Results 1-20 of 1,178 for speaker:Edwin Poots

Northern Ireland Assembly: Executive Committee Business: Clause 6 (Operating centres to be specified in operators’ licences) (10 Nov 2009)

Edwin Poots: Clause 6 deals with operating centres. I will address the second of the three recommendations on operating centres that the Committee made in its report on the Bill. Following a designation by the Department of a place as an operating centre under the Goods Vehicles (Licensing of Operators) Bill, the issue of read-across into interest or action by the Planning Service may be of concern to...

Northern Ireland Assembly: Executive Committee Business: Clause 50 (Large goods vehicles) (10 Nov 2009)

Edwin Poots: I oppose clause 50’s standing part of the Bill and the associated schedule 4’s being agreed to. Schedule 4 is a replication of schedule 5 to the Goods Vehicles (Licensing of Operators) Act 1995 in Great Britain and was originally included to enable Northern Ireland to remain in line with GB legislation. It contains provision for the carriage of consignment notes in large goods...

Northern Ireland Assembly: Executive Committee Business: Clause 50 (Large goods vehicles) (10 Nov 2009)

Edwin Poots: I thank the Committee for the views that have been expressed. Question put and negatived. Clause 50 disagreed to. Clause 51 ordered to stand part of the Bill.

Northern Ireland Assembly: Executive Committee Business: New Clause (10 Nov 2009)

Edwin Poots: I beg to move amendment No 11: After clause 51, insert the following new clause: “Payment of grants 51A.—(1) The Department may, with the approval of the Department of Finance and Personnel, pay such grants to such persons or bodies as it considers appropriate in connection with any provision of, or the purposes of, this Act. (2) Grants under this section shall be subject to such...

Northern Ireland Assembly: Executive Committee Business: New Clause (10 Nov 2009)

Edwin Poots: I have nothing further to add, other than to thank the Committee for its support.

Northern Ireland Assembly: Executive Committee Business: New Clause (10 Nov 2009)

Edwin Poots: I assure Mr Ross that he is not an afterthought. His contribution is always valued. I thank him for the comments that he made, and I agree fully with them, particularly in the spirit of party unity. Question, That amendment No 11 be made, put and agreed to. New clause ordered to stand part of the Bill. Clauses 52 to 54 ordered to stand part of the Bill.

Northern Ireland Assembly: Executive Committee Business: Clause 4 (Vehicles authorised to be used under operator’s licence) (10 Nov 2009)

Edwin Poots: I thank the Committee for its general support of the legislation. It is useful that the Department has worked closely with the Committee to reach this stage of the legislation. Mr Ford mentioned the traffic commissioner. Legislation would be required to introduce a traffic commissioner in Northern Ireland. The current system allows a degree of independence and flexibility, and DVA carries out...

Northern Ireland Assembly: Executive Committee Business: Clause 1 (Operators’ licences) (10 Nov 2009)

Edwin Poots: I thank Members for their contributions. The Deputy Chairperson, speaking on behalf of the Committee, raised several issues, and I hope to deal with those. The Bill sets out the main provisions for the enforcement of the licensing of operators of goods vehicles. In the main, those provisions were reproduced from the Transport Act (Northern Ireland) 1967, which applies to operators who...

Northern Ireland Assembly: Executive Committee Business: Clause 4 (Vehicles authorised to be used under operator’s licence) (10 Nov 2009)

Edwin Poots: I beg to move amendment No 3: In page 4, line 4, at end insert “(if any)”. The following amendments stood on the Marshalled List: No 4: In page 4, line 5, after “fee” insert “(if any)”. — [The Minister of the Environment (Mr Poots).] No 5: In clause 24, page 20, line 36, leave out subsection (3). — [The Minister of the Environment (Mr Poots).]...

Northern Ireland Assembly: Executive Committee Business: Clause 1 (Operators’ licences) (10 Nov 2009)

Edwin Poots: I beg to move amendment No 1: In page 1, line 10, leave out “within the meaning given in Schedule 1”. The following amendments stood on the Marshalled List: No 2: In page 1, line 16, at end insert “(2A) For the purposes of subsection (2)(a) a goods vehicle is a small goods vehicle if— (a)      it does not form part of a vehicle combination...

