Arlene Foster
Fermanagh and South Tyrone · Ulster Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“Yet, like too many projects, it has been tied up in legal wrangles. Too many infrastructure projects are being swallowed up in the courts. We need to improve the expertise in infrastructure delivery. We need better infrastructure for the next generation, but key projects being delayed by 10-plus years is unsustainable.”
“Any agreement involves compromises but NDNA had two central pillars that, I believe, remain important: ambition for devolution and a new cultural deal. The breadth and depth of issues that NDNA set us all to deliver on would have been enough to fill an entire term or perhaps more, let alone two years of government.”
“That confidence-and-supply agreement will leave a legacy but also highlights our challenges. Some £150 million has been rolled out via Project Stratum to bring broadband to rural areas and leave Northern Ireland as the best-connected region in Europe. When it is completed, the project will be transformational to our economy.”
“However, such short-term advantage comes at the cost of long-term harm to relationships. It is not a real partnership. Imbalance and instability are built in that will fester and deteriorate. If Brussels continues to think that the protocol is enough, it is in denial.”
“Colleagues inside and outside the House know very well that all periods of leadership must come to an end. That is why, when we are privileged and, indeed, honoured to hold such a position, we must not waste a moment in frivolous brinkmanship but forge ahead on behalf of those whom we represent.”
“The recommendations of the Commission on Flags, Identity, Culture and Tradition (FICT) are to be taken forward as well. I encourage all of you to do all of it, to take it forward in its totality and to speak of and implement it as one complete, independent package: a new cultural deal for Northern Ireland's new century.”
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“I agree that there have been varying levels of success in enterprise agencies across Northern Ireland, but, thankfully, we have some very good examples of enterprise agencies here, too. If the Member is asking whether we need to learn from best practice, absolutely, we do. Whether that is in England or here in Northern Ireland, that is certainly the route that we should be going down.”
“That is mostly a matter for Enterprise NI working with local councils. A number of enterprise units right across Northern Ireland fall under the umbrella of Enterprise NI, and they will have to find a new relationship with the councils. That is because the Regional Start programme will be one of the programmes devolved to the local councils. Therefore, they will have control of it. That programme has been delivered by Enterprise NI and the local enterprise agencies for a number of years now. They will need to engage in the community plan for their particular areas to make sure that they have a role to play in economic development.”
“If the Member cares to look at the offer made to the firm that I mentioned, he will see that we stretched ourselves in what we were able to do there. The reason why the matter was taken to the Executive was so that we could secure those jobs in west Belfast. <BR /> <BR />However, the Member should not just consider the money aspect, because it is about support and about trying to help people in the area start their own business and have an entrepreneurial spirit. It is about working with those people to try to get them to see beyond relying on the grant culture that has grown up in some areas over the years. We need to get away from that to looking at innovation and entrepreneurial ways of doing things in future.”
“I thank the Member for his question. As he knows, we recently had a significant announcement from Delta Print and Packaging. He will say, "Yes, but that is an indigenous company", but I hope that he recognises that it is a global company with operations across the world. We supported the company in a meaningful way to ensure that those jobs stayed in west Belfast and were not taken elsewhere. That presented a challenge, but we took it on, and I took the matter to the Executive. Thankfully, I had the backing of all my Executive colleagues, and we continue to provide finance and activity in west Belfast, as we do in all other regions across Northern Ireland.”
“I can think immediately of the tourism strategy, which we may have been able to deal with more proactively. However, that is where we are, and I hope that, even at this late stage, we will not have to go to the courts.”
“I thank the Member for his points about Sprucefield. I do not think that there is any doubt that Sprucefield, given its connectivity with the motorways and the A1 towards the border and on to Dublin, is very much an area that should be open to development. I am loath to get into the details of the subject matter of the judicial review. Suffice it to say that a wider issue is at stake here, so as well as the significance of this to Lagan Valley — I understand why he raises that — there is the matter of the importance of the ministerial code and the proper way in which to take decisions at the Executive. Frankly, if a number of us decided to take the particular route that the Minister of the Environment took, a number of things would be put out that have not been agreed but that we may perhaps have wanted to bring forward.”
