Every imported question, contribution and motion, with its classification. Unflagged, uncertain and not-yet-analysed records are all included so the analysis can be checked independently.
I thank the Committee Chair for giving way. I do not expect him to be an avid reader of the 'Newtownards Chronicle', but, if he were, he would know that I worked for many years on a campaign to protect a piece of ancient woodland, Tullynagardy Wood, in my constituency. When there was a proposal for five detached homes…
TPOs do not get in the way of development. I have just made that point. They are about being mindful of the presence of trees. More than that, ancient woodland is irreplaceable. My colleague behind me was looking to come in on a point about, I am sure, Tullynagardy Wood. Once ancient woodland is gone, it is gone.
I thank the Member for giving way. I have just realised that, given the line of Infrastructure Committee Chairs, past and present, it is like having the ghosts of Christmas past and present in front of me That thought just came to me.
I thank the Member for giving way. It is not for me to tell the Committee what to do in fleshing that out, but, when it comes to housebuilding, it is also important to look at local development plans. I have been asking questions about the delays in some councils, because those can have a knock-on impact on housing…
The Member makes a valid point. It is one that I discussed with DFI officials, who are in the Chamber today. I initially tried to go along with what is done in England, where the buffer zone is 50 metres, but we realised that there were issues with that, so we scaled it back to 15 metres. We need to remember that less…
As you are on that point, this will save me covering it. Do you agree that, although the Bill looks at protecting trees that are already there, and rightly so — I will come to that in my remarks — businesses are taking the opportunity to plant more trees, while the Forest Service, the Woodland Trust and others have…
I thank the Member for his intervention. I look to the tree protection map and ask how many trees will ultimately qualify and who will decide that. What will happen if a landowner disagrees? That goes to the point raised by my colleague for Fermanagh and South Tyrone. What will be the appeals mechanism, and what…
I thank the Member for giving way. At present, it is based on expediency, as in if a tree is going to be damaged or felled for works taking place nearby or for whatever reason. The next test is amenity. What does "amenity" mean? It is not defined in the 2011 Act. Ecosystem services were endorsed recently by DAERA and…
I thank the Bill sponsor for that intervention. What that says to me is that, in a nutshell, fines will fall far short of funding the issues and implementation of the Bill. It will not be remotely sufficient to fund the additional responsibilities that will be placed on councils, so the Committee will clearly need…
That is precisely why we are trying to change the law regarding "cause or permit". Between 2019 and 2022, there were 144 TPO breaches. In those cases, the TPOs were not enforced, and none of the breaches led to prosecution. If we tighten up the law and enforcement, we can resource our council officials and make sure…
I thank the Member for giving way and the previous Infrastructure Chair for pointing out that the EFM states that the cost attributable will be "modest". Woodland Trust polling showed that 75% of respondees are supportive, regardless of the cost. The principle of the Bill establishes the increased protections that the…
I thank the Member for giving way. I will have no speech by the time the Member has finished, because I am putting lines through mine; in fact, he nearly read a line that I wrote down earlier. In the EFM, the Bill sponsor uses the word "modest" to describe the expenditure that the legislation would require. Does the…
I thank the Member for her intervention. It is an important point, which I will come on to in my contribution. This is about the management of stakeholders and dealing with realities. I do not know of anybody who, where it could be facilitated, would not be in favour of protecting ancient, historic trees in our…
I thank the Member for giving way and for making that point. It is an important point to make when we are making legislation that affects people beyond these doors. I feel that I say that quite a bit in the Chamber. It is particularly true when you look at this legislation and how it would affect landowners. I…
The former Chair of the Infrastructure Committee has a keen eagle eye for that point. It is one that I raised with the Woodland Trust directly. The Woodland Trust is not fully satisfied with that; it finds that to be a very prescriptive set of definitions. We could absolutely work on that in the Committee Stage. I…
The Member is doing an incredible job of getting through the Bill. I intend to speak on it, but I want to ask him one question before he finishes. I take him to clause 11 for what, I suppose, is a techie question. He referred to some of the definitions. Clause 11(1) gives the definition of "ancient tree", which he…
I thank the Member for giving way. Would that also include trees that are in a serious state of ill health? I think in particular of ash dieback, which, unfortunately, is a recurring problem across Northern Ireland, and how trees become a danger because they have become diseased.
I thank the Member for giving way. I am interested in this, obviously. The Member touched on council staff trying to enact what is there already. Will the Member outline — he may intend to — the enforcement difficulties that they have had? The Bill talks about the need for "qualified" people to look at this. The fact…
I beg to move I welcome the opportunity to open the Second Stage debate on the Tree Protection Bill. I start by putting on record my sincere gratitude to Barbara Love and Frank Geddis for their advice and support in getting the Bill to this point and for putting up with my phone calls, which, usually, as a party…
Minister, I appreciate that you cannot just pull an experienced consultant out of a hat. If a temporary contingency were to, unfortunately, become unavoidable, will you ensure that the arrangements are regularly reviewed, recruitment continues and an expectation is maintained that maternity care, including birth…