Monday 24 September

Questions to the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM)

The first question comes from Sinn Fein’s Claire McGill who wants OFMDFM to outline the status of 'Lifetime Opportunities', Government's Anti-Poverty and Social Inclusion Strategy for Northern Ireland; and to give a timescale within which it will be presented to the Executive for consideration.

MickeyBrady will ask OFMDFM how it will ensure that the rights of older people are effectively protected and promoted, while party colleague Martina Anderson will ask the OFMDFM to outline its position in relation to equality impact assessments for all 'high-level' policies.

Next up Foyle MLA Raymond McCartney will ask OFMDFM to give an assessment of the recent meeting with the European Union Regional Development Committee; and the importance of ongoing contact with the European Union.

Sinn Fein’s Sue Ramsey will ask OFMDFM to outline how the junior Ministers will address the issue of children and young people.

Mid-Ulster MLA Michelle O'Neill (Sinn Fein) will then ask OFMDFM to outline how it intends to promote the rights of disabled people; and how it intends to mark the international and European 'disability days'.

DUP Strangford MLA Jim Shannon wants to know what plans OFMDFM has to hold a Civic Forum meeting; and to detail how it will gauge public opinion and the opinion of elected representatives in respect of the role of the Civic Forum.

The UUP’s Danny Kennedy will ask OFMDFM to outline what consultations and discussions it has had on the rationalisation of the number of Northern Ireland departments; and when proposals are likely to be brought before the Assembly.

Upper Bann MLA John O’Dowd will then ask OFMDFM to outline the timeframe for the development of the Programme for Government; and to give a timescale within which the department intends to present it to the Assembly for agreement.

Next up Tom Elliott of the UUP wants to know if OFMDFM will give an assurance that it is fully committed to addressing rural poverty, as set out in 'Lifetime Opportunities' Government's Anti-Poverty and Social Inclusion Strategy.

The SDLP’s Mary Bradley will ask the OFMDFM what steps it is taking to address the backlog of planning appeals.

The Alliance Party’s Anna Lo will then ask what plans OFMDFM has to provide a good relations section on its website.

Finally, the UUP’s Fred Cobain will ask the OFMDFM to provide an update on the most recent Government statistics on child poverty in Northern Ireland; and to detail how this reflects on the progress towards achieving the United Kingdom target of halving child poverty by 2010, and eradicating it by 2020.

Question to the Minister of the Environment

Alex Maskey of Sinn Fein will ask the Minister to detail the number of listed buildings that have been destroyed in the past five years; and what penalties and prosecutions have resulted in relation to these offences. Later, Trevor Clarke of the DUP will also ask the Minister what steps she is taking to support built heritage in Northern Ireland.

Allianceparty leader David Ford will then ask the Minister for her assessment of the need to reduce carbon emissions in Northern Ireland, given the announcement by her Scottish colleagues on the need for an 80% reduction in carbon emissions by 2050.

The next question comes from Francie Molloy of Sinn Fein who wants to know what progress is being made in relation to the integration of the process for dealing with farm and municipal waste.

Kieran McCarthy (Alliance) will then ask the Minister to give a timescale for the announcement of the outcome of the current review of council boundaries and functions.

Paul Maskey (Sinn Fein) wants the Minister to detail the quantity of glass, paper/card and plastics that have been recycled in each of the past two years.

Barry McElduff also of Sinn Fein will ask the Minister if she will make a statement on planning applications refused under Planning Policy Statement 14: Sustainable Development in the Countryside.

The Minister will then be asked by the Alliance Party’s Trevor Lunn what arrangements she is making for public consultation on executive and administrative decisions.

South Down UUP MLA John McCallister will ask the Minister what action she will take on the recommendation contained in 'Foundations for the Future', the final report of the Review of Environmental Governance.

UUP colleague Samuel Gardiner will ask the Minister what discussions she has had with the Minister for Regional Development regarding the establishment of new rural planning guidelines, in the light of Mr Justice Gillen's ruling on Planning Policy Statement 14: Sustainable Development in the Countryside.

