25/06/2013 Stormont Today

today. Coming up on tonight's programme - another day at Stormont

and another day debating our new planning law. Not everyone was happy

with the proposals. You get cowboy planning, cowboy builders. What do

you expect from cowboy politicians? The National Trust came under fire,

as questions were asked about the Giants Causeway. It is

disproportionate. I have to ask myself if I went with my family

would I be happy to pay that amount of money to access the visitor's

centre? I am not sure I would. joined by the news letter's

correspondent Sam McBride. So, a second day has been spent

debating the new planning law. Last night a controversial proposal to

create planning zones to be by the first deputy ministers was passed.

This evening another amendment was approved. We will get a flavour of

the debate in a moment. First the News Letter's correspondent is here.

We will touch first on the economic zones and the OFMDFM taking control.

It has been called a power-grab by opponents. That is obviously how

they see it? From the point of view of Alex Attwood t Planning Minister,

it is taking powers which are his, which will go to local councils

under the views of local administrations that the expanded

councils we'll have. It has given it to the first Minister and Deputy

First Minister. The Assembly would have a chance to vote op any if the

Environment Minister of the time didn't agree with the creation of an

economic zone in a certain area. But there was intense controversy about

this. It emerged that short notice last week - there was no

consultation on this. Even some of the MLAs found it sketchy, the

detail of it. One sounded critical of it at

points. It was an unusual debate. What about the significance of

today's developments? It follows in the same way. These are seen as

radical, probably more in terms of the DUP than from Sinn Fein. Both

parties are signed up to these in radical ways to make the planning

system faster, make it responsive to the economy. Critics say that just

letting people build is not necessarily the same as economic

development. The example was given of an airport and said, if for

instance, they extend Belfast City airport, you display jobs from one

airport to the other. It was a debate that was not informed I

suppose by a great deal of time because it came at such short notice

and that showed from the DUP and Sinn Fein benches. Allegations from

the other parties being thrown about quassy corruption. In some cases

that was denied. It has been a tough four or five days for Alex Attwood,

hasn't it? It has been a bruising few days. Whether he surviving

longer as minister - there were rumours he would be replaced by Joe

Burn, his party colleague. It will be a huge test as to whether he

moves this. He has the power, potentially, if he uses his nuclear

option to stop it in its tracks. We'll hear more from you in a

moment. Thank you. There were forthright and heated exchanges

today. Here is a flavour of what was said. The question for the House

today is whether or not we're going to choose to provide balance in our

planning system or further load the dice in favour of developers. It

seems the DUP are so beholden to their developer donors they have

tabled a table of this today, to ensure that even if we do get, even

if it is the democratic will of this House to introduce third party right

of appeal, they will choose to block it. Amendment 26 is proposed this

evening, this afternoon moves Northern Ireland more to a

deregulated Texas-style system. The system you get coy boy planning,

cowboy builders. What do you expect from cowboy politicians? I was lost

for words by amendment 20, Mr Speaker. I was gobsmacked by

amendment 24. I have great pride in our demock ca I have. To take --

democracy. To takeaway the review that you feel are wrong, to me seems

like we are taking steps towards a dictatorship. I was concerned over

some of the remarks of both of the last two speakers in terms of the

fact that both made sort of like snide remarks in relation to my

party. It noticeable indeed - remarks such as who's pulling the

springs? Can I say it seems to be that the chair of the committee has

been lost for words on our amendment. I have to say I maybe

give praise to the chair that someone who is lost for words seems

remarkable Leigh quaous. We have a reputation when it comes to getting

planning applications finally approved. That is not solely the

responsibility of the current minister. It is a legacy of our

legal system, where we have all seen business rivals lodge appeals in

order to simply block or impede the progress of all this. Our numbers

are not about, our amendments are not a numbers game. There are the

number of appeals on record taken over the last few years. He's

missing the point in they have damaged our reputation in regard to

final decisions made. The SDLP supports third party appeals and we

will support the amendment of the Green Party. We commend the minister

for the proposals he has brought forward in the bill, which will deal

much more effectively with enforcement against those who flout

planning laws and of course the potential for a higher ceiling of

fines to be enforced by the judiciary. That is something I

believe u ought to be welcomed. looks like -- likes like in the

future you will be able to choose any area, any side and create an

economically significant planning zone and then do what you like there

and you will not from amendment 26 be able to challenge it, if I

understand it correctly, unless it happens to be against your human

rights or against EU laws. It is a real shame on both those parties to

be agreeing this. I am warning this House that if we go down this route,

on this particular amendment, on any amendment, on any topic, this issant

amount to a totalitarian state in the fascist mood. What you cannot

challenge any longer under thisty ran anial proposition is a proposal

which is unlawful by virtue of being irrational cannot be stopped, cannot

be challenged by urt courts and... Oh, yes, I'll give way. Instead of

it being a developer's charter, he wants it to be a lawyer's charter,

where fat cat lawyers can make a fortune out of stopping jobs coming

coming here. That has been a case on Wlabt this, the would be -- what

about this - the would be objectors. It is and planning challenging is

the Stormont ministers. This is them moving to try to say, get out of our

territory in some ways. Thank you. Closing hospital beds, waiting times

and residential care for the elderly. All issues which feature in

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 43 seconds

a statement from the Health Minister It must take place with full

engagement with service users so members that the future statutory

care homes will be considered on a case by case basis, recognising we

must do what is in the best interest of the current residents T latest

statistics show that the performance improved significantly in May. The

health service is not meeting the standard that 95% of patients

attending an emergency department should be. . Seen within four hours.

