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Official Report (Hansard) Tuesday 23 November 2010 Volume 58, No 2 Session 2010-2011 Contents Ministerial Statements PPS 4: Economic Development/PPS 16: Tourism ............................................................................49 Welfare Reform ............................................................................................................................56 Executive Committee Business Tourism (Amendment) Bill: Consideration Stage ..............................................................................73 Committee Business Assembly Members (Independent Financial Review and Standards) Bill: Second Stage ......................73 Oral Answers to Questions Education ....................................................................................................................................79 Employment and Learning .............................................................................................................85 Committee Business Assembly Members (Independent Financial Review and Standards) Bill: Second Stage (continued) .....91 Ad Hoc Committee: Assembly Members (Independent Financial Review and Standards) Bill ...............92 Private Members’ Business Integrated and Shared Education ...................................................................................................92 Adjournment Greyabbey: Sewerage System ......................................................................................................111 Written Ministerial Statement Education: Procurement in the Education Sector ....................................................................... WMS1 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 Adams, Gerry (West Belfast) Lyttle, Chris (East Belfast) Anderson, Ms Martina (Foyle) McCallister, John (South Down) Anderson, Sydney (Upper Bann) McCann, Fra (West Belfast) Armstrong, Billy (Mid Ulster) McCann, Ms Jennifer (West Belfast) Attwood, Alex (West Belfast) McCarthy, Kieran (Strangford) Bannside, The Lord (North Antrim) McCartney, Raymond (Foyle) Beggs, Roy (East Antrim) McCausland, Nelson (North Belfast) Bell, Jonathan (Strangford) McClarty, David (East Londonderry) Boylan, Cathal (Newry and Armagh) McCrea, Basil (Lagan Valley) Bradley, Dominic (Newry and Armagh) McCrea, Ian (Mid Ulster) Bradley, Mrs Mary (Foyle) McDevitt, Conall (South Belfast) Bradley, P J (South Down) McDonnell, Dr Alasdair (South Belfast) Brady, Mickey (Newry and Armagh) McElduff, Barry (West Tyrone) Bresland, Allan (West Tyrone) McFarland, Alan (North Down) Browne, The Lord (East Belfast) McGill, Mrs Claire (West Tyrone) Buchanan, Thomas (West Tyrone) McGimpsey, Michael (South Belfast) Burns, Thomas (South Antrim) McGlone, Patsy (Mid Ulster) Butler, Paul (Lagan Valley) McGuinness, Martin (Mid Ulster) Callaghan, Pól (Foyle) McHugh, Gerry (Fermanagh and South Tyrone) Campbell, Gregory (East Londonderry) McIlveen, Miss Michelle (Strangford) Clarke, Trevor (South Antrim) McKay, Daithí (North Antrim) Clarke, Willie (South Down) McLaughlin, Mitchel (South Antrim) Cobain, Fred (North Belfast) McNarry, David (Strangford) Coulter, Rev Dr Robert (North Antrim) McQuillan, Adrian (East Londonderry) Craig, Jonathan (Lagan Valley) Maginness, Alban (North Belfast) Cree, Leslie (North Down) Maskey, Alex (South Belfast) Dallat, John (East Londonderry) Maskey, Paul (West Belfast) Deeny, Dr Kieran (West Tyrone) Molloy, Francie (Mid Ulster) Doherty, Pat (West Tyrone) Morrow, The Lord (Fermanagh and South Tyrone) Easton, Alex (North Down) Moutray, Stephen (Upper Bann) Elliott, Tom (Fermanagh and South Tyrone) Murphy, Conor (Newry and Armagh) Empey, Sir Reg (East Belfast) Neeson, Sean (East Antrim) Farry, Dr Stephen (North Down) Newton, Robin (East Belfast) Ford, David (South Antrim) Foster, Mrs Arlene (Fermanagh and South Tyrone) Ní Chuilín, Ms Carál (North Belfast) Frew, Paul (North Antrim) O’Dowd, John (Upper Bann) Gallagher, Tommy (Fermanagh and South Tyrone) O’Loan, Declan (North Antrim) Gardiner, Samuel (Upper Bann) O’Neill, Mrs Michelle (Mid Ulster) Gibson, Simpson (Strangford) Poots, Edwin (Lagan Valley) Gildernew, Ms Michelle (Fermanagh and Purvis, Ms Dawn (East Belfast) South Tyrone) Ramsey, Pat (Foyle) Girvan, Paul (South Antrim) Ramsey, Ms Sue (West Belfast) Givan, Paul (Lagan Valley) Ritchie, Ms Margaret (South Down) Hamilton, Simon (Strangford) Robinson, George (East Londonderry) Hay, William (Speaker) Robinson, Ken (East Antrim) Hilditch, David (East Antrim) Robinson, Peter (East Belfast) Humphrey, William (North Belfast) Ross, Alastair (East Antrim) Irwin, William (Newry and Armagh) Ruane, Ms Caitríona (South