COMMITTEE FOR REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT

End of Session Report September 2009 - August 2010

POWERS

The Committee for Regional Development is a Statutory Departmental Committee of the Northern Ireland Assembly established in accordance with paragraphs 8 and 9 of strand one of the Belfast Agreement, section 29 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 and under Standing Order 48 of the Northern Ireland Assembly. The Committee has a scrutiny, policy development and consultation role with respect to the Department for Regional Development and has a role in the initiation of legislation.

The Committee has the power to:

• Consider and advise on departmental budgets and annual plans in the context of the overall budget allocation;
• Consider relevant secondary legislation and take the Committee Stage of relevant primary legislation;
• Call for persons and papers;
• Initiate inquiries and make reports; and
• Consider and advise on matters brought to the committee by the Minister for Regional Development.

The Committee is appointed at the start of every Assembly, and has power to send for persons, papers and records that are relevant to its inquiries.

MEMBERSHIP

The Committee has eleven Members, including a Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson, with a quorum of five Members. The membership of the Committee since its establishment on 9 May 2007 has been as follows:

Mr Fred Cobain (Chairperson)
Miss Michelle McIlveen (Deputy Chairperson) 4
Mr Cathal Boylan Mr Allan Bresland 1
Mr Billy Leonard 6 Mr Danny Kinahan 2
Mr Fra McCann 9 Mr Trevor Lunn 7
Mr Ian McCrea 5
Mr Conall McDevitt 3, 8
Mr George Robinson

1 With effect from 15 September 2008 Mr Allan Bresland replaced Mr William Irwin and Mr Alastair Ross replaced Mr Stephen Moutray.
2 With effect from 22 June 2009 Mr Danny Kinahan replaced Mr John McCallister.
3 With effect from 29 June 2009 Mr Tommy Gallagher replaced Mr John Dallat.
4 With effect from 4 July 2009 Miss Michelle McIlveen replaced Mr Jim Wells.
5 With effect from 16 September 2009 Mr Ian McCrea replaced Mr Alastair Ross.
6 With Effect from 13 April 2010 Mr Billy Leonard replaced Mr Raymond McCartney.
7 With effect from 13 April 2010 Mr Brian Wilson ceased to be a Member of the Committee for Regional Development and Mr Trevor Lunn was appointed as a Member of the Committee for Regional Development.
8 With effect from 24 May 2010 Mr Conall McDevitt replaced Mr Tommy Gallagher.
9 With effect from 13 September 2010 Mr Fra McCann replaced Mr Willie Clarke.

END OF SESSION REPORT FOR 2009-10

This report covers the work of the Committee for Regional Development during the parliamentary year from September 2009 to August 2010.

The Committee was extremely busy throughout 2009-10. It took forward the Committee Stage of the Water and Sewerage Services (Amendment) Bill; the Roads (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill; and has just commenced the Transport Bill. Members considered more than 115 items of subordinate legislation and also moved forward the Committee’s Sustainable Transport Inquiry; this work is now nearing completion. The Committee exercised its scrutiny role in relation to the Department’s spending; its preparation for Budget 2010; and in relation to a varied range of the Department’s policies. Members were also involved in 3 engagement events, including the Balmoral Show, and met outside Parliament Buildings on 3 occasions. The Committee also undertook 5 study visits relating to key issues on its work programme that are detailed below.

The Committee held 38 meetings, 3 of which took place outside of Parliament Buildings. The majority of the Committee’s meetings, 35, were open in full or part to the public.

The Committee made 5 visits throughout this session that included:

• Rathlin Island , to study the particular needs of, and challenges facing, the Rathlin islanders;
• A number of structural roads maintenance sites in the vicinity of Maguiresbridge, County Fermanagh where Members were able to discuss the condition of the roads with Roads Service officials and also to view structural maintenance work in action;
• The Deputy Chairperson visited the Belfast Sewers Project to view the project’s development since the Committee’s previous visit in June 2009;
• Kilroot Salt Mine, where Members received a tour of this working mine and saw how the salt, used for gritting during severe winter weather, is extracted, processed and stored; and
• Belfast Streets Ahead Project, in conjunction with the Social Development Committee, to view the various elements of the project and linkages with other projects throughout the city centre .

