Official Report (Hansard) Tuesday 23 April 2013 Volume 84, No 4 Session 2012-2013 Contents Executive Committee Business Tobacco Retailers Bill: Second Stage ............................................................................................... 1 Private Members' Business Economic Initiatives and Sustainable Employment ........................................................................... 14 Oral Answers to Questions Enterprise, Trade and Investment ..................................................................................................... 20 Finance and Personnel ...................................................................................................................... 26 Private Members' Business Economic Initiatives and Sustainable Employment (Continued) ....................................................... 32 Adjournment Antrim Area Hospital: Sexual Assault Referral Centre ...................................................................... 40 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) Milne, Ian (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 23 April 2013 The Assembly met at 10.30 am (Mr Speaker in the Chair). Members observed two minutes' silence. Last year, I launched a new tobacco control Executive Committee strategy for Northern Ireland, the long-term aim Business of which is the creation of a tobacco-free society. Supporting current smokers to quit is an Tobacco Retailers Bill: Second Stage essential element of this strategy. However, only by creating an environment in which future Mr Poots (The Minister of Health, Social generations choose not to smoke will we see Services and Public Safety): I beg to move our vision of a smoke-free Northern Ireland become a reality. That the Second Stage of the Tobacco Retailers Bill [NIA 19/11-15] be agreed. I already referred to the fact that the majority of smokers take up smoking before they reach In Northern Ireland today, more than 350,000 adulthood. Indeed, most smokers will have adults are smokers, and, according to recent tried their first cigarette, and many will have survey information, 83% of these smokers took become addicted, before they are of a legal age up the habit while still in their teens. Although to purchase tobacco products. The reasons tobacco is a legal product, it is unique in that it why young people take up smoking, despite the eventually kills one half of its users. Smoking overwhelming evidence of the harm that it affects almost every organ in the body and is causes, are complex and varied. We know that the direct cause of a number of illnesses, children are influenced by the smoking including coronary heart disease, strokes and behaviour of people around them: their parents, numerous forms of cancer. siblings and peers. External influences, such as the media and tobacco promotion, also play Every year, around 2,300 people in Northern a role. Ireland die from smoking-related illnesses. Many more lives are ruined as a result of In Northern Ireland, the latest results from the illness, disability or bereavement caused by young persons behaviour and attitudes survey cigarettes. As well as the considerable human revealed that 8% of 11- to 16-year-olds are and emotional cost that we associate with current smokers and that one in five children in tobacco use, there is also an economic cost. that age group have smoked tobacco at least The estimated hospital costs of treating once in their short lives. Some 2,000 children tobacco-related diseases are in the region of here become new regular smokers every year £119 million each year. I am sure that — new recruits to replace the 2,300 people who Members will agree that that is not an die each year from smoking. We have to break insignificant sum. that grisly cycle, and the survey indicates one means of doing that. It reveals that, of the 8% Although we have made substantial progress of children who smoke regularly, over half since the 1960s, when over half the population frequently purchase tobacco products from a smoked, our smoking rates still remain too high, newsagent, tobacconist or sweet shop. That is particularly when we compare them with those in spite of the legislation that makes it illegal for in other developed countries such as Australia a retailer to sell tobacco to a person under the and Canada. Rates are particularly high in age of 18. areas of social and economic deprivation, where around one in three people smoke, My main objective, therefore, in introducing the compared with the average of one in four for Tobacco Retailers Bill, is to ensure that the the general population. Smoking continues to minimum-age-of-sale policy is more rigorously be one of the main contributors to health applied by retailers as the proposed legislation inequalities here, a situation that must be will introduce tougher measures for non- remedied. compliance. Many Members will recall 1 Tuesday 23 April 2013 agreeing, in 2008, to an increase in the I am also concerned that the burdens on minimum age of sale for tobacco products from retailers be kept to a minimum. Therefore, 16 to 18. That change in the legislation brought there will be no charge for registering, and us into line with the rest of the UK and Ireland registrations will be kept on a local council and also made it easier for retailers to refuse to basis. Retailers throughout the rest of the UK sell to under-18s as the majority of adults carry are already subject to similar provisions to some acceptable form of ID. those proposed in the Tobacco Retailers Bill. In England and Wales, a negative licensing At present, a retailer who sells tobacco system, which allows magistrates to ban products to a person under 18 years of age is retailers from selling tobacco, has been in guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not operation since 2009. The Scottish system, exceeding £2,500. That legislation is enforced introduced from April 2011, closely resembles by district councils, the majority of