There are signs of improvement within hospital services. This can

be seen, for example, in waiting times for elective care, where the

number of patients waiting and the length of time they are waiting are

being driven down. You had mentioned and congratulated yourself and your

department on the improvement and waiting times. Do you acknowledge

minister, because this is something as a committee we have been looking

at, do you acknowledge this has only been achieved because there has been

millions of pounds put into the private sector? Do you not accept

this is a court fix approach and, as hard as this, or how we tackle the

issue of waiting lists in the long term? I accept we have done this

using the private sector. I don't make any apologies for. I welcome

the statement. But I do not welcome the fact we received little over an

hour's notice of it. It runs to about 4,000 words. That it contains

at least seven distinct new areas of public policy being announced and

that it is going to be subject to limited scrutiny because the whips

of this House have agreed that we would only have one member per party

to ask questions during questions so as to expedite the business of the

day. My question is this, firstly, what grounds of public policy did he

override his Permanent Secretary's advice on the business cases for the

lis born. -- Lisbon new centres? I did not override anybody's decision.

Civil servants are here to make recommendations and that is

something we, as politicians, should ensure always remains the case.

Health Minister, Edwin Poots. The Tourism Minister has criticismed the

National Trust to charge people to use the car park at the Giants

Causeway. Arlene Foster called it disproportionate. She had something

Ireland went across the world during the G 8 summit. We showed Northern

Ireland at its best and we had the most peaceful summit in the history

of G 8 summits. That is something we should be proud about and the fact

it gives us stand out across the global markets. One of our

difficulties from the past has been the fact that when people think of

Northern Ireland think they of it in a particular way. I think the G 8

will have done so much good in relation to the safety and security

issues over those two short days last week. I am very pleased that it

will go out across the world in a positive way. We look forward of the

working the tourist board w invest Northern Ireland and Tourism

Northern Ireland to make sure that Fermanagh and Northern Ireland gets

the standout it deserves after the G8 summit. That is a job of work I

have tasked the three organisations in congratulating them. If she's

asking me if I was pleased with the work carried out by the three

agencies, very pleased indeed. I have no difficulty in saying I am

pleased with the work of tourism Ireland. I have no difficulty saying

that they provided a good job in relation to G8. I do know that there

have been a number of complaints and I've listened to colleagues from

across the political spectrum making those complaints in relation to the

car parking at the Giant's Causeway. With the Minister agree that it is

grossly unfair and a disincentive to tourism that if a car load of four

people arrived to park at the Giant's Causeway, not intending to

use the centre because they have already seen it, but intending to go

to the stoned, that they are each charged park, which is an

extortionate amount and a gross disincentive? As tourism minister,

will she condemned that and press for change? I do think that there

are difficulties in and around that, I think it is disproportionate. I

have to ask myself if I went with my family would type the happy to pay

that kind of money to access the visitor centre. I'm not sure that I

would. I think The National Trust me to consider in relation to their

current charging policy whether it is the correct one. We heard Arlene

Foster speaking about the most peaceful G8 summit ever but it was

also an opportunity for those campaigning on global issues to air

their views. The IF campaign was vocal and MLAs put forward a motion

to recognise that. What was the purpose of the motion? The purpose

was to recognise the hard work and creative campaign that have been

overawed when many organisations across Northern Ireland. And a lot

of community artist that we have put on an excellent concept at the

botanic Gardens, linking on three issues of tax, land and aid. The

deck narration that came out of the G8 referenced work there needed to

be done on a lot of those key issues. The purpose of this motion

is to grab a stamp that, not to move the debate forward? It is to

recognise the hard work and give the commitment of this assembly and make

sure that they deliver to those commitments that they have laid out

at the G8. Do you think the leaders that were involved at the G8 summit

heard when you had to say and acted upon the calls that you made?

think that they did. The campaign was a hugely uniting campaign. We

were able to make the case direct to the Prime Minister at Westminster.

