81. Mr Ambrose: From my extensive experience of planning — we had one application that took more than five years and our current application has been in the system for four years. As someone mentioned earlier, statutory consultees are not bound by time lines. The Planning Service seems to add process on top of process. It consults, takes opinion, and then has another round of consultations. It needs to get to the point at which it makes decisions. It is recognised that there will be judicial challenges; that is the world in which we live. The Planning Service must manage the process robustly and make decisions. The issue is more about how the system is managed rather than the system itself. If decisions were being made, everyone in the room could live with those, move on and adjust their strategies. Some of our firms are owned by international companies, and they are alarmed by the length of time and the uncertainty caused due to the lack of decision-making in planning.

82. Mr F McCann: The previous two contributors touched on this matter. Is there a mechanism whereby Departments pull together the body of expertise in this room on road, air and rail transport to develop a strategy, or does the strategy come down from Departments to people such as yourselves? Anna said that the Chinese community travels to Hong Kong and China. I know a number of people who fly to Dubai and prefer to travel via Dublin because the Thursday flight to Dubai is far cheaper than they can get elsewhere.

83. People talk about extending the road network and increasing the volume of traffic on roads. Some of us live in areas that are affected greatly by pollution from motorways, but that has never been taken into consideration. I live 50 yards from the Westlink, but nobody asked me about extending the Westlink, or the effect that that would have on my health or that of my children and other families in the area. I am just an ordinary punter who lives there. So, there are other problems that need to be taken into consideration.

84. In our previous session, a witness talked about the need to get freight transported from A to B by road, but nobody talked about putting freight on trains to get it from A to B. That would take a lot of traffic off the roads.

85. Mr B Clarke: I will try to pick up some of the points that have been made. There are strategies and transport plans, which were in implementation mode. However, it was fraught and difficult, and there are quite a lot of case studies that show the difficulties, whether brought on us by the system that the Planning Service imposes or by the new obstacles that are created, as we get closer to implementation.

86. I will give you one example, of which you are probably well aware, which is the park-and-ride scheme at Cairnshill. The plan was developed in the 1990s, the land was assembled by the Department's Roads Service, and the facility was built. Then there was a lag before the bus service was provided. Therefore, we have a system in which there was an imbalance in the quality of service offered, and that is why it is not particularly attractive, never mind the problems with parking supply. All along, there were difficulties. There was a plan in the 1990s, which was implemented in 2010 and the difficulties in trying to achieve success were numerous.

87. The biggest problem that society has with the way that it is governed and with the Departments that oversee it lies in buy-in and linkages. Conall McDevitt asked about the new regional development strategy and whether there will be buy-in from the other Departments that impact on transport services. I hope so, but on past evidence I doubt it very much, and I do not think that anyone will disagree with me.

88. Mr F McCann: I live in inner-city Belfast, and I know that one of the big problems is parking, which was raised this morning. Do you have suggestions about how we should deal with it?

89. Mr Wood: I will try to answer that. As I understand it, one issue with parking is that although Roads Service would like to introduce proper parking management, reduced parking, and so on, a lot of residential parking schemes are needed because of where people live in inner-city Belfast. That requires legislation, consultation and effort, and it needs to be paid for, which is one of the issues. The other problem is that if we displace to public transport those who travel to Belfast by car public transport would be unable to cope. Therefore, it is not something that can be switched on and off; there is some way to go.

90. Bernard Clarke made the point about park-and-ride schemes. One issue that I see from the outside is that road schemes, which are run by Roads Service, or pure public transport schemes, which are run by Translink, can be delivered reasonably efficiently because those organisations are well geared to deliver within their own modes. However, we run in to a bit of a quagmire when it comes to cross-modal initiatives such as park-and-ride schemes because those require co-operation between the two organisations and compromises need to be made on priorities.

91. The Chairperson: I think that that is something called an integrated transport plan. The difficulty in this place is that people operate in silos, but that is no use anymore. The Committee's big thrust is to take cars off the road, but that cannot be done if people can park in city centres for £1 a day or if public transport funding is cut, fares are increased and services decrease. Everything is running contrary to what we want to do.

92. The Committee wants the Assembly to establish clear and definitive lines about what it wants to do. Currently, we are pulling against one another, with one Department saying that it needs one thing and another saying that it needs something else that runs contrary to the first Department. We are all over the place. We have strategies for everything, but none of them ever gets delivered. We spend millions on a simple thing like a park-and-ride scheme, yet we cannot integrate it with a bus service to take people into town. For God's sake, it is not rocket science.

93. Mr Friel: It is important to differentiate between the car and the commercial vehicle. We also need to distinguish between public transport and commercial transport. For example, someone who is going to work in an office, to the shops, or to visit somebody, can get a bus if there happens to be one in their area. However, it depends on where you live. In some places, people can get buses and trains quite easily, but the only time that I see a train is on the TV or when I come to Belfast.

94. For me to travel from Strabane to Belfast, I have to drive to Derry to reach an airport or get a bus, sit around there for perhaps an hour and then stop at the International Airport before I get into the city. I have no way of getting home again at night. That is not much good. We have to be realistic and practical about such things. Public transport is great for anybody who can use it, but it is about getting the right balance between those who want to use it and the supply. For commercial travel it is totally different.

95. Mr McCann mentioned pollution. What difference is there from pollution due to trucks crawling along a bad road or speeding along a motorway? I do not think that there is much difference. As was said, the idea is about getting goods from A to B. That is what it has always been about since day one.

96. Mr F McCann: Very few trucks go through the area in which I live in, but thousands go along the road that is 50 ft from where I live.

97. Mr Friel: That is the same issue. What is the difference between pollution from a truck that is going slowly in a queue and from one that is going fast?

98. Mr F McCann: The difference is between one and thousands.

99. Mr Friel: Pollution?

100. Mr F McCann: What I am saying is that very few trucks go along the street in which I live, but, 50 yds to 100 yds away, thousands of trucks are going along the road system. As the Chairperson touched on earlier, there are a number of key sections on the Westlink where pollution is very high. I happen to live beside two of those, which are within 200 yds of each other.

101. Mr Friel: I am asking about the difference between a fast moving and slow moving truck as far as pollution is concerned. It does not really matter whether it is 50 yds away or 500 yds away; it is still pollution. I would rather that trucks could move fast —

102. Mr F McCann: If you live there, it makes a difference.

103. The Chairperson: We are talking about the same issue; the two points are complementary. We are talking about freeing up roads to make it easier and cheaper to transport goods. To do that, cars have to be taken off the roads. We cannot keep going along the way we have been going or we will end up in the same situation as Dublin. We are going to spend £150 million on a rapid transit system for Belfast, but there can be no a rapid transit system for Belfast if the number of cars on the roads remains the same. The first thing that we have to do is take away the cars. Public transport has to be an alternative. We are on the same page, but we need co-ordination around where we are going. For us, public transport and taking cars off the road are the same issue.

104. Mr Friel: I agree that cars have to make way for faster vehicles.

105. Mr T Wilson: I will answer the question about pollution from trucks. When work on the Westlink started four or five years ago, there were 65,000 vehicles a day on the road, of which 22,000 were commercial vehicles. In the North, the number of commercial vehicles is 10% or 11% of the overall traffic volume, but it is much higher on the Westlink because vehicles are going into and out of the port. If they are stuck in slow-moving traffic, going 2 ft or 3 ft and then stopping, they are churning out more pollution because they are in bottom gear. The volume of pollution from trucks moving along a roadway at 40 mph or 50 mph is very much less.

106. I will deal briefly with the point made about moving freight to rail. In the past week, some of you may have seen television footage of the 1960s and 1970s, during which bags were physically handled at the docks. Every morning, hundreds of dockers were hand-hauling goods. We have moved a long way from that to container traffic. However, there is very little warehousing and hardly anything is held in stock nowadays. Shifting goods from trucks to railways is a slow process. It is OK if the journey is, perhaps, 100 miles, but the last freight moved by rail in Northern Ireland was cement and beer from Belfast to Dublin. Moving freight by rail is good when a long journey is involved. However, in practice, it is not possible in Northern Ireland.

107. The Chairperson: Thank you all for coming, and I thank all the stakeholders who have been an enormous help to the Committee over the past four years. The Committee and the Executive still have major problems. We hope that meetings such as this highlight some of the frustrations that people have, and we are glad to take those on board and work at them.

108. It is for the next mandate, thankfully, to look at some of the really major issues. For us, those issues are cross-departmental, and they have to be resolved. We cannot do it by working in silos. That will not work. We have to resolve them if we are to remain competitive. Producing strategies is just not good enough. Ultimately, we have to have action, and we are not good at action. Thank you all very much and I hope you have a safe journey home.

23 February 2011

Key Issues and Future Challenges: Accessibility and Sustainable Transport

Members present for all or part of the proceedings:

Mr Fred Cobain (Chairperson)
Mr Billy Armstrong
Mr Cathal Boylan
Mr Allan Bresland
Mr Fra McCann
Mr Ian McCrea
Mr George Robinson

Witnesses:

Ms Kellie Armstrong		Community Transport Association
Mr Andy McClenaghan Mr Ryan Simpson		Consumer Council
Mr Kevin Doherty Mr Dermot McCloskey		Disability Action
Mr Michael Lorimer Mr David McDonald Ms Charlene Mullan		Inclusive Mobility and Transport Advisory Committee
Mr Neil Halliday Mr David McCann		Northern Ireland Environment Link
Ms Denise O'Boyle		Older People's Advocate
Mr Michael Hughes		Rural Community Network
Mr Stephen Wood		Stephen Wood Consultancy
Mr Tom McClelland Mr Steven Patterson		Sustrans
Mr Bernard Clarke		Translink
Mr Malachy Campbell		World Wildlife Fund
Ms Caroline Redpath Ms Denise Rodgers		Youth Action

109. The Chairperson (Mr Cobain): Invitations for the event were sent out at very short notice, and I want to thank you all for taking time out of your schedules to come along and speak to the Committee this morning. As you all know, the current mandate comes to a close in the next four or five weeks, and the Committee is keen to discuss some of the issues that arose during the mandate. Probably more important for the Committee is for you to identify the issues of concern that the incoming Committee for Regional Development will encounter.

110. The Committee wants to address a number of the issues that it has dealt with over the past four years, namely, networks and gateways; accessibility and sustainable transport, which this group will discuss; and water and sewerage services. We are keen to hear the views of key of stakeholders on the major gains — if there were any — and developments over recent years. It is also important to identify what opportunities were lost by the Committee and the Department over that period, what the key strategic challenges will be for the incoming Committee and what needs to be done to meet those challenges.

111. You are all aware that the issues for discussion today are extremely important and that a lot of work is required on the part of stakeholders and the Committee to make them come to fruition and to take them forward in a way that will improve the quality of life for everyone who lives in Northern Ireland. That is the main hope of the Committee. It will be even more difficult to address some issues because of the budgetary constraints that will become apparent in the next couple of months.

112. We have tried to make the format as simple as possible. After each stakeholder has spoken, Committee members may want to ask some questions for clarification. Staff from Hansard are here to compile the Official Report of the meeting. That report will form part of the report that the Committee will make to the incoming Committee following the election. The report will also be published on the Committee's website. To ensure that the transcript is accurate, I ask those who speak to please identify themselves and the organisation that they are from. Again, thank you all very much.

113. Mr Steven Patterson (Sustrans): Together with our colleagues here, Sustrans has worked closely with the Committee over the years. We contributed to the sustainable transport inquiry that the Committee undertook. That was a useful exercise, but the question is how much of an impact that inquiry has had on the Department's thinking and on the transport budget proposals for the next four years.

114. On the policy side of things, the regional transportation strategy (RTS), which Stephen helped to write, covered the period from 2002 to 2012 and, in it, a halfway review in 2007 was promised. That review has still not taken place. In the intervening period, however, other things in the world were changing. There were concerns about climate change and carbon emissions from transport, and health concerns about the increase in obesity in society and the resulting significant cost to the Health Department and the Northern Ireland Executive. It is regrettable that the Department for Regional Development (DRD) has not carried out a review of the RTS, particularly given those concerns about climate change and health. The changing financial situation has meant that the economics of the investment strategy for Northern Ireland have changed significantly.

115. Part of the initial problem with the RTS is that we are not just basing transport on the outcomes; that is, what we build, how many miles of road or cycle lanes we build, how many buses we put on or how much money we spend. The more challenging task, and what we would be asking for in a review, is to set targets for how we want people to travel, the percentage of trips by certain roads and the length of journeys. Without targets for what we are trying to achieve in travel behaviour, whether it is for 20% of people in west Belfast to travel by Metro or 10% of people in Derry to travel by bike, we will be spending a lot of money without knowing what it is that we are trying to achieve. On the positive side, the splitting of sustainable travel away from a Roads Service-led function in DRD to the transportation policy division headed by Tom Reid has been a good move. As long as the connectivity with Roads Service is maintained, that will be a challenge for DRD over the next four years.

116. The Department's budget has reflected the fact that there has obviously been a large emphasis on dual carriageways and road building. The A5, in particular, seems to be draining the money away from so many other transport initiatives. We have major concerns about that, because we believe that the balance is wrong. Alternative to that sort of investment, the money could be much better used in the maintenance of the existing road network and invested in the shorter journeys. Why build a new A5 dual carriageway if the existing roads are falling apart? Seventy five per cent of our journeys in Northern Ireland are less than five miles. Therefore, a lot more focus should be spent on those shorter journeys, which, coincidentally, are the journeys that could be made by walking, cycling or using public transport, or a mix of all three. The Metro bus service has been a really good example of how public transport can be improved.

117. There is so little emphasis on the shorter journeys. Last week, we pointed out to the Committee that the equality impact assessment of the budget did not take any cognisance of young people walking and cycling. I hope that that point will be picked up on. There seems to be a culture in DRD that short journeys, which are those with potential for active travel and are often made by the most vulnerable people in society, are being overlooked in favour of inter-urban transport, which will, in turn, lead to less money for other things and will increase journey lengths. If you build more roads, people will travel further.

118. I apologise for what is a slightly urban focus; no doubt my rural colleagues will talk about the impact on their areas. The Rural Safe Routes to Schools project involved 18 schools and had a ring-fenced budget and a good partnership with government. It demonstrated a significant change away from driving and an increase in walking and cycling from 20% to 33%. We have demonstrated that that can be done. As a result, there was a motion in the House to invest more in walking and cycling for children. That debate was very well attended by Members and the motion was passed, but the Department has been very slow in taking that forward into delivery.

119. Mr Michael Lorimer (Inclusive Mobility and Transport Advisory Committee): Legislation has been a great driver for change. Although the Disability Discrimination Act has weaknesses on transport, there are accessibility regulations for vehicles. That means that when government buy vehicles, there is no option but to meet the accessibility standards.

120. The accessible transport strategy (ATS) has been successful in securing investment for replacing transport vehicles. We have seen a revolution in the past 10 years in the age of the bus fleet, the rail network, and investment in stations and facilities. We have good physical access to transport, which compares favourably with many UK regions. We also have an accessible transport strategy for old and disabled people that gives a policy framework for the Department to maximise its investment in those services.

121. We have moved from the traditional approach of providing services for disabled people, which was largely about accommodating and providing separate services for disabled people, to a mainstream emphasis on removing barriers that make accessing transport difficult.

