Official Report (Hansard) Monday 17 February 2014 Volume 92, No 1 Session 2013-2014 Contents Assembly Business……………………………………………………………………………………….. 1 Executive Committee Business Budget Bill: Consideration Stage ....................................................................................................... 1 Committee Business Delivering Social Change: Signature Programmes .......................................................................... 2 Private Members' Business Shared Education .............................................................................................................................. 15 Oral Answers to Questions Finance and Personnel ...................................................................................................................... 22 Enterprise, Trade and Investment ..................................................................................................... 32 Private Members' Business Shared Education (Continued) .......................................................................................................... 40 Remote Sensing Inspections ............................................................................................................. 55 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) Buchanan, Thomas (West Tyrone) McDonnell, Alasdair (South Belfast) Byrne, Joe (West Tyrone) McElduff, Barry (West Tyrone) Cameron, Mrs Pam (South Antrim) McGahan, Ms Bronwyn (Fermanagh and South Tyrone) Campbell, Gregory (East Londonderry) McGimpsey, Michael (South Belfast) Clarke, Trevor (South Antrim) McGlone, Patsy (Mid Ulster) Cochrane, Mrs Judith (East Belfast) McGuinness, Martin (Mid Ulster) Copeland, Michael (East Belfast) McIlveen, David (North Antrim) Craig, Jonathan (Lagan Valley) McIlveen, Miss Michelle (Strangford) Cree, Leslie (North Down) McKay, Daithí (North Antrim) Dallat, John (East Londonderry) McKevitt, Mrs Karen (South Down) Dickson, Stewart (East Antrim) McKinney, Fearghal (South Belfast) 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, Seán (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 Monday 17 February 2014 The Assembly met at 12.00 noon (Mr Speaker in the Chair). Members observed two minutes' silence. Assembly Business Executive Committee Business Mr Storey: On a point of order, Mr Speaker. Will you give guidance to the House on a matter of concern? It is whether or not the Education Budget Bill: Consideration Stage Minister misled the House in a statement that he made on 4 February, when, in response to a Mr Speaker: I call the Minister of Finance and topical question, he said: Personnel, Mr Hamilton, to move the Consideration Stage of the Budget Bill. "I am now in a position where I can confirm that no school will lose any funding as a Moved. — [Mr Hamilton (The Minister of result of the changes that I have made." — Finance and Personnel).] [Official Report, Vol 91, No 6, p38, col 2]. Mr Speaker: No amendments have been However, Members will be aware that, at the tabled. I propose, therefore, by leave of the weekend, on the 'Sunday Politics' show, the Assembly, to group the seven clauses of the Bill Education Minister made reference to the fact for the Question on stand part, followed by the that he was yet to make up his mind. That was four schedules and the long title. in agreement with what the Education Committee was told on Wednesday by officials. Clauses 1 to 7 ordered to stand part of the Bill. Is it, Mr Speaker, in your power to ask the Education Minister to come to the House to clarify and inform Members what those changes Schedules 1 to 4 agreed to. are? To date, they have not been conveyed to the Education Committee and are clearly in Long title agreed to. contravention with what he said in this House on Tuesday 4 February. Mr Speaker: That concludes the Consideration Stage of the Budget Bill. The Bill stands Mr Speaker: The Member and other Members referred to the Speaker. will know that, on 26 January 2009, I made a very firm ruling that the Chair does not have any role in, and certainly does not sit in judgement on, how a Minister might answer a question in the House. However, I can understand the frustration of Members when they feel that they are not getting the appropriate answer from Ministers to their questions. I encourage the Member to pursue the matter through further questions to the Minister or through the Committee structures. There are a number of avenues that Members can use to pursue Ministers if they feel very strongly that they have not got a satisfactory answer. 1 Monday 17 February 2014 Public Safety; family-support hubs, led by the Committee Business Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety; and the community family- Delivering Social Change: Signature support programme, led by the Department for Programmes Employment and Learning. Mr Speaker: The next item of business is a There was a seventh programme, which was motion from the Committee for the Office of the announced by junior Ministers in October 2013, First Minister and deputy First Minister on its with regard to £1·6 million of investment to report on Delivering Social Change signature enhance play and leisure opportunities for programmes. The Business Committee has children and young people. It is unfortunate agreed to allow up to one hour and 30 minutes that the Committee was not advised of that until for the debate. The proposer will have 15 after the event in November, as it would have minutes to propose and 15 minutes to make a provided an opportunity for discussion on that winding-up speech. All other speakers will programme as well as the other six that were discussed at that event. It is unfortunate, but have five minutes. perhaps typical, of the current communication channels between the Committee and the Mr Nesbitt (The Chairperson of the Department. Committee for the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister): I beg to move Although Delivering Social Change is an Executive-wide framework, with signature That this Assembly notes the report of the programmes being delivered by a number of Committee for the Office of the First Minister different lead Departments, the £26 million and deputy First Minister on its event on the budget for the programmes is allocated from a Delivering Social Change signature central ring-fenced Delivering Social Change programmes (NIA 150/11-15); and calls on the fund, with governance arrangements and First Minister and deputy First Minister to collaboration managed through the Office of the ensure that meaningful and comprehensive First Minister and deputy First Minister. engagement with practitioners and stakeholders is central to the development of any future In September 2013, the Committee agreed