The Committee’s Members also held in a “travel to work on public transport day” whereby Members made the return journey from their homes to Parliament Buildings by Metro, Ulsterbus or Northern Ireland Railways to highlight the ease, convenience, costs and environmental benefits of using public transport as opposed to the private car.

Primary Legislation:

During the 2009-10 session, the Committee scrutinised and reported on two Bills: the Water and Sewerage Services (Amendment) Bill and the Roads (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill; and started work on the Committee Stage of the Transport Bill.

Water and Sewerage Services (Amendment) Bill

The purpose of the Water and Sewerage Services (Amendment) Bill was to ensure the continued provision of customer subsidy to Northern Ireland Water Limited in the absence of funding through customer charging for water and sewerage services.

The Bill was introduced in the Assembly on 21 September 2009 and passed Second Stage on 29 September 2010. The Committee Stage of the Bill commenced on 30 September 2009 and concluded on 6 January 2010 when the Committee ordered its report to be printed.

This Bill was largely technical in nature and the Committee agreed to all the clauses without the need for amendment. The Committee did, however, raise a number of concerns during its consideration of the proposals in the Bill. These issues included the cost implications of continued deferral of charging; the reclassification of Northern Ireland Water; VAT treatment of Northern Ireland Water; and the Committee’s role in any future decision by the Executive on water and sewerage services.

Roads (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill

Following on from the Committee’s pre-legislative scrutiny of the proposed Roads Miscellaneous Provisions Bill in the 2008-09 session, the Committee considered the Bill as introduced in the Assembly on 18 January 2010 and, at Second Stage debate on 26 January 2010, spoke in support of the principles of the Bill. The purpose of this Bill was to introduce arrangements in relation to the authorisation of certain events on roads and to introduce a permit scheme to control works on roads.

The Committee Stage of the Bill commenced on 27 January 2010, during which the Committee called publicly for evidence and received oral briefings from Departmental officials. During the Committee Stage, the Committee sought two amendments to the Bill that related to its delegated powers and the need for a clear definition of filming in relation to road closures for special events. The Department accepted and took forward these amendments. The Committee also made recommendations to the Department in relation to the findings of the Public Accounts Committee’s report on Roads Openings by Utilities (Report 33/08/09R) in implementing, managing and monitoring the permit scheme that the Bill makes provision for. The Committee also identified the need to keep the scheme under review and, as a result, to considering the need to amend the Street Works (Northern Ireland) Order 1995. A copy of the Committee’s Bill Report can be accessed at http://archive.niassembly.gov.uk/regional/2007mandate/regionalreport_07.htm.

Transport Bill

The main purpose of the Transport Bill is to create an effective, efficient and sustainable public transport system for Northern Ireland that contributes to the Executive’s transportation, environmental, social inclusion and equality objectives. This will be achieved through the introduction of new service delivery arrangements that will enable the Department for Regional Development to contract with public transport operators while ensuring compliance with EC Regulation 1370/2007. The Bill also includes powers to award contracts for Rapid Transit. The Department for Regional Development will become responsible for public transport service delivery through the contracting and service permit systems which are proposed in this Bill. The Bill resulted from two public consultations, carried out by the Department for Regional Development in relation to public transport reform policy proposals and on the Bus Rapid Transit policy proposals for Belfast.

The Bill was introduced in the Assembly on 21 June, passed Second Stage on 29 June 2010 and now stands referred to the Committee for Regional Development for Committee Stage. The Committee published a public call for evidence on 5 July 2010 and intends to conclude its Committee Stage at the end of December 2010. Follow this link for more information on Public Transport Reform – the policy behind the Transport Bill - http://archive.niassembly.gov.uk/regional/2007mandate/inquiry/inquiry_home.htm.

