COMMITTEE FOR REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT
WEDNESDAY 4 MARCH 2009
ROOM 21, PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS
Present: Fred Cobain, MLA (Chairperson).
Cathal Boylan, MLA.
Allan Bresland, MLA.
Willie Clarke, MLA.
John Dallat, MLA.
John McCallister, MLA.
Raymond McCartney, MLA.
George Robinson, MLA.
Alastair Ross, MLA.
Jim Wells, MLA.
Brian Wilson, MLA.
In Attendance: Roisin Kelly (Assembly Clerk).
Conor Coughlin (Assistant Assembly Clerk).
Annette Page (Clerical Officer).
Kevin Stewart (Clerical Officer).
Apologies:
Members decided to commence the meeting at 10.36 a.m. in open session and to move to closed session to receive briefing on Translink’s fuel purchasing policy.
1. Apologies.
No apologies were received.
2. The minutes of the meeting held on 24 February 2009.
The minutes of the meeting held on 24 February 2009 were agreed.
3. Chairperson’s Business
Raymond McCartney joined the meeting at 10.38 a.m.
Willie Clarke joined the meeting at 10.39 a.m.
Members noted receipt of a memo detailing the proposed itinerary for the Committee visit to Dublin, and indicative dates for the proposed Committee visit to Scotland. The following Members confirmed their attendance on the Committee visit to Dublin: Fred Cobain, Cathal Boylan, Willie Clarke, John Dallat, Raymond McCartney, Jim Wells and Brian Wilson. Members also decided to schedule the Committee visit to Scotland from the evening of Tuesday 21 April 2009 and to return on the evening of Thursday 23 April 2009.
Members noted receipt of an invitation from BMF Business Services to attend the Infrastructure Investment Conference dinner, in the offices of the Belfast Harbour Commissioners, on Wednesday 11 March 2009. The Chairperson, Fred Cobain, MLA and John Dallat, MLA agreed to attend on behalf of the Committee.
4. Matters Arising.
Members noted receipt of correspondence, dated 24 February 2009, from the Department concerning the Review of the Regional Development Strategy.
Members agreed that in future any acknowledgements of Committee requests would be listed for Members information, and copies of the correspondence would not be included in Members’ packs, but will be available on request from the Committee office.
Members noted receipt of correspondence, dated 24 February 2009, from the Department regarding the Accessible Transport Strategy Action Plan 2009-2012.
Members noted receipt of correspondence, dated 24 February 2009, from the Department regarding infrastructure for spatial information.
John McCallister joined the meeting at 10.45 a.m.
Members noted receipt of correspondence, dated 25 February 2009, from the Department regarding the proposed runway extension at the George Best Belfast City Airport. Members decided to request Departmental officials, including Mike Thompson, to provide briefing to the Committee on this issue at a date to be arranged in the forward work plan.
Members noted receipt of correspondence, dated 24 February 2009, from the Regional Development Minister, to Barry McElduff, MLA, Chairperson of the Committee for Culture, Arts and Leisure regarding that Committee’s inquiry into ‘The Funding of the Arts in Northern Ireland’.
Members noted receipt of correspondence, dated 24 February 2009, from the Department regarding the Disability Action Plan 2007-2010.
Members noted receipt of correspondence, dated 23 February 2009, from the Department regarding a briefing paper from the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB). Members decided to forward the paper to RNIB and to invite RNIB representatives to brief the Committee at a date to be arranged in the forward work programme.
Members noted receipt of a revised draft of the Committee’s response to the Environment Committee’s inquiry on climate change. Following discussion, Members agreed a response to be forwarded to the Environment Committee. Members decided to publish this response on the Committee’s web pages.
5. Subordinate Legislation.
Members noted receipt of the following new SL1:
- The Loading Bay, Parking Places and Waiting Restriction on Roads (Portstewart) Order (Northern Ireland) 2009.
Members decided that they were content with the policy merits of the following SL1s, which were noted at the meeting of 24 February 2009:
- The Private Access at Junction of Tandragee Road and Brackagh Road, Portadown (Stopping-Up) Order (Northern Ireland) 2009;
- The Parking and Waiting Restrictions (Lisburn) Order (Northern Ireland ) 2009;
- The Penalty Charges (Exemption from Criminal Proceedings) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2009;
- The Cycle Routes (Amendment No. 2) Order (Northern Ireland) 2009;
- The Taxis (Ballymena) Bye-Laws (Northern Ireland) 2009;
- The One-Way Traffic (Newtownabbey) (Amendment) Order (Northern Ireland) 2009;
- The Frances Street, Newtownards (Footpath) (Abandonment) Order (Northern Ireland) 2009;
- The Bus Lane (Glen Road, Belfast) Order (Northern Ireland) 2009;
- The Road Races (North West 200) Order (Northern Ireland) 2009;
- The Road Races (Craigantlet Hill Climb) Order (Northern Ireland) 2009;
- The Road Races (Tandragee 100) Order (Northern Ireland) 2009;
- The Road Races (Circuit of Ireland International Rally) Order (Northern Ireland) 2009;
- The Road Races (Croft Hill Climb) Order (Northern Ireland) 2009; and
- The Off-Street Parking (Amendment) Order (Northern Ireland) 2009.
Members noted receipt of the following statutory rules which are not subject to any Assembly procedure but are for Members’ information only:
- 2009/54 The Parking and Waiting Restrictions (Ballymena) Order (NI) 2009; and
- 2009/48 The Loading Bays on Roads (Amendment No. 9) (NI) 2008.