122. Mr David McDonald (Inclusive Mobility and Transport Advisory Committee): I will give examples of that change, which has made a massive difference to the life of so many people. In 1995, when the Disability Discrimination Act was coming into force, I used to travel to London regularly. I had just started to use a wheelchair. It struck me at that time that I was able to travel from Bangor on the train — in the baggage car, I have to say; it was freezing cold but at least I could get on the train — to Great Victoria Street, where Translink had one accessible Airbus. That was the only accessible vehicle it had except for Easibuses, which came in after that.

123. I was able to get on the aircraft at the international airport, travel to Heathrow, get the Airbus from Heathrow to London, and then it was Shanks's pony in the wheelchair to the hotel. You could use Hackney cabs in London, in contrast with here, where I could not get to even Newtownards. Not only were the buses not accessible but no taxis were accessible. My father lived in Newtownards and I could not get to see my parents. I find a massive contrast between that situation and how things are now.

124. Today, I can get to Newtownards, albeit by Door-2-Door or taxi. I still cannot get onto buses in this country because they do not accommodate my wheelchair. However, most people can get onto buses. So, there have been massive changes with the investment in vehicles. By and large, Belfast is accessible to most wheelchair users and disabled people, except for audio-visual in buses, which we will come to.

125. The trains are very much accessible. The new trains are excellent. You can now get into a carriage that is warm as opposed to the baggage car. You are with other people as opposed to being with the guard. Me and the guard used to have good chats, and we got well used to each other when I used the baggage car. Now, we get in with the public. It is quite nice to travel as a member of the public with other members of the public. There have been mammoth changes in public transport, which is a real blessing.

126. Michael spoke about the ATS. A lot of physical changes have been made here and there has been a lot of investment in the physical structure of vehicles, buildings and stations. However, a lot of the problems now are attitudinal. Those persist. It is a culture, and a culture is much harder to change. I will give you a couple of examples of that, one funny and one much more serious.

127. A couple of years back in Great Victoria Street I bumped into a guy I know who is blind. He had bought himself a new phone and we were sitting chatting about that when the train came in, so we moved through the barrier. We were talking and about to move up to the train when a guy from Translink took the blind guy by the arm and said, "Come on and I'll get you to a carriage." He was not asked whether he wanted to be taken to a carriage. He was not asked where he wanted to sit. I did not see him again until I got off the train at the other end in Bangor. The point is that that member of staff should have asked the guy first what he wanted. He could have held on to the back of my wheelchair, got on the train with me and we could have sat together. Those sorts of things need changing.

128. The other more severe issue is about a young woman with a learning difficulty who is out all the time and enjoys being out, but who will not go into a bus or train station at the time that the schools get out, because the kids make fun of her. The public attitude has to change too, but that must be led by the professional attitude. The public follow what the professionals do. Therefore, we need to much improve the professional attitude, from the Department down to the people on the ground. That will start to change the public attitude.

129. Mr Lorimer: We could be here all day talking about lost opportunities. We believe that there has been a failure on the behalf of the Department and others to understand and implement the ATS. That has led to many lost opportunities. David talked about culture. There is a culture within government, not just DRD but other Departments, of a "traditional" approach to dealing with disabled people, providing and promoting accessibility and the inclusion of disabled people. That is exemplified by the focus that the Department puts on the Door-2-Door service. That is a very necessary service for people who, with the best will in the world, will never be able to access mainstream public transport. However, it is not the solution to all disabled people's and older people's transport needs.

130. That culture is also illustrated by the massive problems that we have had in getting positive measures put in place to promote the use of mainstream public transport. The issue of audio-visual on buses is a prime example of that. We have been talking to the Department about audio-visual since 2003, and it has been a fight to get it. I have to say, and David will endorse this, that the support and work of the Committee for Regional Development has been vital in progressing those issues.

131. There are reams of missed opportunities that we could talk about. Perhaps David wants to say a few words.

132. Mr McDonald: I find this all the more sad, because, during the better years when money was available, a lot of opportunities to make investment and change things for people were lost. That happened because people have not been listened to. The people who are affected by this were not heard by officials when they should have been. Improvement work would have cost a lot less had it been done at the right time.

133. I will give you a couple of examples. A buddy scheme was introduced with the idea of assisting people to get out and about. People would go out with a bit of assistance and support, especially people who may not have been out since they had become disabled. However, the buddy scheme was structured around Door-2-Door. For the life of me, I cannot understand why a buddy scheme is needed with Door-2-Door. With Door-2-Door, people are picked up at their door, a driver gets out and assists them to a vehicle and a driver assists them into the building at the other side. A buddy scheme is not needed for that. Travel training and a travel scheme are needed for mainstream public transport. To me, money was wasted on the buddy scheme, which should have been enlarged to incorporate all sorts of public transport and encourage people to use public buses and trains instead of the Door-2-Door service. Quite the opposite happened; the scheme encouraged people to use the more expensive and subsidised Door-2-Door service.

134. I have been arguing for quite a while with folk about the difference between accessible vehicles and accessible services. Some people have some difficulty picking up on that concept. An accessible vehicle is all very well, and it is grand that a lot of money has been put into accessible buses and trains. However, what happens if people cannot actually get to the bus stop to get on an accessible vehicle? If the bus stop is halfway up a hill, a person in a manual wheelchair cannot get to it. If a blind person has to cross the road because the bus stops on only one side of it, they cannot get to the bus. Those people still have no access to transport. That is why we need to look at the structure of and attitude towards how transport is provided.

135. The removal of Easibus services across the country is a major disaster, and it looks as though they are going to go in Belfast too. Easibus performed a task, not just for disabled people but for all sorts of people, including young mothers with prams and older people going out during the day when their relatives with cars are elsewhere. Easibus could get up small streets. It got up my street. I have a mile to go to my local bus stop. I cannot get on the bus, so it is immaterial to me, but it is difficult for somebody who has to try to push a wheelchair a mile up a hill and get on a bus. They will have to use the Door-2-Door service.

136. We have missed opportunities across the country, where local town services could have been improved. We could have used smaller Optare-type buses to ensure that more people would use the transport in the towns. That is different from travelling between the towns. As the gentleman from Sustrans said, many journeys are about five miles. Why do we not maximise the transport available and get buses going up small streets, and not only along the main routes, so that they can pick up as many people as possible? Those are the sorts of opportunities that we have missed. They would have saved money, now that we are in dire straits. It is a shame. We could talk about it all morning, but I will leave it at that, and we will, hopefully, move on to better things.

137. Mr Lorimer: Looking at the key strategic issues and what else can be done, the point has already been made that the financial situation is dire and there is a possibility that the cuts and savings that are being made will impact very heavily not only on disabled and older people, but on those people, such as young people, who rely on forms of transport other than the car. That reinforces the points that Steven made earlier.

138. There is a chance that we could go backwards, but there are other opportunities for change, with public transport reform and, as Steven talked about, the review of the RTS. There is an opportunity to look again at that and at how we can maximise the money that we have. One of the things that we need to do is change and challenge the culture that stereotypes and simplifies things, and develop a better understanding of the issues, rather than going straight to the policymaking.

139. The ATS needs to be revisited. We responded to the previous action plan of the ATS and asked the Department to review it, because we felt that it was not working. We need to move away from a focus on the alternative services and maximise the use of a much more accessible public transport network, albeit within the confines of the current saving proposals. Furthermore, we should be encouraging more people to use public transport. One thing that we would like to question, even from the Department's point of view, is whether the existence of a separate transport programme for people with disabilities encourages the Department to segregate and oversimplify. Are we looking at a radically different approach to the wider issue of accessibility and social inclusion?

140. Mr McDonald: I want to broaden the discussion out to refer to other Departments. We are going into a very difficult stage for the country, across the UK and in Northern Ireland. I want to look at one or two things that are already occurring that give real cause for concern. The consultation on disability living allowance (DLA) and its mobility component finished on Monday. One of the big concerns around that is the fact that they are proposing to take the mobility component away from people who live in residential accommodation. A young man with a learning difficulty who lives in residential accommodation told me that the residential home pools residents' mobility component, and it is used to pay for a minibus to take them out. He is petrified — I cannot use a strong enough word — that the combination of his DLA being taken away and the reduction of the Door-2-Door service will affect his ability to get out. Therefore, it is not only about what one Department does; it is an accumulation of what happens across all Departments.

141. The other day, I was told about a group of visually impaired people who meet regularly. They have been using Health Service transport to get them to and from their meetings one evening a week. They have been told that that transport is no longer available for them. In its budget proposals, the Department is also proposing the removal of group travel from the Community Transport Association budget. Who else do those people turn to? That might be the only night they get out each week. How do those people get out any more? People are being knocked about left and right because Departments are making decisions in isolation from other Departments. That will end up in disaster for many people.

142. I will come back to what I said earlier about Easibus-type services, although I am not talking about just Easibus. We need to look at maximising the use of town services and trying to reduce the need for the Door-2-Door service. That will be reduced anyway, but, using the eligibility criteria, we need to look at who uses the Door-2-Door service. It is difficult to get because a lot of people are using it who could, maybe, use public transport.

143. A lot of the time public transport is not being advertised as being accessible. For example, there is a photograph in Translink's headquarters in Central Station that shows a wheelchair user getting off a bus, which was taken five years ago. There is another photograph, which is out in public view on the way down to the trains, of a young woman who has learning difficulties using a bicycle and getting off the train. Translink has never swapped those two photographs around. The young woman using the bicycle getting off the train looks "normal"; it does not frighten the public, if I can put it that way. The young woman getting off the bus in the wheelchair is very obviously a disabled person. Why can we not visibly promote the use of public transport by disabled people much more often? That needs to be done as well.

144. Ms Caroline Redpath (Youth Action): We did a presentation to the Committee on 12 January 2011 on research that we did on young people and public transport last year. We presented it through performing arts, but I am not going to do any singing or dancing today. I want to make a couple of points, as well as welcoming the Committee's positive response to that research, which we did with the Consumer Council. I will pick up on the challenges relating to public transport and young people using public transport. One of the key issues for us is that older young people aged 16 to 25 are at the age when they begin to drive cars. If we do not do something about that, we are going to lose a whole generation of travellers who might avail themselves of public transport. If we are going to talk about sustainable public transport today, we need to focus on that.

145. One of the solutions is concessionary fares for young people aged up to 25. With budget cuts, the economic circumstances and youth unemployment, it is important that we encourage young people to use public transport and have concessionary fares for them, especially if we want them to take up even part-time employment or volunteering opportunities to develop their employability and skills. Two of the key findings from the report concerned the affordability and availability of public transport for young people. The costs of travel for young people in rural communities and its availability are issues for them, especially for their social lives and for the economic benefits of employment.

146. Mr Michael Hughes (Rural Community Network): I apologise in advance for talking with a bias towards rural communities. Access to transport that is available at relevant times to do relevant things is the issue for rural communities. Even today, I have a meeting in Cookstown at 2.30 pm, and to use public transport to get me from my home in Donaghmore to here and back to Cookstown for 2.30 pm cannot be done. I live 10 miles from Cookstown, and, in order to get to work at 9.00 am, I leave home at 7.15 am using public transport, but I cannot use public transport to get back home again before 7.00 pm. It is difficult for many people in rural areas to access public transport at relevant times.

147. That is not to say that there are no potential solutions. A huge range of public transport passes through many rural areas every day of the week, particularly from Monday to Friday. We have school, health and public transport buses. The reason why government have not even attempted to target or clear up the accessibility issue is that Departments still work in silos. In any of the Scandinavian countries, a bus is a bus. At any given time of the day in many rural areas of Northern Ireland, there are three buses going into a major town and each picking up only one or two people because the services are siloed. If we ask anything of the Regional Development Committee, it is to encourage all the Departments with public transport buses to work out how they can work better together to deliver a better quality of service for rural areas using the scarce resources that we have.

148. If we are serious about getting people out of cars, we have to get serious about fares. It is only by using public transport that you get to know how costly it is. For me to get to Cookstown five days a week using a SmartPass card will cost £24, whereas I can buy £15 worth of diesel for my trusty Toyota 1·9 to do me the week. A day return fare from Dungannon to Belfast costs me £15. For the whole week, it costs £65. For a lot of people in rural communities who really want to try to use public transport, the cost puts them off.

149. The other thing about transport is the timing. Many people here find that rural public transport might be all right for the early morning, but after 6.00 pm it is virtually non-existent. Caroline also made that point. For young people, or even for adults to access adult education classes in their nearest town, there is no choice but to use cars. Can we have joined-up thinking using the resources out there? We must use education, public health or public transport buses in a way that might join up transport provision.

150. At the other end of the scale are older people. It is really important for rural communities that we try to put in place measures now for older people that will prevent us from having to come up with a very expensive cure later on. In 2025, some 30% of rural communities will be over 60 years of age. At over 60, you may have a car, so you will have a fair bit of independence. When you get to 70, that car may be taken off you or you may not be able to drive and suddenly your independence is gone in a stroke. That independence is very important to people. If we continue to centralise services in towns, older people will have to access those services by other means. Access by bus cannot happen. People will have to use cars, taxis or get a friend to bring them.

151. Perhaps the Regional Development Committee can ask the Health Department to organise services or appointments for people coming from one area at the same time. In that way, maybe a community can get together to hire a community transport bus or whatever to bring those people, as a community, to the service and back again. What we have heard is that people roll up to Belfast City Hospital at 9.30 am to find that their next-door neighbour, or someone who lives 400 or 500 yards down the road, has an appointment at 9.15 am. It goes on and on.

152. If we want to take people out of cars, have sustainable transport and contribute to the Executive's vision of a strong and vibrant rural community, it is important that the public transport that we have is better used. The people, as experts in living in rural communities, should help those who design the transport solutions. Ask people in rural communities what is relevant to them, and they will tell you. If you develop a transport system that is relevant to rural people, you will get them out of their cars, get accessible transport and reduce greenhouse emissions.

153. Mr Malachy Campbell (World Wildlife Fund): I thank the Committee for the invitation; it is good that it has initiated this meeting. Listening to the Chairperson, it seems that the Committee understands many of the issues that are pertinent to the question.

154. Our submission made points about the general sustainability of transport, including the economic, environmental and social aspects. I will not touch on those today, not least because previous speakers spoke well and got the points across. I think that David McDonald made good points about accessibility, which demonstrated how difficult that issue is to tackle. I do not envy the Chairperson in his task of making recommendations. However, David spoke well in getting us to think about transport generally.

155. At the strategic level, Northern Ireland imports about 99% of its energy, which is a precarious, unsustainable position. Globally, 95% of the energy for transport comes from hydrocarbons. So, we are in a difficult position in both Northern Ireland and global scales. I could go into the emissions scenarios, which in Northern Ireland is considerably worse than other parts of the UK. However, because I want to be brief, I will focus on issues primarily relating to economics and peak oil. I will also focus on some of the drivers for change.

156. During the previous session, the Chairperson mentioned EU legislation. The 2008 EU renewable energy package set targets for the percentage of energy that member states had to generate from renewables. For the UK it is 15%, and because it is energy, that means electricity, heating and transport. As a result, it is predicted that we will have about 40% of electricity generated from renewable sources, as well as 10% to 15% of heating and 10% of transport. So, we will have to make transport more sustainable and renewable whether we like it or not.

157. The issue of peak oil also arises. At the moment, oil is more than $100 a barrel, and the variation in oil price is also a real consideration. Between 2000 and 2007 an economist at the University of Surrey found that the increase in oil prices cost between €400 million and €700 million extra. That would meet all our targets in the EU package. Therefore, the economics for change are strong. Overall, we have to start moving towards a low carbon economy. That was mentioned briefly in the previous discussion on networks and gateways. We have to make our transport system more sustainable, and there are drivers and factors that will compel us to so. However, it is the right thing to do in the current economic and political circumstances.

