30/04/2012 Stormont Today

Hello and welcome to Stormont Today. The sun has been shining, the

temperature is slowly creeping up but all the heat up here was being

generated in the chamber. The controversial topic? Tourism. And

has Stephen Moutray been watching the Quiet Man once too often?

Images of leprechauns and pipes of Dennis! -- pints of Guinness.

surely that's better than north of the border where apparently there's

not a lot to do. And with air passenger duty, fuel prices and

payday loans all featuring, my guest throughout is Antoinette

McKeown from the Consumer Council. Stamps, fuel, bus fares. You name

it and it seems it's going up in price. The Consumer Council's

tasked with standing up for our rights. Are you fighting a losing

battle? Consumers are really struggling at the moment. Only have

of us are keeping up with our bells at the moment. Energy has risen

over recent years. We pay the highest petrol and diesel prices in

Europe. We paid the highest car insurance in the United Kingdom.

People are paying up to �30 more for their weekly grocery shop. It

is painful at the moment for consumers. Was it a depressing that

MLAs voted against devolving fuel duty powers last week? We gave

evidence on that very issue last week. Our view is that our

passengers in Northern Ireland experience at double whammy. We are

an island of an island. We have a reduced cost when it comes to

travel. It is totally unfair that we have to pay a high EAP D. We

used travel as an essential part of family life, it is not a luxury. We

believe the costs of the rear passenger duty being removed is

actually not an opportunity cost. The Consumers' would have a 98.5 %

of travel between Belfast and Great Britain made by every day consumers.

We believe there is opportunity costs here when we only pay at 3

euros flat rate in the Republic of Ireland. And looking at the price

of food, is that something you can do anything about? Can you put

pressure on farmers or supermarkets, or what can you do? We have to make

sure that consumers have the skills themselves to manage their money

better. There is good news in that our Executive in Stormont has

agreed a commitment for Government to bring forward a financial

capability skills package. first item of business in the

chamber today was what is known as "matter of the day". This allows

members to speak on a topic which has just arisen - in this instance

it was the bomb discovered in Newry. After enduring 30 years of the

violence the general public, including De people of my

constituency, are utterly are repulsed by the thought of violence

being used here again. Violence has been rejected by people in both the

jurisdictions of this island. Those who seek to further their aims in

this way should listen to the people and desist from what they

are doing and do so immediately. It is a concern at the level of

sophistication in terms of this particular bomb. It is a concern to

this party as to how that has come about and we want to be assured

that the police are able to effectively combat the threat that

exists. We have shown commitment by giving additional funding to the

police. We want to be assured that the police are able to combat the

threat. When there is an honourable position where people can protest

they have a responsibility to offer a rationale. While no one has

claimed responsibility, neither have those who dissent from this

process offered any rationale behind these occurrences. They are

duty bound if they have a different means that what we are doing here

is so wrong or our engagement of the police or a political process

is so wrong then they have a duty to point out how instances such as

these are a potential alternative. The potential that best bomb could

have had is really just unthinkable. Can I join with others to thank and

express gratitude to the Army bomb disposal team, the PSNI and the

individual who raised the alarm may concern that the vehicle was

something that posed danger. Alliance party's Stewart Dickson

and the TUV's Jim Allister also condemned the attempted bombing.

The Finance Minister was flying high today as he outlined a

timetable for the the devolution of air passenger duty at question time.

But first it was Agriculture, and when it comes to the Rural

Development Programme, Michelle O'Neill has a problem other

departments would love to have. have �100 million left that we have

to spend before the end of the programme. For a variety of reasons

and things are improving. Some areas have welcomed and

constructively engaged with us. We have had numerous projects coming

forward. I have not closed any calls for further applications but

what is most important is that if we are sitting with applications

that need processed we must continue to work on and insure the

project continues. What lessons will be learned from the high level

of squander on administration in the present programme when it comes

to application in respect of the next? Will we then see a more

efficient process than what we have had under the present programme?

