has been submitted for answer later. He would not expect me to have, either at my fingertips or in my head, the kind of details that he seeks on constituency allocations. Allocations are not made on a constituency basis; preference is given according to measures within the different priorities. In my response to Mr Byrne's question, I said that more than 2,700 applications have been received from organisations and from community and voluntary groups throughout Northern Ireland. Although not all have been successful, many have been, and the assessment process is ongoing. Details are available regularly.

The Special EU Programmes Body has been submitting monitoring reports to the Department of Finance and Personnel and will continue to do so. I am in a position to make those reports available to my Executive Colleagues, so that we can see where money is being allocated. As the Member will appreciate, meeting social need is an important requirement. Identifying areas of social need is one of the horizontal principles that must be borne in mind when determining allocations. In particular, allocations made under the local strategy partnerships, which are responsible for two of the measures in priority 3, have directly taken account of relative need in all 26 district councils.

I listened carefully to the Minister's answer and welcome the fact that Peace II funding has begun. I also welcome the possibility of simplifying the complex application forms for Peace II funding. Can the Minister explain, in the light of the community's great concern, the delay in delivering that funding? Why have we had to wait until now? I and many other Members understood that the funding would be on stream long before now.

I share the Minister's concern that he is carrying out his final duties today. However, he must remember that if his party had joined with the rest of us, 82% of this place would not be disenfranchised by the 18% sitting on the Benches opposite.

I shall respond to the first part of the Member's question, for which, as Minister of Finance and Personnel, I am directly responsible. Although there have been some delays, allocations have been made since May 2002. There have been some considerable delays in the establishment of some of our local strategy partnerships and the development of their local strategy plans. Further delays were the result of the long and detailed consideration that must be given to applications. There is an understandable concern that applications are assessed fully, according to the criteria.

The criteria for Peace II funding are different in several respects from those applicable to Peace I funding. The particular emphasis on the "distinctiveness" criterion has caused some problems. The Special EU Programmes Body and the intermediary funding bodies are anxious to address the problems and to help groups articulate their aims and objectives as effectively as possible with respect to all the criteria. It is hoped that those groups do not find themselves in a situation in which their applications are returned for further clarification and elaboration. That has already happened and has therefore contributed to some of the delay. However, there is a significant momentum behind the Peace II programme, and I am confident that we can deliver on the spending objectives - not only in the immediate future but throughout the period for which the programme will operate.

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2.

asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel to outline his plans for raising additional moneys to meet increased commitments; and to make a statement.

(AQO 341/02)

The draft Budget presented to the Assembly on 24 September is predicated on the use of the reinvestment and reform initiative and on the use of public-private partnerships to address infrastructure deficits. Beyond the immediate borrowing facility of £125 million for 2003-04, details of which have already been announced, the extent to which we can borrow is limited by our ability to raise additional revenue to service the debt. Any decisions will be taken with due regard to the recent consultation exercise on the review of rating policy.

As I have previously made clear, there will be no increase in regional rate beyond the pattern of recent years unless and until a fairer system is in place. In the meantime, I have proposed to the Executive a package of allocations from the September monitoring round for 2002-03 amounting to £144 million and, in conjunction with the First Minister and the Deputy First Minister, a further package of £19 million this year and £47 million in 2003-04 from two of the Executive programme funds. As it will not be possible to announce these in the usual way - by a statement to the Assembly after Executive agreement - I have made details of the proposals available to Members through a press release.

I thank the Minister for his answer and for his good news on a day when there is not a lot to be happy about. Will the Minister assure the House that, before he goes home tonight, he will have written all the cheques he is entitled to in favour of the socially disadvantaged groups? In doing so, will he remember to take account of potential efficiency savings as well as the sale of Government-held assets in constructing his Budget proposals? We do not want to leave anything untouched.

I must be careful when responding to the Chairperson of the Audit Committee and member of the Public Accounts Committee in this regard. Both of us will cease to hold our respective offices from midnight this evening, but when Members read the press releases on September monitoring and further allocations from two of the Executive programme funds, they will see that the Executive have done all in their power to redirect and add to the scope for investment in such vital services as health, education, roads infrastructure, transport facilities and the Water Service. It is a legacy of which we can be proud.