Down) Kelly, Mrs Dolores (Upper Bann) Savage, George (Upper Bann) Kelly, Gerry (North Belfast) Spratt, Jimmy (South Belfast) Kennedy, Danny (Newry and Armagh) Storey, Mervyn (North Antrim) Kinahan, Danny (South Antrim) Weir, Peter (North Down) Leonard, Billy (East Londonderry) Wells, Jim (South Down) Lo, Ms Anna (South Belfast) Wilson, Brian (North Down) Lunn, Trevor (Lagan Valley) Wilson, Sammy (East Antrim) Northern Ireland Assembly Tuesday 23 November 2010 The Assembly met at 10.30 am (Mr Speaker in the Chair). Members observed two minutes’ silence. Ministerial Statements cities, towns and villages differ in the scale of business and industrial development that they PPS 4: Economic Development/ can reasonably accommodate. PPS 4 provides for office development to be focused in city PPS 16: Tourism and town centres, where it can benefit from Mr Speaker: I have received notice from the the concentration of people and goods, public Minister of the Environment that he wishes to transport and other infrastructure. In those make a statement to the House. locations, office-based businesses also benefit from their proximity to business, professional, The Minister of the Environment (Mr Poots): technical and financial services. With your permission, Mr Speaker, I wish to make a statement to the effect that I am now Communications and software design are issuing Planning Policy Statement (PPS) 4 on closely related to high technology, knowledge- economic development and bringing it into driven industries. PPS 4 recognises that there effect. That document replaces the existing PPS are usually economic benefits to grouping those 4 and supersedes policies for employment in industries in business parks. To protect existing ‘A Planning Strategy for Rural Northern Ireland.’ businesses, PPS 4 prevents incompatible uses Today, I am also issuing Draft Planning Policy in their vicinity. For example, some sectors, such Statement 16 on tourism for four months’ public as life sciences and food processing, need a consultation. contaminant-free environment. In the case of such businesses, risk of contamination can A thriving and expanding business community is be taken into account when considering new critically important to our future prosperity and applications in their vicinity. Some businesses well-being. PPS 4 will help businesses in this may require some degree of physical separation tough economic climate to locate in the best from neighbouring built-up areas because of places across Northern Ireland. Draft PPS 16 is noise or smell. PPS 4 takes account of that. a response to the challenges and opportunities of future tourism growth. Each PPS is important It is important to strike a balance between in its own right, and both have crucial roles to the need to protect the countryside from play in supporting economic growth. unnecessary development and the need to support rural communities. PPS 4 sets out PPS 4 concerns the development associated the circumstances in which permission will be with industry, business, storage and distribution. granted for economic development in the open It puts in place a modern and robust policy countryside. It allows for the redevelopment framework for the sustainable management of and expansion of existing employment sites such development and shows how economic in the rural area, including for tourism. PPS 4 growth can be accommodated in development allows for small-scale economic development plans. It also gives flexibility and certainty over on suitable sites on the periphery of existing planning for economic development. settlements where there are no alternatives in the settlement. PPS 4 encourages such Various industries and business sectors have industrial and business uses to cluster on one particular requirements for their location site in any particular area. and surroundings. PPS 4, therefore, sets out different criteria for different types of Good design is as important for economic development. Its policies also recognise that development as it is for other forms of 49 Ministerial Statements: Tuesday 23 November 2010 PPS 4: Economic Development/PPS 16: Tourism development. Design is not just about appearance; accommodation, facilities, attractions and it is about how a development relates to its supporting infrastructure. Draft PPS 16 provides surroundings. For that reason, PPS 4 includes a clear and strong planning framework for general design criteria to ensure that adverse managing tourism development in ways that are impacts are minimised. In all cases, development sustainable. It strikes a careful and sensitive will have to accord with Secured by Design balance between environmental