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Minister addresses Northern Ireland conference
A water industry conference taking place in Northern Ireland is generating significant interest among water professionals in the region. Conor Murphy MP, Minister for Regional Development, will address Water NI 2009, which takes place on Thursday 4 June 2009 at the Hilton Hotel in Belfast.
Northern Ireland has faced a difficult time, restructuring its sole utility while undertaking substantial and vital upgrades to the region's water and wastewater infrastructure in line with EU legislation. As the region approaches its price review for 2010-2013, identifying the infrastructure needs of the region - and ways of meeting them in a cost effective way - will be the subject of Water NI 2009.
The conference, which is the first in a series being held by Water & Wastewater Treatment (WWT) magazine, will be chaired by Clive Elphick, Group Policy Director, United Utilities, and delegates will have an unrivalled opportunity to hear the latest developments in policy and strategy from other top level speakers.
Jo Aston, director of water regulation will speak on behalf of the regulator. Other participants include Ronan Larkin, Finance Director of Northern Ireland Water and Dave Foster, Head of Water Management at the NI Environment Agency.
It is no secret that Northern Ireland has faced extraordinary controversy about changes to its charging regime and WWT is also delighted that the Northern Ireland Consumer Council will be represented by chief executive Eleanor Gill. A panel discussion with questions from the floor will be included in both the morning and afternoon sessions.
So with key topics include pricing, customer expectation and safeguarding the environment, WWT editor Natasha Wiseman said: "I think delegates can expect a lively conference around a stimulating range of topics.
"Northern Ireland has some big challenges ahead and this conference provides an opportunity for debate and networking for all stakeholders in the region - consultants and contractors, government and regulatory bodies, consumer and environmental organisations."
The event is supported by the NI Environment Agency, the Department for Environment, NetRegs and the Department for Regional Development.
For further information, contact conference organiser Sandra Bilz on 020 8651 7088, email sandra.bilz@fav-house.com.
More information can be found on the website: www.waterni.net.
Water NI 2009 Conference Programme |
|
| 09.00 | Morning coffee and registration |
| 09.30 | Welcome and opening from chair |
| Clive Elphick, Group Policy Director, United Utilities | |
| 09.40 | Ministerial address |
| Conor Murphy MP, Minister for Regional Development, Northern Ireland | |
| 10.00 | Controlling the cost of water - the NI price control system |
| Jo Aston, Director of Water Regulation, Northern Ireland Utility Regulator | |
| 10.30 | Coffee break |
| 11.00 | What are the influences on price control and what are the challenges? |
| Ronan Larkin, Finance Director, Northern Ireland Water | |
| 11.30 | The Water Industry in Scotland – Controlling the Costs |
| Alan Sutherland, Chief Executive, Water Industry Commission for Scotland | |
| 12.00 | Questions and panel discussion |
| Speakers from morning session | |
| 12.30 | Networking lunch |
| 13.50 | Welcome to the afternoon session from the chair |
| Clive Elphick, Group Policy Director, United Utilities plc | |
| 14.00 | Changing customer expectations in a changing market |
| Eleanor Gill, Chief Executive, Northern Ireland Consumer Council | |
| 14.45 | Environmental Priorities |
| Dave Foster, Head of Water Management, NI Environment Agency | |
| 15.15 | Afternoon coffee |
| 15.30 | The Scottish experience and what we can learn from it |
| Speaker tbc | |
| 16.00 | Questions and discussion |
| All speakers from the day | |
| 17.00 | Conference Close |