Minutes of Proceedings

COMMITTEE FOR ENTERPRISE, TRADE AND INVESTMENT

MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS
THURSDAY, 26 MARCH 2009
ROOM 21, PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS

Present:
Ms Jennifer McCann (Deputy Chairperson)
Mr Paul Butler 
Mr Leslie Cree 
Mr Simon Hamilton 
Dr Alasdair McDonnell MP 
Mr Alan McFarland 
Mr Gerry McHugh

In Attendance: 
Mr Jim McManus (Assembly Clerk)
Mr Paul Connolly (Assistant Assembly Clerk)
Mr Stephen White (Clerical Supervisor)
Mr Jim Nulty (Clerical Officer)

Apologies: 
Mr Mark Durkan MP (Chairperson)
Mr Sean Neeson 
Mr Robin Newton 
Mr Jim Wells

The meeting opened at 10.35 a.m. in public session.

1. Apologies.

Apologies are detailed above.

2. Minutes of meeting held on 12 March 2009.

Agreed : The draft minutes of the meeting on 12 March 2009 were agreed.

3. Matters Arising.

Agreed : To provide the Employment & Learning and Education Committees with a copy of the recent correspondence received from the Institute of Engineering and Technology.

Gerry McHugh joined the meeting at 10.38a.m.

Members noted that information on the proposed UK Business Incubation conference, received from Enterprise NI, had been sent to the NI Tourist Board.

Members noted the additional information supplied by the Department on the increase in fees in relation to two recent Statutory Rules on Weights and Measures and Measuring Instruments.

Members noted the content of a Clerk’s paper on the recent visits to Irwin’s Bakery and Almac.

Agreed : To provide the Employment & Learning Committee with a copy of the Clerk’s paper.

Agreed : To further consider the matter of ongoing dialogue with Irwin’s and Almac.

4. Offshore Wind & Marine Renewables Development

Officials joined the meeting at 10.43a.m.

DETI Officials Olivia Martin, Grade 7, Head of Sustainable Energy Branch and Barbara Swann, Deputy Principal, Sustainable Energy Branch briefed the Committee on Offshore Wind & Marine Renewables Development. Key issues discussed included the Strategic Environmental Assessment and the various stages of this, the draft Scoping Report and other associated work. Members noted that the Department intended holding a seminar with key stakeholders in early May and that the Committee will be invited to attend.

Alasdair McDonnell joined the meeting at 11.07a.m.

Officials left the meeting at 11.10a.m.

5. THETIS: Torr Head Tidal Project

Representatives of THETIS joined the meeting at 11.12a.m.

Paul Brewster, Technical Director of Pure Marine Gen Ltd/Deep Blue Renewables Ltd, Paul McErlean, Public relations Manager, Deep Blue Renewables Ltd and Oystein Stavli of Statkraft & Chair of THETIS Energy Ltd briefed the Committee on the proposed Torr Head Tidal Project. Key issues discussed included ongoing work on tidal energy in Scotland, issues surrounding grid capacity and the greater potential for Northern Ireland to benefit from this type of technology.

Representatives of THETIS left the meeting at12.28p.m.

6. SR 85/2009: The Employers Liability (Compulsory Insurance) (Amendment) Regulations (NI) 2009

Members considered the above Statutory Rule.

Agreed: That the Committee for Enterprise, Trade and Investment has considered The Employers Liability (Compulsory Insurance) (Amendment) Regulations (NI) 2009 and, subject to the Examiner of Statutory Rule’s Report, has no objection to the Rule.

7. Forward Work Programme

Members noted the content of the draft Forward Work Programme.

Agreed : To further consider this at the next Committee meeting.

8. Correspondence

The Committee noted the following items of correspondence:

• Letter from the Minister regarding the Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions Act 2008 including a draft memorandum of understanding.

• Letter from the Minister to the Head of NI Assembly Outreach responding to the request for comments on the Inquiry Report by Committee C (Economic Affairs) of the British Irish Parliamentary Assembly into Renewable Energy except Nuclear.

• Invitation to Members from the University of Ulster to their Social & Policy Research Institute Seminar.

• Press Release - Minister announces New Enterprise Support Initiatives.

• Press Release - Minister announces £8.5 Million Energy Efficiency Support for Business.

• E-mail from Stewart Cuddy, Director of Corporate Services, NI Housing Executive regarding ERDF funds.

Agreed: To seek the views of the Department.

• Letter from DETI responding to the Committee on Procedures Inquiry into Legislative Consent Motions.
• Letter from NIE regarding the Tyrone to Cavan Interconnector.
• Letter from the Department in response to a Committee query on EU Clawback.

Agreed: That a further written briefing would suffice.

9. Any Other Business.

Members noted the content of the NITB draft Corporate Plan 2008 – 2011.

Agreed : To return to this matter next week.

Members noted the delay in receiving the EDF proposals paper.

Agreed: That the Department should be asked to provide this as quickly as possible.

Members discussed the matter of EU funding for Tourism Signature Projects.

Agreed: That the Department should be asked to provide a full break-down of the amounts of EU funding that has already been allocated to each of the Tourism Signature Projects.

10. Date, time and place of next meeting.

The next meeting will be held on Thursday 2 nd April at 10.30 a.m. in Room 21, Parliament Buildings.

The Deputy Chairperson adjourned the meeting at 1.47 p.m.

Jennifer McCann
Deputy Chairperson
Committee for Enterprise, Trade and Investment

March 2009