The last question comes from Paul Butler of Sinn Fein who will ask the Minister if she will consider introducing a bonfire policy, to ensure that anyone found burning toxic materials will be prosecuted under European Union guidelines on waste pollution.

Questions to the Minister of Finance and Personnel

The Alliance Party’s David Ford will ask the Minister to detail the resources he has allocated to tackle rural poverty across Northern Ireland, and to meet the targets set out in 'Lifetime Opportunities', Government's Anti-Poverty and Social Inclusion Strategy, given the ongoing Comprehensive Spending Review.

Peter Weir of the DUP will then ask the Minister to give a timescale within which he intends to bring proposals to the Executive, in relation to the review of rating.

The Lagan Valley Alliance Party MLA, Trevor Lunn will ask the Minister to report on progress on the Comprehensive Spending Review.

Anna Lo of the Alliance Party wants to know what steps the Minister is taking to reduce the cost to public services of segregation, as set out in 'The Cost of Division - A Shared Future Strategy'.

West Tyrone DUP MLA Allan Bresland will ask the Minister what representations have been made to Her Majesty's Treasury in relation to the Comprehensive Spending Review.

Willie Clarke (Sinn Fein) will ask the Minister to detail the role which the five Local Authority Cross-Border Groups will have in the delivery of the Interreg IVA European Programme, in keeping with European principles that the programme should be 'bottom-up' and seen as additional to mainstream Government spending programmes.

Next up John McCallister of the UUP wants the Minister to detail how 'Lifetime Opportunities', Government's Anti-Poverty and Social Inclusion Strategy, identified as a key cross-cutting priority of the Comprehensive Spending Review, has informed the department's spending plans for all government departments, given that the strategy has yet to be adopted by the Executive.

Foyle MLA, Mary Bradley will then ask the Minister if he will recommend to the Executive that the £11.3m received as a Barnett Consequential from the United Kingdom Treasury's £340m allocation for disabled children, should be ring-fenced for the provision of disabled children's services throughout Northern Ireland.

Motions for debate

World Alzheimer’s Day
SDLP MLAs Carmel Hanna, Tommy Gallagher and Mary Bradley have proposed a motion that the ‘Assembly expresses support for World Alzheimer’s Day on 21 September 2007; acknowledges that over 15,000 local people are currently living with Alzheimer’s, and that dementia is expected to rise by 27% over the next ten years, due to people living longer, which would result in 20,500 people in Northern Ireland living with dementia by 2017; and notes that maintaining current levels of service provision is not sufficient for such an increase, and that it is important for patients and their carers to receive the best care available and access to clinically effective drugs, when appropriate’.

Tuesday 25 September

Motions for debate:

Action on Child Poverty
Sue Ramsey, C McGill and Caral Ní Chuilín of Sinn Fein have proposed that: ‘This Assembly regards as unacceptable the current level of child poverty; and calls on the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister to confirm its commitment to the eradication of child poverty by 2020; and to provide an action plan with clear targets and measurable outcomes to ensure that all children are lifted out of poverty’.

Independent Environmental protection Agency
Brian Wilson of the Green Party and David Ford of the Alliance Party have teamed up to propose a motion that: That this Assembly calls on the Executive to establish an independent Environmental Protection Agency for Northern Ireland.

Committee Business

Tuesday 25 September

2.00pm - Enterprise, Trade and Investment Committee
2.00pm - Agriculture and Rural Development Committee

Wednesday 26 September

10.00am - Finance and Personnel Committee
10.30am - Employment & Learning Committee
10.30am - Regional Development Committee
2.00pm - Committee for the OFMDFM

Thursday 27 September

10.30am - Culture, Arts & Leisure Committee
10.30am - Environment Committee
11.00am - Social Development Committee
2.30pm - Health, Social Services and Public Safety Committee

Friday 28 September

10.30am - Education Committee