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.”
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“It is imperative that we are open to capitalise on trends and have the flexibility to work alongside ever-changing trends to implement ideas that are collated from a wide range of bodies that know the industry, having worked in it for many years. <BR /> <BR />Northern Ireland is an emerald in the crown of natural rugged beauty, and when we recognise the value of the product —”
“<BR /> <BR />As part of a tourism strategy, we need to move with the times. We need to set the bar higher and lead the way in establishing events. We need to be more creative. We have marathons in Belfast, but I could not mention Belfast and the north-west without mentioning Fermanagh or south Tyrone and west Tyrone. There is no reason why an international marathon could not be run in west Tyrone or in Fermanagh or south Tyrone, where you have the beauty of the Sperrins and the lakes of Fermanagh. That would attract visitors, and attract them back again. Maybe that is something for the Minister to consider. <BR /> <BR />As part of a tourism strategy, we need to work alongside advertising and marketing companies, tourism agencies and hoteliers to come up with strategies to attract more people to Northern Ireland more regularly.”
“Just last week, my colleague Mr Hamilton attended the draw for the Women's Rugby World Cup 2017. That event alone, which will last for nine days, will generate almost £2 million for the local economy, not to mention the priceless publicity for Northern Ireland around the world after visitors attend the event and spread the word about our attractions and hospitality. <BR /> <BR />If we look at the North West 200 and the huge numbers of people that it attracts every year from across the world, surely we have to say that events like that are valuable assets to the local economy and provide valuable boosts to local industry. The domino effect of bringing large-scale events to the Province must not be underestimated. The power of seeing an event broadcast around the world against a backdrop of stunning scenery is priceless.”
“<BR /> <BR />By the same token, as the vision for business tourism becomes a reality in Belfast, we need to merge government, businesses, local authorities and all organisations involved in tourism to get them to think on a much wider basis and facilitate the growth of the sporting tourism industry. While major steps have been taken to attract global sporting events to Northern Ireland for which the Executive must be congratulated, we have to recognise the potential for the future in this rapidly growing tourism market and tap into that on a broader scale.”
“<BR /> <BR />This year saw the opening of the newly refurbished and extended Waterfront Hall in Belfast and, of course, this is a foretaste of the growth that is happening in Belfast as a place for business tourism. Expansion and room for growth were necessary to facilitate the boom in business tourism in our capital city, and, already, Belfast is tipped to be a leading destination for business tourism. That in itself will maximise our potential for visitors to come with their families and come back again. Of course, that is what we need to do: we need not only to have visitors coming in but to have sufficient interest for them to come back and join us in Northern Ireland. Business tourism may prove to be one of the catalysts for boosting the wider tourism potential that Northern Ireland has to offer the world.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak on the motion. The great sporting activities that we have in Northern Ireland have been mentioned by various Members who spoke, so I do not intend to go into that except to say that we are proud or should be proud of the sporting professionals we have in Northern Ireland who represent it on a global basis. <BR /> <BR />I welcome the success that the Executive have had in recent years in bringing some fine international events to the shores of Northern Ireland. By hosting those successful events, we have seen knock-on effects that have reverberated across the length and breadth of Northern Ireland in the growth of our economy. Some people might want to turn a blind eye to that, but it is the reality of the situation and is what happens through sporting tourism.”
“I thank the Minister for her response. Does she agree with me that Northern Ireland needs a specialist consultant in the field, given the number now suffering from ME? Will she consider bringing forward someone of that calibre for this condition?”
“I thank the Minister for his response. Will the Minister give a commitment that, if progress is not made soon with the Secretary of State on finding money for this, he will have further discussions with his Executive colleagues on how funding can be found for this matter?”
“Planning is a serious issue that is holding back the growth of our SMEs, and it is something that we need to look at. I support the motion.”
“A lot of that is down to public bodies not releasing payments within the 30-day period. Again, that might be something that we can look at and do something about. <BR /> <BR />Another issue that was mentioned is planning.”
“The impact assessments for SMEs tend to be inconsistent, and regulation is not properly targeted, with the result that it is an added cost to and financial burden on our small businesses. <BR /> <BR />Again, as my colleague mentioned, business rates is another issue. When we go to meetings with small businesses, business rates is one of the issues at the top of their agenda. My colleague Sammy Wilson introduced the small business rate relief scheme when he was Finance Minister. That has been of benefit to many small businesses throughout the sector over the years. That is perhaps something that needs to be looked at, in order to see whether something more can be done. <BR /> <BR />Another barrier to the growth of small businesses is the cash-flow problems that they face.”
