First Standing Committee on Delegated Legislation
Wednesday 13 October 2004
(Afternoon)
[Mr. Bill Olner in the Chair]
Draft Roads (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order 2004
2.30 pm
The Chairman: Before I call the Minister, I welcome the hon. Member for Birmingham, Hodge Hill (Mr. Byrne), who is probably attending his first extremely important Standing Committee sitting. I hope that he will be present in many more.
The Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office (Mr. John Spellar): I beg to move,
That the Committee has considered the draft Roads (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order 2004.
In relation to my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Hodge Hill, I suspect that the problem is that the Whips Office will tell him that all Committee sittings take as long as this one may.
A draft of the order was laid before the House on 7 September. The order is short, containing only three articles, and therefore requires a short speech. It is intended to streamline the statutory procedures relating to the development of major road schemes in Northern Ireland. Under current Northern Ireland legislation, the Department for Regional Development may be required to hold up to three separate public inquiries into different aspects of any major road proposal. Those inquiries would cover environmental impact, direction or designation orders relating to the line or type of road proposed, and vesting orders, which relate to the compulsory acquisition of land. In England and Wales, however, under the various provisions of highways legislation, such matters have been taken concurrently as part of a single-inquiry process for many years.
The order will allow the Department for Regional Development, where practicable, to take all three strands of the statutory procedures concurrently as part of a single-inquiry process. At the same time, the rights of the public to object to a proposed road scheme will not be diminished. Indeed, these procedures present a more user-friendly system, as objectors will be able to present a single case incorporating all their objections to the inspector on one occasion. The change will bring procedures applied by the Roads Service in Northern Ireland more in line with those of its counterpart in Great Britain, the Highways Agency. More importantly, the order will significantly streamline the statutory procedures in Northern Ireland, thereby allowing the Roads Service to commence construction of major road improvement schemes more quickly, subject to the availability of the necessary funding.
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In developing this legislative proposal, the Department extensively consulted Members of the Legislative Assembly, district councils, other Departments, various other bodies and members of the public. The views expressed have been considered and, where appropriate, taken on board. The proposal enjoys widespread support in Northern Ireland and I commend it to the Committee accordingly.
2.32 pm
Mr. David Lidington (Aylesbury) (Con): I welcome you to the Chair, Mr. Olner, and add my welcome to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Hodge Hill. On the basis of my experience in this place, I may say to him that, if for some strange reason he should wish to avoid regular duties on Standing Committees, the guaranteed way of doing so is to speak frequently and at length when he is selected. That is something of which the Government Whips Office would take due account.
As the Minister said, the order is brief. It brings the situation in Northern Ireland more or less in line with that which has pertained in Great Britain since the passage of the Highways Act 1980. I hope that he will accept my welcome of the Government's decision to apply to Northern Ireland another of Margaret Thatcher's Acts of Parliament.
The Opposition do not oppose the order, but I have a question for the Minister. My understanding is that we are now taking the necessary measures to implement the new European Union directive on strategic environmental assessments. Could that directive have an impact in this area, perhaps on large-scale road construction schemes in Northern Ireland? If so, are hon. Members likely to be invited to return to this legislation in the foreseeable future?
2.34 pm
David Burnside (South Antrim) (UUP): I add my welcome to you, Mr. Olner, and to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Hodge Hill. I intend to speak at slightly greater length than the Minister and the hon. Member for Aylesbury (Mr. Lidington), but I will not keep the Committee too long.
Any instrument designed to streamline and improve the efficiency of the Roads Service inquiry process is warmly welcomed by the Ulster Unionist party. Like my fellow Northern Ireland Members, I am well versed and experienced in the sometimes exasperating and wearisome inquiry process that is currently in place, which frustrates improvements, holds up road development and generally grinds down the patience of all involved. Northern Ireland Members have certain planning powers that are different from those in England, Wales and Scotland, and we are well versed in the planning process. We have certain historic statutory powers for holding up a planning process that I do not believe exist in England and Wales, and I know from visiting my constituency offices that we often use that power and authority.