“In so far as these matters have been publicly accounted for, it is matter of record that I feel that the Minister acted outside his powers. Therefore, I instructed departmental solicitors to look at the matter. The pre-action letter on the judicial review has been sent. There has been a meeting between the Minister of the Environment and me, which I thought was quite helpful. However, the matter has not progressed beyond that, so it appears that we are moving inexorably towards the courts. That is regrettable, but I do not see any other way to deal with this, unless the Minister of the Environment changes his current stance.”
“Certainly, a number of our large-scale events straddle sports and their capacity to bring tourists to Northern Ireland. There are a number of those, of which the Milk Cup is one. The Giro d'Italia is another very good example. In the past, officials have discussed what money DCAL could help to provide to some of those large-scale events. If the Culture, Arts and Leisure Minister were here, she would say that it is primarily an event and therefore falls to DETI through the events fund. However, I think that there are other things that can be helped with. Whether that can be done through DRD for road safety for perhaps the North West 200 or DCAL through Sport NI, we perhaps need to look at other Departments to help to bolster the events fund in NITB.”
“Let me say, however, that I am not going to turn away funding from any source. If there is money in the Republic of Ireland to help us with events in Northern Ireland, please give it up to me.”
“It depends on the events and on whether we believe that our getting involved in events in the Republic of Ireland benefits us in Northern Ireland, and I suppose it is vice versa from their perspective.”
“That is not something new, because, as the Member probably knows, there is some joint funding for the Irish Open. When the Irish Open came to Royal Portrush, we were able to avail ourselves of some money from Fáilte Ireland and, indeed, when the Irish Open returned to the Republic of Ireland, the Northern Ireland Tourist Board gave some funding.”
“In light of the draft Budget allocations that have now been announced, the Department is engaging with all its arm’s-length bodies on the savings that will need to be made. The position regarding support for events going forward is being assessed as part of that work. Nevertheless, I can confirm that nine international events that received three-year funding letters of offer for 2014-15 through to 2016-17 will continue to be supported, as well as the Tall Ships and the Irish Open in 2015.”
“With your permission, Mr Deputy Speaker, I will answer questions 7 and 10 together. Since the creation of the tourism events funding programme by NITB, the level of funding provided for events has varied from year to year. In spite of the pressures faced in the current financial year, I have allocated additional resources to NITB for events, and a total of 76 events are due to be supported in 2014-15 through the allocation of £2·8 million, which should provide significant benefits to the local economy. <BR /> <BR />Pending clarification of the Budget position in 2015-16, the Tourist Board announced the suspension of the application process for events for next year. That was a prudent step, given the present very difficult financial situation.”
“Yes, indeed. In what is happening from a national perspective, HMS Caroline is a key priority not just for me, DETI and Northern Ireland but for the UK Government. The Prime Minister has announced a national event on the ship planned for May 2016. I welcome that event, which is part of the World War I centenary commemorations. Just a couple of weeks ago, the Heritage Lottery Fund confirmed an award of £11·5 million to National Museums and DETI. We are using that to conserve and display HMS Caroline, and we are contributing an additional £2·7 million in match funding to the project. I look forward to the commemorations and the fact that Caroline will be part of a national celebration in Northern Ireland.”
“The Member will be delighted to hear that our national Government have advanced plans in relation to celebrating the battle of Waterloo. They have been to the site, and I think that they have actually donated £1 million to help with the upgrade of the site for 2015. Certainly, with the Inniskillings' connection, we will want to ensure that our voice is heard in relation to any benefit that we can achieve there. Given that we have stepped forward in relation to a number of these very significant commemorations, we should certainly ensure that our voice is heard in relation to the battle of Waterloo as well. We should claim it as our own.”
“In any event, the Northern Ireland Tourist Board has not been approached to commemorate the role of the Inniskillings at the battle of Waterloo. I think that you mentioned the dragoons, is that right? However, NITB is working alongside tourism partners in Fermanagh on the heritage gateway to Fermanagh project. That will see radical refurbishment of the Enniskillen Castle complex that houses the Inniskillings Museum.”