158. Every Department's budget is being squeezed. However, with respect to the DRD's money, previously there was an 80:20 split on roads, and that pattern is continuing. The World Wildlife Fund and others believe that there should be at least a 50:50 split. Ideally, spend should be predominantly on public transport and sustainable means, with about 20% on roads. We would like to see a 50:50 split in the next budget. Transport needs to be made more sustainable, and the move to a low carbon economy is essential.

159. Mr Kevin Doherty (Disability Action): This is the second time that we have been here. We find it very interesting to hear what others have to say. I reiterate David's comments, and it is important that the Committee takes all of them on board.

160. Our organisation has delivered transport services for a number of years and has worked very closely with the DRD. We have commented before, but in my view, to move forward, financial measures need to be developed and linked with the social return on investment in providing transport services for people with disabilities rather than just the financial and cost aspect of the whole thing.

161. The Chairperson: The Committee also believes that a silo mentality is operating. From the outside, looking in, one can see that it is quite simple: joined-up government should mean exactly that. However, I assure you that it is not as simple as it seems. A lot of people here are very defensive of their Departments. It becomes very frustrating when one knows perfectly well that problems can be solved by working together and co-operating, but that does not seem to be the mindset of some individuals here.

162. We had a very successful night with Youth Action when we discussed young people and public transport in rural areas. The Committee thought that it was a very successful night.

163. The simple message is that there is a clear relationship between public transport, fares, and accessibility to trains and buses. When we look at the outcomes of the Budget, it is a complete reversal of that: there will be higher fares, less service and more isolation. That is frustrating for us all. The Committee has a particular interest in rural transport and social exclusion among people in rural areas. We have always tried, as far as possible, to advance that matter, and we are happy to do so.

164. Accessibility to transport is another big issue for the Committee. The Committee believes that every person who lives here should have access to transport. We have listened to the financial arguments, but they really do not hold up. It is not always a matter of finance; it is a matter of communities working together and making sure that there is equality in the community, whether it is in urban or rural transport. It does not really matter. Modern city public transport systems use audio-visual technology. We are making slow progress towards that, but at least it is on the agenda. We are always trying to champion that.

165. We are also championing integrated ticketing systems. The word "promise" is probably the wrong word to use, but the Department has told us that it will make sure that the integrated ticketing system is accessible to people with disabilities, particularly those who are blind. So, we are trying, as far as possible, to do as much as possible but sometimes it gets extremely difficult and frustrating, and I am sure that it is more frustrating for you than for us.

166. Mr Boylan: Apologies for being late: my Toyota Avensis 1·9 diesel did not want to start this morning.

167. Mr F McCann: That is his code for sleeping late.

168. Mr Boylan: If I had relied on public transport, I would not be here until 8.00 pm tonight.

169. I have championed rural issues as best I could during my time on the Committee. The Chairperson spoke about the silo mentality. I think that the roles and responsibilities of each Department need to be examined. They will say that they have a duty to provide certain facilities, and the DRD, Health and Education Departments will each have an element of that. It is easy to talk about working in partnership but Departments can hide behind their roles and responsibilities. The key to any change is to address that first. That is the starting point.

170. The Committee can try to help, but only from the DRD point of view. However, in time, hopefully in the next mandate, we will look at that. That is key to solving part of the rural problem. We have a total reliance on cars and no quick fix. I appreciate people coming today to give their views, and you are correct in what you say. The people who deal with these issues daily will provide the greatest input, and through them we will make the change.

171. Malachy spoke about a 50:50 funding split. In an ideal situation, it would be fine to change that; but we have to be realistic. At the moment, 80% of the infrastructure is rural. That is the make-up of the North and we need to address that. I do not want to make this a rural/urban issue but we can certainly make changes in urban areas. That is quicker to do. You spoke about stops a mile down the road: I think that there is also a role for local government in that matter.

172. Mr G Robinson: I welcome you all; it has been enlightening. I am always spellbound by David and how positive he is even though he tries to use public transport as much as he can. I listened carefully about the rural transport situation. I represent rural people more so maybe than urban people. I spoke to Translink a couple of years ago about getting services after 6.00 pm to rural areas. There was a three-month trial and I think that the service was very poorly used, with three or four passengers the odd night. Translink was out of pocket because people just did not use the service.

173. That brings us to the situation where so many people have a car. However, the cost of fuel going up all the time will, in itself, probably bring more people back to public transport. So, when the Committee and Assembly hear of such things, we must keep a close watch and do all that we possibly can to help that situation.

174. We were under direct rule up until four years ago. Have you found any difference now that we have our own Assembly, and Ministers who you and we can tap into? Is our local Administration working?

175. Mr McDonald: Very definitely, yes. On occasions, we had access to Ministers under direct rule, but not to the same extent of talking to local politicians who understand the situation much more clearly. We have been well-received and heard by this Committee and other Committees, and that has made a difference. Without the current situation, we would not have gotten as far as we have. We have got far: we have made a massive stride. Investment in public transport and the buses and money for Door-2-Door happened because we have a local Administration. I very much welcome it.

176. Ms Redpath: Having a local Administration has been very positive, and it is important for young people to engage with the Committee. We are still in the early days of having our own Government making decisions. However, if we are trying to develop a healthy democracy, it is especially important to engage young people in political discourse. That is brilliant. The young people get to know you. We also have an opportunity to do things in different ways, to be creative and encourage other young people to get involved, especially if we want to get young people to register to vote, which I am sure you all think is important. Engaging more with young people and learning about their needs is important for a healthy democracy.

177. Mr F McCann: It is important that there is a local Administration here that people can and should be able to tap into, whether Ministers or people such as ourselves who sit in the Assembly. If we cannot do at least that then we have failed in our task in providing for people. We should always be accessible to the people who put us here.

178. The Chairperson mentioned silos. Yes, there are silos between many Departments. For me, and certainly for a lot of others, it has been a daily battle, like pulling teeth or trying to fight a system that has been there forever. We have had the first four years, which is only a short time. The learning is ahead of us, and there is a learning curve for you and for us. Unlike Cathal, I never take the electorate for granted. If we are lucky enough to be re-elected, then we hope that the last four years' experience will help us to deal with the issues. Cathal and many others on the Committee are constant champions of rural issues, sometimes much to the annoyance of the Chairperson and me, who are urbanites. However, I have to keep reminding him that 35% of west Belfast is rural.

179. Questions posed by young people when they were last here included how people tied in directly with us and with those who provide the transport system, and whether they were being listened to. I am lucky to live in a city. However, it is only when one is on a Committee such as this that one discovers the major hurdles and difficulties for people with disabilities and those who live in rural areas. We need to focus our minds and attention on that.

180. You were asked whether you think things are better since the Assembly came into being. Has the interaction between statutory authorities got any better? That is one other way in which we need to use our influence to ensure that the people who have experienced those difficulties — the people in this room — are being listened to. The guy from Sustrans talked about the A5, but the A8 was not mentioned. Representatives from the Federation of Small Businesses said earlier that the A5 would open things up but was taking too long to build.

181. Ms Kellie Armstrong (Community Transport Association): This is all very positive, and I do not mean to be negative, but one thing that has blatantly not worked is the fact that the public transport reform —

182. Mr F McCann: Do not say the Assembly.

183. Ms K Armstrong: Local transportation plans were built into public transport reform. That would have fed directly into planning and would have stated exactly what local people were missing. If there had been an opportunity to integrate that more with Translink and build on the existing network, that would have been perfect, but there is absolutely no support or funding for it. Councils will not have any powers to do anything about it. I see a difference with what is happening across the water, because the personalisation and localism agenda is working to make sure that people who have access needs, who are older or who are rural dwellers are being catered for. We are missing a trick here, and it would be great if the next Committee thought hard about that.

184. Is it because we are having to fight so hard with the limited resources that we have, that we have to pass the buck and say that, as the health sector is saying, we do not have a statutory responsibility to deliver non-emergency passenger transport? The Department of Education can say that transport for the special education needs sector is not on its radar and that it will not provide it. Is there an opportunity for the Department for Regional Development to say in the future that its statutory responsibility is the mainstream public transport network services and that everything else is secondary?

185. The Chairperson: Much of what we have been talking about goes back to the debate about silos. I am not saying that there is an abundance of resources; there are resources that are underused and could address some of the issues that you have talked about. The education service has a fleet that it uses until 3.30 pm in the day and then the vehicles sit in a garage until 7.00 am or 8.00 am the next day.

186. We think that local councils are central to addressing the issue of rural transport. Many of us here are former councillors, and we know that councils want to be involved in anything that directly affects ratepayers and that they would be keen to work with the DRD. We have raised those issues, and we keep pressing. We are not the Department, we are just a Committee. We press continuously on a lot of issues, and rural transport is a particular issue for us, not only because it affects young people but because of the social exclusion of older people. We believe that although there may not be a total solution, there are additional resources that can be obtained without any extra cost.

187. Mr F McCann: One of the important issues is that we lost the opportunity to implement the RPA. That would have had an impact on the delivery of a lot of services.

188. Mr Patterson: I will make one quick point, Chairperson. Mr Robinson asked about how things have been different under devolution. The availability of Ministers has been very positive, as has the availability of the Committee. I genuinely appreciate the work that the Committee has done on transport.

189. I will pick up on the last two points. Northern Ireland, compared with the Republic or GB, is different in that local councils do not have the transport brief. That is a very important issue, because, as members who have been councillors know, councillors do not have the responsibility for making difficult decisions about what happens for example in west Belfast or County Tyrone or wherever. In future, it will be important for the Committee, as a regional Committee alongside a regional Department, to look at regional infrastructure, such as big roads, railways, buses and other inter-urban matters.

190. However, there is also a need to recognise how the Department and Committee engage with local councils on the 63% of journeys that are under five miles. It is a weakness that, structurally, responsibility for transport never lay with local councils. It would be good to explore that issue interdepartmentally and with regard to involving councils. If the health development unit in Belfast, which is bringing the health trusts and city council together, could also bring in transport, that is starting to get a local partnership in the urban and rural areas.

191. Mr Tom McClelland (Sustrans): I echo what Steven Patterson said about the work of the Committee. It has been enlightening how open-minded the Committee has been, and the hard work that it has put into improving and being constructively critical of the Department is good.

192. One big issue was overlooked, and it is more a philosophical point in that there has been a big drift from urban areas into the countryside over the past 20 to 25 years. It is a question of taking a long-term view of spatial development and reducing the need to travel, which is a huge issue.

193. Michael Hughes mentioned the problems faced by older people in rural communities, especially those over 60 years old. As an over-60-year-old cyclist, I can assure him that travelling by bicycle when you are over 60 is good for your health. You can increase your public transport catchment area and do not create social injustice for Fra McCann's constituents by emitting CO2 down the Westlink.

194. Finally, to encourage sustainable transport we much reduce road danger. Some responsibility for that lies with another Department but the Committee should bear that issue in mind. That ties in with social justice in that there is a socio-economic gradient that deprived children have a far greater killed-or-seriously-injured rate than the children of wealthy parents.

195. Mr B Armstrong: Today has been an eye-opener for a lot of us. Years ago, there was cheap transport and fuel, and everyone wanted to drive a car. However, almost every student from a rural area goes to school on a bus, and, after they go home buses are non-existent. Maybe the way forward is for school buses to be run by a kind of transport authority: they take children to and from school and then continue running as a bus service. Children go to school on buses, but when they reach 16 or 17 they are all looking their own wee private cars. If the bus service was still available, however, there might not be the same view about looking for a car. It is a question of independence. The school bus service finishes at 3.00 pm or 4.00 pm instead of continuing. As for the bicycle: it is a good idea, but a dangerous thing to do on rural roads. You could get killed.

196. Mr Stephen Wood (Stephen Wood Consultancy): I speak on behalf of my consultancy and for Professor Austin Smyth, the voice of transport planning professionals. I want to make two points. The first is about linking accessible transport with sustainability. Good, accessible transport is good public transport and vice versa.

197. There is a strong network effect; if you chip away at one part of it, the whole thing can come tumbling down.

198. Secondly, as we decide on how we are going to deal with the challenge of sustainability, and maybe I am stating the obvious, we have to devise a greenhouse gas target. That target has to be devised with full knowledge of where people work and live in Northern Ireland. Once we have that target, we have to get behind it in planning and delivering a new transport system.

199. Mr Hughes: I want to answer Fra's question about the relationship with statutory agencies. For most community and voluntary sector agencies, the relationship with statutory agencies probably remains the same; adversarial and risk-averse. We should be trying to take calculated risks to move things on. For a lot of community and voluntary sector groups, the relationship with statutory agencies is still not what it should be. The reason is that, at Executive level, there are clear guidelines about how things can be done. However, those messages get lost as they are transferred to the ground through delivery agents. So, there is a lot of work to do in that area.

200. I will not get into some of the comments that there have been about rural roads —

201. The Chairperson: Please do not.

202. Mr Hughes: — nor will I talk about people moving from rural areas and PPS 21 determining what type of people live in rural areas rather than what type of houses are wrong for those areas.

203. One key thing that the Department for Regional Development can do is try to deliver on the Bain report on the relocation of public sector jobs. We have a major site 17 miles from Belfast called the Maze. A statement of government and of a new Northern Ireland would have been to relocate public sector jobs to the Maze and implement a sustainable transport solution by using the rail, road and canal networks to demonstrate to the people of Northern Ireland that we have a new beginning. Could we have a commitment to the Bain report on the relocation of public sector jobs?

204. Mr F McCann: I want to make one wee comment on the Bain report. I know that people are in a rush to move public sector jobs out of Belfast, but most public sector jobs are in the greater Belfast area. Most of the most socially deprived areas in the North are in west and north Belfast, which have little or no public sector jobs. So, there needs to be an equal spread.

205. Mr Hughes: Absolutely.

206. Mr McClelland: I know that I have 30 seconds to speak. I just want to correct Mr Armstrong's impression of road danger. First, he makes a good point that there should be road-danger reduction. Secondly, statistically, cycling is no more dangerous than walking.

207. Mr Lorimer: I want to come back to rural transport issues. There is always a danger that we are oversimplifying arguments. I live in a rural area, about a mile from the local bus stop. I came here by public transport this morning. People do not know what is out there and what opportunities there are for them to travel in rural areas. The opportunities depend on the rural area that you live in: I fully appreciate that Cookstown is much more difficult place to get to than Mourne, which is where I live. That reinforces the need for much more localised transport planning.

208. The Chairperson: On behalf of the Committee, I want to say how grateful we are that you all came this morning at short notice. The discussion has been interesting for us; I hope that it has been for you. It is important to the work of the Committee that issues are identified by stakeholders rather than politicians. You have more experience of this stuff than we do. You will all get a copy of the Hansard report of the meeting, which will also be published on the Assembly website. Thank you very much for your time.

