Tom Buchanan
West Tyrone · Democratic Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“However, the Bill must give hydro operators clarity and confidence, through a sustainable licensing framework with long-term regulatory certainty, to enable them to invest and upgrade, modernise and improve fish pass technology.”
“I note that quite a bit of work in the Bill falls to the Department with regard to monitoring, enforcement and scientific assessment, which will require adequate resourcing. <BR /> <BR />The Bill must strike the right balance between encouraging investment and protecting sensitive freshwater habitats.”
“I welcome the opportunity to say a few words at Second Stage of the Fisheries, Aquaculture and Water Environment Bill. It is overdue legislation, which touches on three interlinked systems: commercial fisheries; growing the aquaculture sector; and the wider water environment, with an ambition to modernise regulation while supporting susta…”
“<BR /> <BR />Hydro schemes and hydropower to produce clean energy that will contribute to decarbonisation targets must be catered for in the Bill, with a clear vision for their future expansion. Those are not abstract infrastructure projects but local assets that generate clean renewable energy while supporting employment in rural areas.”
“Minister, under your watch, many miles of posts and wire fencing were put up along the A5 western transport corridor. However, in the past few weeks, a good bit of that has been removed by a mechanical digger and pushed into a pile for dumping.”
“In reality, however, every notice, every new form and every new administrative step will be another cost to councils. We simply cannot keep relying on councils to pick up the cost. We cannot pretend that council budgets are elastic, with plenty of stretch left in them. As is the case in many other sectors, councils are under pressure.”
The complete record
Every one of 1,021 lines we hold for Tom Buchanan, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 10 of 21.
“What advice would the Minister give to farmers in Fermanagh, West Tyrone and other areas of similar land who fear for the future viability of their business?”
“Should all go according to plan, with a view to completion in 2025, will the required finances be available to allow the development to progress without any financial difficulties or delays? The importance of the project to Omagh, West Tyrone and the wider area, and for the future educational attainment of our children for generations to come, cannot be fully estimated. It is a shared education model for the future, and I hope that we will soon see foundations being dug, steelwork going up and concrete being laid, because then we will know that progress is being made for real.”
“Will the Minister advise how realistic that cost is, given the increased cost of materials?”
“The prospect of moving to a new school site and environment meant that all of that was endured. That is why it is important for the Minister — I will use a good West Tyrone phrase — to keep her foot on the pedal and move the development forward to completion, so that the estimated 4,000-plus pupils who will be on the site will be able to enjoy more pleasant surroundings for their educational attainments. <BR /> <BR />We are conscious of the overall cost of the project, which has continued to spiral as the years have gone by, particularly in recent times. We have witnessed the cost of materials soar, some to as much as three times their previous cost. We know that £46 million has already been invested in the Strule project and that the estimated cost of completing the project is between £184 million and £185 million.”
“Perhaps the Minister will give us some indication of where the Department is with the procurement competition for the new work and of when, she envisages, work will commence on the site, when construction will begin and when the diggers and the men with hard hats will be there. That is what we are looking for on the site. <BR /> <BR />I am conscious that some of the schools are waiting to move to the site. For the last ten years, in anticipation that they would soon be in their new surroundings, they have endured a lack of repair and minor works maintenance to their buildings. I think especially of Omagh High School, which has had real problems with its heating. There is clear evidence of dampness in some areas, flaking paintwork and many other issues.”
“It will be the only campus in Northern Ireland where pupils with moderate and severe learning difficulties will be educated alongside mainstream pupils. When the development is complete, it will be a model campus for other areas throughout Northern Ireland and beyond. <BR /> <BR />The opening of Arvalee School in 2016 created an air of optimism that the 2020 completion deadline would be met. It was therefore unfortunate that contamination on the site, procurement difficulties and other issues made it obvious that slippage was imminent. However, it is reassuring that the site preparation works are now complete. The contamination has been remedied, and the site has been engineered to a high specification, ready for construction works to commence.”
