:00:27. > :00:30.Hello and welcome to Stormont Today. 200 years ago, one of English
:00:30. > :00:35.literature's greatest authors was born. Happy birthday Charles
:00:35. > :00:38.Dickens. With Great Expectations, let's see what's in the programme
:00:38. > :00:44.tonight. The old curiosity shop will see its rates cut as a new
:00:44. > :00:49.Bill speeds through the House. passage of this Bill through the
:00:49. > :00:55.Assembly will lead to a timely implementation of the measures on
:00:55. > :01:01.the 1st April 2012 and will go some way to reducing the disz
:01:01. > :01:08.proportionate rating burden on small businesses. And, what has
:01:08. > :01:15.been tickling the chamber's Artful Dodger. It's spreading around the
:01:15. > :01:25.benches. The next we will have the member for North Antrim speaking
:01:25. > :01:25.
:01:26. > :01:28.Irish. My guest tonight is Ian Coulter of the CBI. You'll probable
:01:28. > :01:32.remember the Finance Minister, Sammy Wilson, caused some
:01:32. > :01:37.controversy when he suggested that big business should pay higher
:01:37. > :01:40.rates to help smaller firms. That Bill passed its final staged in the
:01:40. > :01:44.Assembly today. Ian Coulter, you represent firms of all sizes. You
:01:44. > :01:49.weren't in favour of this legislation? That's correct. We
:01:49. > :01:54.went on record early on that we were against this measure. We
:01:54. > :01:56.believe, the CBI believes, it's imperative you get the balance
:01:56. > :02:02.between big and small business correct. We didn't think this was
:02:02. > :02:06.the way to go about it. Given the big profits of Tesco, IKEA, some of
:02:06. > :02:10.the stores mentioned, surely it is a fairer way to try to help some of
:02:10. > :02:14.the smaller firms. We saw figures today that 1,000 shops, small shops,
:02:14. > :02:19.have closed in Northern Ireland in the last year? Absolutely. Those
:02:19. > :02:24.small retailers need help. The issue is how to do that? We've,
:02:24. > :02:27.after having a number of discussions with different
:02:27. > :02:31.retailers, all sizes and shapes, we are convinced putting a... At the
:02:31. > :02:34.end of the day, a relatively small amount of money onto these large
:02:34. > :02:38.retailers sends the wrong message to business. What would be your
:02:38. > :02:43.solution then? I believe that the best way to do that would be to
:02:43. > :02:48.look at planning. Understand and agree with the different retailers
:02:48. > :02:54.around all of the different cities, what do we want in our townships
:02:54. > :02:57.and city centres? Then plan it accordingly. Slapping tariffs on to
:02:57. > :03:01.the larger businesss is not the way to do. It it sends the wrong
:03:01. > :03:05.message. Many people would see the larger businesses as the reason if
:03:05. > :03:09.they are out of town stores some of the town centre shops have closed
:03:09. > :03:13.down? That is where the planning needs to come into place. If there
:03:13. > :03:18.was dialogue with a lot of these retailers and space in the city
:03:18. > :03:22.centres you could say, we want to fill this space shall how can we do
:03:22. > :03:25.that? If we looked at the larger retailers we could say, there may
:03:25. > :03:30.be certain goods you can't sell from these large out of town stores.
:03:30. > :03:34.There are different ways of doing it. Going back to GB, to lot of
:03:34. > :03:38.these boards and sending out the message we will charge larger
:03:38. > :03:42.businesses. Not just retailers, large businesses generally, we will
:03:42. > :03:46.charge extra amounts is a dangerous message at this moment in time to
:03:46. > :03:51.send out. You don't think it will really put people off investing
:03:51. > :03:55.here? I wouldn't underestimate it. When you take it in conjunction
:03:55. > :03:59.with issues that large employers have at the moment with employment
:03:59. > :04:02.legislation, procurement and planning processes, it's another
:04:02. > :04:07.layer of difficulty and the message that those business cos say, is
:04:07. > :04:11.Northern Ireland really open for business? Is it business-friendly.