The responsibility for the actual spend will not be with the Minister of Finance and Personnel but with the Ministers who have responsibility for the various Departments. My Budget proposals contained a clear invitation and a requirement on all Departments to submit a report by the end of October on how they will address efficiency and asset management issues - and I trust that the present hiatus will not be a cause for any delay in that regard. When the Assembly returns - as I hope it will in the not too distant future - it is hoped that Members will find that considerable progress has been made with respect to what was proposed in the reforming and, as I said at the time, radical Budget.

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3.

asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel to outline the timescale for the release of future census data.

(AQO 342/02)

12.

asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel when further key information from the Northern Ireland Census 2002 will be made available.

(AQO 310/02)

With the Deputy Speaker's permission, I will take questions 3 and 12 together. A census key statistics release will be published as a printed report at the end of December 2002. That will provide basic counts on each census question at Northern Ireland and district council levels. It will include, among other things, information on religion, employment and general health. Similar statistics for ward and sub-ward output areas, of which there are approximately 5,000, will be made available on compact disc and on the census web site. Standard area statistics that provide detailed cross-tabulations required by census users are planned for the first half of next year. They will comprise a printed report at Northern Ireland level with 900,000 further cross-tabulations at local authority ward and sub-ward output area level. The report will be available on compact disc, on high-capacity digital versatile disc and on the census web site.

A census output prospectus, which details the form and content of census outputs, is available on the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency web site, and that will be updated as necessary. The Department of Finance and Personnel plans to release census outputs in accordance with a timescale set out at the beginning of the process.

I thank all those who participated in, and worked on, the 2001 census: the public who took the time to complete and return the forms; the 3,000-strong field force of enumerators and supervisory staff who worked to deliver and, where necessary, collect the forms; and the census office staff who undertook the processing and reporting of the forms. It was a major exercise, and considerable value will be drawn from it for the future planning of services for which the Department is responsible.

Why will the census results not be published before the end of December?

The first set of census results was published a few weeks ago. The details related to the gender breakdown across Northern Ireland at district council and ward levels. They were released in accordance with the timetable set out at the beginning of the census process, and in parallel with the release of similar information in England, Scotland and Wales. There has been no undue delay in the release of data, but an exercise of the scale of a census requires a considerable period of processing and a timetable for the release of the various parts of the data that have been collected. The next tranche of data will be released towards the end of the year, and it will contain the information that I have highlighted.

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4.

asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel how he intends to ensure that European funding is properly spent without having to return substantial sums to Europe.

(AQO 291/02)

The current projections indicate that the building sustainable prosperity programme will exceed its expenditure targets, but that the Peace II programme needs to increase its rate of spending to meet the level required by its first target date of 31 December 2003.

All implementation bodies are aware of that position, and the Special EU Programmes Body will monitor the expenditure closely. I have discussed this with the Executive, the North/South Ministerial Council and the Special EU Programmes Body, and I will discuss similar issues with representatives of the intermediary funding bodies later this afternoon.

If necessary, proposals will be put to the monitoring committee about moving money from slower-spending to faster-spending measures. However, we must have some sense of the pattern of spend in the different priority areas. The Special EU Programmes Body, as the managing authority, is examining that.

Does the Minister recognise that some problems result from some of the Departments dragging their feet in spending the money? There is concern that money was misallocated the last time, so it is imperative that proper control measures are put in place to ensure that money is not squandered. Nevertheless, the Departments must create the impetus to ensure that the money is properly spent and does not go back to Europe, because Northern Ireland badly needs it.

I thank the Member for his comment, but I have dealt with many of his points. I have been monitoring the situation since early summer. I have been in touch with ministerial Colleagues. I have reported to the Special EU Programmes Body and the North/South Ministerial Council, and I will be in touch with the intermediary funding bodies this afternoon. We are attempting to ensure that spending profiles will be met on target. The first target is 31 December 2003, and everything possible is being done to ensure that it is met. I am confident that we will achieve it.

