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Official Report (Hansard) Monday 19 May 2014 Volume 95, No 4 Session 2013-2014 Contents Assembly Business Standing Order 20(1): Suspension ................................................................................................... 1 Ministerial Statement North/South Ministerial Council: Agriculture ..................................................................................... 1 Executive Committee Business Renewables Obligation (Amendment) Order (Northern Ireland) 2014 .............................................. 6 Oral Answers to Questions Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister ......................................................................... 11 Regional Development ...................................................................................................................... 19 Justice ................................................................................................................................................ 27 Agriculture and Rural Development .................................................................................................. 36 Assembly Business ……………………………………………………………………………………….. 46 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) McCorley, Ms Rosaleen (West Belfast) Bradley, Dominic (Newry and Armagh) McCrea, Basil (Lagan Valley) Bradley, Ms Paula (North Belfast) McCrea, Ian (Mid Ulster) Brady, Mickey (Newry and Armagh) McDonnell, Alasdair (South Belfast) Buchanan, Thomas (West Tyrone) McElduff, Barry (West Tyrone) Byrne, Joe (West Tyrone) McGahan, Ms Bronwyn (Fermanagh and South Tyrone) Cameron, Mrs Pam (South Antrim) McGimpsey, Michael (South Belfast) Campbell, Gregory (East Londonderry) McGlone, Patsy (Mid Ulster) Clarke, Trevor (South Antrim) McGuinness, Martin (Mid Ulster) Cochrane, Mrs Judith (East Belfast) McIlveen, David (North Antrim) Copeland, Michael (East Belfast) McIlveen, Miss Michelle (Strangford) Craig, Jonathan (Lagan Valley) McKay, Daithí (North Antrim) Cree, Leslie (North Down) McKevitt, Mrs Karen (South Down) Dallat, John (East Londonderry) McKinney, Fearghal (South Belfast) Dickson, Stewart (East Antrim) McLaughlin, Ms Maeve (Foyle) Dobson, Mrs Jo-Anne (Upper Bann) McLaughlin, Mitchel (South Antrim) Douglas, Sammy (East Belfast) McMullan, Oliver (East Antrim) Dunne, Gordon (North Down) McNarry, David (Strangford) Durkan, Mark (Foyle) McQuillan, Adrian (East Londonderry) Easton, Alex (North Down) Maginness, Alban (North Belfast) Eastwood, Colum (Foyle) Maskey, Alex (South Belfast) Elliott, Tom (Fermanagh and South Tyrone) Milne, Ian (Mid Ulster) Farry, Stephen (North Down) Morrow, The Lord (Fermanagh and South Tyrone) Fearon, Ms Megan (Newry and Armagh) Moutray, Stephen (Upper Bann) Flanagan, Phil (Fermanagh and South Tyrone) Nesbitt, Mike (Strangford) Ford, David (South Antrim) Newton, Robin (East Belfast) Foster, Mrs Arlene (Fermanagh and South Tyrone) Ní Chuilín, Ms Carál (North Belfast) Frew, Paul (North Antrim) Ó hOisín, Cathal (East Londonderry) Gardiner, Samuel (Upper Bann) O'Dowd, John (Upper Bann) Girvan, Paul (South Antrim) O'Neill, Mrs Michelle (Mid Ulster) Givan, Paul (Lagan Valley) Overend, Mrs Sandra (Mid Ulster) Hale, Mrs Brenda (Lagan Valley) Poots, Edwin (Lagan Valley) Hamilton, Simon (Strangford) Ramsey, Pat (Foyle) Hay, William (Speaker) Ramsey, Ms Sue (West Belfast) Hazzard, Chris (South Down) Robinson, George (East Londonderry) Hilditch, David (East Antrim) Robinson, Peter (East Belfast) Humphrey, William (North Belfast) Rogers, Seán (South Down) Hussey, Ross (West Tyrone) Ross, Alastair (East Antrim) Irwin, William (Newry and Armagh) Ruane, Ms Caitríona (South Down) Kelly, Mrs Dolores (Upper Bann) Sheehan, Pat (West Belfast) Kelly, Gerry (North Belfast) Spratt, Jimmy (South Belfast) Kennedy, Danny (Newry and Armagh) Storey, Mervyn (North Antrim) Kinahan, Danny (South Antrim) Sugden, Claire Ms (East Londonderry) 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 Monday 19 May 2014 The Assembly met at 12.00 noon (Mr Speaker in the Chair). Members observed two minutes' silence. Assembly Business Ministerial Statement Standing Order 20(1): Suspension North/South Ministerial Council: Agriculture Mr Speaker: The business motion to suspend Standing Order 20(1) will allow Question Time Mrs O'Neill (The