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Official Report (Hansard) Tuesday 4 December 2012 Volume 80, No 2 Session 2012-2013 Contents Ministerial Statements Early Years: Learning to Learn……………………………………………………………………………. 1 Health: Promoting Innovation ............................................................................................................ 10 Committee Business Unadopted Roads: Committee for Regional Development Report ................................................... 15 Oral Answers to Questions Agriculture and Rural Development .................................................................................................. 22 Culture, Arts and Leisure ................................................................................................................... 28 Northern Ireland Assembly Commission ........................................................................................... 35 Committee Business Unadopted Roads: Committee for Regional Development Report (Continued) ............................... 39 Private Members' Business Narrow Water Bridge ......................................................................................................................... 44 Adjournment Mental Health Services: Omagh ........................................................................................................ 57 Suggested amendments or corrections will be considered by the Editor. They should be sent to: The Editor of Debates, Room 248, Parliament Buildings, Belfast BT4 3XX. Tel: 028 9052 1135 · e-mail: [email protected] to arrive not later than two weeks after publication of this report. Assembly Members Agnew, Steven (North Down) McAleer, Declan (West Tyrone) Allister, Jim (North Antrim) McCallister, John (South Down) Anderson, Sydney (Upper Bann) McCann, Fra (West Belfast) Attwood, Alex (West Belfast) McCann, Ms Jennifer (West Belfast) Beggs, Roy (East Antrim) McCarthy, Kieran (Strangford) Bell, Jonathan (Strangford) McCartney, Raymond (Foyle) Boylan, Cathal (Newry and Armagh) McCausland, Nelson (North Belfast) Boyle, Ms Michaela (West Tyrone) McClarty, David (East Londonderry) Bradley, Dominic (Newry and Armagh) McCorley, Ms Rosaleen (West Belfast) Bradley, Ms Paula (North Belfast) McCrea, Basil (Lagan Valley) Brady, Mickey (Newry and Armagh) McCrea, Ian (Mid Ulster) Brown, Ms Pam (South Antrim) McDevitt, Conall (South Belfast) Buchanan, Thomas (West Tyrone) McDonnell, Alasdair (South Belfast) Byrne, Joe (West Tyrone) McElduff, Barry (West Tyrone) Campbell, Gregory (East Londonderry) McGahan, Ms Bronwyn (Fermanagh and South Tyrone) Clarke, Trevor (South Antrim) McGimpsey, Michael (South Belfast) Cochrane, Mrs Judith (East Belfast) McGlone, Patsy (Mid Ulster) Copeland, Michael (East Belfast) McGuinness, Martin (Mid Ulster) Craig, Jonathan (Lagan Valley) McIlveen, David (North Antrim) Cree, Leslie (North Down) McIlveen, Miss Michelle (Strangford) Dallat, John (East Londonderry) McKay, Daithí (North Antrim) Dickson, Stewart (East Antrim) McKevitt, Mrs Karen (South Down) Dobson, Mrs Jo-Anne (Upper Bann) McLaughlin, Ms Maeve (Foyle) Douglas, Sammy (East Belfast) McLaughlin, Mitchel (South Antrim) Dunne, Gordon (North Down) McMullan, Oliver (East Antrim) Durkan, Mark (Foyle) McNarry, David (Strangford) Easton, Alex (North Down) McQuillan, Adrian (East Londonderry) Eastwood, Colum (Foyle) Maginness, Alban (North Belfast) Elliott, Tom (Fermanagh and South Tyrone) Maskey, Alex (South Belfast) Farry, Stephen (North Down) Molloy, Francie (Mid Ulster) Fearon, Ms Megan (Newry and Armagh) Morrow, The Lord (Fermanagh and South Tyrone) Flanagan, Phil (Fermanagh and South Tyrone) Moutray, Stephen (Upper Bann) Ford, David (South Antrim) Nesbitt, Mike (Strangford) Foster, Mrs Arlene (Fermanagh and South Tyrone) Newton, Robin (East Belfast) Frew, Paul (North Antrim) Ní Chuilín, Ms Carál (North Belfast) Gardiner, Samuel (Upper Bann) Ó hOisín, Cathal (East Londonderry) Girvan, Paul (South Antrim) O'Dowd, John (Upper Bann) Givan, Paul (Lagan Valley) O'Neill, Mrs Michelle (Mid Ulster) Hale, Mrs Brenda (Lagan Valley) Overend, Mrs Sandra (Mid Ulster) Hamilton, Simon (Strangford) Poots, Edwin (Lagan Valley) Hay, William (Speaker) Ramsey, Pat (Foyle) Hazzard, Chris (South Down) Ramsey, Ms Sue (West Belfast) Hilditch, David (East Antrim) Robinson, George (East Londonderry) Humphrey, William (North Belfast) Robinson, Peter (East Belfast) Hussey, Ross (West Tyrone) Rogers, Sean (South Down) Irwin, William (Newry and Armagh) Ross, Alastair (East Antrim) Kelly, Mrs Dolores (Upper Bann) Ruane, Ms Caitríona (South Down) Kelly, Gerry (North Belfast) Sheehan, Pat (West Belfast) Kennedy, Danny (Newry and Armagh) Spratt, Jimmy (South Belfast) Kinahan, Danny (South Antrim) Storey, Mervyn (North Antrim) Lo, Ms Anna (South Belfast) Swann, Robin (North Antrim) Lunn, Trevor (Lagan Valley) Weir, Peter (North Down) Lynch, Seán (Fermanagh and South Tyrone) Wells, Jim (South Down) Lyttle, Chris (East Belfast) Wilson, Sammy (East Antrim) Northern Ireland Assembly Tuesday 4 December 2012 The Assembly met at 10.30 am (Mr Speaker in the Chair). Members observed two minutes' silence. Department of Health, Social Services and Ministerial Statements Public Safety. The starting position for reviewing the strategy is, therefore, very Early Years: Learning to Learn different. Learning to Learn will be a key building block in a suite of important education Mr O'Dowd (The Minister of Education): Go policies aimed at helping children achieve their raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. Le do full potential through a determined focus on chead, a Cheann Comhairle, ba mhaith liom raising standards and narrowing the ráiteas a dhéanamh faoi na chéad chéimeanna performance gap. It aims to strengthen existing eile i dtaca le hoideachas agus foghlaim do na policies and programmes delivering early years luathbhlianta. With your permission, Mr education and learning services to children and Speaker, I wish to make a statement on the families. next steps for early years education and learning. Since 2010, when the draft strategy was launched for consultation, my Department’s In July, I came to the Assembly to set out a investment in preschool services has increased clear way forward for early years. I explained at from £73 million to £84 million. If the foundation that time that the child and their needs must be stage is included, that figure increases to over the central focus of my revised proposals. I £200 million per annum. I have made outlined my intention to proceed with a two- additional funds available to ensure that the strand approach. The first strand would be the availability of preschool places for 2013-14 is in development of revised proposals with a clear line with the Programme for Government focus on early education and learning. The commitment to make a preschool place second strand would involve engagement with available for every child whose parents wish it. ministerial colleagues to explore the potential I have also amended the legislation on for enhanced co-operation around early admissions arrangements for preschool to intervention, including early years, under the remove the priority criteria for children with a Delivering Social Change framework. July/August birthday. Strand one is now complete, and I am in a Between 2006-07 and 2011-12, the number of position to launch a new framework for early children in funded preschool provision years education and learning entitled Learning increased by over 2,000. Sure Start funding to Learn, which, for the first time, sets out a has more than doubled, from £9·3 million in clear way forward for all early years education 2006 to £23·4 million in 2012-13, and the Sure and learning services. In developing this Start developmental programme for two- to framework, I have carefully considered the three-year-olds, which was first introduced in views of a range of interest groups and 2007, will be delivered to over 1,600 children in concluded that the approach that I am their penultimate preschool year in 2012-13. announcing today provides a solid basis on That investment and focus on protecting early which to move forward. I have also considered years budgets demonstrates my commitment to lessons learned elsewhere in early years providing a range of early education and education and have spoken with colleagues learning services for children. I am bringing from other jurisdictions at a recent meeting of forward proposals to ensure that the early years the British-Irish Council to hear the experiences education and learning services we have are of of other Administrations across these islands. a high quality, are child-focused and contribute to children achieving their potential. Since the early years 0-6 strategy was launched in 2010, aspects of early years policy The goals of raising standards for all and such as child-minding and day care have been closing the performance gap underpin the realigned between my Department and the Learning to Learn framework. They are just as 1 Tuesday 4 December 2012 relevant to education services for our youngest the extent to which the investment helps to children as they are to older learners; in fact, secure well-being and developmental outcomes maybe more so. For children in the preschool for children and families. That will include programme, their education experience lasts for potential options for the expansion of a two- 38 weeks, and the foundation stage lasts for a year-old programme and a consideration of how further two years. Delivering anything less than access