§ The Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office (Mr. John Spellar)Earlier today I placed in the Library the first annual report on the implementation of the regional development strategy for Northern Ireland 2025.
Significant progress has been made in the implementation of the strategy since its formulation in September 2001 by the devolved government in Northern Ireland. The strategy sets a regional brownfield target of at least 60 per cent. up to 2010. I am pleased that in Northern Ireland we are on target with 62 per cent. achieved in 2001–02. It is encouraging that we in Northern Ireland are playing our part to achieve the Government's brownfield targets.
The Department is building on the inclusive and participative consultation that led to the agreement of the strategy and is working closely with local groups of key stakeholders who are playing a positive and active part in its implementation. Over the coming months a series of seminars will be held throughout Northern Ireland to consider how best to develop existing 52WS arrangements affecting local growth and development and to produce agreed frameworks on the way forward. A first successful seminar was held on 20 June in the north-west, which addressed the sub-regional implementation of the RDS and also the impact of the National Spatial Strategy for Ireland (NSS) on development within the north-west.
Implementation, however, is not just about monitoring, important though that is. As we strive for the successful implementation of the regional development strategy, we need to learn from the experiences of regional and inter-regional developments elsewhere. The challenge is to turn the potential of the regional development strategy into positive actions that will bring about the improvements in Northern Ireland's environment, economy and society generally.
I will continue to oversee the implementation of the strategy and to report on progress on an annual basis.
A first successful seminar was held on 20 June in the north-west. This seminar addressed not only the sub-regional implementation of the RDS, but also the impact of the National Spatial Strategy for Ireland (NSS) on development within the north-west.