“Those of us involved in the project since its inception and the announcement of plans in 2008 never thought that, 13 years later, we would be standing in the House involved in an Adjournment debate with only one of the six schools on the site completed. While there is an air of disappointment about the delays that the site has been plagued with, it is nevertheless welcome that progress has been made, with completion now earmarked for 2025. <BR /> <BR />The Strule concept did not simply happen overnight. There was a lot of criticism, and it took a lot of lobbying and hard work to get final buy-in from all six schools. I look forward to the completion of the development on the site. Strule Shared Education Campus is unique in that it will have six new schools on individual sites with associated shared education facilities.”
“I thank the Member for securing the Adjournment debate to highlight again the importance of the Strule Shared Education Campus in Omagh. The campus lies close to the heart of all elected Members from West Tyrone. Irrespective of party, we are united on seeing the development of the site move forward. I thank the Minister for being present at the debate today and for her interest in the progress of the development. She recently visited the Omagh site to get an overall view of where the works were.”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker. I thank the Member for securing the debate. I welcome the opportunity to speak on the subject, which has been debated in the House on previous occasions.”
“I thank the Minister for his statement to the House. Does he agree that the initiative by Her Majesty further demonstrates the royal family's appreciation of nature, the need to tackle climate change and, indeed, the need to protect our environment?”
“I will certainly write to the Minister on the issue. I have been pressing the Housing Executive's chief executive for a number of years on the religious disparity in the workforce, especially in the grants offices in those three areas. Rather than getting better, it has got worse as the years have gone by. In light of that, does the Minister agree that, in the western area, the Housing Executive is no longer an equal opportunities employer?”
“I thank the Minister for her response. Minister, you spelt out the need for social housing that there really is in West Tyrone. Unless the Department is prepared to make that a priority over four, five or six years, it will be addressed only very slowly. Will you make it a priority to get social housing built and up and running in West Tyrone for the people who really need it?”
“I thank the Minister for his response. Minister, can you give us any indication of the timeline for when the money will be available to deliver the services to those people?”
“Minister, I have listened to information on a number of initiatives that are going forward on this issue. Is the Department doing any work with our GP surgeries to try to get them opened up so that we can get face-to-face appointments again with our GPs? A number of constituents who are in contact with our office say they cannot get a face-to-face appointment; therefore, they are going to A&E to be seen there. If we could get the GPs opened up again, that would help to free up the A&E departments.”
“<BR /> <BR />We are calling on the Justice Minister to commission, before the end of the mandate, a full independent inspection of the Office of the Police Ombudsman, which will cover its investigative capability, financial management, security of information handling, operating practices and how it complies with its mandate to build trust and confidence.”
“What has changed? We have seen a change in personnel, but what has changed as far as the investigations are concerned? While those inspections have highlighted serious flaws in the Office of the Police Ombudsman, they have only been sporadic and often limited to particular themes or aspects of the Police Ombudsman's remit. <BR /> <BR />There is still widespread concern about the balance and standard of investigations in that office, which is why there is a need for a comprehensive and fully independent evaluation of its performance. There needs to be a root-and-branch review of the operation of the Office of the Police Ombudsman and the establishment of an independent complaints mechanism to promote accountability for its misconduct, poor practice and administrative standards.”
“He went on to point out that flaws had been identified in the investigative processes, that reports had been heavily influenced by feedback from non-governmental organisations, that divisions in senior management had created a dysfunctional environment, and that:”
“in that investigations had taken too long and officers had not been properly treated and or duly informed of the progress of their investigations. <BR /> <BR />In another report in 2011, the Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland commented on the way that complex and high-profile historical cases were investigated and handled. The chief inspector stated that:”
“she cannot step outside those boundaries and parameters as that would exceed the statutory powers of her office. When that has happened, the work of the Office of the Police Ombudsman has been undermined and public trust has plummeted. <BR /> <BR />Of course, concerns about the Office of the Police Ombudsman and how it conducts investigations have not just arisen recently. They date back to at least 2005. Some 16 years ago, the Criminal Justice Inspection report stated:”
“While the ombudsman has the power, under section 55 of the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 1998, to commence an investigation where a complaint has been received and it:”
“While we recognise the need for robust, impartial and effective structures to be in place for investigations into alleged misconduct or criminality — such structures lie at the very heart of a democratic society — and a binding principle that everyone is equal under the law and subject equally to the law, the fact is that any such investigations must be carried out in a way that is fair and equitable and that demonstrate independence and impartiality in the ombudsman's office. That is where it has miserably failed.”
