:00:25. > :00:28.Hello and welcome to Stormont Today. Coming up on the programme:
:00:29. > :00:36.The Health Minister plays down any risk from illegal meat entering the
:00:37. > :00:41.food chain. The main risk arising from this type of operation is
:00:42. > :00:46.microbiological contamination of product. In the inventor of
:00:47. > :00:50.contaminated product entering the food chain, aside from removal, the
:00:51. > :00:56.main way of dealing with bacteria is to cook your meat well. Cafe culture
:00:57. > :00:59.comes a step closer. The bill provides a regulatory framework to
:01:00. > :01:03.allow pavement cafes to operate better, enhance our town and city
:01:04. > :01:07.centres, and have due regard and respect for other street users. And
:01:08. > :01:13.I'm joined in the studio by the political commentator, Alex Kane.
:01:14. > :01:18.It was one of those days when you could be forgiven for thinking
:01:19. > :01:22.nothing much was happening up here on the hill. But, there were two
:01:23. > :01:25.things that stood out today - an unexpected end to Arlene Foster's
:01:26. > :01:29.Question Time, and a nearly empty chamber postponed, briefly, a vote
:01:30. > :01:37.on the final stage of the Financial Provisions Bill. This bill is a
:01:38. > :01:42.short but important and necessary piece of legislation, the main
:01:43. > :01:45.purpose of which distilled tidy up routing financial matters about
:01:46. > :01:48.financial legislation. It has a number of noncontroversial and
:01:49. > :01:51.missions, and I would like to thank everybody for the work they have
:01:52. > :02:01.done. On that note I again commended a bill to the house. Order, members.
:02:02. > :02:06.As it is not quorum in the house, I cannot put the question. So, I will
:02:07. > :02:17.therefore order the division Bell is to be wrong. -- wrung. This is our
:02:18. > :02:23.opportunity to shine, and I hope everybody takes that opportunity. We
:02:24. > :02:27.have reached the end of the list of speakers, so I thank you for your
:02:28. > :02:36.attendance. Is that the first time that has happened? The house will
:02:37. > :02:38.take it easy. -- ease. The Principal Deputy Speaker, Mitchel McLaughlin,
:02:39. > :02:42.bringing proceedings to a temporary halt this afternoon. Joining me now
:02:43. > :02:46.is the commentator Alex Kane. So, not enough people in the chamber to
:02:47. > :02:49.vote on a bill and a break of five minutes in Question Time. Is this
:02:50. > :02:52.the aftermath of an unusually busy timetable last week? Possibly. I
:02:53. > :02:56.think the problem is also that the Finance Bill, it's a necessary piece
:02:57. > :03:01.of legislation, but it's terribly dull and people aren't bothering to
:03:02. > :03:04.come in. Obviously the Chief Whip did not give people an indication to
:03:05. > :03:08.be there in time for the vote, which is why they had to run when the
:03:09. > :03:11.division Bell came. But it happens in Westminster and the Scottish
:03:12. > :03:16.parliament. It's not surprising people don't turn up at those
:03:17. > :03:20.meetings. Then the surprising situation with Arlene Foster. It is
:03:21. > :03:23.ten people listed to ask questions, and maybe she was succinct with
:03:24. > :03:26.answers or one or two of them or not there, but she finished before the
:03:27. > :03:31.next piece of business was due to start, so there was a gap. Yes, she
:03:32. > :03:35.galloped through the ten questions and I don't think a couple of people
:03:36. > :03:40.were there. I don't understand why if anybody else wanted to ask a
:03:41. > :03:43.question, it is a topical question Time. It's one of those strange
:03:44. > :03:48.things. You think they would trust the members enough to say, I do have
:03:49. > :03:55.a question but it was unlucky not to be chosen at the ballot and I could
:03:56. > :03:58.ask it now. The house saying it can take its ease and do nothing to the
:03:59. > :04:04.next five minutes, because there's nothing worth talking about in
:04:05. > :04:09.enterprise or business, or anything? It's very old-fashioned, very
:04:10. > :04:12.parliamentary, but the precedent had been established and it's up to the
:04:13. > :04:15.speaker to say there is a five-minute gap, and if everybody
:04:16. > :04:19.wants to ask a question, asking now. I don't know why he did not do
:04:20. > :04:22.that. Plenty of other business and we will be talking about that
:04:23. > :04:29.between now and the end of the programme. There were no Haass talks
:04:30. > :04:32.this week, as there have been on previous Tuesdays. I think Mike
:04:33. > :04:38.Nesbitt said in the debate on Friday that he was pulling out UUP. I don't
:04:39. > :04:42.know whether they had responded to see what would happen, but the
:04:43. > :04:45.reality is, the last time they were on and we've had this in
:04:46. > :04:53.conversation before, the process is dead. There's nothing to talk about.
