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hon. Member for Mid-Ulster will support me when I say that an area of outstanding natural beauty there has been pillaged and plundered in that prospecting operation.Mr. John D. Taylor : And in the Boyne valley, too.
Mr. Walker : I will leave that issue to other hon. Members who may be more qualified to speak about it.
The people in the area to which I have referred will confirm that the prospecting operation is equivalent to an open-cast mine. Habitats in that area have been destroyed for ever and thousands of years of evolution have gone down the drain. Under those circumstances, is it any wonder that the people of north Belfast are concerned? They are very suspicious of the hole -in-the-corner method of granting the licence and the surreptitious way in which news of the granting has leaked out. It is now the duty of the Department of Economic Development to allay the fears of the public and I call on the Government to define specifically the area of the Cavehill and Belfast mountains that they are prepared to exclude from any fresh quarrying or mining operations.
With regard to vote 3 and the Department of the Environment, I want to bring to the notice of the Minister the problems caused by the disruption of the water supply in the Cavehill area. Many of my constituents in that area have had their water supplies severely restricted for long periods. The problem seems to have been caused by a housing development which was allowed to take place at a level which puts additional stress on the existing 20-year old water supply system which could not possibly cope with the requirements imposed on it. Attempts to remedy the situation with a new main resulted in poor infill compaction, causing innumerable breaks in the existing main and resulting in many instances of water cut-off. There is still noticeable continuous settlement in line with the newly laid main, and soil movement is causing distress to other underground services in the area. I am anxious that a proposed link with another main be undertaken as a matter of urgency to give an alternative supply to residents in the upper Cavehill area who have suffered greatly at much too frequent intervals through being denied a water supply. The Government should give thought to four points in an attempt to save taxpayers' money. First, planners should liaise with the relevant services before granting development permission. Secondly, only experienced staff should supervise contracts. Thirdly, the retention period on pipe-laying contracts should be extended to at least five years. Fourthly, the roads service should ensure that there is a materials matching concept so that there will be no patchwork effect in the final reinstatement.
On the Department of Health and Social Services,vote 1, I am alarmed, as are many general practitioners in my constituency, about the criteria announced by the Department in the designation of deprived areas on a percentage basis. In certain deprived areas, financial allowances are available to GPs to facilitate improving services to people. The index used in the United Kingdom caters for 20 different criteria. The criterion that was used to formulate the Northern Ireland figure was based on the 1981 census, and it resulted in 14 per cent. deprivation in Northern Ireland, compared with 18 per cent. in England and 26 per cent. in Scotland. The figure for Wales was not available. I state categorically that there must be something seriously amiss in that calculation.
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Rev. Martin Smyth : Will my hon. Friend confirm that, under the new terms for Belfast, greater west Belfast and large sections of east Belfast are all outside the area of deprivation?
Mr. Walker : I was not aware of that. If that is the case, I hope that the Minister will take note of it and answer the accusation. Everyone knows that deprivation in Northern Ireland is at an all time high. The 14 per cent. deprivation can never be justified. The DHSS findings which resulted in that figure should be published in full so that all interested parties can be given the opportunity to comment. I am particularly anxious that that be done as soon as possible, as I understand that GPs are being pressured to accept the figure, which could result in a serious financial shortfall for the sick and infirm who are in most need.
Mr. McGrady : Is the hon. Gentleman aware that Jarman indices which determine such areas lack two indices which are applied in the rest of the United Kingdom? I refer to the under-fives and the unskilled. If those indices were applied to Northern Ireland, there would be a much higher deprivation figure.
Mr. Walker : I thank the hon. Gentleman for that intervention. I am aware of the Jarman indices. That is why the Minister should be aware of my case. It underlines why the figure of 14 per cent. cannot be justified.
I am appalled by the Government's reticence about providing a magnetic resonance imaging facility in Northern Ireland. For the benefit of right hon. and hon. Members, that revolutionary scanning equipment is essential in diagnosing medical conditions beyond the reach of the out-dated X-ray machines currently used in many of our hospitals. Time and again, in response to public demand, medical personnel involved in hospital X-ray facilities have given considered advice to the DHSS on the necessity for such machines to be provided in the Province. The Government have persistently opposed their provision with the lamest of excuses. They say that they are waiting for a Medical Research Council report, but that is now obsolete in the light of clinical experience in Europe and America. They also say that the MRI facility is in its infancy--a strange statement when one considers that there are 27 such machines operating in the United Kingdom and one in Dublin. They were installed as long ago as 1980 and it is expected that a further 23 will be installed within the next 12 months.