23 February 2011

Key Issues and Future Challenges: Water and Sewerage Services

Members present for all or part of the proceedings:

Miss Michelle McIlveen (Deputy Chairperson)
Mr Billy Armstrong
Mr Cathal Boylan
Mr Allan Bresland
Mr Fra McCann
Mr George Robinson

Witnesses:

Ms Kathy Graham Ms Jenny Robinson		Consumer Council
Mr Shane Lynch		Northern Ireland Authority for Utility Regulation
Mr John Corey		Northern Ireland Committee, Irish Congress of Trade Unions
Mr David McCann		Northern Ireland Environment Link
Mr George Butler Mr Paddy Cullen		Northern Ireland Water
Mr Bob Miller		Unite

209. The Acting Chairperson (Mr Boylan): Thank you all for coming to Parliament Buildings to participate in this evidence gathering event. Invitations were sent out at short notice, and I thank you for making the time in your schedules to attend today.

210. As this mandate comes to a close, members of the Committee for Regional Development are, as you all are, keen to discuss the issues that have been dealt with during this mandate. Perhaps more importantly, the Committee also wishes to identify the issues that will face, and should be considered by, an incoming Committee following the elections in May.

211. Today's event has been structured to address three key work streams for the Committee and the Department, and this part of the event will address water and sewerage services. The aim of the event is to hear the views of key stakeholders on what major gains or significant developments have been achieved over recent years, what opportunities were lost in recent years, what key strategic challenges lie ahead, and what needs to be done to address those challenges.

212. You are all aware that the issues for discussion today are extremely important and that a lot of work is required on the part of the Department, the incoming Committee and you, the stakeholders, to take them forward in a way that will improve the quality of life for everyone throughout the North of Ireland. Achieving our objectives will, as you know, be made even more difficult as a result of the Budget in March.

213. The format of the event is simple. Each organisation will be called to briefly provide its views and concerns as they relate to four main questions, namely: what major gains or significant developments have been achieved over recent years; what opportunities were lost in recent years; what are the key strategic challenges that lie ahead; and what needs to be done to address these challenges? Members of the Committee will then provide their comments or ask questions. After all the organisations represented today have had the opportunity to speak, I will open the floor for a plenary-style discussion. That will provide you with an opportunity to share your views on the issues discussed or to add additional comment, having heard the concerns of others. It is anticipated that the event will last approximately one hour.

214. Throughout the event, members of staff will be available with roving microphones. The event will be covered by the Office of the Official Report, so it is extremely important that all your comments are recorded. The transcript of today's event will be incorporated into a report of this Committee that will be recommended to the incoming Committee, following the election. Hopefully, some of the current Committee members will also serve on the incoming Committee and will be able to take up this mantel in the new mandate. The report will also be published on the Committee's pages of the Assembly website. To ensure that today's transcript accurately attributes comments to the correct individuals and organisations, it is vital that you state your name and the organisation that you represent each time you speak.

215. Again, welcome and thank you for coming here today. Who would like to start us off?

216. Mr George Butler (Northern Ireland Water): I am the director of asset management for Northern Ireland Water. I thank the Chairperson and the Committee for putting this session together and for taking these views. Some of the views that I have put forward on behalf of the company have already been registered in the small handout that was passed out, so I will try not to reiterate them.

217. The first question was: in our opinion, what major gains and significant developments have been achieved over recent years? The period from about 2000 to 2010 has seen the delivery of major investment in water and then in waste water treatment plants, which has resulted in record levels of water quality and waste water compliance in Northern Ireland. It is sometimes forgotten that, around 2000, we had three very serious outbreaks of water-related illness — cryptosporidiosis. Since then, with all the investment that has been put into water infrastructure, the risk of that reoccurring has been very low. We were also being infracted by the European Union for non-compliance with the urban waste water treatment directive, but that threat has now gone. So, there have been very significant steps forward.

218. On the second question — what opportunities were lost? — I am afraid that major investment is still required, particularly around below-ground infrastructure assets, namely water mains and the sewerage system, including the sewers and the sewage pumping stations. To ensure that we do not have issues in the future, work on those assets will have to continue. In addition, given that they are long-term assets, water and sewerage services really benefit from a long-term approach to investment and a clear investment strategy.

219. On the third question — what key strategic challenges lie ahead? — the most pressing strategic challenge for Northern Ireland Water is the company's status and how it is organised. Linked to that is the political decision on domestic charging and the relationship with our many stakeholders.

220. Finally, on question four — in our opinion, what needs to be done to address these challenges? — the most beneficial thing for Northern Ireland Water would be to have a long-term strategic framework for delivering water and waste water services in Northern Ireland and for the company to be allowed the freedom to deliver against that framework. We very much understand the need for governance and a control mechanism to ensure that the service is delivered effectively and efficiently. Thank you very much for the opportunity to address the Committee.

221. The Committee Clerk: We have people here from the Utility Regulator, the Consumer Council, the Coalition against Water Charges and the union Unite. We also have somebody from Northern Ireland Environment Link, and we are expecting Dr Claire Cockerill, from the World Wildlife Fund. Apparently, she has not arrived yet. Who would like to go next?

222. Mr Shane Lynch (Northern Ireland Authority for Utility Regulation): Thank you very much for the opportunity. I shall take the questions one by one.

223. What major gains and significant developments have been achieved over recent years? As the new chief executive of the Utility Regulator, looking at things afresh, I think that a lot of positive things have been achieved in Northern Ireland Water. Sometimes, when you are a bit close to and embroiled in things, you have to step back before you can properly recognise that fact. Compared with where we were a number of years ago, the company is now in compliance: it no longer has EU-level infraction notices. So, from a quality perspective, it is in compliance.

224. With the regulatory framework, we now have a lot more transparency on how Northern Ireland Water spends its money and how it performs. With that transparency, there is a lot more accountability, which was not there before. The company was much closer to being a black box with people not really seeing what was going on in the box. When such a regime is put in place, a number of things get revealed and come to the surface. There have been issues around billing and procurement, and it is not a bad thing that those get revealed because it means that we can address them. We do not know, but it is possible that there are similar issues in other public sector companies. We should not beat ourselves up too much about things that we have spotted in the past number of years, because at least the regime has brought those to the surface, and we are addressing them.

225. What opportunities were lost in recent years? Again, I do not view that as a negative. I would have liked the Hillyard report to have been debated a lot more. That was a fine piece of work that contained a lot of good findings, conclusions and recommendations. The opportunity is not lost. The report is still there, and we can pick up on it again as a contribution to the debate. I am not saying that everything in the report is the right answer, but it is a good contribution to the debate that will probably need to take place after the election.

226. What are the key strategic challenges that lie ahead? At the top of my list is for the company to develop its customer focus. That is a big strategic challenge. It has 1·7 million customers, and it needs to up its game on delivering for those customers. Secondly is what I describe as targeted investment. The nature of the beast is that the company needs a lot of investment, but, given the constrained economy, it is important not to simply chuck money at the company. Investment must be done in a targeted and professionally thought-out way so that we get maximum value for money. We also need to take a hard look at the capital structure / ownership of the company. We need to consider what gets us the best answer for consumers in Northern Ireland. That is the big debate that still needs to take place.

227. What needs to be done to address these challenges? For me, the answer is to talk about it and to have a whole stakeholder engagement consultation. Let us have that debate, because, from where I am standing, we have not done consumers in Northern Ireland enough justice yet because we have not debated the issue properly.

228. Mr John Corey (Northern Ireland Committee, Irish Congress of Trade Unions): I am representing the Irish Congress of Trade Unions' Coalition against Water Charges. I will take the four questions in order.

229. On the major gains, there is a degree of agreement between the coalition and NI Water and the Utility Regulator that the continuing capital investment in infrastructure is a gain. We also regard the stopping of the introduction of separate household water charges and the stopping of the privatisation of NI Water as gains in the past four years. We will come back to those points.

230. A number of things can be described as developments, depending on how the word development is interpreted. The independent review panel reports of October 2007 and January 2008, referred to by the Utility Regulator, were important developments. We, as a trade union organisation, have been critical of the Minister and the Department for their failure to action the January 2008 report on the governance structures of NI Water. That was an opportunity missed. The sacking last year of the chairman and directors was a significant development with regard to the health and morale of NI Water. The winter freeze/thaw crisis was also a significant development in the consumers' perception of NI Water. All of those have to be considered as developments that are relevant to where we are today.

231. With regard to opportunities lost, there is agreement among the parties, and certainly by this trade union coalition, that the delay in addressing governance issues was an opportunity lost. The delay in resolving the funding issue was also an opportunity lost. The future funding of NI Water should have been resolved in the lifetime of this Assembly, and the opportunity was there to do that.

232. We believe that the endless debate about water charges needs to be ended once and for all, and it can be ended. The fact that is often overlooked is that household consumers in Northern Ireland contribute to the cost of water through the regional rate. There is no ambiguity about that. It is confirmed by the Department of Finance and Personnel's rates bills and the information issued with them. That issue should have been addressed and put to bed. The constant threat from many people that we will have to introduce water charges is wrong and should have been answered and dealt with long before now.

233. The other opportunity lost was to make NI Water a fully accountable public service and body. It was established under the current structure with the objective of privatising it. That is why it was done that way. That is no longer the policy, so there is no purpose in maintaining that legislative model and structure. It is now important to move to end that arrangement and to introduce legislation that makes NI Water an accountable public body. Scottish Water's website states upfront that Scottish Water is a public body answerable to the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish people. I do not think that anyone in Northern Ireland has the perception that NI Water is answerable to the NI Assembly, and that is being examined.

234. Establishing future funding and returning NI Water to being an accountable public body remain challenges that have to be dealt with. An additional challenge is the need to renegotiate PFI and PPP contracts, which are a significant burden on NI Water. Many of those contracts were negotiated in a financial world that was wholly different from the one that now operates. We certainly propose that NI Water should examine the scope to renegotiate PPP and PFI contracts, even with a view to buying out those contracts in the long-term interests of NI Water.

235. As a challenge, we also have to review all of the structures associated with NI Water, including the roles of the Utility Regulator and the Consumer Council and where they may be required in a new structure that has, at its core, NI Water as a public body that is accountable to the Assembly.

236. What needs to be done to address those challenges? A priority for the incoming Executive and Assembly is a new Bill on NI Water to address all of the issues left over from the current Assembly. That must be given priority in the Assembly's post-election legislative programme, so that we can deal with this once and for all.

237. Mr Bob Miller (Unite): I second John Corey's submission and will add a few comments on behalf of Unite.

238. What major gains and significant developments have been achieved over recent years? In Unite's opinion, the catastrophic events of late 2010 and early 2011 showed clearly that the stripping away of experienced staff and outsourcing of work to privatise the body failed miserably.

239. In our opinion, what opportunities were lost in recent years? The clear agenda to set up Northern Ireland Water for privatisation with a senior management team consisting, in the main, of inexperienced and bought-in corporate consultants demonstrated a lack of awareness that Northern Ireland Water's purpose is to serve the public.

240. Our answer to the Committee's third question about key strategic challenges is that we need a complete overhaul of corporate groupthinking and of a disastrous communications and HR policy, which completely failed the public in their hour of need and Northern Ireland Water staff, who feel highly aggrieved at the continuous aggressive and bullying tactics that the so-called restructuring, privatisation policy has brought to their daily working lives.

241. Unite's answer to question four about what needs to be done is that, if senior managers are found to be guilty of incompetence in their roles during the crisis of late 2010 and early 2011, they should be immediately removed from office without compensation; in other words, sacked. No bonuses should be paid to senior management for their failure during that time. The days of incentives for failure must end.

242. Ms Kathy Graham (Consumer Council): I thank the Committee for the opportunity for the Consumer Council to present its thoughts. Like many of the other organisations here today, the Consumer Council believes that one of the most significant developments achieved has been the continuing programme of investment in and improvement of water quality and waste water treatment. The Belfast sewers project, in particular, has delivered demonstrable benefits for consumers. It has reduced the risk of flooding and enhanced the water quality of the River Lagan.

243. We regard price control 2010 (PC10) as a significant achievement. It introduced a transparent and open economic regulatory process, which involved consumer and stakeholder engagement to define the costs and outputs of Northern Ireland Water. It also provided a framework for Northern Ireland Water to evidence a disciplined approach to planning and costing. Consumer consultation and engagement in that process showed that consumers willingly gave of their time to share their priorities for investment. Those consumers did so responsibly and weighed up their decisions. The price control allows for greater scrutiny and monitoring of Northern Ireland Water's delivery on targets, and it helps to ensure best value for money.

244. The Consumer Council's view is that the Hillyard report was one of the biggest opportunities lost in recent years. A lot of momentum was gained there. It addressed many issues, such as paying twice. It provided guidance and outlines for future funding arrangements and the structure of water and sewerage services. However, the report was never publicly consulted on by the Executive.

245. With regard to other opportunities lost, there were many occasions when Northern Ireland Water could have proved itself a consumer-focused organisation. We believe that proactive communication with its consumers should be built upon. The Consumer Council has commented publicly that it believes that there was a breach in the water stakeholders partnership agreement. The breach in the partnership agreement resulted in the loss of public trust and confidence.

246. Regarding the key strategic challenges that lie ahead, the core aim of the Consumer Council's work in water reform has been to get a water service that is fair, affordable and sustainable. "Fair" means high-quality public services, but they need to be paid for; water and sewerage services are no different. Consumers, either as taxpayers or through any form of direct charging, must not pay twice, nor should they pay unfair or unnecessary charges.

247. Water and sewerage services must be affordable to the individual consumer and to Northern Ireland society. The cost of providing services must be continually challenged to ensure value for money. There must also be a balance between the social, environmental and economic benefits of delivering water and sewerage services.

248. The Consumer Council believes that consumer confidence in the delivery of water and sewerage services and its governance has been shattered, and that needs to be addressed immediately. The future funding and structure of Northern Ireland Water must be determined in a consultative manner. Regulation led by and focused on consumers must become a priority so that regulation becomes an iterative process.

249. To address those challenges, consumers must be placed at the heart of all decisions made about our water and sewerage services. The Northern Ireland Executive should begin to discuss publicly the future of our water and sewerage services, as an informed debate should help to ensure that we have a service that is socially, environmentally, politically and financially sustainable.

250. The benefits that the reform of water and sewerage services has delivered must not be lost; they must be improved upon. The Executive must ensure that the long-term financing of water and sewerage services is protected in order to allow the necessary investment plans to continue.

251. Mr David McCann (Northern Ireland Environment Link): Northern Ireland Environment Link (NIEL) strongly advocates the introduction of water charges; they are the only way to change behaviour when using water. Recent events underline the long-term underinvestment in water infrastructure. However, they also present an opportunity to increase awareness of the cost of bringing water to people, including its purification and distribution. The natural environment can do much of the purification of water for us. Therefore, if we maintain the natural environment, we can reduce the costs of water treatment. The separate collection of rainwater and sewage would also reduce costs. Water charges should be separate from the rates, as, at present, water charges are invisible; people do not realise the cost involved. Ultimately, that would involve universal metering; however, that is an expensive process, especially in the current climate. It is essential that that be carried out in newbuilds; retrofits can come afterwards.

252. I would like to make two quick final points. There needs to be an abstraction strategy. At present, projects are viewed individually, and the majority are passed. The cumulative impacts on rivers need to be taken into consideration, so perhaps the Committee and the Department should consider a strategy.

253. I have been reliably informed that there are major issues with septic tanks; however, that is not an area with which I am very familiar, so I do not want to delve into that too much.

254. The Acting Chairperson: Would anyone else like to make any further comments?

255. The Committee Clerk: Before we go on, I want to let everyone know that we are keeping an eye on the plenary debate, and that is where the other Committee members are. A debate on the Justice Bill is happening at the same time as this event, and we anticipate that the Division Bells will ring fairly shortly. You will not need to leave the Building. However, Committee members will need to go immediately to vote, and there may be a number of votes. I ask you to bear with us, and we will resume the event as soon as those votes have finished.