:04:54. > :04:56.David Lord said they would go ahead without Mike Nesbitt and if you want
:04:57. > :05:00.to put himself outside of it, he can, but we will continue. They are
:05:01. > :05:04.continuing with nothing. This process went on with 18 months and
:05:05. > :05:07.then three months of talk, then the leaders talk and nothing has been
:05:08. > :05:12.produced. Sinn Fein have said they will not budge. It is dead. I wish
:05:13. > :05:19.people would accept it. It's the Monty Python thing, it is a dead
:05:20. > :05:22.process. Get over it and move on. We heard today that events in the
:05:23. > :05:29.Ukraine should not have an impact on a planned Invest NI trade mission to
:05:30. > :05:33.Russia in June? They say that now, but we have no idea what will happen
:05:34. > :05:37.in a few weeks with 20,000 Russian soldiers there. It's not a devolved
:05:38. > :05:42.matter. The Foreign Office will make a final call. We will see. And speak
:05:43. > :05:45.to you later in the programme. Alex Kane thanks for now. A police
:05:46. > :05:48.operation that uncovered a suspected illegal animal slaughter and meat
:05:49. > :05:52.operation in County Armagh was brought to the Assembly today. In an
:05:53. > :05:55.Urgent Oral Question, tabled by the UUP's Roy Beggs, the Health Minister
:05:56. > :06:00.was asked for his assessment of the risk to public health. This is a
:06:01. > :06:03.matter for the Food Standards Agency and they have advised me that they
:06:04. > :06:08.are closely monitoring any possible risks to public health as a result
:06:09. > :06:12.of the operation. Food risk managers -- management procedures will be
:06:13. > :06:15.implemented by the FSA and if investigations reveal that products
:06:16. > :06:18.entered the food chain, the main risk arising from this type of
:06:19. > :06:23.operation is microbiological contamination of product, and in the
:06:24. > :06:27.event of contaminated product entering the food chain, aside from
:06:28. > :06:31.removing it, the main way of dealing with bacterial is to cook the meat
:06:32. > :06:33.well. This means that even if product has entered the food chain,
:06:34. > :06:40.effective cooking would minimise the risk to public health. I noted the
:06:41. > :06:46.minister talked about the bacterial influence, and that the solution was
:06:47. > :06:49.around cooking meat properly. Can the Minister give guarantees,
:06:50. > :06:56.therefore, to this house today and to the wider public that there is
:06:57. > :07:02.indeed, and will not be, any risk to public health? We are giving you a
:07:03. > :07:08.advice on the basis that if you are buying meat, you should be buying it
:07:09. > :07:14.from butchers that identify clearly that they are part of the insurance
:07:15. > :07:17.scheme, and the same -- farm assurance scheme, and the same
:07:18. > :07:22.applies in supermarkets and so forth. So by your meat from an
:07:23. > :07:28.approved source rather than out of the back of a van. In most
:07:29. > :07:32.instances, people can have absolute certainty, and absolute surety, that
:07:33. > :07:38.the meat they are buying has been raised on very high quality
:07:39. > :07:42.standards, and that the method of killing has been carried out
:07:43. > :07:49.humanely, and has been carried out in a way that ensures that,
:07:50. > :07:52.microbiologically, everything has been done correctly, and people can
:07:53. > :07:57.take those steps. If people are buying meat out of the back of a van
:07:58. > :08:02.from an unknown source, they are potentially asking for trouble.