:04:11. > :04:15.At the minute that is very dangerous to do. You might think a
:04:15. > :04:19.Finance Minister would want to get his hand on more tax raising powers,
:04:19. > :04:23.but not our Finance Minister, as we'll find out shortly. We start
:04:23. > :04:27.our look at ministerial questions with the issue of illegal waste
:04:27. > :04:34.dumping. Alex Attwood, who reveals a little more than he was supposed
:04:34. > :04:38.to. The Minister is aware of a disgraceful case of dumping in the
:04:38. > :04:44.Downpatrick area which led to a prosecution just before Christmas
:04:44. > :04:48.were those responsible were find �121,500. He could send out a clear
:04:48. > :04:54.message to those involved to demand that those who did that, take every
:04:54. > :04:58.brick, every stone, every piece of concrete, every oil barrel out of
:04:58. > :05:02.that ground and process it through a licenced waste disposal site.
:05:02. > :05:07.That would send a clear message out to the community that we will no
:05:07. > :05:14.longer tolerate this irresponsible activity. Thank you. I'm aware of
:05:14. > :05:19.that case as members will be. It is a very serious offence. 9,000
:05:19. > :05:24.tonnes of illegal waste. Some of which came from the demolition of
:05:24. > :05:28.Down Hospital. There was a very substantial fine. The member is
:05:28. > :05:37.quite right, that is only part of the picture. It's half of the
:05:37. > :05:41.equation. There is now the responsibility in (inaudible) to
:05:41. > :05:46.clean up the wrong and crime committed in that regard. There are
:05:46. > :05:52.discussions between the local council and the NIEA in respect of
:05:52. > :05:56.how that situation is going to be rectified. And, when those
:05:56. > :06:02.conversations are concluded, then I will advise the members of what the
:06:02. > :06:04.outcome of those conclusions are. It is a difficult matter because
:06:04. > :06:10.the irresponsible and criminal behaviour of an individual, of
:06:10. > :06:13.dumping that waste, we have to remember that the haulier was also
:06:13. > :06:19.convicted in court, the irresponsible and reckless
:06:19. > :06:24.behaviour in dumping that waste was dumped near a water course, near a
:06:24. > :06:28.loch. Therefore, given what might be in the ground. Given there might
:06:28. > :06:32.be oil contamination a precautionary approach has to be
:06:32. > :06:36.deployed in order to ensure that waste is disposed of appropriately.
:06:36. > :06:42.Half an hour, Mr Deputy Speaker, I was at the front steps of the
:06:42. > :06:49.Assembly where we were launching a Crimestoppers initiative in order
:06:50. > :06:53.to encourage those who are aware of illegal dumping, be it fuel
:06:53. > :06:56.laundering or otherwise, to report that to Crimestoppers. Because, I
:06:56. > :07:01.welcome this, this is evidence beginning to emerge, Mr Deputy
:07:01. > :07:05.Speaker, that people who are aware of ill legality are beginning, on a
:07:05. > :07:07.confidential basis, to make that known to the appropriate
:07:07. > :07:11.authorities including my environmental crime unit. The
:07:11. > :07:16.purpose of that initiative is to encourage people to provide the
:07:16. > :07:19.information to allow the government, DoE and the police to bear down on
:07:19. > :07:22.those involved involved in crime. What does the Minister talk about
:07:22. > :07:27.when he gets together with treasury colleagues in London, football,
:07:27. > :07:30.music? No, it it seems not. I have raised a number of important
:07:30. > :07:35.economic and financial issues with the Chancellor and treasury
:07:35. > :07:41.ministers over the last six months. The issues raised have been wide-
:07:41. > :07:46.ranging. They include corporation tax, air passenger duty, levy
:07:46. > :07:55.credit scheme, bank lending, enterprise zones, the budget
:07:55. > :08:02.exchange scheme and the Olympics. As a result of the engagement on
:08:02. > :08:06.those issues, we have -- now have got the ability to carry money over
:08:06. > :08:10.from one year to the next. �60 million to deal with pressures next
:08:10. > :08:14.year. Something we didn't have this time available to us this time last
:08:14. > :08:20.year. The Olympics funding issue has been resolved. We got money