Other excuses such as a lack of funds are equally unacceptable, given that the Minister refused charitable financial assistance when it was offered in 1988. Patients are adversely affected by the delay in diagnosis and the traumatic effects of being sent to Dublin or England for scanning. At present, more than 100 people per month are sent. The Government should be aware that 68 per cent. of the Eastern board's X-ray equipment, with a value of £5,639,880, is more than 10 years old.
Modern MRI equipment would give much less irradiation and would go a long way towards replacing the outdated machines. The approximate cost would be £1.4 million for a building and the instrumentation, with running costs of £150,000 per year, based on 240 patients per month. The costs and trauma of sending patients to England would be more than recouped through the installation of such a machine. Such discrimination in the
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treatment of our citizens is to be deplored. I trust that the Government will take the necessary action to remedy that disgraceful state of affairs as a matter of extreme urgency.Figures just released show a 30 per cent. drop in the number of people going for eye tests in Northern Ireland since the Government introduced a charge for them. The worrying factor in the figures is that the number of people aged over 60 who have had eye tests has fallen by two thirds, or more than 60 per cent. Naturally, the Minister challenged those figures. He said that there was a rush to have free eye tests before the charge was introduced and that the availability of ready-made glasses was also a factor. But the ready-made glasses could be detrimental to those who choose that method of acquiring spectacles. Eye tests can detect the early stages of illnesses such as glaucoma, hypertension, diabetes, cataracts and brain tumours. People have only one pair of eyes to last a lifetime and they deserve the best possible care. The Government should reconsider the imposition of the charge, particularly on elderly people caught in the poverty trap and therefore outside the existing criteria.
At the conference on developing services for old people, the Minister of Health said that he wanted to create a new culture which would provide a sensitive and responsive way of working for the needs of the elderly. He said that most elderly people wish to spend their remaining years in their own homes and that the right balance of care should be provided to help them to achieve that with dignity and independence. I agree with those sentiments, but in the prevailing circumstances in Northern Ireland they need to be backed with the necessary finance to bring them to fruition.
In my area I am constantly reminded that the resources are not likely to be available to give elderly people a reasonable home help service. In my constituency I have several elderly people who live alone and receive only half an hour of home help per day. That is not the right balance to enable them to live with dignity and independence.
The Minister should also consider the position of carers and their struggle to care for elderly relatives. He said that he was providing increased support. It could not be too soon. But for the efforts of completely unselfish, dedicated carers in our community, there would be a breakdown in the section of the Health Service responsible for the well-being of the elderly.
No matter how the Government juggle with the figures, it is completely unacceptable that 42 per cent. of patients in Northern Ireland have been waiting more than a year for operations. On those figures, the Government must accept the allegation that they are using the sick as political pawns in an attempt to set up the Health Service for privatisation. It is an irrefutable fact that people who cannot afford it are opting for private treatment rather than spending painful years on the waiting lists. It is an indictment of the Government that they should create conditions in which people are suffering for interminable lengths of time. Waiting lists must be reduced and it is the Government's responsibility to take whatever steps are necessary to achieve that objective.
Finally, I am disappointed at the Minister's refusal to meet a deputation on behalf of the Clanwillian homes and to discuss the refused planning application relating to No. 4 Blaris road, Lisburn. The Minister says that he cannot become involved in a specific planning application. Why not? I ask that because the planning directorate did not take many aspects of the proposal into account, including
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planning considerations and the provisions for particular services in connection with the proposal. Furthermore, the Minister should be well aware that all political parties and Members of Parliament as well as Lisburn borough council are in favour of the application. I advise the Minister that there is serious concern in the area about why he has chosen not to meet the deputation. So far as I am aware, there have been other instances in which the Minister has used his powers to overturn a decision by the planning directorate when he felt that there was justifiable reason to do so. I ask the Minister to meet the deputation and to listen to the various factors surrounding the application before an appeal is considered. 9.51 pmMr. Alex Carlile (Montgomery) : I start by making a brief reference to the speech of the hon. Member for Mid-Ulster (Rev. William McCrea). I am sorry that he is not in his place at the moment to hear what I am saying, but I am sure that his hon. Friends will agree with my comments.