:08:03. > :08:06.Given the urgency of the situation both with public health and the
:08:07. > :08:09.reputation of the Northern Ireland meat industry, what meetings have
:08:10. > :08:12.taken place between himself, the Minister of health, and the Minister
:08:13. > :08:16.for agriculture, because this seems an urgent issue and needs to be held
:08:17. > :08:22.-- dealt with at the highest ministerial level? I think we should
:08:23. > :08:26.all calm down a little. This is not a large scale operation, in the
:08:27. > :08:31.first instance. We should not be blowing this out of proportion. This
:08:32. > :08:34.is not something which is common practice, and there is just not
:08:35. > :08:41.evidence that that would be the case. We became aware of an activity
:08:42. > :08:45.and there was a course of action taken yesterday, and it's now in the
:08:46. > :08:54.public domain, as it should be. Actions are being taken, and it is
:08:55. > :09:02.for the Council, potentially that the police, and possibly there would
:09:03. > :09:07.be legal action -- for the police. I think they are allowed -- I think it
:09:08. > :09:09.is important they should be allowed to get on with that action. The
:09:10. > :09:13.Health Minister, Edwin Poots. That urgent question was asked by Roy
:09:14. > :09:16.Beggs, who joins me now. Were you happy with the Minister's response
:09:17. > :09:20.today? I think it was a bit laid-back, saying be calm, it's not
:09:21. > :09:24.a big issue. They might not find a big quantity of illegal meat on the
:09:25. > :09:28.premises, but let's remember that each of the last three years, almost
:09:29. > :09:33.3000 cattle have been stolen or gone missing in Northern Ireland. That's
:09:34. > :09:40.a considerable amount of beef. That will be over 1000 tonnes of meat, if
:09:41. > :09:44.it was put into the food chain. Perhaps ?3 million have been stolen
:09:45. > :09:49.from local farmers. The numbers can up, if that's what you're saying.
:09:50. > :09:52.There was some sensible advice from the Minister, buy meat from a
:09:53. > :09:59.reliable source and cookie properly will stop you can't -- cook it
:10:00. > :10:02.properly. You can't argue with that. Yes, it's good advice, but we want
:10:03. > :10:06.to see a more proactive approach by the range of agencies with an
:10:07. > :10:12.interest in this, the Food Standards Agency, the police, and how many
:10:13. > :10:20.proactive actions have they taken to identify who is stealing the cattle?
:10:21. > :10:26.I suspect they're entering the food chain and taking them down south
:10:27. > :10:29.using the food plant. It was highlighted that 3000 animals a year
:10:30. > :10:32.were being stolen or had gone missing in Northern Ireland.
:10:33. > :10:37.Primarily the Department of agriculture, do you think it should
:10:38. > :10:42.be, could be, doing more as one of the lead agencies? Often theft is
:10:43. > :10:49.involved so it is a major police issue. We probably need the National
:10:50. > :10:53.Crime Agency to be involved, but we don't have it in Northern Ireland.
:10:54. > :10:57.This is a ?3 million turnover of stolen meat or cattle in Northern
:10:58. > :11:01.Ireland. This is big money. Criminals are raking it in at the
:11:02. > :11:09.expense of small farmers. Some consumers might be concerned. The
:11:10. > :11:12.food standards investigation is taking place. What action will you
:11:13. > :11:18.call for if it finds that the meat has ended up in the food chain? What
:11:19. > :11:22.I would like to find out is how many people have been prosecuted for this
:11:23. > :11:28.type of activity? Particularly, how many businesses have perhaps been
:11:29. > :11:33.drawn into this food chain, and if so, what is the cost to them? I hope
:11:34. > :11:37.that the Food Standards Agency have the potential to put them out of
:11:38. > :11:43.business and to stop them trading if such irresponsible actions can be
:11:44. > :11:48.found. The Minister 's line was that people needed to calm down a little.