:08:20. > :08:23.from, that as did Wales and Scotland. The government is working
:08:23. > :08:27.on the devolution of air passenger duty for direct haul flights from
:08:27. > :08:32.Northern Ireland, which, of course, will have considerable bearing on
:08:32. > :08:35.our ability to attract inward investment. I was wondering if the
:08:35. > :08:42.Minister had further discussions with regard additional fiscal
:08:42. > :08:45.powers coming to the Assembly bar the ones he outlined with regard to
:08:45. > :08:50.corporation tax. It would be beneficial if we had a response of
:08:51. > :08:55.any conversation? First of all, I think the range of taxation that
:08:55. > :09:00.we've discussed is quite wide- ranging. Personally, I do not want
:09:00. > :09:04.to see the devolution of a huge amount of taxation to Northern
:09:04. > :09:09.Ireland. Two reasons, first of all because we are a unionist, I don't
:09:09. > :09:12.want to see Northern Ireland separate from the rest of the
:09:12. > :09:16.United Kingdom. Scottish nationalists Irish National lists
:09:17. > :09:23.might want that. As a democratic unionist I don't want. It secondly,
:09:23. > :09:29.there are good economic reasons for not seeking that kind of devolution.
:09:29. > :09:34.Don't forget, the devolution of tax and tax raising powers to Northern
:09:34. > :09:40.Ireland, then lumbers Northern Ireland with all of the uncertainty
:09:40. > :09:47.in that tax revenue if things go well we benefit from the increased
:09:47. > :09:51.tax revenues. If things go badly, we suffer from the reduction in tax
:09:51. > :09:58.revenues. To try and plan any kind of public spending programme, with
:09:58. > :10:02.that kind of uncertainty built in, would make life very, very
:10:03. > :10:08.difficult and that's one of the reasons why it is important, I
:10:08. > :10:18.believe, not to have that uncertainty built in through the
:10:18. > :10:19.
:10:19. > :10:29.massive devolution of a whole range of taxes to Northern Ireland.
:10:29. > :10:30.
:10:31. > :10:37.Thank you, very much, Mr Speaker, Deputy Speaker. Question Number 6
:10:37. > :10:42.to the Minister? I see it's wearing off on the member... It's spreading
:10:42. > :10:46.around the benches. The next we will have the member from North
:10:46. > :10:51.Antrim speaking Irish if we are not very careful. The rates bill went
:10:51. > :10:56.through today using what is known as accelerated passage. That means
:10:56. > :10:59.it doesn't go to the committee stage. Here's the thoughts of the
:10:59. > :11:05.Finance Committee's Deputy Chair, Dominic Bradley. Mr Speaker, on
:11:05. > :11:09.behalf of the finance and personnel committee, I welcome the final
:11:09. > :11:14.stage of the rates admendment bill, recognising that the passage of
:11:14. > :11:20.this bill through the Assembly will lead to a timely implementation of
:11:20. > :11:27.the measures on the 1st April 2012. It will go some way to reducing the
:11:27. > :11:30.disportion nait rating burden on small businesses during this is
:11:30. > :11:35.difficult economic climate. The department of finance and personnel
:11:35. > :11:42.originally briefed the committee on the consultation proposals on the
:11:42. > :11:46.large retail levy on the 8th June 2011, advising that it intended to
:11:46. > :11:49.seek accelerated passage for the rates admendment bill. In
:11:49. > :11:54.supporting the implementation of this bill, the committee continues
:11:54. > :11:58.to be mindful of the recommendations it made regarding
:11:58. > :12:04.the ongoing work to be taken forward by the department. The
:12:04. > :12:07.department is to carry out an evaluation of the existing small
:12:07. > :12:17.business rates relief scheme and will make any necessary changes to
:12:17. > :12:20.the scheme in time for rates bills in 2012/13. In relation to the
:12:20. > :12:25.ministerial amendments it will be important there is an evaluation of
:12:25. > :12:29.the effectiveness of the measures, in relation to empty property
:12:29. > :12:35.relief. An assessment also of uptake, the extent of any
:12:35. > :12:40.displacement and whether it is proving to be effective, in terms
:12:40. > :12:44.of getting empty shops back into business again. Looking back there
:12:44. > :12:54.at what Sammy Wilson said about not wanting extra tax raising powers.