Subordinate legislation:

The Committee considered over 115 items of subordinate legislation this year and took oral evidence from Departmental officials and others where appropriate. Although the Committee was content with the majority of the intended subordinate legislation, arising from its scrutiny the Committee requested oral briefings from Departmental officials in relation to a number of these proposals before making its decisions on their policy merits. Examples include: the Civil Emergency Measures (Relevant Undertakers) (Northern Ireland) Direction 2010; the Water Supply (Water Quality) (Amendment) Regulations; the Water Supply (Domestic Distribution Systems) Regulation (Northern Ireland) 2010; the Donaghadee Harbour Order (Northern Ireland) 2010; and the Airport (Sale of Aircraft) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010.

Inquiries:

Inquiry into sustainable transport in Northern Ireland

Following some rescheduling to accommodate the Committee Stage of the Water and Sewerage Services (amendment) Order, the Committee continued its work on the issue of sustainability in public transport. This work follows on from the Committee’s public call for evidence, in July 2009, to its inquiry into sustainable transport in Northern Ireland. The call for evidence focused around the inquiry’s terms of reference which aim to explore and clarify the social, environmental and economic aspects of sustainable transport; to identify the policies, attitudes and technologies likely to underpin a move to more sustainable transport in Northern Ireland; and to make recommendations to the Assembly in this area.

The Committee, based on the evidence received in the public call for evidence, hosted a stakeholder event in March 2010 that provided those attending with the opportunity to hold round-table discussions with other stakeholders on the issues of concern. It also included plenary sessions whereby each group could bring forward its views and findings for discussion with all of those in attendance. These discussions were facilitated by Assembly Research and Library Services and Hansard and will be reflected in the Committee’s final report to the Assembly.

The Committee has considered early drafts of its report to the Assembly and agreed drafting directions for its conclusions and recommendations. It proposed to finalise this report in the next session, subject to plenary time availability.

Budget scrutiny:

During this session, the Committee undertook detailed scrutiny and provided feedback to the Minister on the Department’s quarterly monitoring round returns. As has been the case throughout this mandate, at the end of the session Members remained concerned that funding levels for structural maintenance are seriously inadequate, and that the future funding of water and sewerage services in Northern Ireland must be addressed by the Executive. Members are aware of the challenge faced in this particular budget round, and have expressed the view that investment in infrastructure must continue; to provide much needed support to the local economy and to underpin Northern Ireland’s recovery, when it comes. The Committee began its work on Budget 2010 during summer recess. Members received copies of the Department’s capital and resource bids to the Department of Finance and Personnel, and is awaits briefing from the Department on its plans for savings. Members are planning a stakeholder evidence event on the draft Budget, and will continue to press for the Committee to be given its appropriate role in scrutinising Budget 2010.

Policy Scrutiny:

During this session the Committee considered a number of important policy areas.

The Committee continued its scrutiny of the Utility Regulator’s Price Control 2010-2013 (PC10) process. PC10 is the 3 year regulatory determination, undertaken by the Northern Ireland Authority for Utility Regulation (NIAUR), which sets out the costs, expenditures and efficiencies for Northern Ireland Water for the period 2010-13. Northern Ireland Water has rejected the Final Determination and NIAUR has now referred PC10 to the Competition Commission. The Department, NIAUR and Northern Ireland Water are working to address the issues arising from the PC10 final determination and, during the next session, the Committee will continue to monitor progress towards reaching an agreed resolution on this matter.

The current Regional Development Strategy (RDS), produced in 2001, needs to be revised to reflect changed social, economic and spatial planning circumstances in Northern Ireland. This revision is being addressed through 2 mechanisms: a 5-year and a 10-year review. The 5-year review took place in 2008 and the 10-year review is now at a position where the Department indicates that it is almost ready to proceed to public consultation. At th e end of the 2009-10 Session, the Committee received Departmental briefings on the draft consultation document and impact assessments for the RDS 10-year review. The Committee will respond to the Department, as a result of these briefings, in September 2010 and will then take further briefings on the revisions that have been made, prior to the Department proceeding to consult.

Engagement:

The Committee for Regional Development held a number of successful stakeholder engagement events during this session.

Members visited Rathlin Island, to study the particular needs of, and challenges facing, the Rathlin islanders. This involved a meeting with the Rathlin Island Development and Community Association, a tour of the island and a briefing in the community centre on the challenges facing Rathlin, including the needs of second level students, balancing the interests of all the users and residents of Rathlin, developing and growing its unique tourism offering, and securing the long term future of the island. The study visit concluded with an “open-house” event where islanders and others could call in to meet the Members and discuss their vision and priorities for the island.