256. The Acting Chairperson: I want to go through some of the comments that participants made, and then I will open the session up to the floor and to Committee members.

257. George Butler touched on the achievements, and there have been some of those. I have been a member of the Committee for four years and have seen what has happened. It is very easy to react to events, but there have been major achievements in relation to sewerage, waste water treatment and compliance. I want us to think about where we go next in respect of where the investment should lie. [Inaudible.] the Chairperson of the Committee about water mains construction. I know that we have spent a lot on sewerage and waste water treatment.

258. Shane Lynch also highlighted achievements. If we look at comparisons with other utilities, we see that those achievements have been good. He mentioned customer focus, and, from what we have seen, that is a major area. Perhaps he would also like to talk about the water mains issue and where the investment should go. Should we continue to invest or do we need to review the strategy? Are we going in the right direction?

259. John Corey touched on a lot of things. He referred to the governance arrangements in NIW, the independent review, the consumer paying, and the fact that the model needs to be changed. The Minister came before the Committee last week to propose a Bill, which will address some of those issues.

260. To be honest, considering all that has gone on, I think that we need a change of model. From day one, this Committee has continually asked whether there were any more surprises. We have talked about the billing and everything else. John talked about the executive directors of NIW being released. Let us be honest: the Committee has tried to find answers and to hold people to account on the issues of value for money and spending public money. Those issues have raised their head, and I will not delve into all of that. I have asked, on behalf of the Committee and my party, whether or not there was value for money when public money was spent. However, we are where we are. A review is ongoing into the Christmas issue, and I do not want to get into that. John, I would like us to go back over what you said about the model and the way in which you think we should go forward.

261. Kathy Graham talked about the achievements of PC10. The Consumer Council has done a good job up to now working with the regulator, but there has been something of a parting of the ways between you. What is the communication and correspondence like now between the council and the regulator? Will you give us an insight into that? I know that that is an issue.

262. Finally, David McCann mentioned septic tanks. We will not get into those, although, coming from a rural constituency, I could do. You talked about the separate collection of rainwater and sewage, and that is quite reasonable. Can you comment on the models used to do that and whether it is done elsewhere?

263. Mr D McCann: To be honest, water and sewerage is not my area of expertise. I was only drafted in today and given a quick update on the situation, so, unfortunately, I am unable to give you any examples at this stage.

264. The Acting Chairperson: As I said, it will be noted in the report, and perhaps we can follow up on it.

265. Mr G Butler: Chairperson, you want me to talk predominantly about the water mains side. In considering the freeze/thaw event around Christmas and the New Year, people will obviously look towards our water mains. One of the things that has come out is the fact that we have about 26,500 kms of mains. To put that in context: that would take us all the way to Australia and back as far as Egypt. It is a huge length of water mains. Northern Ireland has about twice the length of water mains per head of population compared with England and Wales. That is due to Northern Ireland's relatively dispersed population.

266. There is a cohort of water mains of the old cast-iron and spun-iron type, which were put in in the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. They are very old and relatively brittle. They tend to be the ones that cause rust problems, because they rust on the inside. That cohort performed remarkably badly. A very high proportion of the bursts were associated with those mains. Even though they make up only about 4,500 kms of the total 26,500 kms, they were the highest proportion of the mains to cause difficulties. So, we can target the problem.

267. Although that cohort of mains performed badly, the main losses were on the customer side. You will know from the legislation that our water mains and service pipes go to the edge of a property. Beyond the property, it is the customer's service pipe and internal plumbing. In his presentation to the Committee, our CEO, Trevor Haslett, said that about 70% of the bursts were on the customer side. The work that has been done since then indicates that, by volume, well over 70% of the loss was on the customer side.

268. We need to deal with a particular cohort of water mains, namely the old cast-iron, spun-iron type. If such an event happened again, we would pump water into a colander, because a lot of the losses are on the private side. That is the big issue that needs to be addressed.

269. The Acting Chairperson: Shane, I forgot to mention that you talked about infractions and compliance. Will you touch on that a wee bit and on what may be ahead of us in respect of that?

270. Mr Lynch: George is closer to that than I am. However, my understanding is that we are in a reasonably good place in respect of quality standards and compliance at EU level. That is because, over the last 10 years or so, we have invested quite a bit of money in quality control and quality standards.

271. Your first question to me concerned whether there is flexibility in our investment programme. Under our controls — budgetary controls under public expenditure and regulatory controls under PC10 — the answer to that question is that there is. It is important that we keep flexibility and are smart about how we spend the money, because we do not have that much of it to begin with. The freeze/thaw incident will inform us because things were revealed in the investigation. I am not going to say any more about that for the time being because we will report on it very shortly. However, the flexibility is there to keep adjusting where we should invest, and that is a good thing, particularly when we have hard choices to make because there is not enough money to go around.

272. Your second question was about customer focus. Two things matter to customers: price and service. Even if people are not paying for something, service still matters to them big time. That is the case regardless of the commodity, but it is particularly true of essential commodities such as water and electricity. If they lose supply, people get extremely angry, and rightly so, particularly if that happens during holiday periods etc.

273. One of the strategic challenges for Northern Ireland Water is customer focus. That is a challenge for every company. Lessons will have been learned from recent events. Customer focus — putting customers first in everything that it does — goes right to the culture of the organisation. That is something that will not happen overnight, but it is largely driven by the leadership of the organisation. That is what we need to see.

274. The Acting Chairperson: We will hear from John next. Bob, I did not ask you to make any specific comments, but you may respond if you wish to do so.

275. Mr Corey: You asked about the model for the future. You raised the point about whether Northern Ireland Water is value for money and whether there are more surprises coming out of NI Water. I do not know the answer to the last question, as I do not work in NI Water per se.

276. The Acting Chairperson: No, what I said was that in my time we have asked those questions and we have seen surprises.

277. Mr Corey: I will say this about the model. We are all familiar with the current, statutory structure for NI Water under the water legislation. There is NI Water, the Utility Regulator, the Consumer Council, the Drinking Water Inspectorate, the Department, the Department's shareholder unit, the Minister and whatever role he or she has. That whole structure is in place.

278. The fundamental point is that that structure was designed for a privatised water service, for a private company to deliver water. God help us, it was even designed for several water companies to compete for business; I shudder at the thought of it. That is the fundamental problem. Shane and others refer to consumers and customers. We take the view that the supply of clean drinking water to people's homes is not a consumer or customer issue; it is a fundamental human right. The Government of the country should ensure that people have clean drinking water delivered to their homes. Therefore, the Government should be responsible for funding that. That is the principle.

279. The Committee Clerk: I am very sorry to interrupt you, but the Division Rings are ringing.

Committee suspended for a Division in the House.

Appendix 3

Written Submissions

Analysis by Assembly Research and Library Service of Written Submissions Received

Committee for Regional Development

Networks & Gateways: key issues and future challenges

Session one - 23rd February 2011

Key gains

• The investments in roads infrastructure, rail and bus networks has again seen us catching up with years of underinvestment;
• Expansion of air route network especially international links e.g. Belfast – Newark
• Consolidation of Belfast Heathrow service with arrival of Aer Lingus;
• Commercial success of NI Ports;
• Better interaction between business and our political representatives;

Missed Opportunities

• Failure to complete the Westlink works to include the York Street flyover project;
• The reform of the planning system has taken to long;
• Delivery of projects in Northern Ireland takes to long;
• Lack of coherent strategy for airports;
• Loss of balance in funding and implementation between interurban and rural and between road and public transport investment;
• Deterioration and decline of Cross border rail service since mid 2000's

Future challenges

• To increase the volume of Trade through our Ports;
• To provide the necessary infrastructure to support ports;
• To make NI the all 'Island of Ireland' logistics hub;
• Reducing our carbon emissions and continuing to improve energy efficiency;
• Securing future of Belfast Dublin rail service as an effective competitor to road;
• Retaining comprehensive rural and local bus networks and enhanced urban Metro system in Belfast
• To impress on key decision makers the value of professional transport planning and appraisal for all forward planning projects and programmes.

Solutions

• The 'cumbersome' planning process needs to be streamlined;
• Encourage alternative sources of financing;
• Be innovative and look for new ways to tackle infrastructure provision;
• Decisive leadership at Stormont;
• Establishment of inter jurisdictional coordination task forces to ensure consistency in policy measures and coordination of measures across shared boundaries (Scotland and Republic of Ireland)
• The establishment of a continuous (statutory) transport planning process in NI

Accessibility & Sustainable Transport: key issues and future challenges

Session two - 23rd February 2011

Key gains

• The publication of the Accessible Transport Strategy in 2005;
• Greater Accessibility through RTF, TPPD and Door-to-Door;
• Improvements to transport infrastructure;
• Accessible vehicles across Northern Ireland;
• Improved Metro Service to provide one bus service throughout Belfast;
• Free and half fare smartpasses to use on buses and trains;

"Physical access to public transport is better in Northern Ireland than many other parts of these islands"

Missed Opportunities

• Lack of inter-departmental planning;
• Failure to get people out of cars and into public transport;
• No effective actions to address Green House Gases (GHG)
• Loss of momentum for Rapid Transit in Belfast;
• Failure to consistently fund Sustainable Transport;
• Failure to implement Accessible Transport Strategy;
• Too much focus on demand responsive solutions rather than making entire transport system accessible;
• Lack of audio-visual equipment on buses;
• Public Transport Reform has not been far reaching enough

Future challenges

• To continue to support the huge progress that has been made in public transport provision;
• To recognise the strain cuts will place on the community and voluntary sector;
• To better grasp the needs of older and disabled transport users;
• To invest in infrastructure for the betterment of everyone;
• To reduce reliance on cars, particularly single occupancy journeys;
• To develop local and regional transport solutions

Solutions

• Review the PTR to ensure consideration for all forms of publically supported transport including Health & Education are considered in planning and budget development;
• Encourage greater integration of elderly and disabled people into mainstream public transport services;
• Find local solutions to local problems;
• Create incentives for DRD to meet sustainability challenges;
• Address causes of car use, such as centralisation

Water and Sewerage: key issues and future challenges

Session three - 23rd February 2011

Key gains

• The period from about 2000 – 2010 has seen the delivery of major investments in water, and wastewater treatment plants, resulting in record levels of water quality and wastewater compliance.
• In 2010 the Wastewater treatment works compliance was the highest ever recorded with 96% of the population served by compliant wastewater treatment works. The number of pollution incidents associated with the sewerage network has also declined.
• GB was subjected to infraction by the EU due to failure to comply with the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive. Of the 13 sites named, 9 were in NI. This would have had very serious implications on UK/NI if these sites had continued to fail. All these sites are now fully compliant and only one site in UK, Brighton, does not currently comply.
• Water and sewerage services have become a significant political issue in recent years.

Missed Opportunities

• The opportunity to implement sustainable and acceptable funding arrangements for water and sewerage services by 2010, as stated in the Programme for Government PSA 15 the objective to implement.
• There has been insufficient investment in some parts of the water mains network over a long period of time which results in good quality water being put in to relatively low quality pipes.
• long term assets, such as water and sewerage services benefit from long term planning and a secure level of funding.

Future Challenges

• There is still significant investment required to address the sustained period of under-investment, especially in the below ground assets such as water mains and the sewerage system;
• Resolving issues around the status and organisation of NIW;
• Taking the political decision on domestic charging;
• Deciding on whether or not charging is necessary for compliance with water framework directive and whether or not it is the only way to address the need for improved infrastructure.

Solutions

• Set out a long term strategic framework for delivering water and wastewater services in NI and allow either NIW or an alternative body the freedom to deliver.
• Ensure the necessary governance and control mechanisms are enabled to ensure that an essential service is delivered efficiently and effectively.
• Rather than putting off charging the answer is, to start focussing on finding a fair charging mechanism which is socially responsible, incentivises the efficient use of water resources and ensures sustainable water management to meet future demand.

Significant Achievements of the Department for Regional Development

Networks and Gateways

Belfast International Airport

Belfast International Airport – written response on Networks & Gateways

1. In your opinion, what major gains / significant developments have been achieved over recent years?

1) Launch of daily scheduled Belfast – New York air service.

2) Re-establishment of (Aer Lingus) competitive service between Belfast and London Heathrow.

3) Development of extensive, high capacity Domestic Network with a major airline (easyJet), committed to the Northern Ireland market.

4) Fortified role for flybe in short haul, high frequency market.

5) Development of nightly wide-bodied Air Cargo services with three major express companies (TNT, DHL, UPS).

2. In your opinion, what opportunities were lost in recent years?

1) Major opportunity to capitalise on the GB visitor market into the island of Ireland, while the Stg/Euro exchange rate favoured Belfast as an entry point.

2) Failure to deliver a timely support mechanism to sustain and develop tourism from the key German market when direct access was put in place by Aer Lingus on Munich – Belfast.

3) Loss of direct, long-established Canada – Belfast air services.

4) Insufficient joined up economic thinking to successfully pursue (as a region) the option to secure potential Delta and Emirates services into Belfast.

3. For your organisation, what are the key strategic challenges that lie ahead?

1) Securing a level playing field within the island market in respect of Government Air Tax.

2) Ongoing infrastructure investment requirements (£10s of millions in annual OPEX and continual substantial chunks of CAPEX required to ensure that NI's place on the map is sustained, as well as achieving a return on investment).

3) Upgrading of approach road infrastructure to BIA (considering £24M has recently been spent on approach roads to City of Derry Airport and a further £8.6M recently on "safety works" to support their 338,000 annual passengers at £100 per passenger, BIA should qualify for £400M Government support on a level playing field comparative basis!).

4) Strategic, long term Local Government thinking with regard to the economic generation potential of a suitably managed and supported Air Transport sector.

4. In your opinion, what needs to be done to address these challenges?

1) A Regional Aviation strategy for Northern Ireland.

2) A new Air Route Development Fund to secure key routes for Investment & Tourism.

3) A levelling of Long Haul APD for Belfast v Dublin.

4) A concrete plan to upgrade connecting roads from the M1 and M2 to BIA up to 21st Century standard.

5) Designation of Enterprise Zones within Northern Ireland in strategically critical locations to drive inward investment and employment growth.

Freight Transport Association

Freight Transport Association – written response on Networks & Gateways

1. In your opinion, what major gains / significant developments have been achieved over recent years?

Freight Transport Association (FTA)

The significant developments of new buildings to accommodate both commercial and domestic needs in Northern Ireland in recent years have been spectacular. However much of this was related to catching up with other regions where similar improvements had been carried out during the previous 30 + years.

The investments in roads infrastructure, rail and bus networks has again seen us catching up with years of underinvestment. The Westlink and the A1 to the border contracts are of particular significance as these are viewed as major FTA Trade Routes supporting the economy of Northern Ireland.

2. In your opinion, what opportunities were lost in recent years?

Freight Transport Association (FTA)

The main opportunity lost in recent years was the failure to complete the Westlink works to include the York Street flyover project. This would have ensured unrestricted traffic flow from the M1 Broadway junction through to the M2 motorway. This development would not only provide better access/egress to Belfast Port but would serve to achieve better Air Quality with fewer carbon emissions in the greater Belfast City area.

Further key infrastructure projects will inevitably be lost as a result of the diminished funding available, and the Northern Ireland Executive are encouraged to work with industry to make sure that the right schemes for business are given priority.