Will the Minister acknowledge that the application process could contribute to underspending of European funding, because it is bureaucratic and off-putting to small and medium-sized projects? Will he urge his Department to review the appropriateness, or otherwise, of the application process, so that projects can be accurately assessed according to their value?

As I said, I am reviewing all those matters. The fact that the Department has received 2,700 applications, many of which came from smaller organisations, suggests that the difficulties can be overcome with the assistance of the intermediary funding bodies and the Special EU Programmes Body. Notwithstanding that, I am aware that there are concerns, and they are being addressed immediately and expeditiously.

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5.

asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel whether the recent uncertainty expressed on the long-term sustainability of the Springvale Educational Village was conveyed to his Department prior to the publication of the draft Budget.

(AQO 316/02)

I understand that the question relates to the main Springvale campus, which has been the subject of recent media attention. Officials in the Department for Employment and Learning alerted the Department of Finance and Personnel informally at the end of June this year that a potential problem had emerged with the Springvale outline business case that concerned initial affordability by the institutions rather than the long-term sustainability of the project. The Minister for Employment and Learning wrote to me formally on this on 25 September.

Given the important scrutiny role of the Committees, will the Minister say whether the matter was drawn to the attention of the relevant Committee, and, if not, why not?

I cannot answer that because I am not responsible for the Department for Employment and Learning, nor do I know of the engagement between that Department and its statutory Committee.

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6.

asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel to outline (a) any consultation which has taken place on the draft Budget and (b) the timetable for the presentation of a revised Budget to the Assembly.

(AQO 303/02)

As I said earlier, the draft Budget was introduced on 24 September, which marks the start of the formal consultation period. The Executive's intention has been to engage fully with the Assembly and other groups on the content of the draft Budget and the draft Programme for Government, which it supports. We will do that in an integrated way, consulting on those documents together. Both documents have been made widely available to social partners, business, trade unions and the voluntary and community sector. In addition, a series of workshops and seminars has been arranged to enable as many people as possible to put forward their views, and I am assured that those workshops and seminars will be held notwithstanding the suspension.

During October and early November we would have taken evidence from other Committees on the draft Budget, which would have been followed by a "take note" debate on the subject. Any proposed changes would then have been incorporated into a revised Budget to be presented, if we were here, in early December, and, miracle of miracles, we might be. A detailed timetable for the presentation of our revised Budget is contained in the draft Budget document. I trust that the Ministers who will take over responsibility for our respective Departments will take note of the level of agreement reached on the proposals in the draft Budget, and I have a high degree of expectation that we can await the implementation of the Budget in accordance with the desires of the representatives of the people of Northern Ireland.

What specific steps does the Minister hope will take place to ensure that outside interests have a chance to participate fully in the consultation?

I trust that the range of interests which I mentioned in my previous response will be consulted. The Member, and all Members of the House, will be satisfied that an adequate opportunity has been provided across all sectors for a response to and an input into the draft Budget. I cannot, with any certainty, predict what the Ministers taking over will decide. Nonetheless, they will come back to the broad proposals in the Budget and make their final determination, taking those views into account.

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7.

asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel how many responses were received to the review of rating policy.

(AQO 300/02)

At the close of the consultation phase of the review of rating policy, 95 responses had been received. The respondees include political parties, Assembly Committees, district councils, numerous interested organisations and groups and many individual ratepayers.

Now that the Assembly is being suspended, does the Minister believe that the review of rating policy will suffer the same fate?

As I have said, I cannot say with any certainty what will happen to that or any other policies of the Executive, the Assembly or its Committees.

It was widely acknowledged and accepted around the House that the current rating system contains not only many anomalies but many inequities. The incoming Ministers will be mindful of the urgency with which the issue must be addressed so that we can have a fair and equitable system for all.

What response did the Minister receive from domestic ratepayers and the small-business sector?

The Member asks me to detail what two interest groups have said. Responses have been received from many people in the small-business sector and from individual ratepayers. The one plea that tends to come out in all the submissions is that every group wishes to be exempt from rates. We should be in some difficulty if we heeded that plea for no one to have rates levied on him or her.

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