At the beginning of his remarks, the hon. Member concentrated on fundamental matters, with a rare combination of passion and reason. I hope that he will accept the reassurance from someone who represents a constituency on the other side of the Irish sea that we regard murder-- whether it is murder in Northern Ireland, north Wales, northern England or the north of Scotland--as murder. From time to time it is a good thing for all of us in England, Wales and Scotland to be reminded by speeches such as that of the hon. Gentleman that murders are still continuing on a horrendous scale in Northern Ireland--in the name of politics. Of course, they have nothing to do with what we understand as politics, and everything to do with unreason, with fanaticism and with all that is unacceptable to a democratic society.
I should like to deal briefly with two points that have not been raised so far in the debate. The first relates to education. In a recent debate in the House I spoke about Northern Ireland's excellent education system. That bears repetition. The secondary education system in Northern Ireland is the envy of those of us in Wales who know of its achievements and quality. I hope that in the Northern Ireland appropriations relating to the funding of education there is sufficient money to ensure that the secondary sector does not go the way that it is showing signs of going in Wales, at least. Rural education in Wales is now in a dreadful state. The comprehensive high schools, many of which have an excellent reputation of a great Celtic educational tradition acquired over many years, are facing financial privation. Teachers are demoralised and the schools are in a poor condition. That is appreciated by the pupils, as one can see if one looks at the graffiti and listens to how they talk about what is happening.
Northern Ireland suffers from the same rural problems as many parts of Wales, including my consituency of Montgomery. If we do not provide a quality education system so that pupils acquire the ability to start businesses in their constituencies and districts, they will leave.
Hon. Members have spoken about small businesses. The political situation in Northern Ireland may provide a
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greater incentive to leave than there is to leave Wales. It is vital, therefore, that every incentive and inducement should be given to people to remain. What better inducement could there be than an education system in which headmasters are not struggling day after day to pay for the exercise books and pencils, as is happening in England and Wales?Will the Minister assure the House that the sums provided for education are ample for all the changes deriving from the education reform order? Will he assure us that sufficient money is available fully to support the commitments made to integrated education where it develops? If, under the new legislation, many more schools qualify for support, may we have an assurance that the Government will provide the resources to honour the pledge made to integrated schools?
The Fair Employment Commission is at least showing signs of doing excellent work in Northern Ireland. Indeed, its aims and achievements have not been sufficiently publicised elsewhere. It would do the reputation of the Government and the United Kingdom good in Northern Ireland if its achievements could be itemised so that the House and Governments of other countries that look with interest at what is going on in Northern Ireland can see precisely the effort and financial backing put into the pursuit of equal opportunities of all kinds. Will the Minister assure the House that the Government have reviewed fully the resourcing of the commission and that he is happy that the allocation does not need to be increased in the light of the commission's ever-increasing responsibilities?
9.58 pm
Mr. William Ross (Londonderry, East) : Reference was made earlier to the short period allowed for the previous debate. It is only right to put on record that the emergency provisions order is normally dealt with in one and a half hours. Had it not been for the efforts of my right hon. Friend the Member for Lagan Valley (Mr. Molyneaux), we would have been limited to that period. Because of his efforts we had much longer. That debate and this one highlight again the problems experienced in Northern Ireland in trying to deal with unalterable wordings of measures in a limited time.
A few days ago the Under-Secretary had the privilege to stand on one of the prime blocks of land not only of Northern Ireland, but of the United Kingdom. He saw what can happen when a sea wall breaks. I hope that he took on board the implications and dangers that exist along the shores of Lough Foyle. If the Minister had looked to the north side of the mouth of the River Roe, just within his view would have been a bank, where there is no sea wall, which suffers grievously from sea damage year on year. The local environment would gain enormous protection if many large boulders were put down to stop the soft sandy soil washing away.
It being Ten o'clock , Mr. Speaker-- interrupted the proceedings .
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
Ordered ,
That, at this day's sitting, the Capital Allowances Bill [Lords] may be proceeded with, though opposed, until any hour.-- [Mr. Patnick.]
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Northern Ireland (Appropriation)Question again proposed .