“I thank my colleagues for tabling the motion. I declare an interest as a member of the Policing Board. <BR /> <BR />We have heard much about the ombudsman's office, but let us recall why it was set up. It was set up to play a specific role in providing independent, impartial investigations into complaints arising from allegations of failures by police officers while on the line of duty and to investigate complaints into some quarters of civilian employees of the Police Service.”
“Thank you for that. Minister, you will be aware that the Assembly recently passed a motion that called for continuing support for our schools. That motion received cross-party support. Do you have any confidence that that support will carry through into the Executive and be replicated in their Budget-setting process?”
“I thank the Minister for her commitment to the ongoing works at the scheme in Omagh. The Minister may be aware that there are concerns about the prospect of substantial sites being left vacant when the new campus opens. Can the Minister give us an update on what work has been done in relation to those sites and the works to widen the Gortin Road?”
“She is an inspiration to all our young folk and hockey fans. We congratulate Shirley in her great achievements for Ulster Hockey, and we wish her well now in her coaching career as she strives to bring Ulster Hockey to a greater level on the international and world stage.”
“Since then, she has been instrumental in the green army's rise to success; a rise that brought them from obscurity to the elite level on the world stage and a journey that took Shirley to silver-medal level at her maiden appearance at the Tokyo Olympics. Having played 316 times, she holds the caps record for international hockey and has won numerous medals, trophies and cups throughout her career. <BR /> <BR />Although she is stepping back from her international career, Shirley will still play a key role in Ulster Hockey in her role as a professional coach, helping Ulster's young talent to develop their skills and play to their full potential on the hockey pitch. Just recently, she was part of the Ulster Hockey talent coaching staff, which saw Ulster win double gold at the UK School Games.”
“I put on record the tremendous achievement of hockey star Shirley McCay from Drumquin, in the very heart of West Tyrone, as she calls time on her international career after an amazing 14-year spell at that level. When she was a young girl at Omagh Academy, Shirley's skills and talents on the hockey pitch soon began to shine through, earning her a place on the senior team. She was instrumental in making history on the Omagh Academy team, when, in 2005, it won not only the Ulster Senior Schoolgirls' Cup but the Kate Russell — All-Ireland Schoolgirls Championships. That was to be the beginning and the laying of the foundations for Shirley's international career. <BR /> <BR />From there, it was onwards and upwards for her. In 2007, at the age of 18, Shirley made her debut on the international stage.”
“I thank the Minister for her response. She will know that the scheme was established some 22 years ago to assist officers and their families in making the transition back into public life. The programmes delivered by the trust have been extremely helpful to them. I am sure that she will agree that prison officers face exactly the same problems and difficulties as police officers. The sooner that information gets out to prison officers, the better.”
“I ask the Assembly to support the motion.”
“<BR /> <BR />The ratification of the Criminal Justice (International Co-Operation) Act 2019 allows for the Garda Ombudsman and other bodies to exchange information on cross-border investigations, but, disgracefully, the Dublin Government have retained a veto over such arrangements. If the Dublin authorities are genuine in their claim to respect the rule of law and victims' human rights, it is high time that they buried their gross hypocrisy and took action, without any further delay or precondition, to bring forward a public inquiry into the state's role in the IRA campaign. <BR /> <BR />I heard one Member opposite talk about justice, accountability and truth. Of course we want that. We want the Dublin Government to come forward with justice, accountability and truth for all those who were murdered by the IRA, with the state's collusion.”
“The sentence for that was death. <BR /> <BR />In 2012, the now Garda Commissioner Drew Harris's revelations to the Smithwick Tribunal, when he was Deputy Chief Constable, left no one in any doubt that there was collusion between the gardaí and the IRA in the sectarian murder of Ian Sproule. Yet, to this day, the Dublin Government, in a blatant violation of their international human rights obligation, have refused the Sproule family an investigation into Ian's murder, while seeking to brush the Smithwick inquiry under the carpet. It is absolutely outrageous that the Garda Ombudsman Commission seeks to hide behind the passage of time in an effort to justify its failure to investigate that collusion case, all the time adding further pain and hurt to the Sproule family, who deserve a full investigation without further delay.”
