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North Down Ulster Unionist Leslie Cree has dished out one of his favourite recipes to help a local Cancer Charity raise vital funds.

The MLA has been approached as one of the 108 MLA’s in the Northern Ireland Assembly to reveal his favourite recipe for inclusion in a recipe collection ‘An Assembly of Recipes’.

The novel idea has been developed by a local Cancer Research N I Charity Committee in Portaferry who hope to raise an extra £20,000 in order to reach their target figure of £100.000.

“Cancer Research Northern Ireland does excellent work across the Province and local groups are invaluable in helping them raise vital resources for local research into the disease”.

“I am more than happy to support the Portaferry Committee in sending them my favourite dish”, said the MLA.

“I love cooking but being a politician I get very little opportunity to prepare my favourite dishes at home commented Mr Cree.”

“At this stage I will not divulge anything more about my favourite recipe other than it is a fish dish said Mr Cree. Everyone will have to wait until the Charity Cookbook becomes available for sale,” he said.

“I wish the local group every success in their enterprise. I look forward with interest the completion of the cookbook so that I can gain an insight into Members’ choices of their favourite foods.”

Northern Ireland Policing Board member Leslie Cree MLA has welcomed the recent anti-crime campaign aimed at stopping smuggling through Ports in Northern Ireland and Scotland.

The message ‘You never know who’s watching you?’ will be highlighted on posters erected at Port buildings on either side of the Irish Sea and leaflets will be handed out to drivers before they travel on ferries.

“HGV drivers will be alerted to the threat that they may be targeted by organised crime gangs whose objective is to carry drugs and counterfeited goods and fuel through the terminals.”

“In 2006 almost 800,000 commercial vehicles used the Ports of Larne and Belfast. The potential for serious crime based on these statistics could not only have serious detrimental effects to our economy but also to our families and children. Illegal drugs are a real problem in our communities and any help that HGV drivers can offer to help eradicate serious ‘port’ crime is to be welcomed. I would urge those with any information about illegal smuggling to contact their local authorities.”

Those involved in the awareness campaign include the PSNI, Crimestoppers, the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency, the Road Haulage Association and the Serious and Organised Crime Agency.

Ulster Unionist DETI spokesman and North Down MLA Leslie Cree today responded to comments made by Dr. Alan Gillespie about Northern Ireland’s economy. In a statement Mr Cree said,

“Taken as a whole Dr. Gillespie’s comments offer a compelling agenda for economic prosperity in Northern Ireland. A vibrant, entrepreneurial private sector, a competitive tax rate to attract FDI, growing innovative local businesses and a public sector oriented towards partnership with the private sector – all these are supported by Ulster Unionists. Our Executive and Assembly must have an authentic commitment to a stronger economic future for Northern Ireland. As Dr. Gillespie states, this requires commitments ‘to be translated into delivery’.

“We also agree with his assessment that effective international marketing of Northern Ireland is essential. However, Ulster Unionists would take issue with the suggestion of a single, all-island international economic development body. This is not actually a matter of sovereignty, but of practical economics. As Dr. Gillespie himself notes, ‘we are not a homogenous island’. With differing tax and regulatory frameworks, and the fact that both jurisdictions are economic competitors, it is important that sensible, pragmatic North-South economic co-operation is not undermined by overly-ambitious and impractical proposals.

“A vibrant economy is in the interests of all in Northern Ireland. Our well-being and cohesion as a community requires economic opportunities and growth. Alan Gillespie has given a powerful challenge to the Executive and the Assembly. Ulster Unionists are ready to do their part in rising to that challenge.”

North Down Ulster Unionist MLA Leslie Cree can confirm that to date the Woodland Trust in their Tree Planting for All Campaign has engaged a total of 25,000 people in tree planting initiatives across the Province.

The politician continued “This is a great achievement for the Woodland Trust. Two hundred and fifty acres of new woodlands have been developed with a total of 200,000 trees planted in the fist three year phase of this ambitious campaign,” he said.

Mr Cree stressed that “Northern Ireland currently ranks as one of the least wooded regions in Europe with total tree coverage of only 6% compared with the European average of 44%. We need to do all we can to help environmental groups to motivate this and future generations,” he added.

“I understand that Government have committed to help increase tree coverage in Northern Ireland over the next fifty years. I would however suggest that plans should be brought forward to address this shortfall now, “he urged.

Continuing he said “I will be taking steps to encourage my colleagues in the NI Assembly to address this issue as a matter of priority given the distressing fact that Northern Ireland lags behind considerably in terms of tree impact on this island. I think it is only but right to support the work of the Woodland Trust and others who work tirelessly to educate and motivate people to become more environmentally active.”

“Let us begin now to try and make a difference so that by 2011 when the Tree for All Campaign is completed we will have statistics that will rise above the current 6%.” By planting more trees we are actively addressing the serious impact of global warming as each tree planted significantly improves air quality by reducing CO2 emissions into the atmosphere.”

Ulster Unionist DETI spokesman Leslie Cree MLA, welcomed the recent announcement by the Minister for Culture, Arts and Leisure that plans have been passed to build Northern Ireland’s first Olympic sized swimming pool in Bangor by 2010.