Mr. Ross : Lough Foyle is one of the major areas of the British Isles for over-wintering wild fowl. The erosion of that coastline has been detrimental to the habits of wintering birds. I hope that the Minister will do something to protect that coastline. If the Department does not have the resources, perhaps the Minister will look for resources from the European Community. Conservation is the in-word nowadays and we should make every effort to protect not only the environment but high-quality farming land.
When the Minister visited Ballykelly he saw the break in the sea wall and he will appreciate that local farmers were not happy--no one can be happy when they suffer such as disaster.
There is a case for the Government seriously reconsidering how sea defences will be kept in shape in future. We hear a lot about global warming and God only knows what will happen in the next century--such warming could have a disastrous effect not only on Ballykelly, but elsewhere in the United Kingdom.
There is evidence to suggest that there are, periodically, storms of great violence that cause enormous damage to many people. Recently I asked the Prime Minister to consider setting up a disaster fund for the United Kingdom from which people could draw. I do not believe that the cost of such storms can be left to local disaster funds ; nor should it be left to the individual to bear the cost of something that, if not uninsurable, is insurable only at an unreasonable cost.
Mr. John D. Taylor : Does my hon. Friend agree that one of the problems is the Government's failure to make representations to the EC for assistance for farmers, fishermen and other people who suffer from storm damage? On many occasions the Community has assisted areas throughout the EC that have been damaged by storms. First of all, however, the national Government must make an application for assistance, but the Government had failed to do that in recent weeks to gain assistance for Northern Ireland and other parts of the United Kingdom.
Mr. Ross : My right hon. Friend is correct up to a point, because the Government have received two tranches of £220,000 and £440,000, which are infinitesimal sums in relation to the amount of damage caused--
Mr. Taylor : Nothing for Northern Ireland.
Mr. Ross : As far as I am aware, no money has gone to Northern Ireland, but I have already written to the permanent secretary expressing the hope that the Government will apply, if they have not already done so. We must remember that it is the individual who is at risk and who has suffered. The Government are not grabbing the money to restore a road or a bridge that has been washed away. On this occasion we are trying to help the individual and I hope that the Government will consider my request seriously, because the threat of storms will not go away. As our society becomes more dependent on machines, more highly sophisticated greater problems are created every time something goes wrong.
As for the Ballykelly incident, I am no engineer, but I have some experience of water. I hope that the
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Government will consider the possibility of making permanent the present bank which they have put across the mouth of the Burnfoot river so that waves cannot break through the river banks in the future. Also I hope that they will consider raising the bank on the left-hand side of the Burnfoot to the same height as the other. I understand that the storm and flood overtopped the bank on one side, but not on the other, so I think that work needs to be done. I also hope that they will find a lot more pumps to pump the water away, because I do not like the idea of the soldiers paddling around in it any more than I like my constituents paddling around in it, and I am sure that they are thoroughly fed up with the whole affair. As I said, the Minister was standing on one of the prime blocks of land in the United Kingdom. It grows grass, which has to be cut, and, if The Guardian this morning is to be believed, someone is making an awful lot of money out of cutting remarkably little grass in the airfield at Ballykelly. I should be grateful if we could have an assurance that that is being thoroughly investigated. I hope that that leak has not harmed the investigation, because if that sort of fraud is going on it should be stopped as soon as possible because none of us is happy with it.The Minister will probably know that a couple of my neighbours rent most of the airfield for silage and hay. They are not very happy because they feel that their names may be dragged into the matter, and they are just farmers trying to make an honest day's living. Somebody has been breaking the law and I hope that they are caught. Having said that, and having got away with it by pure chance, I hope that the Government will seriously consider all the things that need to be done in Northern Ireland as well as stopping fraud and cutting grass on Ballykelly aerodrome.
I hope that the Government will question seriously the case that has undoubtedly been put to them that the fish laboratory at The Cutts, Coleraine should be moved. That would be wrong. The laboratory provides employment, and is close to the River Bush where, as the Minister knows, there is a large experimental undertaking, which is probably the most important study of salmon in Europe. I believe the station at The Cutts should remain and that the laboratory accommodation should be used to a greater extent. If people are to be moved, they should be moved back to Coleraine and not away from it, because it is the natural centre for that type of work.
I shall ask the Minister more questions on this subject, and I hope that he will follow them up and not sign the answers too readily before he has considered the implications of what lies behind the questions he is asked. He should ensure that he gets all the information because that might help his thinking.