“<BR /> <BR />I have been speaking to a number of dairy companies about the pressures that they face, not only in relation to China but because of price volatility and the Russian ban on agrifood from Europe. There are a lot of pressures on the dairy sector at the moment. We keep very close to dairy companies and see what we can do to help them. Sometimes it is not about finance or money; it is about how we can make representations on their behalf at Westminster or in Brussels. We will continue to make such representations and work alongside the sector.”
“I thank the Member for his question. I noted, in 'Farming Life' on Saturday, that there were some concerns in relation to that trade mission that some Northern Ireland firms had expressed a desire to go on the mission and had not been facilitated. I will look into that because, if we are to work collaboratively on issues in places as far away as China, it would be helpful if we could ensure that companies that want to avail themselves of those facilities are allowed to do so. I was speaking to Simon Coveney about the milk sector recently, so it is disappointing that those companies were not allowed to attend. I should make it clear that I am not sure whether it was dairy companies; I did not read which companies were not allowed to proceed with that.”
“I hope to see the results of the marketing review, which is undergoing some focus, before Christmas, and I hope that officials will provide me with the way forward. As you know, engagements on marketing and how a single voice can be given to the agrifood sector in Northern Ireland are going on. That is not without its challenges, because different parts of the sector have different ideas on how they want their sector marketed. However, I want a decision made before Christmas so that we can move on and implement marketing for agrifood in Northern Ireland.”
“Invest NI plays a very important role in Going for Growth. We continue to provide significant local input to companies. In the first half of 2014-15, Invest NI made over 200 offers of assistance to the food sector, totalling £21 million, which is a record level of support. A £170 million expansion has been announced by Moy Park, with 628 new jobs across Dungannon, Craigavon and Ballymena. There has been a £20 million expansion in Dale Farm to allow it to expand its sales outside Northern Ireland and a £6 million investment by Ballyrashane Creamery to grow its European business. Significant investments have been made in relation to Invest Northern Ireland, and I hope that DARD will continue in its commitment to help to ensure that this vital sector continues to grow.”
“Going for Growth is a strategy for the entire agrifood sector, and farmers are an integral part of that sector. A sustainable primary production sector will be crucial to the success of Going for Growth and delivering on the Agri-Food Strategy Board's strategic vision to grow a sustainable, profitable and integrated agrifood supply chain that is focused on delivering the needs of the market.”
“With the North/South interconnector, as I understand it, the Republic of Ireland planning process has not really begun in earnest as yet. The application has to go back into An Bord Pleanála, as I understand it. In Northern Ireland, our application is now with the Planning Appeals Commission. I hope that we can proceed as quickly as possible, but that is not a phrase that I use very often in relation to the North/South interconnector because it has been dreadfully slow, and, as a result of not making progress on the North/South interconnector, we are having to take steps in relation to additional generation. Let me say this to the House: I am not in the business of allowing us to get into a situation where lights will go out. I am making sure that we have enough capacity going forward, certainly from 2016.”
“Well, with a question from you, I would quite like to have a translation of your Gaelic before you start your actual question, but that is a matter for the Deputy Speaker and not for me. <BR /> <BR />It is a matter for the systems operator to put the contract into place. There will be some cost impacts on consumer bills. That has never been hidden. The costs have been minimised through the competitive tendering process that is in place and will be around £5 per annum on average to the domestic bill.”
“I thank the Member for his comments in relation to the recently announced agreement between SONI and AES to put in place a contract that will provide extra generation capacity to meet projected shortfalls over the coming years. There will be an additional 250 MW of generation capacity from January 2016 for an initial three years so that we can assess whether that is enough or whether we need to look at it again. That, together with short- and longer-term repair of the Moyle interconnector, will provide a sufficient safety margin in the medium term. We are dealing with pressures that have been identified, but, in the next decade, we very much need to see the implementation of the second North/South interconnector. I know that I have talked quite a lot about that subject in the House, but we really need to see progress on that.”