“<BR /> <BR />Saturday 13 April 1991 is a date that is etched on the hearts and minds of many people in Castlederg and the surrounding area. On that date, the news filtered through that Ian Sproule, a 23-year-old joiner, had been brutally murdered by the IRA as he returned home, simply because he was a Protestant. Ian was the ninth member of Maghenageerah Presbyterian Church's congregation to be murdered by the IRA. I stand here with fond memories of Ian, having worked alongside him and his father for a short time. Despite all the false allegations that the IRA peddled following Ian's murder in an effort to distract media attention away from the sectarian assassination of a young, innocent, Protestant man, to his murderers, the only crime of which he was guilty was that he was a Protestant, a unionist and a loyalist.”
“That gives us some indication of the party opposite's thinking towards those people. <BR /> <BR />Between 1971 and 2001, my home town of Castlederg and the surrounding district witnessed the premeditated murder of 32 innocent people, one of whom was Ian Sproule. Where did the people who carried out those dastardly deeds find a safe haven and protection from the law? A few miles away, over the border in the South of Ireland, which was a spawning ground for that terrorist organisation. We cannot ignore the role played by the Irish state in facilitating and endorsing the creation and growth of the Provisional IRA, nor can we ignore the collusion between the gardaí and the IRA, which resulted in many innocent people in Northern Ireland losing their lives.”
“We must never forget, and let the House and others who are listening be in no doubt about, who was responsible for the years of bloodshed and the murder of the innocent people of Northern Ireland. Let us remember who pulled the triggers, planted the bombs and robbed many of our families of their loved ones in a premeditated and murderous campaign. It was none other than the Provisional IRA, which received the full endorsement and support of the party opposite, which, to this day, still glorifies those who carried out such dastardly acts of murder. In 2013, Gerry Kelly, attending the unveiling of an illegal republican memorial in Castlederg, referred to those murderers as:”
“I want to make it clear that we will not support the Alliance amendment, which seeks to move the focus of the motion away from the Dublin Government's failure to investigate Irish state collusion between the Garda and IRA terrorists.”
“I thank the Minister for his response. Constituents have expressed concern about bringing their dog with them from Manchester and about the exorbitant cost of getting all those tests done. Does the Minister agree that the requirements, especially for rabies and tapeworm treatment, are totally unacceptable and counterproductive and present animal health issues?”
“— and put the priority where it ought to be.”
“— families who cannot get back into full-time employment because of issues with childcare. Let us get our priorities right and look at the issues that we need to look at and deliver on for the people —”
“I have no doubt that, if we went round the Chamber tonight, every Member would be able to give many examples of constituents for whom they are working who have been on waiting lists for long periods and cannot get the service that they require. We have childcare issues, with single parents and working —”
“I thank the Member for his intervention. He knows well where the DUP stands on that: we are committed to NDNA and its delivery as a complete package. We cannot cherry-pick bits here and there just to satisfy our political ideology. If we are serious, we must see NDNA delivered in all of its aspects as one package. <BR /> <BR />It is time, therefore, for the House to stop and take stock of where we are. I have no call to tell the people in the House that we are coming out of a pandemic and that there are financial issues. Our health service is in financial crisis, and we heard the Health Minister today talking about the difficulties that the health service faces with 335,000 people on waiting lists.”
“I hope that he does not mind my referring to him by name, but Patsy McGlone is the only man in the House I know who can speak fluent Irish. I have not heard it from anyone else. Maybe I have been out of the Chamber when it has been spoken, but I have not heard it. Yet, we are looking at spending up on half a million pounds — a cost that will continue to increase — on a service in the House to facilitate the people in the House, but it is not of any benefit to our communities. It is time for the House to stop —”
“Anyone who comes to West Tyrone and to the communities there will know that I am heavily involved in Ulster-Scots culture. However, as we stand in the House this evening, we all have a duty and responsibility to the people of Northern Ireland in the decisions that we make and the wider public climate. <BR /> <BR />The motion requires the House to spend £344,000 on interpreters to provide simultaneous interpretation for those who wish to speak Irish, plus an estimated £43,000 for logistical work to accommodate the broadcasting. We are talking about somewhere between £400,000 and £500,000 for a service that exists: there is no blockage in the House to anyone standing up and speaking in whatever language they wish.”