:12:54. > :12:54.
:12:54. > :12:57.What do you think business people I think it is important to
:12:57. > :13:02.distinguish be debate about corporation tax around that debate.
:13:02. > :13:06.I think it is absolutely critical that we stay on message and on
:13:06. > :13:10.focus in the debate about corporation tax and do not stray
:13:10. > :13:15.off course and talk about other powers. I do believe the
:13:15. > :13:19.corporation tax debate is the single most important issue facing
:13:19. > :13:23.Northern Ireland and the economy today. What about Scottish
:13:23. > :13:30.independence and then moved to a referendum? Do you think it will
:13:30. > :13:33.put on a longer finger? I hope not. Every single Scottish business
:13:33. > :13:39.organisation has come out against Scottish corporation tax being
:13:39. > :13:45.devolved and reduced. I do not personally think -- I think
:13:45. > :13:50.personally the Scottish economy is not the same as ours. I think ours
:13:50. > :13:54.is a special case. Our negotiations should move forward and get a
:13:54. > :13:58.decision this summer. His Sammy Wilson write about not having
:13:58. > :14:02.further powers, that it would lead to too much uncertainty, that we
:14:02. > :14:06.are better sticking with the big cheques we get an divvying bat out
:14:06. > :14:11.as best we can? I suspect what he is doing is diffusing the argument
:14:11. > :14:15.at this stage and doing what we should all be doing and focusing on
:14:15. > :14:20.corporation tax. To be frank, the CBI is so focused on the
:14:20. > :14:24.corporation tax issue, we are not looking at other issues.
:14:24. > :14:28.A MLAs have called for a more joined-up approach to ensure that
:14:28. > :14:31.roads and sewage systems are completed in new housing
:14:32. > :14:36.developments. There are around 3,000 roads here which have not
:14:36. > :14:41.been completed for the correct standard for the Roads Service to
:14:41. > :14:45.take up ownership of them. Confidence in the system needs to
:14:45. > :14:49.be re-established and residents who are at present suffering from a
:14:49. > :14:55.flawed system need protection. As more problems are exposed, a do-
:14:55. > :15:00.nothing approach is not appropriate. The whole system does not have to
:15:00. > :15:07.be dismantled, but changes are needed to be made to make it fitter
:15:07. > :15:11.for progress -- fitter for purpose. I think there is a lack of joined-
:15:11. > :15:15.up legislation. The Roads Service have to wait a considerable time.