“Energy costs are determined by the market, subject to regulation. The Executive's strategic energy framework balances our need to provide security of supply and address carbon emissions at the lowest cost to all consumers. I have supported that through promoting competition, innovation and investment. For example, we are putting over £30 million into extending gas to the west to benefit consumers with greater fuel choice. On electricity, I will take account of ongoing work by the regulator and my Department, covering all elements of costs as we go forward. In particular, I have been considering the costs of the Northern Ireland sustainable energy programme and recently wrote to the regulator about that.”
“I congratulate the Member on getting a DEL question in during ETI questions; however, I will still take it. We need to ensure that we have a supply of young skilled people coming forward for the jobs market. We realise that the draft Budget is in front of us and that it is a draft Budget. We need to look at all the consequences of the draft Budget and work through it with the Finance Minister and the rest of the Executive. It is vital that we send out a message that we are open for business, and that involves having young people and older people with all the appropriate skills. I hope that that is the answer that he wanted.”
“We should not forget the political stability we have here and should continue to make it a lasting political stability, because what has come from that has been of tremendous benefit to everybody. I know that sometimes there is frustration with this place, but when you look at the difference and the companies that are investing here now as opposed to 10 years ago, I think that we should very much relish the political stability that we have.”
“I thank the Member for his question and welcome him to the House. I hope he continues with his positive outlook on the economy. <BR /> <BR />We have had a very good period of time, and Invest Northern Ireland will give those results to the ETI Committee tomorrow. However, we have to be realistic and respect the draft Budget. I will be in bilaterals with the Finance Minister on the allocations in the draft Budget, but we have to live within our means. <BR /> <BR />I think it is important that we continue to send out a very positive message about Northern Ireland as being a good place to do business and as a good place with good people to do business.”
“However, I also have to apply a 15·1% reduction to the Department's baseline, and that is a £27·9 million cut to areas that are already significantly committed. There is good news in the draft Budget as far as I am concerned, but there are also pressures.”
“I may, in future, have to bring those good pressures to the Executive table so that I will get the support of colleagues to try to facilitate those pressures, because we are reaching a situation where we are moving away from selective financial assistance as a tool to help companies and moving more into the remit of research and development. As we do so, the amounts of money tend to grow, and that will put a lot of pressure on my budget and on the Budget generally. <BR /> <BR />In relation to the draft Budget, the Member is right to mention that we have been able to have an additional £37·7 million to cover existing inescapable pressures brought about by the success, mainly, of Invest Northern Ireland.”
“I am not sure which R&D project she is speaking about. I know for sure that Invest Northern Ireland has supported a number of R&D projects going forward. I am thinking most recently of the Seagate announcement in Londonderry, where a very big announcement in the region of £38 million was made on research and development. That will not only secure those jobs at Seagate but make it a very sustainable company moving forward for the next five to 10 years. It was a very significant announcement for us, and, indeed, we are having discussions with other firms across Northern Ireland in relation to research and development. <BR /> <BR />Normally, research and development inevitably involves a lot of money and, because of that, we have a situation that the Finance Minister referred to as "good pressures" on the Budget.”
“In the first six months of this financial year, Invest Northern Ireland offered a total of £126 million across its full range of services, including investment announcements. I am pleased to advise that Invest NI will be presenting full details of its mid-year performance review to the Enterprise, Trade and Investment Committee tomorrow — 11 November.”
“There are specific targets — I am sorry that I do not have them to hand, but I am happy to share them with the Member — in relation to female entrepreneurship in general. I am not sure if it goes down as low as constituency level, but certainly on a Northern Ireland level we have very good working relations with particular bodies. There is a lady in Invest Northern Ireland who takes the lead on this called Sharon Polson, and I will share the rest of the information with her when I have it to hand.”
“I will continue to work with the business owners, the council and all the other partners in the Upper Bann region.”
“Invest NI has been very active in the Upper Bann constituency. We have had 583 offers of support, totalling £18·18 million of assistance, contributing to £81 million of investment in the region. We have had nearly 1,000 new jobs promoted. That includes the Regional Start initiative jobs. Their assistance per head of population compared with the Northern Ireland average, which is 161, is 174, so Invest is very much involved in the Upper Bann area. I want to pay tribute to the business owners in Upper Bann for their positive and forward-looking approach to dealing with not only Invest NI but others in the area. I know that they work hard with the council to promote themselves as a region for investment, and I am thinking particularly about Craigavon.”