:11:49. > :11:51.Are you saying there could be reputational damage to the beef
:11:52. > :11:55.industry if it's not sorted out once and for all? I have no doubt that
:11:56. > :11:59.Northern Ireland has the highest level of food security perhaps
:12:00. > :12:06.anywhere in these islands. The level of traceability is huge, right from
:12:07. > :12:11.farm to the fork. With the tracing through meat plants, veterinary
:12:12. > :12:19.inspection, checking temperature and storage in the shops. All of that is
:12:20. > :12:24.fine. But remember when the last major outbreak occurred, not that
:12:25. > :12:26.far down the road. There is serious organised crime happening and we
:12:27. > :12:33.need the public to work with all of the agencies to feeding information
:12:34. > :12:36.of unusual traffic, perhaps what is happening to material that has been
:12:37. > :12:43.dumped as a result of this activity, and we need information to allow the
:12:44. > :12:46.police to prosecute. The number of illegal dumps in Northern Ireland
:12:47. > :12:48.came up during questions to the Environment Minister today. Last
:12:49. > :12:51.month a Spotlight programmed uncovered one in Campsie near
:12:52. > :12:55.Londonderry which contained half a million tonnes of waste. Mark H
:12:56. > :12:58.Durkan was also asked about the Northern Ireland Environment Agency
:12:59. > :13:00.and its part in the running of Dunluce Castle. Visitor numbers to
:13:01. > :13:07.the north coast attraction have fallen in recent years. Dunluce
:13:08. > :13:11.castle is one of Northern Ireland's premier tourist attractions, but the
:13:12. > :13:15.decline in visitor numbers over the last few years does not reflect its
:13:16. > :13:20.true historic and economic potential. That is why the Northern
:13:21. > :13:26.Ireland Environment Agency has already under undertaken substantive
:13:27. > :13:30.steps towards addressing this issue. It has established an innovation
:13:31. > :13:36.trial to create a world class visitor experience that does justice
:13:37. > :13:42.to these ruins and brings economic benefits to the region. The agency a
:13:43. > :13:46.has been successful in securing over ?300,000 support from the Heritage
:13:47. > :13:52.Lottery Fund towards an exciting proposal to uncover the lost town of
:13:53. > :13:57.Dunluce. The remains of this early 17th plantation town lie in the
:13:58. > :14:02.fields outside the castle gate. I thank the Minister for his answer.
:14:03. > :14:09.I'm not sure if he believes it or not, because he was struggling
:14:10. > :14:18.reading that out. Dunluce castle had 88,000 in 2010, and 44,000 in 2013.
:14:19. > :14:27.A drop of 30,000. Your predecessor and the deputy Minister opened the
:14:28. > :14:33.new tourist facility worth ?208,000. I hope you are going to spend this
:14:34. > :14:39.money wisely. The Minister said he would undertake a root and branch
:14:40. > :14:44.review on the radio. There's undoubtedly been a huge decrease in
:14:45. > :14:51.visitor numbers over the past numbers to Dunluce. He heard me on
:14:52. > :14:56.the radio speaking about NIEA, so he will know I don't defend something
:14:57. > :15:01.if I don't think it is defensible. In this case however I do not
:15:02. > :15:06.believe that's solely or even largely down to the management. I
:15:07. > :15:11.don't think that's attributable to the decline in number numbers to
:15:12. > :15:16.that. I am conducting a review of the agency. I don't think it is the
:15:17. > :15:20.agency's fault that these numbers are down. However, I think the
:15:21. > :15:26.agency in partnership with others has a key role to play in ensuring
:15:27. > :15:32.we bring numbers back up. It is vital that this ?300,000 is spent
:15:33. > :15:39.wisely and I look forward to input from Mr Swan from all stake holders
:15:40. > :15:43.as to how they envisage a world class visitor attraction would look
:15:44. > :15:47.like on that site. Given that the report and even the PSNI
:15:48. > :15:51.investigation is very much site specific works the Minister agree
:15:52. > :15:56.that without a further and perhaps more comprehensive inquiry there
:15:57. > :16:02.will always be unanswered questions, are there other illegal dumps in the
:16:03. > :16:08.North-West? After operation sycamore, the investigation, the
:16:09. > :16:12.department launched Operation Tooth-fish - I don't know who thinks
:16:13. > :16:17.up the names. It is investigating waste crime at 33 sites across the
:16:18. > :16:22.north and regrettably some of them are in the North-West as well. I
:16:23. > :16:27.think it is important and I have said this before in the House that
:16:28. > :16:31.my department and NIEA work closely with other departments and with the
:16:32. > :16:36.PSNI on this issue. I've met with the Minister for justice on this. It
:16:37. > :16:40.is vitally important that the severity of sentences reflects the
:16:41. > :16:45.seriousness of the crime. Here we are talking about serious crime. It
:16:46. > :16:52.is hardly victimless. The outcome of it is a cost to the rate payer. It
:16:53. > :16:57.is my ambition and hope that we can make the polluter pay for the
:16:58. > :17:03.clean-up of this site and every site that we found in the absence have
:17:04. > :17:07.been able to bring the perpetrators to justice it would be left to the
:17:08. > :17:12.rate payer and taxpayer to foot the bill. That should be reflected in
:17:13. > :17:17.the severity of sentences that are there for this type of crime.
