Land Acquisition and Compensation (Amendment) Bill: Final Stage

Part of Executive Committee Business – in the Northern Ireland Assembly at 7:00 pm on 15 March 2016.

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Photo of Sean Lynch Sean Lynch Sinn Féin 7:00, 15 March 2016

I also welcome the Bill and, like the Chair, commend the Minister for bringing this forward in such a short period. It is to be welcomed, given the Minister's recent announcements that the A5 and the A6 are to go ahead. It is only fair that those landowners who will be giving up their land and property are compensated on the same basis as in other jurisdictions.

As this is the last business of the Regional Development Committee, I want to put on record my party's thanks to the Chair and to the previous Chair, Jimmy Spratt, with whom we got on very well and worked well. The work of the Committee over the past five years has been positive and constructive, producing excellent reports. I will only name two of them: 'A Report on the Inquiry into the Benefits of Cycling to the Economy'; and 'A Report on the Inquiry into the Better Use of Public and Community Sector Funds for the Delivery of Bus Transport'.

I am led to believe that three people are leaving the Committee: John Dallat, Stephen Moutray and, not least, David McNarry. He will certainly be missed. As Deputy Chair, I also want to put on record our thanks to the officials who have worked with and assisted us over that period.

To conclude, I want to acknowledge the role of —