3. For your organisation, what are the key strategic challenges that lie ahead?

Freight Transport Association (FTA)

The key strategic challenge is to increase the volume of Trade through our Ports. To achieve this the roads infrastructure leading to and within the Ports areas must be improved to demonstrate efficient handling and traffic flows along the logistics supply chains. . If goods can be moved into and out of Northern Ireland's ports more efficiently then it soon becomes a more attractive place to business, and inward investment can follow.

Another key challenge here in terms of European and global trade is the creation of an all 'Island of Ireland' logistics hub with NI Ports being the preferred choice for logistics providers.

4. In your opinion, what needs to be done to address these challenges?

Freight Transport Association (FTA)

The cumbersome planning process needs to be streamlined as there are examples of excellent business investment opportunities being lost due to delays in the legislative process and the overall planning decision system.

Ministers should also welcome and even encourage alternative sources of financing to deliver objectives that will lead to attracting inward investment to support the NI economy. Where the logistics industry is concerned, securing the infrastructure investment is often more important then the debate around how it is provided. As a consequence, in financially straitened times, the Executive is encouraged to be innovative and look for new ways to tackle infrastructure provision.

Londonderry Port and Harbour Commissioners

Londonderry Port and Harbour Commissioners – written response on Networks & Gateways

1. In your opinion, what major gains / significant developments have been achieved over recent years?

The Port has doubled in size over the past eight years securing new business such as a fertiliser blending plant and an oil terminal. These projects have significantly increased our turnover and widened the customer base. In addition the Port has signed long term deals with all of our major customers. These deals have cushioned the effects of the global recession on the Port and given us a stable background from which to grow. LPHC has also begun to diversify into marine services and port services. The marine services operation includes two dredgers and these have been employed in a variety of trust ports throughout the UK and Ireland. The strategy to diversify into other areas but remain within our core competences has ensured that the reduction in turnover as a direct result of the recession has largely been replaced.

2. In your opinion, what opportunities were lost in recent years?

The major lost opportunity for LPHC over the past few years was the decision not to proceed and construct a fish meal processing plant which had been planned for the Port. This was a significant loss as the project would have brought new business to the Port, it was a major capital investment on behalf of the investors of around €40m and there were manufacturing jobs lost as a result. The promoters of the project experienced planning delays which stalled the project for a number of years. By the time these hurdles had been crossed the recession had begun to take hold. Consequently the access to finance for the project was restricted and this made it difficult to proceed. In addition the quota for the fish stocks required was reduced. These events combined to make it very difficult for the investors to continue and the project was dropped. Fish meal is a growing worldwide commodity and this was N.Ireland's opportunity to get a foot hold in a new market.

3. For your organisation, what are the key strategic challenges that lie ahead?

LPHC is currently classed as a public corporation. This means that although the Port is largely independent of Government and acts commercially, any borrowings must be 'green book assessed' and come through DRD. In effect the Port is competing for finance with roads, hospitals and other public works. It is irrelevant at the stage of borrowing that the Port repays the funds as a loan. This is a major stumbling block for development.

New legislation had been drafted for the NI Trust Ports to remove them from the public corporation status and to grant them extended powers. With the upcoming Assembly elections, there is insufficient time to pass the legislation and therefore it is delayed once more. It is vitally important that this legislation is passed as soon as possible to allow all trust ports to continue to grow and be a real driver for regional development.

4. In your opinion, what needs to be done to address these challenges?

The new legislation needs to be brought forward as soon as possible. The longer that LPHC stays within a system that requires all borrowings to come for Government the more of an issue this will become. The NI Trust Ports do not have a problem accessing finance from private sources as all are lowly geared. However over the coming years the Government budgets will be squeezed and the fear is that trust ports will not receive the required funding in the future.

The recent draft budget also alluded to the capital reserves held by Belfast Port. This is of concern to the Harbour Commissioners as there was little detail in the proposal at this stage. It remains to be seen what the implications are for this on LPHC.

A further issue which relates back to the missed opportunity of the fish meal plant is the lack of joined up thinking and processing with planners, DoE Roads Service and other agencies. The statutory agencies were slow to respond to the planning permission but the project could not proceed without their input. This was very frustrating for the investors and ultimately led to the planning delays. This needs to be addressed.

Quarry Products Association Northern Ireland

Quarry Products Association Northern Ireland – written response on Networks & Gateways

1. In your opinion, what major gains / significant developments have been achieved over recent years?

We believe that in recent years the following gains / developments have been accrued

1. Increased recognition of the need to invest more in maintaining the infrastructure we have.

2. Recognition that we need to improve our procurement processes to ensure better delivery of work and better quality.

3. Better interaction between business and our political representatives.

4. Accountability of decision makers and the scrutiny that is carried out by the Assembly Committees.

5. Improving recognition of skills, competency and the role of apprenticeships.

6. The recognition and the drive to lower our carbon emissions and improve energy efficiency.

2. In your opinion, what opportunities were lost in recent years?

QPANI believe we have lost the following opportunities.

1. The reform of the planning system has taken to long.

2. We still shy away from making the decisions that are necessary to improve investment in our infrastructure and front line services, cutting waste and maximising benefit from every pound we spend.

3. For your organisation, what are the key strategic challenges that lie ahead?

QPANI Key Strategic Challenges Are

• Continuing to ensure that our industry is a safe place to work and visit
• Introduction of a new Aggregates Levy Credit Scheme from 2011 – 2021.
• Reform of the Planning System in particular Planning Fees, Aggregates Mapping, permitted development and restructuring mineral planning fees in Northern Ireland.
• Reducing our carbon emissions and continuing to improve energy efficiency.
• The decline in the local construction market and the need for the quarry products industry to restructure and become more export focused.
• Maintaining skills within our industry.
• Improving the image and the key essential nature of our industry.

4. In your opinion, what needs to be done to address these challenges?

We need to improve the management, efficiency and profitability of the industry.

Continue to work and build relationships with all our key stakeholders.

Decisive leadership at Stormont.

StephenWoodConsultancy / Professor Austin Smyth, University of Westminster

StephenWoodConsultancy / Professor Austin Smyth, University of Westminster – written response on Networks & Gateways

1. In your opinion, what major gains / significant developments have been achieved over recent years?

Process – Regional Transportation Strategy (RTS) and 3 Transport Plans

Delivery – Dual Carriageway Improvements on Key Transport Corridors
Improvements in Rail rolling stock and track
Improvements to rail stations
Infrastructure improvements serving/at Belfast Port and Belfast International and City Airports

Metro Bus Network in Belfast
Regular town bus services throughout NI
Retention/improvements to rural bus network

Expansion of air route network especially international links e.g. Belfast– Newark
Consolidation of Belfast Heathrow service with arrival of Aer Lingus

2. In your opinion, what opportunities were lost in recent years?

Process – Loss of direction given by RTS and 3 Transport Plans due to ISNI

Planning – Lack of coherent strategy for airports

Planning – No effective actions to address Green House Gases (GHG)

Delivery – Loss of balance in funding and implementation between interurban and rural and between road and public transport investment

Deterioration and decline of Cross border rail service since mid 2000's

Loss of key air service providers – British Airways

Rationalisation of North Channel ferry services

3. For your organisation, what are the key strategic challenges that lie ahead?

1. Recognition by DRD that GHG emission targets are binding on UK including devolved administrations

2. Securing future of Belfast Dublin rail service as an effectice competitor to road

3. Retaining comprehensive rural and local bus networks and enhanced urban Metro system in Belfast

4. Addressing the loss of Stranraer as NI only rail served port in GB offering low cost and sustainable alternative to air services, with the capacity to provide effective alternative to and safeguard for times of disruption to air travel (e.g. Ash Cloud and snow at LHR)

5. Retaining a Belfast - London Heathrow (LHR) link following UK Government decision not to proceed with 3rd Runway at LHR

6. Retaining current air route network especially links to key business destinations and sources of inbound tourism

7. To impress on key decision makers the value of professional transport planning and appraisal for all forward planning projects and programmes.

4. In your opinion, what needs to be done to address these challenges?

1. Need for effective incentives for DRD to meet sustainability obligations as established under national legislation

2. Establishment of inter jurisdictional coordination task forces to ensure consistency in policy measures and coordination of measures across shared boundaries (Scotland and Republic of Ireland)

3. Exploitation of current arrangements between UK devolved administrations and UK - Ireland coordination bodies to promote issues of particular interest to Northern Ireland (NI) and other jurisdictions

4. Need for DRD to establish in-house technical expertise commensurate with the importance of defined sustainability goals and in line with other devolved administrations

5. The establishment of a continuous (statutory) transport planning process in NI

Government should ensure it has access at all times to truly independent transport planning professionals to facilitate the challenge function in strategic decision-making.

Accessibility and
Sustainable Transport

Community Transport Association

Community Transport Association – written response on Accessibility and Sustainable Transport

1. In your opinion, what major gains / significant developments have been achieved over recent years?

Accessibility has been improved – increased number of accessible bus services provided by Translink, continued delivery of accessible rural services for individuals through RTF's Dial a Lift services for individuals, improved access to accessible services through Transport Programme for People with Disabilities Door2Door urban service.

Accessible requirements on bus and coach operators through the amendment to the Disability Discrimination Act has improved the ability of disabled people to access more forms of transport

2. In your opinion, what opportunities were lost in recent years?

Lost the ability to work across departments to discuss and negotiate shared use of resources to enable fully inclusive and efficient provision of a public transport system (Health, Education etc)

Public Transport Reform has not been far reaching enough – lack of joined up government consideration of transport issues has created silo provision of departmental transport plans

Review and investigation of effective transport planning has not been developed or implemented.

Failure of RPA has delayed the role out and implementation of local transport planning to Councils.

3. For your organisation, what are the key strategic challenges that lie ahead?

Lack of funding support will create issues for the community transport sector and Translink's ability to deliver in rural areas. The impact will be increases rural isolation and social exclusion of vulnerable people and in particular rural dwellers. At a time when the community will ask CT operators to deliver alternative, non-commercial travel options the main suppliers of CT will have a reduced capacity.

The effect of budget reductions is a reduction of delivery in community transport services. DRD are not taking ownership of the reduction in services and are leaving the community & voluntary sector to face a negative backlash from the wider community.

The reduction in commitment for CTA and the CT sector will adversely impact on the provision of services for the most vulnerable in society.

The DRD budget restrictions claim to enable delivery of frontline services. In order to provide frontline services Community Transport requires legal and technical support to ensure volunteers and community organisations comply with DRD terms and conditions, legal and quality standards. DRD have proposed removing or reducing the support for CTA – the regional infrastructure body for the CT sector. This shows a lack of real understanding of the com/vol sector and support for a supplier who has delivered effective and efficient resource support for DRD for a number of years.

4. In your opinion, what needs to be done to address these challenges?

Open and transparent discussion with other committees to ensure sharing of resources and to sweat the assets to ensure best use of resources.

Invite PEDU to review the efficiency and effectiveness of the monitoring and auditing of monies spent with arms length and funded bodies (the current level of monitoring is too time consuming and labour intensive leading to ineffective use of public monies to deliver on monitoring requirements rather than frontline services.

Review the PTR to ensure consideration for all forms of publically supported transport including Health & Education are considered in planning and budget development

Inclusive Mobility and Transport Advisory Committee

Inclusive Mobility Transport and Advisory Committee – written response on Accessibility and Sustainable Transport

1. In your opinion, what major gains / significant developments have been achieved over recent years?

Investment in public transport services has revolutionised accessibility to the network with significant improvements to bus and rail services as well as stations. This means physical access to public transport is better in Northern Ireland than many other parts of these islands.

The publication of the Accessible Transport Strategy in 2005 was a major step forward. The ATS recognises that improving physical barriers to transport is not enough to make services accessible and sets out a framework to maximise investment in services by removing other barriers.

Investment in services such as door2door, rural community transport and in expanding concessionary travel have provided more choice to disabled people and older people.

Decriminalised Parking Enforcement has made it easier for disabled people to park.

2. In your opinion, what opportunities were lost in recent years?

The failure to understand and implement the ATS has meant that we have failed to maximise the investment made in public transport and other services. We have failed to invest in relatively low-cost measures that would support disabled people and older people to use the greater travel opportunities that currently exist – travel training or mentoring for example.

The primary focus of policy has been to promote and expand alternative services such as door2door/rural dial-a-lift – this is the opposite of what is proposed in the ATS which promotes increasing the use of public transport and reducing the usage of alternative services. The ATS sets out policies targeted at removing barriers that make using public transport difficult for older people and disabled people.

Encouraging progressive policies that maximise investment in transport has proved hugely difficult – this is exemplified by the difficulties experienced by Imtac and others in making the case for Audio/Visual information on buses.

There are numerous examples of where a lack of understanding of issues that affect disabled people and older people that has limited the development of services and policies – lost opportunities include the Review of Concessionary Fares, the use of taxis which limited accessibility to deliver door2door and the introduction of support services to encourage the use of door2door services rather than public transport.

3. For your organisation, what are the key strategic challenges that lie ahead?

The current economic climate means further investment in services will not be made.

Saving proposals may result in the reduction in service levels and increased cost for transport.

The lack of understanding of issues for disabled people and older people could make the affects of savings much worse.

The result of all this could be the reversal of progress made over the past ten years by reducing the availability of both public transport and alternative services as well as increasing the costs of transport. In particular the focus on savings will make use of mainstream public transport much more difficult and make it much more difficult to introduce required policies/services, such as travel training/mentoring that will increase opportunities for disabled people and older people to travel.

4. In your opinion, what needs to be done to address these challenges?

We need to look again at how we maximise the investment made in services here over the past decade.

Key to improving opportunities for travel is to encourage many more disabled people and older people to use public transport services whilst reducing the use of services such as door2door, targeting these at people who need them most.

This will involve looking at current programmes and whether they are fit for purpose – for example it could be argued the current Transport Programme for People with Disabilities encourages the DRD to think of disabled people in isolation. Not considering accessibility for disabled people in the mainstream means inevitably opportunities are lost to make use of all of the investment made in transport services.

We need to discuss what are the most effective measures to maximise travel opportunities – for example should we invest all our money in services such as door2door or should we invest in better information/promotion of public transport and travel training/mentoring services.

We need urgently to look again at the type of services that are needed as well as utilising the transport resources of other Government Departments. Imtac would advocate the use of different types of flexible services, suited to local needs, rather than the current one size fits all solution.

Older Peoples Advocate

Older People's Advocate office – written response on Accessibility and Sustainable Transport

1. In your opinion, what major gains / significant developments have been achieved over recent years?

• Improved Metro Service to provide one bus service throughout Belfast
• Improved accessibility for older and disabled people
• Free and half fare smartpasses to use on buses and trains
• Improved bus stops with shelters, seating and information on bus arrival
• More fast, effective service throughout Northern Ireland

2. In your opinion, what opportunities were lost in recent years?

• improved bus shelters throughout Northern Ireland
• up to date bus arrival information.
• more joint working between Departments
• West / East bus routes

3. For your organisation, what are the key strategic challenges that lie ahead?

• An infrastructure that will meet the needs of everyone in Northern Ireland particularly those in rural areas
• Improved train service with more routes and better accessibility
• community transport as a way of reaching those marginally excluded

4. In your opinion, what needs to be done to address these challenges?

• Targets set which can be managed over a period of time to address the needs of particular areas (i.e. 1-3 issues addressed over a year)
• working closely across the departments to see if there is a way to collaborate to deliver transport services
• seeking funding through European funds to address transportation infrastructure

Rural Community Network

Rural Community Network – written response on Accessibility and Sustainable Transport

1. In your opinion, what major gains / significant developments have been achieved over recent years?

From a rural perspective the major achievement has been the success of the Rural Community Transport programme which has given greater access to many in rural communities wishing to engage in normal every day activity.