Someone said there had been a bit of a seachange in the way that these

issues were discussed. The making poverty work campaign a few years

ago found it hard to get any traction but the IF campaign did

have an impact. It did, and other campaigns as well. These campaigns

are having an impact. A split in the Executive on pension reform last

November which stopped Westminster legislative issue on behalf of the

pig sector workers here meant separate legislation was brought

before the house today. The second stage of the Service Pensions Bill

was moved by Sammy Wilson. object of the bill is introduced

major changes to public service pensions in Northern Ireland from a

rope 2015. The Bill which I put in the Assembly in 2012 kids in fact to

the principles of tension reform agreed an executive in March. The

model to be adopted for general use in the public services schemes. The

Chief Secretary to the Treasury made it clear that a proportional

reduction will be applied to the Northern Ireland block allocation if

registration to reform public service pension arrangements in

Northern Ireland is not concluded to the deadline to the deadlines

contained in the Westminster public services pensions act 2013. It was

evident that a full macroeconomic analysis or appraisal has not been

undertaken of the proposed pension reforms, either locally by the

Department or in Britain by the Treasury or as part of the initial

Houten review. Representatives emphasise the need to assess the

impact of increasing the age of retirement, taking turns of

displacement in the labour market and the correlation between this and

youth unemployment. The committee will continue to support the

Minister in this process and ensuring that consideration of the

bill is given priority, but that should not be at the expense of

robust scrutiny. This will represent a further attack on public sector

workers who have already faced a freezes and a rise in pension

contributions as result of previous legislation. This further attack has

been pushed through the Assembly by the Finance Minister at a time when

his colleagues and indeed all of the parties in the Assembly are seeing

their own individual salaries rise. Historically when pitted against the

private sector, the public sector was viewed as low on power with

salaries, but other benefits work accepted. A salary cap has emerged

between the two sectors in the opposite direction. I know that the

STL P are always looking for an opportunity to poke the main parties

in this assembly in the eye -- SDLP. They love particularly taunting Sinn

Fein. We are more socialist than you are, we are redder than you are. He

should be read in the face after that's each!. Londonderry seems to

be the centre of the world at the moment and it was no surprise when

the British Irish Council to the decision to meet their last week.

This summit again underlined the British Irish Council's unique role

in developing links between its member administration through

positive actual relationships and providing a forum for consultation

and exchange of information on matters of mutual interest. The

council welcomed the hosting of the summit in Londonderry train the city

's tenure as UK City of Culture 2013. The first item on the agenda

was a presentation to the council by the chief executive of the Derry

Londonderry culture company. It highlighted economic benefits

arising from Londonderry's selection as the first UK City of Culture. It

aims to deliver a lasting legacy for the people of the city and

surrounding area. I understand this is the 20th summit of the British

Irish Council. The First Minister detail what he believes to be its

greatest achievement? I think if the member looks at the statement he

will see immediately that the greatest meant is the sharing of

information, learning from the experiences of others, is about

things that we should do and things we should not do. I believe it is a

useful gathering of the leaders of the various administrations within

the overall British Isles. I had that I will get full encouragement

from my Unionist colleagues to maintain that east-west link, just

as others will be encouraging us to maintain north-south links. Can I

ask for his assessment on the presentation given by the culture

company on this impact so far, not just for very bad for the region as

a whole? The impact goes beyond that. And once most eager to listen

to the presentation worthy areas that have it soon for next year's UK

City of Culture. They were very much wanting to learn from the experience

of the Derry Londonderry company. There was a willingness on the part

of the company after the present year is over to share their

experiences, both the mistakes and indeed give adages that they had

during the course of the year. -- the advantages. There were hot air

balloons and music early in the morning and I thought that was

something that politicians should not be involved with! The planning

Bill has been dominating proceedings putting Question Time there were

other legislative matters to deal with. This time it was the reform of

local government, but first heritage and history book centre stage.

sleeping giant of Irish tourism and potentially of Irish life is the

Saint Patrick 's experience. I have been making this argument that on

the far side of all the big investments, it is now the time of

Saint Patrick, it is now the time of the County of town and we need to

grasp that option team now and over the next two decades. Northern

Ireland's natural and built heritage is one of our greatest assets but

there is a skills shortage of contractors to work on such

buildings. If the Minister aware of such rob them? I would welcome

hearing precise details of what that might be. Part of the life of the

Northern Ireland agency is to have a group of people with the skills

bursary to help with the maintenance of our heritage sites. For example,

the reason why the walls of Terry part in the state and condition that

they are today and arguably the best they have been for decades, is

because of resource and skills that exist within the Environment Agency

and which are deployed for the preservation and maintenance of the

walls. It been my aspiration that the house would have had the

opportunity for first and second reading not just of the

reorganisation bill but also of the Road traffic Bill. We have had some

conversation in that regard at one executive meeting it has not yet

come through to a full executive discussion. I would hope that by

this Thursday the bill will be discussed by the Executive, that it

will be approved by the Executive. And it has been discussed that we

should have first reading next week in order that the bill and its

contents with the publicly available for people to make comment on over