I was glad that my hon. Friends mentioned angling earlier this evening.
Mr. Ross : No, not poaching, just angling. I shall return to poaching, if my hon. Friend wishes me to, in a moment, but most of that is done by Donegal people off the north-west coast, in the salmon runs.
We also have a research vessel, the Lough Foyle, which is based in Belfast. That is not quite where I should like it to be, because I think that it should be in Coleraine.
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In a recent answer the Minister told me that it cost £1,500 a day to run that vessel. They had managed to rent it out for 93 days last year and they got £93,000. That is not the way to make money, because one does not make money out of leasing a vessel if one loses £500 for every day that it is leased. It would be better if it were tied up on the dockside. I hope that if the vessel is leased again they will charge sufficient money to cover its running costs and will not depend on the International Fund for Ireland all the time. I hope that the Minister will carefully consider the answers to my questions before giving them to me.An order on angling has been pending for some two years and I have made representations about it. It would be excellent if the Government reconsidered their earlier attitude and presented the measure to the House as a Bill. The anglers and I would be much happier if they did. This is a sensitive subject which needs in-depth discussion. It is not controversial in a party-political sense. The measure has been delayed for two years already ; a little longer would not make much difference. If changes have been made as a result of earlier representations, we could possibly make further changes to the measure if it were brought in as a Bill.
The Minister knows the arguments about the Limavady bypass. I hope that he will not allow anyone to slow up work on it. It is a choke point for east- west traffic in the northern half of Northern Ireland, and it needs to be built--soon. The economic study must be finished and the road put into the five-year programme. We do not want that done in the fifth or sixth year ; we want it done in the first or second, so that the work can go ahead.
I am still worried about the slow provision of proper hospital facilities in Coleraine. I have had excellent responses from the Minister of State about this, but I still want the work pushed on as rapidly as possible.
Finally, I turn to industrial development in Northern Ireland, and particularly the activities of the Industrial Development Board and the Local Enterprise Development Unit. Like all other Members who represent Northern Ireland, I have had long correspondence about various cases with LEDU, and sometimes I have been unhappy about the outcome. Some of my constituents have provided all the necessary reports and still wound up with no grant after spending several hundred pounds on accountants' fees--
Mr. A. Cecil Walker : More like several thousand.
Mr. Ross : I should not be surprised.
LEDU needs to be more careful when giving advice to people ; it represents the lower end of the scale. We need to rethink what we are trying to do to help people who invent things in Northern Ireland. Sometimes they have ideas that could create jobs but no money with which to develop them. Patent costs are high, as are development costs. Inventors need proper advice to be able to get on with development at an early stage. They need advice on where to find the necessary expertise. It is not always available.
The Government should be prepared to find the money for this. They find money for people like De Lorean and all sorts or wonderful projects that cost millions and come to nothing. I should prefer a few thousand pounds to be lost on a local man's efforts, instead of losing millions on
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a foreigner's efforts. Will the Minister provide development money for local people? It could be repayable if the project took off, but sometimes the money will be lost. According to the IDB report, local people can develop projects that create jobs for half the price that it would cost those from outside the Province.I am horrified, looking at the Government's expenditure plans for 1992-93, to see that they intend to cut the public contribution to LEDU. I hope that LEDU will not depend too much on private sector funding ; the private sector in Northern Ireland does not have enough high risk capital to provide the necessary money or to encourage small business men who are trying to create jobs.
10.14 pm
Mr. John D. Taylor (Strangford) : As has been pointed out, we cannot amend the motion. However, this debate gives Northern Ireland Members an opportunity to explain to the Government the problems being experienced in the Province. In all fairness, we live there and we represent the people, so we are more likely to be aware of the problems. It is wise and good to seize this opportunity to acquaint Northern Ireland Ministers with the issues.
The hon. Member for Leicester, South (Mr. Marshall) used the term, "the North of Ireland". That term is misunderstood in Northern Ireland and he would be unwise to continue to use it if he wishes to serve in Northern Ireland in some future Government. The hon. Member for Mid-Ulster (Rev. William McCrea) excellently acquitted himself when speaking about the tragedies in his constituency. He said that words could kill. One of the problems in Northern Ireland is that words are certainly misunderstood.