2. In your opinion, what opportunities were lost in recent years?

Huge opportunity lost in the failure to explore how the many transport resources used in silo activities could be better used to enhance public transport opportunities in rural areas. This failure of joined up government planning and programme development has meant that many of our scarce resources continue to be used in a wasteful manner when creative risk taking initiatives would clearly bring better effecencies whilst at the same time developing a transport system that could increase access for those most vulnerable in rural areas. Such creativity would also allow for an enhanced service that could facilitate the reduction in car usage by rural dwellers thus contributing to environmental protection.

3. For your organisation, what are the key strategic challenges that lie ahead?

(1) Development of an accessible, coherent and relevant public transport system which is designed to meet the real needs of rural communities using ALL public transport provision

(2) Development of a regional strategy which identifies how best local people can be involved in enhancing their contribution to transport solutions which allows greater access to services within their locality

(3) The clear reduction in the need for single car journeys to access employment and essential services by people living in rural communities which does not mean de-population of rural areas

4. In your opinion, what needs to be done to address these challenges?

(1) Removal of the Departmental SILO culture of operating. Must be a specific change in the way business is done to encourage better collaboration at regional and sub-regional levels

(2) Greater willingness to engage rural communities in the design, delivery and evaluation of transport solutions, recognising their legitimacy as experts in their own living space and circumstances.

(3) Executive commit to delivering the recommendations of the Bain Report into the re-location of public sector jobs

StephenWoodConsultancy / Professor Austin Smyth, University of Westminster

StephenWoodConsultancy / Austin Smyth, University of Westminster – written response on Accessibility and Sustainable Transport

1. In your opinion, what major gains / significant developments have been achieved over recent years?

Process – Regional Transportation Strategy (RTS) and 3 Transport Plans

Delivery – Metro Bus Network in Belfast
Low floor buses throughout NI
Regular town bus services throughout NI
Improvements in Rail rolling stock
Accessibility of rail stations
Door-to-Door Transport Services
Establishment of Regional Transport Partnerships

2. In your opinion, what opportunities were lost in recent years?

Process - Loss of direction given by RTS and 3 Transport Plans due to ISNI

Planning Loss of momentum for Rapid Transit in Belfast

Planning No effective actions to address Green House Gases (GHG)

Delivery Lack of sustained funding for sustainable measures to be delivered by Roads Service – Local Transport and Safety Measures including walking, cycling.

Delivery Integrated planning and management of parking in line with wider policy measures when Decriminalised Parking was introduced.

Delivery Lack of significant data monitoring and modelling effort within DRD.

3. For your organisation, what are the key strategic challenges that lie ahead?

Need to re-balance budget from proposals contained in current Draft Budget to ensure adequate investment in Public Transport, or failing this to retain a comprehensive Public Transport network in light of financial cuts

Address the crisis unfolding in terms of cross-border rail in view of improved road travel times between Belfast and Dublin

Need to retain consistency in transport and planning objectives to ensure sustainable development patterns

GHG emission targets binding on UK including devolved administrations

To impress on key decision makers the value of professional transport planning and appraisal for all forward planning projects and programmes.

4. In your opinion, what needs to be done to address these challenges?

Need for incentives for DRD to meet sustainability challenges as supported by public opinion

Need for DRD to establish in-house technical expertise commensurate with the importance of defined sustainability goals and in line with other devolved administrations

Government should ensure it has access at all times to truly independent transport planning professionals to facilitate the challenge function in strategic decision-making.

YouthAction Northern Ireland

YouthAction Northern Ireland – written response on Accessibility and Sustainable Transport

1. In your opinion, what major gains / significant developments have been achieved over recent years?

Improved and more modern fleets – wi/fi, use of social media for PR purposes Customer charter.

2. In your opinion, what opportunities were lost in recent years?

Really engage young people in decision making with regard to policy, strategy and local delivery of transport plans.

Introduce concessionary fares for young people up to 25 – lost a generation that have moved into cars that it will be difficult to get back.

Extending rail network.

3. For your organisation, what are the key strategic challenges that lie ahead?

Identifying creative methods to engage young people in the design and delivery of public transport - rural and urban.

Nurturing young people's interest in using public transport and also seeing benefits of same – accessible, viable and affordable.

Making more efficient use of all transport fleets available.

Budget reductions.

4. In your opinion, what needs to be done to address these challenges?

Introduce concessionary fares for young people under 25.

Localised and regular engagement with young people especially in rural areas to identify and address local need.

DRD Committee to take lead to invite discussion between Translink, CTA, Trusts and ELB's re making more efficient use of transport fleets.

Greater use of social media to promote and encourage young people to see benefits of using and actual using public transport.

Water and
Sewerage Services

Consumer Council Northern Ireland

Consumer Council Northern Ireland – Written Response on Water and Sewerage Services

1. In your opinion, what major gains / significant developments have been achieved over recent years?

Price Control 2010 – the introduction of a transparent and open economic regulatory process which involved consumer and stakeholder engagement to define the costs and outputs of NI Water. This also provided a framework for NI Water to evidence a disciplined approach to planning and costing.

A continuing programme of improvement regarding water quality and reduced waste water discharges.

Belfast sewers project.

2. In your opinion, what opportunities were lost in recent years?

The Hillyard Report – momentum gained – addressed many issues such as paying twice; provided guidance and outlines for the future funding and structure of the water and sewerage services but was never publicly consulted upon by the NI Executive.

Proactive communication with consumers, in particular lack of promotion of the Customer Care Scheme.

Breach of the Water Stakeholders Partnership Agreement by some partners within water resulting in loss of public trust and confidence.

3. For your organisation, what are the key strategic challenges that lie ahead?

The core aim of our work in water reform has been to get a water and sewerage service that is fair, affordable and sustainable. This means:

Fair - High quality public services should be paid for; water and sewerage are no different. But consumers, either as taxpayers or through any form of direct charging, must not pay twice or pay any unfair or unnecessary charges.

Affordable - Water and sewerage services must be affordable to both the individual consumer and NI society. There must be built-in protection for those who cannot afford to pay. There must also be a benefits uptake campaign. Existing domestic services must not be disconnected or restricted. The costs of providing the services must be continually challenged to ensure value for money.

Sustainable – There must be a balance between the social, environmental and economic benefits of delivering water and sewerage services.

In particular the Consumer Council believes that:

Consumer confidence regarding the delivery of water and sewerage services and its governance has been shattered. This needs to be addressed with immediacy.

The future funding and structure of NI Water to be determined in a consultative manner.

Consumer led and focused regulation must become a priority so that regulation becomes an iterative process.

4. In your opinion, what needs to be done to address these challenges?

Action needed

• Consumers must be placed at the centre of all decisions made about our water and sewerage services.
• The NI Executive should begin to publicly discuss the future of our water and sewerage services. An informed debate should help ensure that we have a water and sewerage service that is socially, environmentally, politically and financially sustainable.
• The benefits that the reform of water and sewerage services has delivered must not be lost but improved on.
• The NI Executive must ensure the long-term financing of water and sewerage services is protected to allow the necessary investment plans to continue.

Consumer Council Northern Ireland –
Additional Information on Water and Sewerage Services

Thank you once again for the opportunity to share the Consumer Council's views on water and sewerage services with the Committee. The Chair had requested further comment from the Council regarding our decision to leave the Minister's Partnership Agreement. I trust the below comment provides the information required, but if further detail is required please do not hesitate to contact me.

The Consumer Council retains and is committed to its statutory role to represent water consumers. The Partnership Agreement provides a framework and principles for a way of working. It does not have primacy over our statutory duty which we continue to exercise, nor over the Water and Sewerage Services (NI) Order 2006.

We are currently continuing to work with the other water partners, but are doing so in a more formalised way than previously. We have indicated and given assurances to the Minister and other stakeholders about our willingness to work constructively. We are not stepping away from our statutory duties and we are continuing to progress on work streams that we planned and consulted on.

The decision to leave the Partnership Agreement was taken because the Consumer Council believed that not all the partners were abiding by the principles and framework of the Agreement. The Partnership Agreement was not working for consumers, to misrepresent or withhold information does a disservice to consumers.

Trust had broken down between some of the parties to the Agreement. It wasn't about the Consumer Council; it was about consumers not having a full and accurate picture. Until such times as we can be assured that the Partnership Agreement will be honoured and trust restored by all stakeholders agreeing to be transparent in their dealings, we can not be a part of it.

The Consumer Council believes there is a need to sit down to re-define the roles and relationships between all water stakeholders and trust has to be at the heart of that exercise.

The Consumer Council

Elizabeth House
116 Holywood Road
Belfast
BT4 1NY

Website: www.consumercouncil.org.uk
www.consumerline.org

Irish Congress of Trade Unions Coalition against Water Charges

Irish Congress of Trade Unions Coalition against Water Charges – Written Responses on Water and Sewerage Services

1. In your opinion, what major gains / significant developments have been achieved over recent years?

The major gains include:-

• The continuing capital investment in infrastructure
• Stopping the introduction of separate household water charges
• Stopping the threat of privatising NI Water Service

The significant developments include:-

• The Independent Review Panel reports Oct 2007/Jan2008
• The sacking of the NI water Directors following the audit of contracts
• The Winter Freeze/Thaw crises

2. In your opinion, what opportunities were lost in recent years?

The delay in addressing the NI Water governance issues following the Independent Review Panel report of Jan 2008

Resolving the future funding of NI Water and securing a fair contribution for future infrastructure investment from the UK Government

Making NI Water a fully accountable public body answerable to the Minister, the NI Assembly and the people

3. For your organisation, what are the key strategic challenges that lie ahead?

Establish that the future funding of NI Water will be through the regional rates system and from DEL as required with no lesser priority than other programmes

Return NI Water to being a fully accountable public body

Renegotiate the PFI/PPP contracts with the objective of ending the contracts wherever possible

Campaign for the necessary legislative change to meet the challenges above

Review critically the role of the Utility Regulator and the Consumer Council

4. In your opinion, what needs to be done to address these challenges?

The incoming NI Executive must give priority in the next Assembly to bring forward the legislation to implement all of the above changes

Committee Clerk
NI Assembly Committee for Regional Development
Parliament Buildings
Belfast
BT4 3XX 21 February 2011

Regional Development Committee Stakeholder Event
"Water & Sewerage Services: key issues and future challenges"

The above event being held on 23 February 2011 at 12 noon in Parliament Buildings has just been brought to our attention this afternoon. Following my telephone call I am writing to confirm our interest in being represented at the event.

This Coalition is organised by the Northern Ireland Committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and includes affiliated unions, political parties, community groups and campaigning organisations. The Coalition was established in 2006 and has continued to campaign against the introduction of household water charges in Northern Ireland and against the privatisation of water and sewerage services. Over the last few weeks we have met the Minister to address issues arising from the winter freeze/thaw crises and today we met members of the Utility Regulator's Oversight Committee members dealing with the investigation of that crises.

We believe we have a contribution to make to the discussions on the future of NI Water and funding issues. We hope that it will be possible for 2 representatives of the Coalition to be able to attend.

Yours sincerely

John Corey

Chairperson

Irish Congress of Trade Unions
Coalition against Water Charges -
Additional Information on Water

and Sewerage Services

In response to the Chairperson's question about a future 'value for money' model for NI Water I was in the process of making the following comments when the session was suspended. To make this document complete I have started with some points that may already be on tape just before the suspension. I make the qualification that in submitting the comments in writing it may not read exactly in line with the transcript of my initial comments at the meeting ! – however I have not attempted to formulate a structured paper but just recorded in speech form what I intended to say.

Currently we have a highly complex legal structure with a range of organisations – NI Water, the Regulator, Consumer Council, Water Inspectorate, Department Shareholder Unit, Department, Minister.

Our contention is that this complex structure ( which all add to the overall costs to the taxpayer) is designed for a privatised Water Service, or even, God help us, competing Water companies.

Nor does the Coalition consider that it is right to view this as an issue about consumers or customers. This is an issue about ensuring, as a human right, that clean drinking water is supplied to every home at all times.

Therefore we contend, as a principle, that NI Water must be a public service, answerable and accountable to the NI Assembly and the people.

And as for all public services, NI Water should be publicly funded on the basis of ability to pay – progressive not regressive taxation.

The Coalition considers that the Minister's policies are absolutely right - no separate household water charges, no privatisation and NI Water to be returned to being an accountable public service.

On the basis of those policies we do not need the current structures or legislative model.

And the complexity of the current structure was exacerbated by ONS re-designating NI Water as an NDPB, further confusing lines of accountability and responsibility.

What we need is a Northern Ireland solution – we need governance and funding arrangements for our public water service that fit Northern Ireland's economy and geography - not a seriously flawed structure borrowed from England. We accept the need for efficiency and value for money but that is entirely achievable within the public service.

What is the right model?

Paddy Hillyard's second report in January 2008 put forward recommendations on governance. While we believe that the failure over the last 3 years to consult on that report was an opportunity lost, the Coalition did not agree with the structures proposed in that report – we felt those recommendations would have added to the complex bureaucracy and still left NI Water open for privatisation.

We need to simplify the structures as much as possible.

We need to make NI Water an accountable public body, but in seeking that, we recognise that there are issues to be addressed in complying with Treasury rules about capital charges/depreciation and the impact on the NI block grant.

At this stage our thought is that we should seek to take the best from the current Scottish Water arrangements and build from that base. As said earlier Scottish Water is a public body answerable to the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish people.

We believe that would be a good starting point.

John Corey

Northern Ireland Water

Northern Ireland Water – Written Response on Water and Sewerage Services

1. In your opinion, what major gains / significant developments have been achieved over recent years?

The period from about 2000 – 2010 has seen the delivery of major investments in water, and then wastewater treatment plants, and this has resulted in record levels of water quality and wastewater compliance.

Potable water quality has improved from 98.65% Mean Zonal Compliance in 2004 to 99.82% in 2010. This is the highest ever water quality recorded in NI and exceeds the target for water quality set by the Assembly in the Social & Environmental Guidance for Water & Wastewater Services 2010-13 of 99.7 % MZC. There have also been significant improvements in serviceability measures, such as the reduction in low pressure to households in recent years.

In 2010 the Wastewater treatment works compliance was the highest ever recorded with 96% of the population served by compliant wastewater treatment works. The number of pollution incidents associated with the sewerage network has also declined.

GB was subjected to infraction by the EU due to failure to comply with the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive. Of the 13 sites named, 9 were in NI. This would have had very serious implications on UK/NI if these sites had continued to fail. All these sites are now fully compliant and only one site in UK, Brighton, does not currently comply.

Water and sewerage services have become a significant political issue in recent years.

2. In your opinion, what opportunities were lost in recent years?

There is still significant investment required to address the sustained period of lack of investment especially in the below ground assets such as water mains and the sewerage system.

It is understandable, for public health issues and to avoid EC infraction, that investment has been prioritised at above ground assets, such as water and sewage treatment works. However there has been insufficient investment in some parts of the water mains network over a long period of time which results in good quality water being put in to relatively low quality pipes. This results in water quality issues such as rusty water and a relatively high level of bursts, particularly during external shocks to the system.