The member frequently raises the issue of administration spend and I

think it is fair to say that many programmes are being set up with a

higher percentage spend on administration in deep start. When

you look at the percentage spent from the beginning it does not look

particularly good but if we look at it again in 18 months we will be in

afar, far better position. The only power which is that of Diane will

be devolved to the Assembly will be for direct long-haul flights. If

long-haul flights want to come into Belfast they will be subject to the

scene changes we are proposing for flights to North America. We did

not seek wider devolution for a number of reasons, firstly a time

constraint, this was an issue we believed we had to deal with very

quickly or we would lose the New York flight. Secondly, there is the

cost element. If we had a wider devolution then be cost to the

block grant would have been that much greater. Though we have made

the point that generally hour passenger duty has and is currently

been applied by the Treasury at Westminster as having a damaging

effect on the aviation industry for the UK as a whole and will have a

long-term effect, I believe, on two of them and other economic activity

for the UK as a whole. Can the Minister tell us if his department

have had a chance to make any assessment of how other

jurisdictions deal with the air passenger duty and if there are any

lessons we might be able to learn? Other jurisdictions are not and

have not got themselves tied up with the environmental nonsense

which has driven beat the air passenger duty debate. In fact, it

is significant that there are very few other major economies that

hamper their economies and the airlines in the way in which the UK

Government is doing. This all goes back to the climate change act of

2008 and this idea that somehow or other by taxing our travel we will

save the world. I think that other countries have been cynical about

it. I do not believe this current Government actually believes they

will save this world by doing it but they will certainly fill the

coffers of the Treasury. That is what it is all driven by! I and

this DUP man did not expect the answer he got when he asked what

could be done about companies' advertising loans with extortionate

interest rates. That is what the Government are looking at when the

cap the interest rates etc. I am glad he has raised this issue of

how the media is used because, and he may not have realised, but his

own leader is actually guilty of some of what I would describe as

almost the promotion of loan shark type activity. May I note the words

during bpd loans debate during the Assembly when his leader, who was

not the leader then, but he said he would support the motion for or

fear interest rates and protection of consumers but until this weekend,

his own website was promoting cash genie which enabled people to

borrow between 75 to �750 at a snip, an average APR of 2339 %. Perhaps

he could take back to his own leader that I am quite happy for

the financial services are authority to deal with this issue.

The Consumer Credit good deal with this issue but maybe just by a bit

of self denial, his own leader who in the very week he was going to be

that poor families to seek -- to see how he could help them in the

current recession, was advertising loans for these families of more

than 2000 %, perhaps that is where Minister highlighted ap issue on

the website of Mike Nesbitt. He is not wear of any loan adverts being

on his website and it seems to be something that happens out of the

website own irs or who is running them out of their control. Is that

one of the difficulties with these short-term high interest loan, that

the availability of them, that people no matter where they r

whether it son the internet, the television the ath add vers are

coming thick at fast at you. Absolutely. The issue for the

Consumer Council is we have made a submission to the Office of Fair

Trading which is looking at the irresponsible lending guidance

which covers these types of hort term high credit loans. It is

important that we site this is a regulated industry, there is a

place for them, but the issue that the Consumer Council has concerned

about is bad practise where consumers are encouraged to rolling

the debt on. They are readily available. Quite often you can get

a loan within ten minutes. I would defy anyone to do a proper credit

check in ten minutes. They are extortionate rates. We would like

to see a cap. The cap seems to be the thing that would help people

not to get into huge amounts of debt. It is really important that

the regulation is working effectively for consumers and we

are doing work on their behalf within this regulated market.

some might say our MLAs are behind the times but no longer. The

Speaker ruled this morning that members can now use their tablet

devices in the chamber. While they are going hi-tech the Speaker

warned that old fashioned good manners must still apply. Some

members were Queen for the procedures to be reviewed so they

had the flex bill to keep in touch with pressing issues in their

constituencies and elsewhere. -- flexibility. However, I say to

member, the flexibility works both ways. Members should know that

currently if they want to speak in debates, they are expected to be

present in the chamber for opening speeches, and to remain for at

least two further speeches. Let me say this, I have watched all sides

of this House, for members come into this chamber who haven't heard

the opening remarks, of a particular debate, who get up on

their place, say what they are saying and then leave, and don't

even have the courtesy to wait at least to hear some of the debate,

and to hear other members speaking in a debate, in the chamber. Now

this is something that we are watching carefully, I can assure

members should it continue and it is all sides of the House, should

it continue I can assure members I will deal with the issue, because

it is totally wrong, and it is totally discourt US to other

members of the House and for this House, for members just to walk

into the chamber say what they are going to say and leave. They don't

really care what other members might say. Or don't care what the

motion or the business of the House S Well, you have been warned, the

Speaker is watching you! Let us take a look at the of work the

Stormont committees. Public accounts in a moment but first

finance it was Air Passenger Duty that had people worked up. One

witness wanted to know why we welcome oversea advice to,

encourage them to spend money and slap a tax on them as they leave.