“The Regional Start initiative has delivered a total of 1,224 business plan approvals for the southern region, including Upper Bann, for the period October 2012 to September 2014. That is against a two-year target for the southern region of 1,280. <BR /> <BR />The Regional Start initiative is delivered on behalf of Invest Northern Ireland by Enterprise NI and provides individuals who wish to start their own business with advice and the capability to produce a business plan. The business plan will provide a template for the new entrepreneur to plan and access sources of funding. The programme has been successful across Northern Ireland, and we are on track to achieve our contractual targets.”
“Apart from the driving route, the Causeway Coast and glens is generally a significant destination for our tourism promotion for Northern Ireland. It plays host to two of the top visitor attractions in Northern Ireland, namely the Giant's Causeway visitor centre and the wider world heritage site and the Bushmills distillery. Those are both in the Causeway Coast and glens area and remain a key part of our tourism promotion right across the world. In that context, I welcome the engagement that I have had with the new owners, through Diageo, of Bushmills distillery. I look forward to meeting the new owners in due course after they have been through some legal processes. I welcome them to Northern Ireland as an inward investor, and we look forward to doing business with them.”
“The rest of the regions outside of London, however, have a different problem. Therefore, I believe that government needs to look at the issue of VAT in relation to tourism provision. I strongly support the ongoing campaign by the Hotels Federation and colleagues in this House and in Westminster to push that issue to the top of the agenda.”
“I thank the Member for his question. It is a big issue for hotels across Northern Ireland, particularly hotels, restaurants and other providers that operate along the border. They feel that they are at a competitive disadvantage in relation to the VAT rate charged in Northern Ireland as opposed to that charged in the Republic of Ireland. You can see how important it is to the tourism industry in the Republic of Ireland by virtue of the fact that it has stayed in the recent budget for another period. <BR /> <BR />I very much support the Hotels Federation's campaign to have a VAT reduction, not just here in Northern Ireland but across the United Kingdom. Again, it is an indicator of the fact that we have London and the rest of the United Kingdom. It does not matter what VAT London charges; tourists will continue to visit.”
“I was rather disappointed, and that was one of the reasons why I asked to speak to the chief executive of Tourism Ireland about the issue. The Causeway Coast and glens route has received many accolades from across the world in relation to its beauty. I was disappointed that it was not added on to the Wild Atlantic Way. The two of them together could have been a very good promotion, and it would have allowed people to travel wherever along that route and, as I am sure he would welcome, given them the opportunity to stay in different areas and spend money. As I said, I have asked that the two be promoted together, and I hope that that will be the case.”
“The promotion of coastal routes is an important activity for Tourism Ireland, as research confirms that visitors who come here by car or hire one while here tend to tour more widely, stay longer and spend more on their trip. <BR /> <BR />I recently had discussions with the chief executive of Tourism Ireland and expressed my disappointment about how the promotion of the Wild Atlantic Way stops at the border. I have asked that, in future, the Wild Atlantic Way and the Causeway Coast and glens coastal routes be marketed together by Tourism Ireland and given equal prominence.”
“I do not have that answer here, but I am happy to come back to him, and indeed the Committee, on that issue. Again, he made a very fair point in asking whether those bodies that are engaged in authorising insolvency practitioners make sure that, as is the case with lawyers, accountants and everybody else, they continue to keep up to speed in their professional qualifications. <BR /> <BR />All in all, the House has expressed a desire to move to the next stage in the legislation. I am grateful to those who contributed to the debate. I commend the Bill to the House.”
“I could only disqualify the insolvency practitioner; I did not have other ways of intervention. Therefore, it will help that the insolvency practitioner bodies — the authorised bodies — will be able to intervene. <BR /> <BR />I take his point in relation to a code of conduct. That is something that we could certainly look at and explore. I hope that the Committee takes the opportunity, through its evidence sessions, to look at that. I am very happy to engage on that issue as well. What we want to achieve is that, if a complaint is made, it is dealt with quickly and effectively, but also in a meaningful way, and the appropriate sanction is put in place. <BR /> <BR />He asked a specific question about whether the professional bodies engage in continuing professional development.”