“ I am pleased that North Down Borough Council’s bid was won in an open competition and approved by Sport Northern Ireland, “he said.

The winning bid will see the pool built as part of a new £40 million leisure and aquatics centre at Valentine’s Playing fields in Bangor. It is planned that there will be a 10 lane 50m pool, a 5m diving pool, strength and conditioning suites for swimmers and headquarter facilities for Swim Ulster.

Continuing the politician observed, “Not only will the facility be of great benefit to competitive swimmers here but it will also provide state of the art facilities to host local and international events.”

The MLA commenting in terms of increased tourism benefits said, “ Last year Visitor Tourism by main purpose of visit - leisure, holiday, recreation showed an overall increase of 12%. I am delighted that the new facility will not only bring economic benefits to North Down but will also serve to increase visitor numbers to the Borough. I envisage that these numbers will increase considerably once the multi million purpose-built leisure centre is put on the map.”

“ I look forward to the building work starting in the spring of 2008 and the many opportunities that may develop through a working partnership with the Department of Culture Arts and Leisure for the benefit of the people of North Down, said Mr Cree.

Last summer the House debated the issue of industrial rating.

The Member for East Londonderry MrDallat proposed the motion that industrial rates should be capped at 25% and this was agreed by all the members present.

We now need to move on and deliver that which we have agreed.

The Northern Ireland Manufacturing Focus Group have and continue to make cogent arguments for this assistance to what is left of our manufacturing base.

The economic climate is very different today than it was even 5 or 6 years ago.

Today manufacturing jobs are reduced to a fraction of what they were. We are competing in a global environment, against very low labour costs and materials. Our near neighbour in the Republic of Ireland has a much more beneficial tax regime. We are the only part of the United Kingdom with a land border to a country which operates a different fiscal regime and is within the Euro zone.

The decision to phase out industrial rating is seriously flawed. We need instead to develop a wealth –creating and wealth producing economy that retains as much of its manufacturing base as possible.

Indeed we need to add to it.

In the past we were often reminded that our economy relied too heavily on the public sector. The increasing application of industrial rate will do nothing to change that balance. Indeed it will have the opposite effect.

By increasing rates the profitability and viability of businesses will be under threat. Several thousand jobs will be at risk. We must not allow that to happen.

Mr Pearson, when he was in office promised to assist industry by reducing the higher electricity costs. Some £30million was set aside but the plan was turned down by our European friends.

That financial aid has not been made available to industry.

DTZ Pieda Consultancy when presenting its report to Government at that time forecasted that the impact from full de-rating would only be 2.7% of profits.

Invest Northern Ireland and others have produced revised figures which are considerably higher.

Rates may represent only a small proportion of business turnover but they represent a higher proportion of profits.

Those companies which experience low profits can have their viability altered dramatically by a change in its overhead costs – leading to closure.

It makes sense to assist such businesses to stay in business and create employment.

Manufacturing does represent a small percentage of our economy in terms of GDP and employment. It may be as low as 15%. But it also generates the vast majority of our exports.

We are told that 90,000 people are employed in manufacturing and that we could loose one third.

We cannot take that risk.

We also know that jobs would also be at risk in other industries.

We could rehearse many more arguments.
Mr Speaker I trust that the house will unite again in opposing the implementation of industrial rates beyond the 25% level.

I am fully behind the First Minister when he stated in the last debate that we must ensure that the industrial rate liability is kept at 25%.

We should keep our promises.

I beg to move.

Mr speaker

I understand that the debate this afternoon is really a matter of procedure.

We are already well into the current year and the budget is being used by the various departments.

We can all rehearse arguments to further our favourite interests but that is really a waste of time today.

However it is useful to set this budget in the context of the forthcoming Comprehensive Spending Review which will apply for the next three years.

We already know that the CSR will be tight for both the UK as a whole and Northern Ireland in particular.

In the first Assembly the background was quite different from today. There were annual rates of growth in public spending in the region of 3% in real terms – that is after allowing for inflation. We may now be facing significantly lower rates than this – maybe 1% in real terms at best.

The spending in Northern Ireland per head of population is 28% above the UK average.

Public spending (as a percentage of regional GDP) in 2004/05 was

Ø 66% for Northern Ireland
Ø 51% for Scotland
Ø 49% for Wales
Ø 41% United Kingdom Average

Public sector employment as a percentage of total employment in 2005 was

Ø Northern Ireland 30%
Ø Scotland 24%
Ø Wales 23%
Ø UK average 20%

We have much catching up to do!

Next year we will hopefully have more scope to change our budget but today we can only accept the figures set under direct rule.

At the end of the summer we will be engaging in the budget preparations for 2008-09.

The budgets should arise from the Programme for Government and have a limited number of over-arching priorities which would guide Departmental-spending plans.

We need to ensure that the process adopted will allow for accountability through the various committees.

The establishment of priorities is crucial given that financial resources are limited.

We need to be realistic and allow for investment to promote growth for the future. Innovation and human capital should be priorities.