There is also the requirement to increase the connectivity of the water trunk mains so there is flexibility and resilience in the systems. There is also the need to continue to invest in our medium sized wastewater treatment works to maintain compliance and to deal with requirements of development.

The Cinderella service is the sewerage service which consists of the network of sewers and associated pumping stations. This will require an increased level of investment to reduce the level of discharges from the Combined Sewer Overflows.

Most importantly, long term asset such as water and sewerage services benefit from long term planning and a secure level of funding.

3. For your organisation, what are the key strategic challenges that lie ahead?

The most pressing strategic challenge is status and organisation of the company. Linked to this is the political decision on domestic charging and the relationship which NI Water has with its many stakeholders.

NI Water has had a difficult start as a new company. Despite recent challenges it has good quality, committed staff who work hard to deliver a good service to customers. It has had some notable successes which are mentioned in Section 1.

It has also done this with significantly fewer staff. It has reduced from about 2,100 staff in 2005 to about 1,300 staff today. It faces exceptionally challenging cost and operational challenges to deliver the efficiency targets set out in the price control PC10

However it is the subject of continued speculation and changes of senior management. It is now a Government Company and also a Non Departmental Public Body. This is not ideal for a water utility trying to deliver an improved service.

NI Water would welcome a clear strategic and regulatory framework to deliver its services.

4. In your opinion, what needs to be done to address these challenges?

The most beneficial approach would be to set out a long term strategic framework for delivering water and wastewater services in NI and then allow the company (or body) the freedom to deliver.

This approach would include the necessary governance and control mechanisms to ensure that an essential service is delivered efficiently and effectively.

Northern Ireland Water – Additional Information on Water and Sewerage Services

The only additional point I wanted to make was:

NI Water has now had the opportunity to review the reasons for the failure to supply properties and businesses during the period 26 December to 4 January. Although NI Water increased the volume of treated water which it pumped in to its water distribution system by over 40% it was unable to keep up with the demand during this period. During the event the water treatment works generally worked at their full capacity.

By an analysis of the water distribution system it is clear that over 70% of the water lost was on the consumer's systems and pipework. Although NI Water repaired the bursts on it mains system as soon as possible it was unable to keep up with the demand due to losses on the consumer side. Future work and communications should focus on the importance of reducing the water lost on both the NI Water system and the consumers' pipework.

I hope this helps.

Director of Asset Management

Northern Ireland Water
Head Office, Westland House
Old Westland Road,
Belfast BT14 6TE

Web: www.niwater.com

UNITE

Unite the Union – Written Response on Water and Sewerage Services

1. In your opinion, what major gains / significant developments have been achieved over recent years?

Following the catastrophic events of late 2010/2011 it was clearly shown that the stripping down of experienced staff and outsourcing of work in order to privatise the body failed miserably.

As agreed with the Coalition Against Water Charges (see below):

The major gains include:

• The continuing capital investment in infrastructure
• Stopping the introduction of separate household water charges
• Stopping the threat of privatising NI Water Service

The significant developments include:

• The Independent Review Panel reports Oct 2007/Jan2008
• The sacking of the NI water Directors following the audit of contracts
• The Winter Freeze/Thaw crises

2. In your opinion, what opportunities were lost in recent years?

The clear agenda of NIW to be set up for privatisation with a senior management team consisting in the main of inexperienced 'bought-in corporate consultants' has demonstrably shown a clear lack of awareness of what NIW purpose actually is – to serve the public.

As agreed with the Coalition Against Water Charges (see below):

The delay in addressing the NI Water governance issues following the Independent Review Panel report of Jan 2008

Resolving the future funding of NI Water and securing a fair contribution for future infrastructure investment from the UK Government

Making NI Water a fully accountable public body answerable to the Minister, the NI Assembly and the people

3. For your organisation, what are the key strategic challenges that lie ahead?

A complete overall of 'corporate group thinking' and a disastrous communications and HR policy which has completely failed the public in its hour of need and the NIW staff who feel highly aggrieved at the 'continuous aggressive and bullying tactics' the so-called restructuring 'privatisation policy' has had on their daily working lives.

As agreed with the Coalition Against Water Charges (see below):

Establish that the future funding of NI Water will be through the regional rates system and from DEL as required with no lesser priority than other programmes

Return NI Water to being a fully accountable public body

Renegotiate the PFI/PPP contracts with the objective of ending the contracts wherever possible

Campaign for the necessary legislative change to meet the challenges above

Review critically the role of the Utility Regulator and the Consumer Council

4. In your opinion, what needs to be done to address these challenges?

Clearly if senior managers are found to be guilty of incompetence in their role during crisis late 2010'2011 then they should be immediately removed form office without compensation – i.e. sacked. No bonuses should be paid to senior management either for their failure at this time. The day of incentives for failure must now end.

As agreed with the Coalition Against Water Charges (see below):

The incoming NI Executive must give priority in the next Assembly to bring forward the legislation to implement all of the above changes

World Wildlife Fund Northern Ireland

WWF Northern Ireland – Written Response on Water and Sewerage Services

1. In your opinion, what major gains / significant developments have been achieved over recent years?

It is WWF Northern Ireland's view that gains in water and sewerage services have been moderate. Whilst recent substantial investment made by NI Water to improve infrastructure has resulted in improvement in drinking water quality at consumers' taps (increasing from 99.02% compliant in 2005 to 99.74% in 2009) this is set in the context of historic underinvestment. Evidence of a system that is still not fit for purpose is provided by events such as the freeze/thaw episode over Christmas which left consumers without water for significant periods of time. NI Water reported total leakage as comprising 28% of the water balance in 2008/9 with leakage targets set at 166 Million litres per day for 2012/13. Clearly, this level of wastage needs to be addressed.

2. In your opinion, what opportunities were lost in recent years?

The opportunity to implement sustainable and acceptable funding arrangements for water and sewerage services by 2010, as stated in the Programme for Government PSA 15 the objective to implement.

Furthermore, the PfG aimed to ensure widespread acceptance of governance structure which ensures delivery or agreed water industry targets and promotes improved customer service by 2010. Conversely, it appears that customer confidence is at an all time low.

3. For your organisation, what are the key strategic challenges that lie ahead?

The strategic challenges arise in meeting the outstanding objectives identified in the Programme for Government as outlined in Q2.

WWF Northern Ireland is supportive of the introduction of direct charging for water services in the form of socially responsible water metering. This approach would raise much needed revenue that better reflects the true value of water and addresses the underinvestment in infrastructure whilst incentivising more efficient use of water.

Article 9 of the EU Water Framework Directive calls for,

"water pricing policies that provide adequate incentives for users to use water resources efficiently and thereby contribute to the environmental objectives [for good quality status] of this Directive"

The pressure of increased abstraction on our freshwater environment is only set to worsen with increasing population levels and the impacts of climate change. More efficient use of water will not only help to protect freshwater habitats. Heating water is a significant component of household energy bills. Therefore, wasting less hot water in homes would also help reduce energy costs and reduce carbon emissions.

In light of recent events, there is a clear need to review the long term governance of water and sewerage services delivery in Northern Ireland. This would provide a timely opportunity to implement a fair system of charging for water.

4. In your opinion, what needs to be done to address these challenges?

There is a clear need to stop putting off the inevitable by deferring decisions on water charging. Rather, to start focussing on finding a fair charging mechanism which is socially responsible, incentivises the efficient use of water resources and ensures sustainable water management to meet future demand. This should come from the installation of meters, a package of social tariffs to provide financial assistance to those who need it and an education programme to provide information on how to reduce water consumption.

In their 2009 report 'Tapping into Consumer Views on Water', in relation to water charging, the Consumer Council recommend that water charges must be fair if they are to be acceptable. Most members of the public accept that there is a need to pay for water services. What appears to be most unpalatable to the public is that they should pay both through their rates bill and direct charging. Similarly, the public do not want to pay for others potentially wasteful use of water as would happen under a Rateable Value system. A communication campaign would, therefore, be necessary to inform the public of the benefits of a socially responsible metering system which allows them to pay only for what they use and offer assurances that they would not be 'paying twice' for water.

Appendix 4

Northern Ireland Assembly Research Papers

23rd November 2010

Use of
Audio Visual Technologies
on Public Transport

Background

18% of the population including 21% of all adults in Northern Ireland are limited in their daily activities for reasons associated with a disability or long-term condition. Of these, 3% have a sight related disability while 4% have a hearing impairment.[1]

Both these groups face unique and very different challenges when travelling. According to the Guide dogs for the Blind Association (GDFBA), the difficulties faced by blind and partially sighted people, such as reliance on others and associated feelings of anxiousness will

Figure 1 Prevalence of various types of disability amongst the adult household population1

often lead to individuals choosing not to travel. The solution, which the GDFBA have been campaigning for, is laws which call for audio visual equipment on all forms of public transport.[2]

Regulations

Already, the Rail Passengers Regulation (EC) 1371/2007 ensures that passengers with reduced mobility can travel in a way that is comparable to other citizens.[3] This regulation calls for particular attention to be paid to the needs of people with auditory and/or visual impairment. The European Commission is keen to extend passenger rights to all transport modes, with proposals to protect the rights of passengers travelling by water or by bus/coach expected to be ratified by 2013.[4] With regards to bus/coach services, the regulation guarantees "…an optimum level of accessibility compelling the operators and terminal managers to install adequate access means". These will no doubt be comparable to the provision made for trains and will call for audio visual technologies to be provided on all buses, coaches and associated infrastructure.

Request

As part of the committee's ongoing scrutiny of the Transport Bill, a research paper exploring aspects of audio visual technology used in public transport was requested. The Committee were particularly interested in systems that allowed seamless use by members of the public, especially those who may have disabilities, through the use of the Internet and Mobile technology, and the direction in which technology is progressing towards new systems and processes. This paper therefore provides details of current best practice in the provision of audio visual systems.

Current technologies

iBus, London

All London Buses (approximately 8,000[5]) are now fitted with a system called iBus which provides passengers with on board, real-time, audio-visual information about their bus journey including where their bus is, what the next stop will be and what the final destination will be. This system benefits the visually impaired as well as those who are unfamiliar with the city. iBus employs a combination of technologies including satellite tracking and GPRS data transfer so it can precisely pinpoint the location of the bus and, as an addition to the on-board service it can relay this information to bus stops that are equipped with Countdown signs improving the accuracy of their predictions of bus arrival times.[6]

Talking bus stops in Brighton and Hove, England

In 2007 Brighton and Hove Council in association with the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) launched the RNIB REACT talking sign system. This enables blind and visually impaired bus passengers to access travel information at bus stops. The RNIB React units link into the city's Real Time Bus Information signs enabling the users to get announcements detailing what stop they are at, which buses are coming and when they are due to arrive.

The various components of the REACT talking bus stop system are shown in figure 2. As the user walks past the REACT unit announcements are automatically triggered by key fobs which they carry. Additional information is also available via the two buttons on the fob. The first button starts a message that gives further information about the bus stop location while the second tells you when the next few buses are due.

The REACT audio sign system can be installed in other public areas and in addition to its application at bus stops, it can also act as a way finding tool providing information around town centres or inside bus or train stations enabling people to get around more safely, independently and with increased confidence.

Figure 2: Talking bus stop system

Radio Frequency Identification

The technology employed in the REACT system is called Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and already this is being widely used in public transport to provide information for blind and visually impaired passengers. A Swiss public transport agency, Verkehrsbetriebe St. Gallen (VBSG) is rolling out an RFID based system, enabling blind passengers to not only check information at bus stops, but to check the destination of passing buses so they can flag them down. The system is known as the Personal Assistant for the Visually Impaired (PAVP) and the key fob used has the additional benefit of including additional technologies such as an MP3 player and digital voice recorder, while according to its manufacturers it has the potential to become a form of ticketless travel.[7]

Moving forward it is believed that RFID technology can create a world which is totally accessible to all including those with visual impairments. The project "Ways4all" is using passive RFID tags to identify indoor routes, barriers and means of public transport for visually impaired and blind people.[8] Effectively the readers will be placed in strategic locations such as at doors, stairways, bus halts etc and will allow the user to pre-programme a destination with the system guiding them there. It is believed this technology is favourable to others such as GPS as there are less chances of interference or system failure.

Trekker GPS

Trekker is a system that does use GPS as well as talking digital maps and talking menus. Trekker can provide its user with real time information on surroundings, by pinpointing their location and can announce street names, landmarks, public transport access and any other amenity the user may require. The Trekker system would be a more expensive option that the RFID system as it requires a pocket PC or SmartPhone to operate.

[1] NISRA (2007) "The Prevalence of Disability and Activity Limitations amongst adults and children living in private households in Northern Ireland: The first Report from the Northern Ireland Survey of people with Activity Limitations and Disabilities"

[2] GDFBA (2010)"Talking Buses - are we there yet?" [online] available from: http://tiny.cc/yubqq

[3] Europa (2010) "Rail Passenger Rights" [online] available from: http://tiny.cc/o43h4

[4] See Eur-Lex: http://tiny.cc/qr48h

[5] TfL (2009) "All London Buses now fitted with iBus" [online] available from: http://tiny.cc/c9qzb

[6] TfL (2009) "All London Buses now fitted with iBus" [online] available from: http://tiny.cc/c9qzb

[7] Neely, B. (2008) Swiss Town Rolls Out RFID System for Blind Bus Riders. RFID Journal [online] available from:
http://tiny.cc/80zif

[8] Ways4all [online] available from: http://tiny.cc/xr5ty

Appendix 5

List of attendees at the
Key Issues and Future Challenges Stakeholder Engagement Event

List of Attendees at the Regional Development Committee's "Key Issues and Future Challenges" Stakeholder Engagement Event

Networks and Gateways

Trevor Anderson Belfast Harbour

Uel Hoey Belfast International Airport

Kellie Armstrong Community Transport Association

Andy McClenaghan Consumer Council Northern Ireland

Ryan Simpson Consumer Council Northern Ireland

John Friel Federation of Small Businesses

Tom Wilson Freight Transport Association

Brian Ambrose George Best Belfast City Airport

Captain Trevor Wright Larne Harbour

Stephen Gillespie Londonderry Port

David McCann Northern Ireland Environment Link

Stephen Wood StephenWoodConsultancy

Bernard Clarke Translink

Malachey Campbell World Wildlife Fund

Accessibility and Sustainable Transport

Kellie Armstrong Community Transport Association

Andy McClenaghan Consumer Council Northern Ireland

Ryan Simpson Consumer Council Northern Ireland

Kevin Doherty Disability Action

Dermot McCloskey Disability Action

Michael Lorimer Inclusive Mobility and Transport Advisory Committee (IMTAC)

David McDonald Inclusive Mobility and Transport Advisory Committee (IMTAC)

David McCann Northern Ireland Environment Link

Michael Hughes Rural Community Network

Stephen Wood StephenWoodConsultancy

Tom McClelland Sustrans

Steven Patterson Sustrans

Bernard Clarke Translink

Malachey Campbell World Wildlife Fund

Charlene Mullan YouthAction

Caroline Redpath YouthAction

Denise Rogers YouthAction

Water and Sewerage Services

Jenny Robinson Consumer Council Northern Ireland

Kathy Graham Consumer Council Northern Ireland

John Corey Irish Congress of Trade Unions Coalition against Water Charges

Shane Lynch Northern Ireland Authority for Utility Regulation

David McCann Northern Ireland Environment Link

George Butler Northern Ireland Water

Paddy Cullen Northern Ireland Water

Bob Miler UNITE