“Yet, while that was placed on the back-burner, we have this coming before the House today. <BR /> <BR />I know that, for many in the House, cultural issues are important. The Ulster-Scots culture is just as important to me as the Irish culture is to the folks sitting on the other side of the Chamber.”
“I want to say to the party opposite: if we are serious about NDNA delivering, we must see that it delivers on all commitments as a collective package and not just those that satisfy individual perspectives. <BR /> <BR />At the Committee, enquiries were made about the provision of sign language. Sign language is also a commitment in NDNA. The Minister for Communities came back with a letter to the Committee in which she said that nothing had been done with regard to sign language and that legislation for that would not be coming forward until the next mandate. There, we have a community in social isolation as far as communication is concerned, yet the Minister had nothing done on it and said that legislation would not be introduced until the next mandate.”
“First of all, I want to point out that, while this is a Committee motion, it did not receive the unanimous support of the Committee; in fact, the Committee was split right down the middle, with the motion receiving 50% plus 1 of a majority. That was not because it had anything to do with culture or language but simply because of the current situation that we find ourselves in and the many financial pressures that the House faces. <BR /> <BR />In Committee, we sought consensus by pressing for this to be taken to the party leaders' forum. It was unfortunate that the Sinn Féin members on the Committee, along with others, decided to vote that down and to bring this motion to the House. We have a motion that is reflective of only one political perspective.”
“I thank everyone for their contribution and the Committee for its work over this period. I commend the motion to the House.”
“<BR /> <BR />The motion amends Standing Order 110 to allow the provisions in Standing Orders 110 to 116 to be temporarily extended to the end of the current mandate. Following consultation with the Business Committee and the Chairpersons’ Liaison Group, the Committee is of the view that extending the provisions for longer is preferable to regularly revisiting the issue. However, the Committee will keep that under constant review and consider further amendments if required. I note that Ms Bradley said that a precautionary approach is the right approach to take at this time, and she is absolutely right about that. <BR /> <BR />I welcome the fact that we are in better days and happier times in respect of the pandemic, but I also acknowledge the need to be cautious while the Assembly and Committees continue to carry out all their functions.”
“<BR /> <BR />We appear to be moving in the right direction. Restrictions are being lifted, hospital admissions are down, the number of cases is down and, thankfully, the number of deaths is considerably down from what it was. We are all embracing and enjoying the chance to spend time with our families and friends and to be able to get out and support our businesses once again. However, we cannot be too complacent. The virus is still out there, and we have recently seen an increase in the spread of the delta variant. We must be conscious of that and continue to play our part in keeping the House, these Buildings and the people using the Buildings safe at all times to allow Assembly and Committee business to continue.”
“Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I welcome the opportunity to wind on the debate on the motion to amend Standing Order 110. I thank the Members who have contributed to it. <BR /> <BR />As outlined by the Chairperson, the amendment has come to the House because the current temporary provision will cease to have effect from 3 July 2021. The provisions were originally agreed by the Assembly on 27 March 2020 to keep Assembly business and Committee operations running and to keep us all safe during the pandemic. We have been here before, on a number of occasions, to ask the Assembly to further extend the provisions. However, on those occasions, the situation with the pandemic was much worse than it is today. I am sure that we, around the Chamber, are all thankful that things have eased and look much brighter for the days ahead.”
“Thank you, Minister, for your response. The reason why I asked the question is that a constituent waited three and a half years to see a consultant. He saw the consultant about a month ago, and the consultant confirmed that he needed two hip replacements. However, he was then told that he would have to go on another waiting list for up to 240 weeks, which is four years and eight months. If that is the case, he will have been on a waiting list for a total of eight years and four months. Minister, you will agree that that is totally unacceptable. Can you give us any indication of when orthopaedic surgery will be back in full swing, if you like, in, for example, the Western Health and Social Care Trust?”