It is not acceptable that the Regional Economic Strategy will change from 80% (of UK average) to 80.5% by 2015.

We need to create real growth.

Some people including the Secretary of State have pointed to the fact that Northern Ireland needs £5 - £6Billion subsidy from H M Treasury. Surely it is normal for “richer” regions within the national fiscal and monetary union to transfer to poor parts of the Kingdom. Wales (including Mr Hains Neath Constituency) and Scotland also have considerable subsidies.

It is curious and unimaginative of the Treasury to propose that the way to cut this subsidy is to raise taxation here (for example the Rating Reform).

Surely the way forward is to reduce the burden of taxation (particularly on business - in rating, corporation tax and fuel duty) and so increase economic activity and hence revenue.

Finally I would like to refer to the Economic Package
– The empty economic package.

Others have made much play on their negotiating skills – well in this test case they have failed miserably!

There is little in the package in terms of real growth in the level of spending.

In terms of details the Executive is being allowed to do what it would have been able to do anyway –
Ø Efficiency savings
Ø Asset sales
Ø Year end flexibility

Mr speaker we need to have an adequate economic package to allow this Assembly to take Northern Ireland forward on a sustainable basis and not be handicapped from the outset.

Ulster Unionist Consumer Affairs Spokesperson, Leslie Cree MLA, has welcomed today’s judgment by the Competition Commission that banks in Northern Ireland have operated an anti-competitive and anti-consumer approach to personal banking. The judgment follows a ’super-complaint’ launched by the General Consumer Council and the consumer affairs magazine Which?

Mr. Cree said,

“The Consumer Council and Which? are to be congratulated for initiating this investigation into personal banking. The fact that Northern Ireland consumers paid a staggering £35million in penalty charges in one year is obvious testimony to the need for substantial reform.

“The package of remedies imposed by the Competition Commission addresses the failures of banks in Northern Ireland to offer a truly competitive personal banking market. No-one is arguing that banks as commercial institutions should not make profits for the services they provide. But the hard-earned money of people in Northern Ireland should not - and now, cannot - be taken from them through arbitrary and unfair bank charges.

“Today hopefully marks the beginning of a new era in the relationship between banks and consumers. A competitive and fair market for personal banking services should both provide quality services for consumers and restore consumer faith in and respect for our banks”.

North Down Ulster Unionist Leslie Cree MLA has been appointed Party spokesman for Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI).

One of nine Committee Members who will sit on the Committee for Enterprise, Trade and Investment, Mr Cree has been actively involved in Economic Development for many years and is also the UUP representative on the Government’s Advisory Council for Infrastructure and Investment. Representing North Down Borough Council, the local politician is a Director of North Down Business Village Company and holds Chair positions on the Council’s Economic Development Sub-Committee and International Relations Committee. He represents the Borough in the European Edge Cities network and is a member of the Economic Development Forum.

Commenting on his new appointment the former Regional Development spokesman said, “I am very pleased to have been appointed to this position and feel my experience and background in economic affairs will be of great benefit. Economic Development is crucially important to all of us and I will continue to develop our Enterprise Trade and Investment opportunities.”

Mr Cree continued, “The overall aim of DETI is to develop a globally competitive economy in Northern Ireland and its main objectives are to encourage the development of an innovative, enterprising and competitive economy that will lead to greater wealth creation and job opportunities for all. Northern Ireland and indeed North Down is entitled to a share of further economic growth that is now available to us through a stable local Government.”

DETI is structured in several ways. The Department sponsors four agencies that play a key role in shaping and implementing economic development policy. These include Invest NI, Northern Ireland Tourist Board, Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland and the General Consumer Council. DETI also acts as a co-sponsor Department to two other organisations set up under the Belfast Agreement which include Intertrade Ireland and Tourism Ireland.

Other aspects of DETI include primary funding of the Northern Ireland Science Park (NISP), a third party Organisation established to strengthen NI’s research infrastructure; Geological Survey of NI (GSNI). Along with DRD and DFP, DETI works with the independent Northern Ireland Authority for Utility Regulation (NIAUR).

The first Committee Meeting for DETI was held on Thursday 17 May 2007.

North Down MLA Leslie Cree, today stated, “I am pleased that Government has at last recognised that the people of Northern Ireland were opposed to the imposition of their proposals on water charges.”

At a meeting in Hillsborough on Monday (12 March), the four main political parties pressed the Secretary of State to defer the water charges planned for 1 April 2007.

Mr Cree UUP Chief spokesman for Regional Development said, “It was good to see progress being made in this very controversial subject which has been a major concern for ratepayers in Northern Ireland.”

He continued, “ I firmly believe that basing water charges on the valuation of a home is ridiculous.  It bears no relation on ability to pay and does not encourage economy in the use of water.  We already pay for water through the regional rates and should not be asked to pay twice.”

In conclusion the politician said “ I am optimistic that the Government will put a hold on the implementation of additional water charges until the new Assembly has had an opportunity to decide on a more equitable way to improve our water and sewerage facilities within the next year. I will continue to lobby for this outcome.”