Proceedings of the Regional Development Committee
Minutes of meeting held on Friday, 15 December 2000
in room 144, Parliament Buildings
1. Minutes of last meeting
2. Port of Belfast
3. Matters arising
4. Facilities for reidents of Lagmore area of Dunmurry
5. Statutory Rules
6. Any Other Business
7. Date of Next Meeting
Present were:
Mr A Maginness (Chairman)
Mr A Mc Farland (Deputy Chairman)
Mr PJ Bradley
Mr J Byrne
Mr D Ervine
Mr D Hussey
Mr R Hutchinson
Mr P McNamee
In Attendance:
Mrs D Pritchard (Committee Clerk)
Mr S Fay (Assistant Committee Clerk)
Mr N Currie (Executive Support)
Mrs S Young (Administrative Support)
Apologies:
Mr W Hay
Mr J Wells
The meeting commenced at 10.14am.
Members expressed their concern at learning that Mr Hay is unwell and sent their best wishes to him.
The Chairman declared the meeting to be in public session.
1. Minutes of last meeting
The minutes of the meeting held on 29 November 2000 were agreed.
2. Port of Belfast
The Department's economic appraisal on the options on the future of the Port of Belfast.
At 10.15am Mr Ian Webb and Mr Michael McAree, from Belfast Harbour Users Group, joined the meeting. They briefed the Committee on their views on the economic appraisal and answered Members' questions about it.
Mr McNamee joined the meeting at 10.39am.
Mr Hutchinson left the meeting at 10.41am.
They left the meeting at 10.56am.
Mr Bradley left the meeting at 10.56am.
The meeting was adjourned at this point. It resumed at 11.14am.
Mr Byrne joined the meeting at 11.14am.
The representatives of the Belfast Harbour Commissioners joined the meeting at 11.14am. They were:
Mr Frank Cushnahan;
Mr Gordon Irwin; and
Ms Ann McLaughlin.
They were accompanied by their consultants Mr Pommy Sarwal and Mr Nicholas Finney OBE.
They discussed the Department's economic appraisal and the critique on it, which Dr Alf Baird provided to the Committee at the meeting on 29 November 2000. They answered Members' questions on the issues raised.
Mr Hussey joined the meeting at 11.28am.
The deputation left the meeting at 12.18pm.
At 12.21pm officials from the Department and representatives of PricewaterhouseCoopers joined the meeting. They were;
Mr Ronnie Spence (Permanent Secretary)
Mr Robin McMinnis (Director, Air and Sea Ports Division)
Mr Graham Cash (PricewaterhouseCoopers)
Mr Philip McDonagh (PricewaterhouseCoopers)
They answered Members' questions arising from Dr Baird's critique and from the briefings from the Belfast Harbour Users Group and the Belfast Harbour Commissioners.
They left the meeting at 1.01pm.
The meeting returned to closed session
Agreed:(i) That the Committee Clerk will prepare a summary of the key matters in the Port of Belfast issue.
(ii) That DFP should be asked for advice on the Public Expenditure aspects.
(iii) That the Committee will discuss all the matters at the meeting on 10 January 2001 and decide its response to the Minister.
3. Matters arising
(a)Programme for Government.
The Committee noted the Ministers's response.
(b) Tax on lorries entering U.K.
The paper from the Assembly researchers on this matter is awaited.
(c) Bombardier Aerospace - land lease.
The Committee noted the report on the meeting the Chairman and Deputy Chairman had with representatives of Bombardier Aerospace on 4 December 2000.
4. Facilities for residents in Lagmore area of Dunmurry
The Committee noted the letter from Councillor Ferguson on this matter and will discuss it in detail at the next meeting.
5. Statutory Rules
The Committee noted two tables listing Statutory Rules which the Department intends to make. The first table listed Rules which do not have to be laid in the Assembly and the second table listed Rules which are subject to negative resolution and which will be sent to the Committee for scrutiny when laid.
6. AOB
(a) Review of the legislative process in the Northern Ireland Assembly.
The Committee noted the letter from the Chairman of the Procedures Committee and agreed to return to the matter at the meeting on 10 January 2001.
Inquiry into transport link between Britain and Ireland.
The Committee discussed the letter from Mr Robert Jackson, Chairman of Committee B of the European Affairs Committee of the British-Irish Inter-Parliamentary Body.
Agreed:That the Committee will discuss the letter further at the meeting on 20 December 2000.
That the Clerk will obtain information from the Assembly researchers on the A75 road.
(c) The Chairman thanked the Committee staff for their efforts in organising the trip to the Chilterns Railway, which was successful and very informative.
7. Date of next meeting
The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday 20 December 2000 at 10.15am. in room 135, Parliament Buildings.
The meeting closed at 1.20pm.