When a new Secretary of State is appointed to Northern Ireland, he is given a brainwashing session for 10 days and educated on what words to use or not to use. Only after those 10 days is he released to the public in Northern Ireland--[ Hon. Members :-- "Too soon."] Some may well think that that is too soon. One of the phrases that he is educated not to use is, "the North of Ireland". The correct term for the state is "Northern Ireland", and for the country is the "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland". Even the Dublin Government now refer to the Province by its correct name of Northern Ireland. The term, "North of Ireland" is used only by the IRA and its fellow travellers. That is the general understanding within Northern Ireland. If the hon. Member for Leicester, South uses that term, he will be misunderstood in Northern Ireland. He should think before he repeats such an offensive term because otherwise he will be resented in Northern Ireland.
Mr. Peter Robinson : In the light of our previous debate, there is the additional danger that the use of such a term might lead some to think that we were making a claim to jurisdiction over Donegal.
Mr. Taylor : That is true. Indeed, it would be easier to assimilate Donegal today than it was in 1921 because half the population have had to leave in the past 70 years.
I shall deal briefly with some of the supplementary Estimates. It is interesting to note which items are dramatically reduced because savings have been made during the current year, and which items are considerably increased because costs have increased above estimates. I
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shall deal first with the Department of Agriculture. There is a great concern in the Province about the increase in brucellosis and bovine tuberculosis. The estimates show a considerable increase in expenditure in those two areas. Can the Government provide any evidence to show that the problem is now being brought under control?Page 6 of the estimates shows savings in the European Community schemes-- for example, the agricultural and horticultural development scheme and the farmland and conservation grants scheme. They are huge savings, and the reason given for them is that the initial interest in Northern Ireland is lower than had been envisaged. What measures are the Government taking to ensure that Northern Ireland participates fully in those European Community schemes? Now that the Government have stated publicly that they are not being taken up, what are they doing to ensure that Northern Ireland has its fair share?
Another matter of concern in Northern Ireland is that expenditure on planting grounds for woodland have declined. I should like to see the Government doing more to promote the new woodland schemes in Northern Ireland, as has been happening in Scotland.
Page 9 deals with the milk quota. As we know, the production of milk in the United Kingdom, including Northern Ireland, is presently above quota. What is the present situation with the milk quota in the Province? How far are we above quota, and have Northern Ireland's milk producers been sufficiently warned and advised about the problems that will arise if surplus production continues? Certainly, it will impose a major financial burden on milk producers if the situation is not brought under control in the present production year.
There is a reference on page 10 to the marine research vessel. My hon. Friend the Member for Londonderry, East (Mr. Ross) spoke about that. In the context of the International Fund for Ireland I should like to mention the training centre for fishermen. They applied for a training centre in the port of Portavogie, but the application was rejected and they were told that they could travel to the existing centre in north Donegal. No one who listened to the speech by the hon. Member for Mid-Ulster (Rev. William McCrea could seriously suggest that fishermen from Portavogie should go for training in north Donegal. I could give many reasons why that would not be advisable. The Government should use their influence to try to ensure that a proper training centre for fishermen in Kilkeel, Ardglass and Portavogie is considered. I hope that it will be set up in Portavogie.
Page 12 deals with the Department of Economic Development. Some hon. Members have already spoken about the Local Enterprise Development Unit and the Industrial Development Board. I am involved in business in Northern Ireland and I certainly appreciate, although I have never received any grant from it, the work of LEDU throughout the Province. It is important to continue to support small business men throughout Northern Ireland. One of the attractions of LEDU is the way in which it has promoted the small business man and encouraged community involvement through its area boards and offices. I was concerned to see recently a leading Member of the Conservative party in Northern Ireland, Dr. William Hastings, call for the abolition of LEDU. I hope that that will not be the policy of the Conservative party in Northern Ireland.
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Mr. Peter Robinson : He is a member of the Minister's branch.
Mr. Taylor : That makes it even worse. The hon. Member for Belfast, East (Mr. Robinson) confirms that Dr. William Hastings, who is a partisan and active politician in Northern Ireland, belongs to the same branch as the Minister who is to reply to the debate. I hope that when he is replying the Minister will say whether he intends to pursue the policy of Dr. William Hastings and abolish LEDU.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : Will the right hon. Gentleman give way?
Mr. Taylor : No, the Minister will have a chance to reply at the end of the debate.
Mr. Bottomley : It is on a separate point.