:15:15. > :15:18.There seems to be this disconnect between the role of the local
:15:18. > :15:23.authorities, the role of the Roads Service, the role of the water
:15:23. > :15:27.service and this is causing massive frustration for the residents. As
:15:27. > :15:31.other speakers have said, many residents are living on the States
:15:31. > :15:36.for 10 or 20 years, the roads have still not been adopted and the Suez
:15:36. > :15:41.have not been adopted. There is also a cross-departmental issue
:15:41. > :15:45.because we have various departments. The roads system may be responsible
:15:45. > :15:48.for the roads and so it but then you have the Department of
:15:48. > :15:52.Environment and local government to enforce the rules and make sure the
:15:52. > :15:56.different actions are taken so they can get the development correct for
:15:56. > :16:00.the start of the development. aware that the committee for
:16:00. > :16:04.regional development has established an inquiry into an
:16:04. > :16:11.adopted roads and that the inquiry will include a review of the bond
:16:12. > :16:17.system and how it works. I welcome, Mr Speaker, members who raised the
:16:17. > :16:22.example of how the process works in the Republic of Ireland and other
:16:22. > :16:27.jurisdictions and I agree that and suggest that this should be
:16:27. > :16:32.included in the committee's inquiry. I also recognise the role of others
:16:32. > :16:37.in any such investigation, such as the Department of Environment and
:16:37. > :16:44.justice, local councils and the representative bodies. In
:16:44. > :16:49.conclusion, I would not intend to carry out a separate review of
:16:49. > :16:53.bonds before the committee inquiry has been completed, but as the
:16:53. > :17:00.Minister for roads and water policy, I will ensure that my officials are
:17:00. > :17:05.available to the committee in the process of this inquiry. I can
:17:05. > :17:09.assure members that Roads Service and Northern Ireland Water will
:17:09. > :17:13.continue to enforce legislation to offer as much certainty as possible
:17:13. > :17:20.to new home owners who find themselves in this situation.
:17:20. > :17:24.With me now is the DUP Jim Wells. After the debate today, do you feel
:17:24. > :17:27.reassured that there will be some movement? I thought the Minister's
:17:27. > :17:33.response was quite low-key but I think he is waiting until the
:17:33. > :17:36.committee reports on this issue. We know there are thousands of people
:17:36. > :17:41.in Northern Ireland marooned in the States tonight and some do not have
:17:41. > :17:45.adopted roads or sewage systems. That is intolerable. We need to
:17:45. > :17:50.spend some money to get the state up to standard. Would you like to
:17:50. > :17:56.see a complete overhaul of the bond system? Something has to be done
:17:56. > :18:00.because some of these have been outstanding for 20 years. In 1982,
:18:00. > :18:04.the bond was taken out a one case, and it has not been used and that
:18:04. > :18:08.is unacceptable. I hope the committee will recommend strong
:18:08. > :18:12.changes in the legislation to stop this nonsense which has been going
:18:12. > :18:15.on for far too long. How do get developers to bring the roads up to
:18:15. > :18:18.the correct standards if they have run out of money? That is the
:18:18. > :18:24.problem because a lot of developers have gone into liquidation because
:18:24. > :18:27.of the credit crunch. You cannot redeem the bond if the work is
:18:27. > :18:31.ongoing. There are estate in Downpatrick where there are three
:18:31. > :18:37.occupied houses and 20 empty and and still that development is
:18:37. > :18:43.completed, you catch justified as releasing the bond -- Until that
:18:43. > :18:49.development is completed. The bond is kept in an independent source.
:18:49. > :18:54.If the developer has gone out of business, the money is available
:18:54. > :18:58.but that is a problem. People in all constituencies and All Party
:18:58. > :19:06.seemed to have examples of this? Every part of Northern Ireland has
:19:06. > :19:10.this problem. Tickly areas which have had a boom time in development.
:19:10. > :19:15.There are some houses with no sewage system at all. The bond
:19:15. > :19:18.system could not sort that out. I feel for people because their
:19:18. > :19:22.houses are unsaleable. That is bad enough but they have also had the
:19:22. > :19:27.dramatic drop in value anyhow. If you are going to deliver for people,
:19:27. > :19:32.you have to do something about this issue. What about the speed of it
:19:32. > :19:37.because if you go out now, as Danny Kennedy said, and have this inquiry,
:19:37. > :19:41.it is putting it all a bit further on down the line? It is but the
:19:41. > :19:46.inquiry will be quite quick in its reporting. The problem is, we have
:19:46. > :19:48.to get it right because there are difficult technical issues to be
:19:48. > :19:54.dealt with. I would like to think this time next year, we would have
:19:54. > :19:58.had a resolution to this which would provide some relief to hard-
:19:58. > :20:00.pressed families living in difficult circumstances. Should the
:20:00. > :20:04.Executive Stepping and give some money to these developments,
:20:04. > :20:11.particularly the ones you have mentioned which have been going on
:20:11. > :20:14.for ten years? No, because of the Executive did this it would send an
:20:14. > :20:18.at messaged irresponsible developers who would think the
:20:19. > :20:24.state would step in and rescue the system. People who built these
:20:24. > :20:28.estates, ultimately, the bond they have secured should be used to fund
:20:28. > :20:35.the work. The state should not pick up the tab. While you're here, I
:20:35. > :20:37.want to ask you about your former party minister, Ian Paisley. The
:20:37. > :20:42.first and Deputy First Minister have issued a statement calling on
:20:43. > :20:46.people to pray for Dr Paisley. would concur with that. The whole
:20:46. > :20:51.country is concerned about his health. He has been a great leader.
