Official Report (Hansard) Monday 8 September 2014 Volume 97, No 1 Session 2014-2015 Contents Speaker's Business ......................................................................................................................... 1 Executive Committee Business Budget (No. 2) Bill: Royal Assent ...................................................................................................... 1 Assembly Business Sam Foster CBE ................................................................................................................................ 1 Matters of the Day Death of Former Taoiseach Albert Reynolds .................................................................................... 5 Carl Frampton: Super-bantamweight World Champion ................................................................... 8 Assembly Business ……………………………………………………………………………………….. 11 Ministerial Statements British-Irish Council: Misuse of Substances ..................................................................................... 11 Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan .......................................................................................................... 17 Oral Answers to Questions Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister ......................................................................... 21 Regional Development ...................................................................................................................... 29 Ministerial Statement Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan (Continued) ...................................................................................... 36 Committee Business 'Spotlight' Housing Executive Programme: Inquiry Report ............................................................... 43 Written Ministerial Statements: July and August …………………………………………………… 65 - 75 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, Ms Claire (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 8 September 2014 The Assembly met at 12.00 noon (Mr Principal Deputy Speaker [Mr Mitchel McLaughlin] in the Chair). Members observed two minutes' silence. Speaker's Business Assembly Business Mr Principal Deputy Speaker: Order. Before Sam Foster CBE we proceed to today's business, I welcome Members back after the recess. Mr Principal Deputy Speaker: Members will have been saddened to learn of the passing of Executive Committee Sam Foster, a former Assembly Member for Fermanagh and South Tyrone and Minister of Business the Environment in the first mandate. Sam was one of life’s true gentlemen and had a history of Budget (No. 2) Bill: Royal Assent public service rooted in Fermanagh and South Tyrone. He was dedicated to the community that he served and attracted a huge amount of Mr Principal Deputy Speaker: I wish to inform respect as a Member of this House. The the House that the Budget (No. 2) Bill (Northern culmination of his career saw him appointed as Ireland) received Royal Assent on Wednesday Minister of the Environment — a position that 16 July 2014. It will be known as the Budget he held with great honour and pride. I take this (No. 2) Act (Northern Ireland) 2014. opportunity to extend my personal condolences to his family circle and to all his party colleagues on their sad loss. As we have done in the past on these occasions, I will call a representative of each party to speak for up to three minutes to pay tribute to our late friend and colleague. I will allow 30 minutes for tributes, and, if there is sufficient time remaining after all parties have spoken, I may be able to call other Members who rise in their places to say a few words. The House will now pay its own respects. Mr Nesbitt: Thank you, Mr Principal Deputy Speaker. In a previous life, I sometimes offered media training, and I would show worst case/best case examples from TV. I often favoured the launch of an anti-drink-driving Christmas campaign that Sam Foster was in charge of during his time as Environment Minister because his sound bite in that report was absolutely perfect. It was perfect because it was genuine. Sam Foster spoke good sense, and he spoke it from the heart. I think that that will be many people's abiding memory of Sam Foster. Like many Members of the House, I attended his funeral in St Macartin's Cathedral in Enniskillen, which was a huge affair befitting a man with a long lifetime of public service. Like 1 Monday 8 September 2014 Sir John Gorman, whom we lost earlier in the dignity. He was highly regarded and respected, year, Sam was elected to this House in 1998, not only by his colleagues who had an affinity and both came to politics with experience of with him, but by those of us in other parties. successful careers in other areas. At Sam's We had a respect and regard for Sam Foster, funeral, it was striking how many different because I always believed that, when Sam interest groups were there: groups that shared Foster spoke, he meant what he said and he nothing but mutual respect for Sam Foster. said what he meant. He was quite determined and resolute in the things that he believed in Sam served his country as a Reserve police and the direction that he was going. He was officer and then a major in the Ulster Defence never a man who set out purposely to cause Regiment. So he was not only a public servant, offence. He was an individual who wanted to he was a brave one, unafraid to put himself in the best for his constituents and the people he harm's way to defend his family, community and represented. country from terrorist threat . He was present at the IRA attack on the cenotaph in Enniskillen in So, on behalf of my party, I extend to his wife 1987; indeed, with his bare hands, he helped and family our sincere and heartfelt sympathy. rescue people from the rubble. Sam was the He will be a great loss. Ulster Unionists will embodiment of a decent human being. He was miss him most, but Ulster, in general, will miss also a loyal Ulster Unionist who served his Sam Foster.