In South Antrim, two road improvement schemes have just been completed after many years of consultation and promises, only to be followed by
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more consultation and promises. Phase 3 of the A8 programme, which will introduce dualling links with new roundabouts between Sandyknowes—the busiest roundabout in Northern Ireland, which many young, inexperienced drivers are frightened to drive around in the busy early morning and late afternoon periods—and the port of Larne, has just been completed, as the Minister knows. So too has the new Toome bypass, which he opened after many years of discussion and consultation. I trust that simplifying the procedures will improve efficiency. Taking those two examples, I do not believe that the process will be so long under the new system.
However, I must ask the Minister for some assurances about the new process. Although I entirely agree that the expression of public opinion on road development is important—I am pleased that the Government have seen fit to allow opinions to be expressed concurrently—can he assure us that the new streamlined inquiry process will neither discourage nor actively prohibit those who wish to express an opinion on a particular road development? Will everyone who has the opportunity to submit objections under the current three-stage process still be able to do so?
Furthermore, will the Minister tell us what costs will be involved in changing the inquiry process? Increased efficiency should lead to lower costs. Can he assure us that a single inquiry process will mean a considerable reduction in the Roads Service's administration costs, which are currently in excess of £72 million? Will the Roads Service also be streamlined in terms of administrative costs and efficiency?
Exactly when will the new inquiry process be fully functional? The Minister will be aware that consultation on the last remaining section of dualling on the A26, from Antrim to Dunsilly roundabout in my constituency, has only just been initiated. Under the current inquiry process, the project is estimated to take between five and 10 years to complete. That section of dualling is to the new junction 1 retail development, which is one of the most successful recent retail developments in Northern Ireland in recent years. It is proving extremely popular with customers not only in my constituency, but within the Province and throughout the whole of Ireland.
The proposed slip road from Antrim hospital to the M2 has yet to reach even a commissioning stage, even though that successful and efficient hospital has been open for more than 10 years. What is happening with those road improvements? Such examples will exist in constituencies throughout Northern Ireland, but an additional example from my constituency is the dualling of the road from Antrim to Aldergrove airport. That has not yet been implemented despite access to the airport from that road having been re-established approximately four years ago for security reasons. When will that dualling take place?
As an aside, I may add that the international airport last week welcomed the new daily flights from Continental Airlines, which are a tremendous development for Northern Ireland. From next summer there will be daily flights from north America into Belfast. There is more business coming through
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our airports, so we need better roads and access. Can the Minister give us an update on the dualling of the airport road into Antrim town, which used to be closed for security reasons?
Will the Minister also give the assurance that the new process will allow work on those schemes to get under way immediately? Will the public now start to see the results of those road projects?
The Labour Government do not have a good reputation for increasing efficiency or reducing bureaucracy, or for improving the efficiency of the planning process on the mainland. I wait to see how the process will operate in my constituency and throughout the whole Province, and whether it will be more effective. The departmental press release announcing the statutory instrument elaborated a great deal on the streamlining of procedures. I can only hope that the press release was not another example of new Labour spin, and that the provisions will in reality speed up and improve the planning process in Northern Ireland for the benefit of local communities and our economy as a whole.
2.41 pm
Lembit Öpik (Montgomeryshire) (LD): I welcome you to the Chair, Mr. Olner, and congratulate the hon. Member for South Antrim (David Burnside) on introducing so many interesting subjects, not least the ever-progressing situation with regard to international travel into Northern Ireland. I also welcome the hon. Member for Birmingham, Hodge Hill; I say without fear of contradiction that the Liberal Democrats were robbed. His familiarity with the M6 toll road will, however, make him uniquely qualified to comment on the provisions.
The Liberal Democrats do not take issue with the draft order. It is a good example of the Government attempting to do what they promised—reduce bureaucratic red tape. The only question that I would add to those that have been asked already is: what is the Government's strategy for extending the same kind of thinking to other areas of Northern Ireland work?
2.42 pm
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