:20:51. > :20:54.We all hope and pray he will be back to health and strength. I
:20:54. > :21:01.would concur entirely with what Peter Robinson said.
:21:01. > :21:06.Thank you. Courts here recently secured the first conviction for
:21:06. > :21:10.human trafficking. There are plans for wider powers to be introduced
:21:10. > :21:18.by the Department of Justice to meet Annie Sempill director. Today,
:21:18. > :21:28.MLAs got a chance to voice their feelings on the issue -- to meet
:21:28. > :21:31.
:21:31. > :21:35.and the EU direct To. A recent estimate that there 88
:21:35. > :21:39.brothels in estimation -- in operation across the North. The
:21:39. > :21:44.trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation does exist in
:21:44. > :21:49.our communities. It exists in our cities, towns and villages. It may
:21:49. > :21:55.be concentrated in cities but let us be under no illusion, it happens
:21:55. > :22:00.right across our rural and urban communities. Human trafficking is
:22:00. > :22:04.the third most profitable illegal organised trade in the World Today.
:22:04. > :22:08.It is a modern-day slavery which generate profits from human
:22:08. > :22:14.suffering and represents a vulgar abuse of the fundamental human
:22:14. > :22:18.right of freedom. Mr Speaker, I welcome the recent news of the
:22:18. > :22:22.first conviction for human trafficking in Northern Ireland and
:22:22. > :22:29.commend all those involved in the process which brought about this
:22:30. > :22:32.conviction. I hope this serves as warning to all those currently
:22:32. > :22:37.involved or facilitating human trafficking that they will be
:22:37. > :22:42.pursued by the full rigour of the law and our society will not
:22:42. > :22:48.tolerate such horrors. Human trafficking represents one of the
:22:48. > :22:54.greatest evils our society faces. Five years ago, this issue was not
:22:54. > :22:58.on the radar. Sadly, today, it is becoming more and more prevalent.
:22:58. > :23:04.There needs to be a piece of work done to truly identify how serious
:23:04. > :23:09.a problem this is. Last year, there were 23 victims rescued who had
:23:09. > :23:14.been involved in human trafficking. Five of these had been involved in
:23:14. > :23:20.forced labour and 18 of them had been used for sexual exploitation.
:23:20. > :23:24.The majority of those who were arrested were from the Chinese
:23:24. > :23:30.community and it demonstrates that the organised gangs that are
:23:30. > :23:33.involved in this, some on local to Northern Ireland, but this is again
:23:33. > :23:38.an organised crime gang on a global scale.
:23:38. > :23:42.That motion was passed. Could the north coast and the Glens of Antrim
:23:42. > :23:47.become a national park? Up until now, all the talk has been about
:23:47. > :23:52.the words getting -- the Mournes getting the status. But the Glens
:23:52. > :23:56.Heritage Trust came to showcase what it has to offer. There are
:23:56. > :24:01.currently three areas of outstanding natural beauty or ANOBs
:24:01. > :24:04.within its boundaries. The acting chief executive believes the
:24:04. > :24:08.spectacular landscape along the north and east coast would make it
:24:08. > :24:14.an excellent candidate. I think local authorities are behind the
:24:14. > :24:24.concept of a national park but again, if there is no support, we
:24:24. > :24:27.