Northern Ireland Assembly: Environment: Single Waste Disposal Authority (9 Nov 2009)

Edwin Poots: With your permission, Mr Speaker, I will answer questions 6 and 9 together. In my statement to the Assembly on 20 October on the local government reform programme, I advised that I was seeking comments from stakeholders on an economic appraisal of options for local government service delivery. Those options include the creation of a single waste disposal authority for Northern Ireland. I have...

Northern Ireland Assembly: Environment: Single Waste Disposal Authority (9 Nov 2009)

Edwin Poots: It is far too early to identify where an authority would be based. Indeed, I first have to get the support of the House and the Executive to move the process forward. I hope to do right by ratepayers and have a means of dealing with waste that is as efficient as possible. I hope to have the strongest available marketing team to bring together all opportunities available; that the best local...

Northern Ireland Assembly: Environment: Single Waste Disposal Authority (9 Nov 2009)

Edwin Poots: Some of the support came from the bodies that manage waste; they identified that they have taken things to the present stage. That approach can continue, or a much more efficient process for dealing with waste can be created. I can never understand why public representatives tie themselves to supporting a plethora of organisations, albeit only three in this case, delivering a service that a...

Northern Ireland Assembly: Environment: Single Waste Disposal Authority (9 Nov 2009)

Edwin Poots: I thank the Member for the question. There are a whole series of processes to deal with what we term “waste”. There is a general concept that it is not waste in the terms that we once knew it, in that waste used to be something that we threw into our bins and it all ended up in a landfill site. There are now recyclates — materials that are suitable for thermal processing and...

Northern Ireland Assembly: Environment: Single Waste Disposal Authority (9 Nov 2009)

Edwin Poots: There has been quite a lot of innovation in relation to dealing with our waste, which is why our recycling level has gone from 5% just seven years ago to around 30% today. I have no doubt whatsoever that members of the public, the business community and organisations like Bryson Charitable Group and others that are involved in the recycling of waste will have no shortage of quality ideas...

Northern Ireland Assembly: Environment: Recycling (9 Nov 2009)

Edwin Poots: The issue of tax, including the landfill tax, is a reserved matter. All of the money that is raised goes to the UK Exchequer. Since 2003-04, as a Barnett consequential, Northern Ireland has received an allocation from the landfill tax. However, there is no direct link between the area in which the revenue is raised and where it is spent. The use of all funding that is allocated through the...

Northern Ireland Assembly: Environment: Recycling (9 Nov 2009)

Edwin Poots: There is the opportunity to do that in the Landfill Communities Fund. I understand that, since 2003-04, Northern Ireland has received approximately £3 million each year under the Barnett formula for landfill tax. The scheme commenced in 1996 and was subsequently replaced by the Landfill Communities Fund. Since 1996, a total of £17·6 million has been spent on projects in...

Northern Ireland Assembly: Environment: Recycling (9 Nov 2009)

Edwin Poots: The first step to having the all-island market that Mr Burns wants is to get an all-Northern Ireland one. Perhaps he will tell his colleague Mrs Mary Bradley that a single waste authority would assist us greatly in doing that. First steps must be taken before the next can be taken. We have been considering the potential of an all-island paper mill. At present, markets do not support that....

Northern Ireland Assembly: Environment: Planning: North Road, Carrickfergus (9 Nov 2009)

Edwin Poots: In the past three years, my Department received 17 planning applications, including some for apartments on North Road in Carrickfergus. Of those 17, 11 have been determined, with nine applications approved and two refused.

Northern Ireland Assembly: Environment: Planning: North Road, Carrickfergus (9 Nov 2009)

Edwin Poots: I have received correspondence on the issue from Carrickfergus Borough Council. In the first instance, I have offered to have a meeting with the head of the Planning Service to see whether we can resolve the issue satisfactorily. The matter is obviously of significant concern to local public representatives. The addendum that I proposed this morning to Planning Policy Statement 7 might be of...