Minister of Agriculture and to begin at 1.00 pm. Rural Development): Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. With your permission, I will Mr Weir: I beg to move make a statement in compliance with section 52 of the 1998 Act regarding the 21st meeting of That Standing Order 20(1) be suspended for 19 the North/South Ministerial Council (NSMC) in May 2014. agriculture sector format, which was held in Armagh on Wednesday 16 April 2014. The Mr Speaker: Before I put the Question, I Executive were represented by Minister Edwin remind Members that the motion requires Poots MLA and me. The Dublin Government cross-community support. were represented by Simon Coveney TD, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Minister Coveney chaired the meeting. The Question put and agreed to. statement has been agreed with Minister Poots, and I make it on behalf of us both. Resolved (with cross-community support): Ministers had a discussion on potential priorities That Standing Order 20(1) be suspended for 19 for the agriculture sector and noted that those May 2014. will be contained in a report to be considered at a future NSMC institutional meeting as part of the ongoing review into sectoral priorities. Ministers also discussed recent developments in international trade, which included ongoing negotiations with China, including the hosting of Chinese visitors interested in the North’s agrifood industry and Chinese graduate students availing themselves of College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) expertise as part of their thoroughbred internship. There was discussion about recent success in opening export markets such as Singapore. Ministers also discussed the merits of establishing an international trade working group to help further exports from across Ireland. DARD and Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) officials are working together to take that forward. The Council noted the plans, proposals and key issues arising from implementation of the common agricultural policy (CAP) reforms agreed in 2013. 1 Monday 19 May 2014 Ministers agreed on the continued close contact through the EU INTERREG cross-border between officials from the Department of programme. Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Ministers also had the opportunity to discuss in Development concerning the policy options some detail issues affecting the beef sector, arising from the reform package and practical including retailer specifications, pricing and implementation issues. North/South trade in cattle. Minister Coveney and I agreed on the need for increased The Council noted that a detailed document on transparency and communication in the supply plant health and pesticides was presented to chain and for all elements of the chain to work the NSMC in agriculture format in November together to ensure a fair return for all. We also 2013. Ministers acknowledged that the agreed to continue to work together in that Departments have worked closely in developing area. The Council agreed to hold the next the protocol for the cross-border movement of agriculture meeting in September 2014 in the larch logs that are infected with P ramorum, Canal Stores building in Clones, the which was planned to be finalised by Easter refurbishment of which has been funded as part 2014. It was noted that the all-Ireland Chalara of the EU INTERREG programme. ash dieback conference took place on 8 May. Mr Frew (The Chairperson of the Committee Ministers welcomed the continued work on the for Agriculture and Rural Development): I delivery of an all-island animal health and thank the Minister for her statement. Given that welfare strategy action plan since the last the Republic of Ireland Minister and, indeed, the NSMC agriculture meeting. That work includes Department down there have basically finalised applications by each relevant competent their proposals for CAP in a way that means authority to the Office International des that they can then plan ahead for the future, Epizooties (OIE) for peste des petits ruminants- why is it that our Minister in DARD fails free status, or sheep disease. It also includes miserably every time and is made to look bad in DAFM making African horse sickness the eyes of the British Isles, considering that regulations, which now means that there is a she has yet to bring