“<BR /> <BR />Mr McKinney welcomed the proposals and very much wanted to emphasise that no detriment should be attached to those who do not have Internet access. Again, I make the point that it will be very clear in the rules that we have to gain the consent of the intended recipient before we can proceed. <BR /> <BR />Mr Allister is right: it is largely a non-contentious issue. He raised a specific issue, and I am very conscious and aware of the facts behind that case, which I acknowledge has been going on for far too long. It comes from the fact that it was the first case of its type. As I indicated in my speech, we had very specific powers to intervene. If it goes down to the seven professional bodies, they will have a range of powers with which to intervene.”
“Mr Kinahan made the point that it is very difficult to exist without a bank account. That is absolutely right. He made mention of the Secretary of State. To be clear, it is the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills who has the residual power, not the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />Mr McCarthy asked about the business of being qualified for personal insolvency and corporate insolvency. I actually think that that will allow more people to become qualified. I think it was Mr Flanagan who suggested that perhaps fewer people might be qualified. However, I think that it will allow more people to be qualified, because some will choose to qualify as an individual, while others, perhaps larger firms, will want to be involved in corporate insolvency as well.”
“If there is discretion involved, there will be an appeal process, and the Minister of Justice has asked for the Lord Chief Justice to be included in that. <BR /> <BR />Mr Kinahan said that there are only two practitioners in Northern Ireland, which is not correct. There are around 50 practitioners, but only two are authorised by my Department: the others are authorised by the professional bodies across Northern Ireland. The two insolvency practitioners authorised by the Department will, if the Bill is passed, need to seek authorisation from one of the seven recognised professional bodies. We will assist them with that and will allow them to remain authorised by the Department for up to a year after the measure commences to give them some time for transition.”
“In due course that will be allowed for as well." <BR /> <BR />Mr Flanagan mentioned early discharge from bankruptcy and asked what cost savings could be made if we did away with that provision. If someone applies for early discharge, obviously you have to have the administrative system to deal with that, whereas, if it is not allowed for, you do not need that and you would be saving money in that respect. <BR /> <BR />On the issue of the appeal to the Lord Chief Justice; at present, you have to consult with the Lord Chancellor. The Minister of Justice asked that I add in, "and the Lord Chief Justice", so not only will we have to consult the Lord Chancellor's office, we will also have to consult with the Lord Chief Justice. That is in relation to the disqualifying of individuals from occupying certain office.”
“Absolutely not. <BR /> <BR />He is right: there are a number of people who do not want to avail of IT, but there will be a number of safeguards put in place to ensure that anyone who is not able to, or does not want to, receive communications electronically will not be put at a disadvantage. Provisions will be included in subordinate legislation that make it essential to obtain an intended recipient's consent to the use of electronic means to send them notices or other documents. That will very much be put in place to safeguard those people. <BR /> <BR />In relation to the manual sign-off of documents, which is a very specific point that Mr Dunne asked me about, there will be a set of rules made to accompany this legislation. They will provide for the authorisation of signatures by electronic means. So the answer is, "Yes.”
“He also indicated that he was pleased to see that people would still be able to apply for bank accounts in the future. <BR /> <BR />Mr Dunne expressed concerns in relation to IT and the fact that some people cannot access broadband. His colleague took it a bit further, saying that there are many old-fashioned people who did not want to use IT. I did not know whether he was speaking about himself at that point.”
“I am grateful to Members for their consideration of the Bill. I am pleased with the level of support for its introduction. As has been acknowledged, there are a number of very technical issues in it, but there are a few issues that I want to reflect on after the debate. The Bill will be welcomed by members of the insolvency profession, and I believe it will be of benefit to those members of the public at large who have the misfortune to be affected by it. <BR /> <BR />The Chair of the Committee welcomed the provisions for electronic communications and indicated that the Committee would be engaging in further scrutiny of the additional amendments. He expressed some concerns about the fact that insolvency practitioners could apply to be personal practitioners or corporate practitioners, which is a point that I will address in a second.”