Mr. Bottomley : I welcome the fact that in this instance the right hon. Gentleman is working on publicly available information and that there has not been a leak about members of the East Belfast Conservative Association.
Mr. Taylor : There are many leaks about who and what in Northern Ireland, but I am sure that we have a list of the three people who are members of the East Belfast Conservative Association. I should like to turn to the economic development section on page 14 and speak about the importance of the tourist industry in Northern Ireland. Reorganisation is taking pace in the Northern Ireland tourist board, and it was said that it would now have a new commercial emphasis. One of the first things that happened was the transfer of a civil servant to become the chief executive of the board. Those of us who are involved in business are not too convinced that a civil servant will be the main promoter of a commercal enterprise.
I have looked through the Northern Ireland tourist board's first annual report since the changes. As the Member for Strangford, one thing that worries me is the total failure to mention, let alone recognise, the importance of caravan holidays in Northern Ireland. One third of caravans in Northern Ireland are based in the Ards peninsula. We must get away from the idea that developing tourism means pumping more money into hotel and licensed premises. The caravan tourist industry is important to Fermanagh on the north coast, the Ards peninsula, and South Down around the Mourne mountains. Hopefully, we could attract more caravanners from Scotland, and, with the completion of the Channel tunnel, the continent. I hope that the Northern Ireland tourist board will not continue to ignore the importance of the caravan tourist industry. Certainly the borough and district councils are doing their utmost to promote the development of more caravan sites in the Province.
Page 20 of the estimates refers to the Northern Ireland Electricity Service and to the £90,000 spent on further consultants' reports on the feasibility of privatising Northern Ireland electricity. I ask the Minister for an up-to-date report and for an indication of how much more money he intends to spend on consultants' reports before deciding whether or not to privatise the Northern Ireland Electricity Service.
Page 22 refers to the Department of the Environment, and once again the question of privatisation arises--in
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respect of the aviation services. Northern Ireland Airports recently advertised for a new chief executive--the third in three years. That suggests that there must be some problems as to who actually manages Northern Ireland Airports--the chairman of the board or the chief executive.Rev. Ian Paisley : The chairman is a Tory.
Mr. Taylor : I am sorry, Mr. Speaker, but I did not say that. However, apparently the chairman of Northern Ireland Airports is a Tory, and that is unfortunate. Incidentally, at school he was a fag to one of the Ministers in the Northern Ireland Office.
The advertisements for a new NIA chief executive appeared in several publications. Some of them sell in Northern Ireland, such as the Belfast Telegraph and The Times, whereas others have very little circulation in Northern Ireland, such as Flight International and The Irish Times. It is interesting that the advertisement which appeared in the Northern Ireland press was different from that in the publications which do not sell well in the Province. The advertisement in the Northern Ireland publications simply advertised for a chief executive, whereas that appearing in the other publications also mentioned that Belfast international airport was to be privatised.
Can the Minister tell the House why different advertisements appeared in different publications? It is very strange that the public should be misled in that way. Also, what is the programme for the privatisation of Aldergrove airport?
Page 25 of the estimates refers to the royal harbour at Donaghadee in my own constituency, which is a contentious issue locally. As I said, the reference is to the "royal" harbour. There was an understanding that, as it is a royal harbour, no berthing charges would be made, but now there is a scheme to introduce them. I ask the Minister to re-examine that proposal to see whether that policy is consistent with Donaghadee's status as a royal harbour.
The hon. Member for Down, South (Mr. McGrady) referred to the fishing industry. In this context, I should like to draw attention to the fact that the Portavogie harbour, which was designed for about 60 fishing boats, now accommodates 85. In February this year two boats were damaged. They could not get into the harbour because it was chock-a-block. There is a great need for the Department to look into the capacity of that harbour and to proceed with an enlargement to accommodate the additional boats.
On page 26 there is a list of road schemes. Because of the shortage of time I am unable to go into them in detail, but I must ask the Department to look closely at some projects in my constituency. The question of the bypass for Comber has been with us for years. Comber is growing constantly and is chock-a-block with traffic early in the morning and at five o'clock in the evening. The bypass is required urgently and I ask that it be given greater priority.
The Minister will probably be able to give a very favourable reply to my inquiry about the Donaghadee road out of Newtownards. I hope that he can tell us that the scheme will start this year. The other two schemes to which I shall refer are in my constituency and in that of the
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