:17:18. > :17:19.The Environment Minister, Mark H Durkan.
:17:20. > :17:22.The unrest in Ukraine came up during questions to the Enterprise, Trade
:17:23. > :17:26.and Investment Minister today. Invest NI is due to take a trade
:17:27. > :17:30.mission to Russia in June. But it was credit unions, and what could be
:17:31. > :17:37.done to help them help the public that we go to first. Given the
:17:38. > :17:42.number of voids left by bank closure closures and hikes in interest rates
:17:43. > :17:45.for lend lenders and non-street lenders, could I ask the Minister to
:17:46. > :17:52.give a firm commitment that it will be raise raised at the executive in
:17:53. > :17:58.terms of looking at programmes to en enable credit unions to fill the
:17:59. > :18:03.void left by the banks? What I will say is obviously in relation to the
:18:04. > :18:09.capability strategy, we will have that wider discussion around
:18:10. > :18:13.education and capacity building and I think it is a capacity building
:18:14. > :18:16.piece he may be referring to in relation to finance. He will know
:18:17. > :18:20.that in GB the Government came forward, the Department for Work and
:18:21. > :18:23.Pensions I think it was, came forward with an amount of money to
:18:24. > :18:26.try to get more people involved in the credit union. But of course it's
:18:27. > :18:31.the nearly 40% here in Northern Ireland. You can see that reflected
:18:32. > :18:38.in the number of members that get to their feet that say, "I would like
:18:39. > :18:46.to declare an interest in such and such credit union." Even in this
:18:47. > :18:49.House. We don't need the same sort of stimulus to get people involved
:18:50. > :18:52.in the credit union movement. I do think there's a piece of work around
:18:53. > :18:58.education and financial capability through the strategy that the credit
:18:59. > :19:01.union will play a key role. I hope the post office will play a key role
:19:02. > :19:06.as well. # Could I ask the Minister to give
:19:07. > :19:11.her own assessment of its relative success or otherwise, and what
:19:12. > :19:15.future plans might she have to engage in further joint ventures,
:19:16. > :19:22.which must be of benefit to both parts of this island? It was a
:19:23. > :19:27.successful mission. Just today some members might have noticed that I
:19:28. > :19:31.met with the High Commissioner from Singapore, who is based in London.
:19:32. > :19:34.He looks after the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland for
:19:35. > :19:41.Singapore. He was particularly pleased that his recently had
:19:42. > :19:46.delivered the first ever joint mission, and he could go down in
:19:47. > :19:51.history for his part in it. But I think the success of the
:19:52. > :19:55.mission was really in and around the fact that the companies that were
:19:56. > :19:59.taken from Great Britain, from Northern Ireland and from the
:20:00. > :20:03.Republic of Ireland, all complemented each other in what they
:20:04. > :20:09.were trying to do. They weren't competing against each other.
:20:10. > :20:14.Russia seems to be a key theme today in Question Time. But from my
:20:15. > :20:19.perspective and the department's perspective there've been a number
:20:20. > :20:23.of looks at Russia to see what the opportunities are and Invest
:20:24. > :20:29.Northern Ireland are bringing a trade mission, God willing, to
:20:30. > :20:32.Russia on 3rd June this year. It's a multi-sector mission. We think that
:20:33. > :20:37.there are good opportunities for us in Russia. In fact, if you look at
:20:38. > :20:43.the export figures in terms of Russia, they are continuing to grow
:20:44. > :20:46.at a good rate. In terms of Tourism Ireland,
:20:47. > :20:51.industry partners are going to participate in Visit Britain's
:20:52. > :20:58.Destination Britain. Sales missions to Moscow. They are doing that to
:20:59. > :21:04.try and sell the region, Britain and Ireland together. I do hope that the
:21:05. > :21:10.way in which we were able to work together, Visit Britain and Tourism
:21:11. > :21:14.Ireland, that we can work together for the Commonwealth games as well.