Liam McFaul, Gusty McCurdy, Alison McFaul, Teresa McFaul, Margaret McQuilkin, Judy McCurdy, Noel McCurdy, Fred Cobain MLA, Mary Wallace, Danny Kinahan MLA, Stephen Ryan, Willie Clarke MLA, Allan Bresland MLA, Raymond McCartney MLA, Cathal Boylan MLA, David Quinney Mee, Fergus Wallace.	Members of the Ugandan Children’s Choir, who were visiting Rathlin island for a concert at St. Mary’s Church

On 7 October 2009, the Committee’s Members participated in a “travel to work on public transport day”. Members used this opportunity to demonstrate the ease of travel throughout Northern Ireland as they made the return journey from their homes to Parliament Buildings. This ease of travel was evident as Members made the journey from a wide range of locations throughout Northern Ireland, both urban and rural. Members made use of the three main providers, namely Metro, Ulsterbus or Northern Ireland Railways and also took the opportunity to speak to other service users about their public transport experience.

On 18 March 2010, a stakeholder exercise as part of the Sustainable Transport Inquiry was held in the Long Gallery, Parliament Buildings with representatives from the business, social and environmental sectors as well as transport operators. The Hansard transcript of this event has been published on the Committee’s pages of the Assembly website and will be reflected in the Committee’s report on its inquiry into sustainable transport, to be published in 2010.

The Deputy Chairperson addresses delegates at the Committee’s Sustainable Transport Inquiry stakeholder event	Delegates in discussion during breakout sessions at the Committee’s Sustainable Transport Inquiry Stakeholder event.

On 12 May 2010, the Committee for Regional Development and the Committee for the Environment shared the Assembly Marquee at the Balmoral Show, Belfast. The Committee’s attendance at the show provided Members with the opportunity to meet with members of the public and to discuss issues of concern in relation to the work of the Committee and the Department, particularly in relation to the issue of structural road maintenance.

The Committee also engaged with a range of its key stakeholders during its visits to structural roads maintenance sites in the vicinity of Maguiresbridge, County Fermanagh; the Belfast Sewers Project; Kilroot Salt Mine; and Belfast Streets Ahead Project.

Members of the Committee view structural road maintenance work in action	Members prepared for tour of the salt mine at Kilroot

Reports from the Committee’s visits and events can be found at http://archive.niassembly.gov.uk/regional/2007mandate/regionalreport_07.htm.

Committee Motions

The Committee agreed a motion to extend the Committee Stage of the Water and Sewerage Services (Amendment) Bill to enable the Committee to complete comprehensive and thorough scrutiny of the Bill. On 2 November 2009, the Assembly agreed to extend the Committee Stage of the Bill to 19 January 2010. The Committee also agreed a motion to extend the Committee Stage of the Roads (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill to enable the Committee to complete comprehensive and thorough scrutiny of the Bill. On 12 February 2010 the Assembly agreed to extend the Committee Stage of this Bill to 18 June 2010.

Committee priorities for the next session

Looking forward to the next session, the Committee will analyse the submissions it has received, take oral evidence and begin its detailed clause by clause scrutiny of the Transport Bill. In addition, the Committee will provide input to the Environment Committee on gating of alleys and the relevant parking provisions in the Department of the Environment’s Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Bill.

The Committee will continue its work on Budget 2010 and, once the draft Budget has been published for consultation, will hold its stakeholder evidence event and report its views to the Finance and Personnel Committee, the Assembly and the Minister for Regional Development.

The Sustainable Transport Inquiry Report will be published in the new session and the Committee will continue its work on issues such as connectivity and accessible transport during the final months of the mandate.

In terms of policy in development, Members are looking forward to forming a view on the draft Regional Transportation Strategy and the draft Regional Development Strategy.

Further information on the work of the Regional Development Committee can be found at archive.niassembly.gov.uk/regional/2007mandate/regionhome_07.htm

ANNEX A

Committee for Regional Development
Expenditure for the period 1 September 2009 – 31 August 2010