Members noted that the Eleventh Report of the Examiner of Statutory Rules to the Assembly and the Appropriate Committees, 2008/09 session, was published on 27 February 2009. Members noted that the following statutory rules, subject to negative resolution, were included in the Examiner’s report, and that he made no comment on the rules:
- 2009/43 The Trunk Road T10 (Cherrymount Link, Enniskillen) Order (Northern Ireland) 2008;
- 2009/50 The Ballyhampton Road, Larne (Abandonment) Order (Northern Ireland) 2008;
- 2009/51 The Iveagh Road, Belfast (Abandonment) Order (Northern Ireland) 2009; and
- 2009/55 The Thornhill Parade, Belfast (Abandonment) Order (Northern Ireland) 2009.
In the absence of any objections, the following questions were put and agreed:
‘That the Committee for Regional Development has considered 2009/43 The Trunk Road T10 (Cherrymount Link, Enniskillen) Order (Northern Ireland), and has no objection to the rule.’
Those in favour: Fred Cobain, Cathal Boylan, Allan Bresland, Willie Clarke, John Dallat, John McCallister, Raymond McCartney, George Robinson, Alastair Ross, Jim Wells, and Brian Wilson.
Those against: None
Abstentions: None
‘That the Committee for Regional Development has considered 2009/50 The Ballyhampton Road, Larne (Abandonment) Order (Northern Ireland) 2008, and has no objection to the rule.’
Those in favour: Fred Cobain, Cathal Boylan, Allan Bresland, Willie Clarke, John Dallat, John McCallister, Raymond McCartney, George Robinson, Alastair Ross, Jim Wells, and Brian Wilson.
Those against: None
Abstentions: None
‘That the Committee for Regional Development has considered 2009/51 The Iveagh Road, Belfast (Abandonment) Order (Northern Ireland) 2009 and has no objection to the rule.’
Those in favour: Fred Cobain, Cathal Boylan, Allan Bresland, Willie Clarke, John Dallat, John McCallister, Raymond McCartney, George Robinson, Alastair Ross, Jim Wells, and Brian Wilson.
Those against: None
Abstentions: None
‘That the Committee for Regional Development has considered 2009/55 The Thornhill Parade, Belfast (Abandonment) Order (Northern Ireland) 2009, and has no objection to the rule.’
Those in favour: Fred Cobain, Cathal Boylan, Allan Bresland, Willie Clarke, John Dallat, John McCallister, Raymond McCartney, George Robinson, Alastair Ross, Jim Wells, and Brian Wilson.
Those against: None
Abstentions: None
The Committee decided that the Clerk would notify the Business Office of the decisions reached today.
6. Translink Fuel Purchasing policy
Members decided to move to closed session to receive briefing on Translink’s fuel purchasing policy at 11.13 a.m.
Members received briefing from Assembly Research and Library Services on the issue of fuel purchasing policies in other public transport organisations. Following a question and answer session, Members thanked the researcher for her briefing.
Departmental officials Ciaran Doran and Greg Campbell joined the meeting at 11.44 a.m.
Members received briefing from the Departmental officials on Translink’s fuel purchasing policy.
John Dallat left the meeting at 12.22 p.m.
Alastair Ross left the meeting at 12.30 p.m.
Alastair Ross re-joined the meeting at 12.33 p.m.
John McCallister left the meeting at 12.33 p.m.
Following a question and answer session with officials, Members thanked the Departmental officials for their briefing.
Departmental officials Ciaran Doran and Greg Campbell left the meeting at 12.35 a.m.
John Dallat re-joined the meeting at 12.37 p.m.
Translink executives Philip O’Neill, Ciaran Rogan and Catherine Mason joined the meeting at 12.40 p.m.
Members received briefing from the Translink executives on Translink’s fuel purchasing policy.
John McCallister re-joined the meeting at 12.46 p.m.
Brian Wilson left the meeting at 1.03 p.m.
Cathal Boylan left the meeting at 1.03 p.m.
Cathal Boylan re-joined the meeting at 1.10 p.m.
Willie Clarke left the meeting at 1.16 p.m.
Willie Clarke re-joined the meeting at 1.20 p.m.
John Dallat left the meeting at 1.27 p.m.
Following a question and answer session with executives, Members thanked the Translink executives for their briefing.
Translink executives Philip O’Neill, Ciaran Rogan and Catherine Mason left the meeting at 1.30 p.m.
Brian Wilson re-joined the meeting at 1.30 p.m.
7. Correspondence.
Members noted receipt of a letter, dated 27 February 2009, from the Department for Regional Development regarding the Executive’s response to the Committee for the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister’s report into ‘Child Poverty’.
Members noted receipt of a letter, dated 27 February 2009, from Jo Aston, Director of Water Regulation for the Northern Ireland Authority for Utility Regulation (NIAUR) regarding NIAUR’s briefing to the Committee on 28 January 2009 on the Northern Ireland Water Cost and Performance Report.
Members noted receipt of an invitation to attend a conference entitled ‘Developing the Dublin – Belfast city region economy’, on Thursday 14 May 2009, at the Fairways Hotel Conference Centre, Dundalk. Members noted that they should contact the Committee office should they wish to attend this event.
Members noted receipt of an invitation to attend a conference entitled ‘Maximising the Importance of Arts and Culture throughout the Economic Downturn’, on Friday 24 April 2009, at the Royal Commonwealth Society, London. Members noted that they should contact the Committee office should they wish to attend this event.
Members noted receipt of a press release, dated 3 March 2009, from the Department for Regional Development entitled ‘Minister consults on Strategic Direction for Water and Sewerage Services’.
8. Any other Business.
John McCallister, MLA, indicated his intention to participate on the Committee visit to Dublin.
9. Date, Time and Place of next meeting.
The next meeting of the Regional Development Committee will take place on Wednesday 11 March 2009.
The Chairperson adjourned the meeting at