Written Answers to Questions - Northern Ireland Assembly

Friday 20 July 2012 Written Answers
that permitted development rights have related solely to exploration and do not in any way
extend to extraction. That said and in these circumstances if the exploration works themselves
are considered to require an Environmental Impact Assessment the current legislation makes it
clear that in such circumstances permitted development rights do not apply. It is my view that
exploration does require an EIA.
(ii) If a planning application to extract shale gas by hydraulic fracturing is submitted to the
Department for consideration, it should be accompanied by an environmental statement. Only
when the location and specific details of such a proposal are available would the Department be
in a position to assess the risks in relation to the proximity to sensitive environmental receptors.
The process of designating a proposal as an article 31 application and considering the need for a
public inquiry requires that the Department must first have a planning application to consider.
Once a planning application is received and the Department considers that the development
would, if permitted –
(a) involve a substantial departure from the development plan for the area to which it relates; or
(b) be of significance to the whole or a substantial part of Northern Ireland; or
(c) affect the whole of a neighbourhood; or
(d) consist of or include the construction, formation, laying out or alteration of a means of access
to a trunk road or of any other development of land within 67 metres of the middle of such a
road, or of the nearest part of a special road;
the Department may apply Article 31 status to the application. A decision to hold a public inquiry
could not be made until the detail of the planning application had received careful consideration.
However, as I have said and without prejudicing a future application or its assessment, other
energy related applications – such as the North / South interconnector – have been designated
Article 31s and subsequently sent for public enquiry.
Taxi Drivers Act as Couriers
Lord Morrow asked the Minister of the Environment whether taxi drivers are authorised and insured to
act as couriers, particularly in relation to alcohol orders purchased from bars and off-licences on behalf
of non-passengers and delivered to their homes.
(AQW 7688/11-15)
Mr Attwood: A policy of insurance or security must be in force on a taxi that complies with the
requirements of Part VIII of the Road Traffic (Northern Ireland) Order 1981. In general, where a taxi is
being used for the conveyance of goods or alcohol for hire or reward, and provided that the nature of
the business use has been declared to the insurance company, and such use is not excluded, cover
may be in force. However, each taxi operator must take their own legal and insurance best advice and I
am not in a position to confirm what the precise position may be in relation to individual taxi operators.
Under the Licensing (Northern Ireland) Order 1996, safeguards exist in relation to deliveries of alcohol
from premises licensed to sell alcohol for consumption off the premises. Details of any alcohol
purchased and the name and address of the purchaser have to be entered in a day book held in the
premises and the courier has to hold an invoice with the same details.
Planning Appplications on Wind Farms
Mr Flanagan asked the Minister of the Environment to detail (i) the number of planning applications for
(a) wind farms; (b) single wind turbines; and (c) other forms of renewable energy generation that have
been submitted in the last ten years; (ii) the number and percentage of applications in each category
that were approved; (iii) the number and percentage of applications in each category that were refused;
and (iv) the number and percentage of applications in each category that were withdrawn.
(AQW 8035/11-15)
Mr Attwood: Table 1 below sets out the number of applications for wind farms, wind turbines and other
renewable applications received in each of the last 10 years.
WA 499