:21:15. > :21:19.And attract visitors from across the world to come and view the spectacle
:21:20. > :21:24.of those game. Can I say, we will continue to watch and see how our
:21:25. > :21:28.Government relates to what's going on in Russia, in the Ukraine, but as
:21:29. > :21:33.far as we are concerned it is business as usual and we are
:21:34. > :21:37.planning these events in the upcoming months to bring trade
:21:38. > :21:43.missions and Tourism Ireland to go out as well. Arlene foster.
:21:44. > :21:47.Now, we're not known for aping the cafe culture of Paris - or its
:21:48. > :21:50.weather for that matter - but a bill aimed at regulating pavement cafes
:21:51. > :21:53.did come before the House today. Seen by many in the Chamber as a
:21:54. > :21:56.potential boost to the local economy, the legislation seeks to
:21:57. > :21:59.create clear guidelines for businesses that want to put tables
:22:00. > :22:02.and chairs out, while still keeping the pavements accessible for all.
:22:03. > :22:07.These do provide more often than not a vibrancy to an area and are
:22:08. > :22:12.generally regarded as positive development. There are no measures
:22:13. > :22:15.in place to regulate them. A Bill is required for one key reason. There
:22:16. > :22:21.is no legislation to regulate the operation or development of pavement
:22:22. > :22:28.cafes. As a result we are left in the unacceptable position where road
:22:29. > :22:34.surfaces are operating a toleration policy as long as they hinder the
:22:35. > :22:39.free flow of pedestrians and vehicles or hinder public safety.
:22:40. > :22:43.RNIB, guide dogs for the blind and the inclusive mobility and transport
:22:44. > :22:48.advisory committee, these were around the potential for pavement
:22:49. > :22:55.cafes to cause restriction of movement for at the end trans -- for
:22:56. > :22:58.pedestrians. This morning the Minister provided assurance that the
:22:59. > :23:03.guidance on the regulations which will implement this bill will put
:23:04. > :23:08.the needs of the pedestrians, including those with disabilities
:23:09. > :23:12.and other needs at the heart of the licensing regime. This is key to the
:23:13. > :23:17.success of the regulation. The Minister noted in his response that
:23:18. > :23:21.the guidance will have to be taken seriously by councils. It is
:23:22. > :23:25.something that will help our tourism and hospitality trade and I hope
:23:26. > :23:33.bring our town centres back to life again. Mr Deputy Speaker, I want to
:23:34. > :23:39.add there was wide consult ace. We listened carefully. I hope that
:23:40. > :23:44.local counts will take seriously -- local councils will take their
:23:45. > :23:49.responsibility seriously and that pavement cafe requests are mindful
:23:50. > :23:53.of the needs of persons with visual disabilities and impairment.
:23:54. > :23:57.Organisations did come to the committee and raise concerns about
:23:58. > :24:00.this bill. It is vital that the department now follows on the
:24:01. > :24:04.assurances that the needs of people with mobility and sight issues
:24:05. > :24:09.particularly are placed at the heart of the licensing scheme. Amendment
:24:10. > :24:14.3, a one strike and you are out approach, was never fair on paper,
:24:15. > :24:18.especially in a new bill. The new clause as amended will still however
:24:19. > :24:21.give the new councils the authority to chase businesses in camera
:24:22. > :24:28.diction of the licensing scheme. The bill provides a regulatory framework
:24:29. > :24:33.which will allow pavement calf face to operate in ways that enhance our
:24:34. > :24:38.towns and city centres and have due regard and respect for other street
:24:39. > :24:45.users. This amendment will not affect the current bricks and mortar
:24:46. > :24:51.premises of bars and cafes. They are already covered by elects. I believe
:24:52. > :24:56.when a public space is being licenced to a private vendor we have
:24:57. > :25:00.a duty to ensure that the space is shared and open to all and covered
:25:01. > :25:04.by the same equality duties. We don't believe this is necessarily
:25:05. > :25:11.the appropriate place where we try to tack tackle difficult issues like
:25:12. > :25:16.this. Members will be well that wering are to defend some of these
:25:17. > :25:22.matters is quite difficult. The member himself referred to sporting
:25:23. > :25:27.emblems, which he says in themselves are not sectarian and problematic.