There is a real sense of excitement in much of the tourist industry due

to the our time our place initiative and the activities that

are going on there. I will not list all of them, the Titanic Belfast,

the City of Culture, the police and fire game, they are all

contributing a sense of pride and profile, which is great. The small

businesses away from the big ticket attractions may not be benefiting

as much as they like. Some are saying they are not. There is no

doubt the tourism market is take off and the assembly has to be

commented for its invest fment that ambitious vision. Having attracted

tens of thousands of advice to, it does beg the question why do we tax

them to leave? That is what we are doing. They may not have paid a tax

to arrive here if they have come from outside the UK but we tax them

to get out. They have paid domthie, have spent money whool they are

here, they are our best marketing resource when they go back and

share their photographs and tell their stories, yet the last thing

we do is put a levy on them to get out of the country. We wouldn't do

it in many businesses. There have been many stories, if I wrap up,

about the option that people have to travel to Dublin airport as a

alternative looking at it as a hub there is a huge range of

destinations, but it, if we look at the following observation that

England's two main cities Birmingham and London are just over

100 miles apart. Yet in England they invest over �37 billion to

connect them. For the benefit of business and taking a very long-

term view of the investment. If we are serious about connecting

thierld with the rest of the world, we need to look at the pariers we

have put in place and set about removing them. If there is a report

from the Audit Office, 2000 9. It seems very strange, that seems

strange to yourself. I see the point you are make, it does seem

strange. What I will undertake is to find out precisely when files

were disposed of. That will be interesting and I mean, that

probably bow down within our own inquiries, it seems very strange

that this is a couple of times that, where departments have come up in

front of us, where the Audit Office seems to take an ap proech, and yet

files are destroyed. Not good enough. You said earlier Mr Ross,

you would say the sale was conducted in a professional basis.

Given what we have listened to over the last hour-and-a-half, are you

still of that opinion? Because this hearing's recorded in Hansard, it

will be a record for the future. Am I to go home this evening believing

that you're still of the opinion that the sale was conducted in a

thoroughly professional basis? And I want an honest answer, not the

one that was rehearsed before. would be on the view that is the

case that, the sale was indeed handled in a proetionfvingsl --

professional manner. That is about as depressing news I have heard

today. Because if you were to put together material on how not to do

something, this has to be it. I most certainly would not be giving

you my pig to take to market, because I am convinced you would

come home with no money. On the Air Passenger Duty, is this success

story for the Consumer Council, because you have been so closely

involved with the dedebate and putting pressure on the Government?

There has ban debate as to whether we devolve the passenger duty or

mot. What the Consumer Council has said we want to see the duty

established swre. A peripheral low care, interestingly there is a

precedent set for the Scottish Highlands and island. They don't

have to pay Air Passenger Duty on some flights because it is

recognised they are an essential part of life. The other issue is

that the Westminster government are investing �32 billion in high speed

rail, right across GB. That is a service that Northern Ireland

consumers are not able to avail of, so surely, if the Westminster

government can absorb 32 million for high speed rail they can absorb

60 million for Northern Ireland air passenger, that is a fight we want

to see the assembly take to Westminster. Do you they is one you

can win? Absolutely the argument is there, the evidence is there. Let

us have the fight. Now, all our MLAs want more tour lists to come

here don't they? If you had heard some of the deTait this afternoon

you might have had to think twice. There was talk of leprechauns and

one MLA said he couldn't find enough for anyone to do coming

other for a ten day break. It all happened when they were urged to

get behind the Gatherling. It can lead to future vents investment and

tourism in flow, this is a project not to be dismissed as some people

have, but one to recognise and seize upon. The City of Culture

2013 will be a massive boost to our economy. Both it and the world

police and fire games can be more successful than originally

anticipated, if taken as part of the home coming celebrations on an

All-Ireland basis. The motion before it is certainly tourist

orientated, but, but and I am not surprised in the view of those who

have proposed it, it is a very green motion. It is a case of the

SDLP using tourism as an excuse to peddle its Al Ireland agenda to my

mind next year's Irish home coming will be hugely sentimental, and

very Irish in a way that I for one cannot and will not identify with.