:24:27. > :24:36.do not have to go for that. Of course, a national park would bring
:24:36. > :24:41.a better foothold than a ANOB. The local people and think do see the
:24:41. > :24:44.benefits in the concept of a national park. Farmers have to be
:24:44. > :24:49.including the process in projects because they are the ones who look
:24:49. > :24:55.after the landscape. The beauty of the landscape in Northern Ireland,
:24:55. > :25:00.is, thanks to the people who work the land, is a living landscape so
:25:00. > :25:05.they need to be part of the concept, they need to be reassured that some
:25:05. > :25:12.of the issues they have will not affect them.
:25:12. > :25:17.What else has been going up here? I caught up with Martina who said we
:25:17. > :25:22.are a step closer to knowing what will happen to members' pay. There
:25:22. > :25:27.is a three-person panel of experts looking at the issue. I'm told the
:25:27. > :25:31.report is in the final stages. It will not be published until March.
:25:31. > :25:36.Some of the proposals include bringing members' paid possibly
:25:36. > :25:40.into line with regional assemblies. There are concerns looking at
:25:40. > :25:44.issues of mileage. What about the Assembly Commission are for
:25:44. > :25:49.Standards? When will we see that post filled? It looks like there
:25:49. > :25:53.will be a delay in that. That post is there. Be new commissioner is
:25:54. > :25:58.supposed to ensure that MLAs uphold the highest standard of integrity
:25:58. > :26:01.in public life. There was an advertisement for the job and I am
:26:01. > :26:06.told a dozen people applied and there was a short list of a few
:26:06. > :26:13.names but they did not find anyone suitable so they will the advertise
:26:13. > :26:17.it. And apparently they are upset with the media, what have we done?
:26:17. > :26:22.Apparently it is not the coverage of the map marry a fair, it is the
:26:22. > :26:26.fact that the media did not cover 21 gun salute at Hillsborough
:26:26. > :26:31.Castle yesterday in honour of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. It is not
:26:31. > :26:34.our fault because the media were not told about this so they had no
:26:34. > :26:41.opportunity to cover it so it is a case of please don't shoot the
:26:41. > :26:43.messenger. Let's go back at the issue of areas
:26:43. > :26:50.of outstanding natural beauty and tourism. It is a big issue this
:26:50. > :26:54.year? At the CBI annual dinner we are building the whole night around
:26:54. > :26:57.the next 12 months and how businesses, when they are dealing
:26:57. > :27:01.with their customers and suppliers, make them aware and give them a new
:27:01. > :27:05.message to send out. Is that something we need to address? It
:27:05. > :27:09.has not been talked about that match but customer-service. If you
:27:09. > :27:17.want people to come, you want them to have a warm welcome but also
:27:17. > :27:20.given a service that they deserve? Certainly, those in the hospitality
:27:20. > :27:25.service would say customer-service skills have not been designated as
:27:26. > :27:30.a priority service and a priority skill. If we are going to go after
:27:30. > :27:36.tourism, customer-service is key. And opening hours, there has been
:27:36. > :27:40.some criticism on a Sunday or the bank holidays, a lot of the shops
:27:40. > :27:44.and other interesting places for people to visit are closed? I think
:27:44. > :27:49.it is improving but I think if we are going to compete on a European
:27:49. > :27:54.scale and European stage, we have to be consistent. Customers will
:27:54. > :27:59.have an expectation and they will want to have that expectation met.
:27:59. > :28:03.Are these long-term jobs? Yes, I think they are. The Irish model
:28:03. > :28:09.have done well with tourism. I think there is great potential. We
:28:09. > :28:13.are moving ahead and have done great things. The MTV awards were
:28:13. > :28:17.first class. The events which have been planned for the next 12 months
:28:17. > :28:20.of first class. Business has to get behind it. Thank you for being our
:28:20. > :28:24.guest. That is it from Stormont tonight.