:25:28. > :25:36.Would you defend someone sitting in a cafe with a Rangers scarf? I don't
:25:37. > :25:40.know. What has been said clearly I think there's a time and a place for
:25:41. > :25:45.all of these things. I want to make it clear that I am opposing the
:25:46. > :25:51.amendment. The reasons for this are plain and simple. The bill as
:25:52. > :25:56.currently drafted will allow a council to take action where it has
:25:57. > :26:00.a concern that a pavement cafe area may not or is not providing a
:26:01. > :26:06.welcoming environment. For example, a council may refuse an application
:26:07. > :26:11.outright, Clause IV. Or if it decides to grant a licence impose
:26:12. > :26:16.any condition it considers reasonable in order to promote a
:26:17. > :26:21.welcoming environment. Clause 6. Where a licence is in force, a
:26:22. > :26:25.council could vary the conditions of a licence for the same purpose.
:26:26. > :26:29.Clause 16. And more importantly, and I think it
:26:30. > :26:34.has been touched on by a number of contributors, any licensed pavement
:26:35. > :26:40.cafe would remain a public area. As such, would be subject to all the
:26:41. > :26:43.normal laws of the land. The Social Development Minister,
:26:44. > :26:46.Nelson McCausland, explaining the rationale behind the proposed new
:26:47. > :26:51.legislation. And Alex Kane is with me again. Do you think we could ever
:26:52. > :26:56.be on course to rival the cafe culture of Paris? I'm not sure about
:26:57. > :27:00.that, but it is going to be full of people smoking, but it would be
:27:01. > :27:07.somewhere nice to sit when the weekly parades and processes pass
:27:08. > :27:13.by. And tomorrow's Bill Clinton visit? He's arriving to do a
:27:14. > :27:18.congratulatory thing for John Hulme. I wonder if he will get time to meet
:27:19. > :27:22.the First and Deputy First Minister. The process itself is in trouble. I
:27:23. > :27:27.wouldn't be surprised if they find a moment during the day to let them
:27:28. > :27:32.bump into each other and chat. You think that makes sense given that he
:27:33. > :27:36.was involve involved before. And Haass. Somebody needs to do
:27:37. > :27:40.something. Haass will have briefed President Obama. We know that and I
:27:41. > :27:44.think Obama will have briefed Clinton. I suspect they will talk to
:27:45. > :27:48.each other. And the politicians are off then to Washington for their
:27:49. > :27:56.annual St Patrick's Day gathering next week. Which of course is well
:27:57. > :28:02.ahead of March 17. It is on 14th March, the ides of March, which
:28:03. > :28:08.seems appropriate for a process that's in trouble for these men to
:28:09. > :28:11.come and sort it out. Beware. I think they'll get the trip and
:28:12. > :28:15.pretend all the well and come back on separate planes. It is an odd
:28:16. > :28:20.thing that they all head to Washington, gets their shamrock,
:28:21. > :28:27.meet the President and they are back on this island for St Patrick's Day.
:28:28. > :28:31.St Patrick's Day in Washington isn't St Patrick's Day. I think they
:28:32. > :28:38.expect them to do anything here on St Patrick's Day. It's a junket.
:28:39. > :28:46.Nowadays there is no point to it. To be honest President Obama says if
:28:47. > :28:48.you can't agree, I'm not bring you over here.
:28:49. > :28:52.Alex, thank you. And that's it from Stormont for another week. Do join
:28:53. > :28:55.me for The View on Thursday at 10.35pm on BBC One. Until then, from
:28:56. > :28:58.everyone in the team, bye-bye.