It is the sort of mother Ireland concept which conjures up images of

leprechaun, pints of Guinness, donkey, dancing at at the

crossroads, and thatched cottages. T the sort of stuff we see too much

of in retail outlets at our airports. I think the dangers in

propoeting the north separate to the rest of the Ireland not only

lie in confusion for visitors, but when somebody is looking at home on

a website about places to visit, particularly from like Australia or

America where there is a lengthy journey, most people will come for

ten days or a fortnight. Many visitors would find it enough

activities to justify staying Hoare for a week or fortnight. When I

hear so much self defeatism going on in the chambers before we me, we

have had Mr Flanagan, representing an area of Fermanagh, a beautiful

section of our land, of our province, and somewhere where you

could spend ten days, in Fermanagh. Without any problem. Here we have

him representing that area, and struggling to even stay in Northern

Ireland for ten days. I find that a shame. Tourism is about persuading

people from other places to come here and spend time and maybe spend

a bit of money. And enjoy it at the same time. It certainly not taking

a place of our choice for a week or ten days, which seems to be the

attitude emanating from some. I just despair, when I hear some of

the attitudes resonating round this chamber today. I despair generally

when we discuss tourism because frankly we don't have a clue, and I

would humfully suggest Mr Principle Deputy Speaker we are a liability

when it comes to creating tourism in the north. I find it difficult

from the chitering in the background, would it be possible to

deal with it? It is not something new. These schoolboys haven't a

clue. Civil Service bonus, a controversial speech by Martin

McGuinness and a Robinson come back, all in a day's work for Martina

said the Alliance partty is only borrowing the seat. It is not Mr

Robinson who is challenging Alliance in the next election. He

says he has enough to do and it looks like it will be Gavin

Robinson who is tipped to be the next Lord Mayor. He is a Belfast

councillor. Alliance has fighting talk saying like words like

borrowing the seat are the comments that cost hem in seat in the first

place. He has been causing a stir in London. It is right. Martin

McGuinness gave a speech this evening at the London School of

Economics in which he urned the British people to ensure that the

link with Northern Ireland and goodbye was broken. He said there

is no need for a Northern Ireland office and a Secretary of State and

those powers should be rans fered to store Stormont. He has announced

the DUP who have described it as nonsense. Some of the sib nicks

have said is Martin McGuinness talking tough on this, not just for

you know because he believed it but because he may believe it is

compromised. You have had your calculator out on the issue of

bonuses. In answer to a written question from Pat Ramsey the

Finance Minister said more than �600 thousand in bonuses was paid

out last year to civil servants. And that averages round �280

percivil servant. Pat Ramsey isn't happy. He thinks these bonuses

shouldn't be paid out, the concentration should be on good

wages for civil servant, and that he is not convinced that this is a

way of ensuring that lower paid civil servants are, you know get a

bit of a top up. He thinks the Department of Finance, which had an

increase in the number of bonuses should be leading the way as Sammy

Wilson is fond of lecturing other departments about. Tonight

something we haven't touched on. Public transport and Translink

announcing last week fares are going up 3% but the report that

said in the future they could be operating at a loss and potentially

fare also increase further. Yes, clearly we recognise the tran, --

Translink have challenges in their financial position and they have

tried to hold as many fares as possible and particular cashless

fares have not increased. It is a real worry for the Consumer Council,

we have a statutory role to respect public transport passenger, we are

asking more questions in relation to future ridess, but we would also

recognise that the more of us who use public transport, the cheaper

it become, the less traffic on the roads, the better that is for us

environmentally and the more traffic flows but we want to see

more done for the many people who have no choice but to use public