“If we want to help small businesses to grow, we need to do what we can in our power to break down the barriers that are a hindrance to their growth. Owing to the circumstances of the past few years, although SMEs were resilient to the many challenges that they faced, a number of them went to the wall, unfortunately. Those that were able to sail on through or hold on, now that we are out the other side, are beginning to rebuild. We must endeavour to remove, where possible, any barriers that are a hindrance to our SMEs going forward. <BR /> <BR />The business school of the University of Ulster, in a recent study, identified a number of barriers to the growth of our SMEs, including bureaucracy and the regulatory burden.”
“Northern Ireland, although a small region, has the highest number of SMEs of all the regions throughout the UK. Although 98% of those employ fewer than 20 people, they nevertheless provide essential employment in our communities. It is worth noting that our SMEs provide 75% of all the private sector jobs and employ more people than the large businesses and the entire public sector combined. The SMEs have proven, without a shadow of a doubt, that they have the ability to create the employment and wealth required to transform and rebalance the Northern Ireland economy. <BR /> <BR />However, there are also challenges faced by the small business sector. I will mention some of them, because, sometimes, these are the issues that we do not want to face up to: the challenges that are facing businesses.”
“We have seen, especially in the engineering and construction industries, that such businesses have been responsible for the employment of many people in rural areas from the time they leave school until retirement age. We have seen family businesses and how they have sprung up. That seed has flourished, and many of those businesses have grown into substantial enterprises. <BR /> <BR />As we come to this debate, we do well to look at the important role that SMEs play in the growth of our economy. I know that this has been mentioned before, but a wee bit of repetition on the issue will do no harm.”
“I am grateful for the opportunity to speak in the debate. Having, for many years, been in the construction industry and run my own small business, I find that it lies close to my heart. It is important that the Assembly takes the time today to recognise the value of SMEs to our economy. <BR /> <BR />It is a well-established fact that the Northern Ireland economy relies heavily on the small business sector; indeed, it has been mentioned that it is the bedrock of our economy. I think that we all agree with that. In rural constituencies, they are better known as "home-grown businesses". In my constituency of West Tyrone, that sector has been the lifeblood of the rural communities.”
“I thank the Minister for his response. Will he advise what implications the ruling will have in future for freedom of expression, conscience, faith, culture and business?”
“I thank the Minister for his response. How will this encourage greater collaboration amongst stakeholders and small businesses, especially those in West Tyrone, a rural constituency?”
“I thank the Minister for his response. Will he advise the House whether he is satisfied that enough is being done to rid our society of these paramilitary groups?”
“<BR /> <BR />At this point in our history, we should rise to the challenges ahead, grasp the potential opportunities that present themselves and launch onto the world stage with confidence to realise the potential exports that are there for the taking. I support the motion.”
“It will require a combination of key stakeholders in the process from the core research and development that will drive the innovation of the Province to the Invest NI groups around the world that will provide key contacts to develop export markets from the starting point of Northern Ireland. Everyone needs to play their part to achieve success, and we have seen that in the steps that many businesses have already taken in launching their companies into the wider global market. It is up to the Executive to build on firm foundations that have been forged through strategic partnerships and to make that information readily available to the local small to medium-sized enterprises that are considering exporting their products and services.”
“Post-Brexit Northern Ireland, with the rest of the UK, will enter the cusp of a new dawn for businesses, with new opportunities presenting themselves around the globe. As the new dawn of global trade emerges, we have an entrepreneurship in Northern Ireland that, I believe, will rise to the challenge of competing for those global contracts. I encourage the Minister to continue his successful track record and ensure that growing exports continues to be a key part of the economic strategy of Northern Ireland going forward. <BR /> <BR />Export growth will not take place in a vacuum.”
“<BR /> <BR />As a Government, we must continue to lead from the front and demonstrate that local businesses can and do grow when they have an outward vision, looking outward and seizing the new opportunities coming our way. Encouraging an outward-looking vision and grasping every available opportunity is where we, as a Government, must seek to lead our local economy. The Economy Minister has just announced a trade accelerator plan in conjunction with Invest NI, to build on the growth of exports over the past 12 months and enhance the support available to existing exporters in Northern Ireland and those who are perhaps considering exploring the export possibilities for their companies.”
“Local businesses are keeping their eye on the ball and steadily growing their business, in spite of the reports of doom and gloom prior to the referendum to leave the EU and thereafter. <BR /> <BR />It was this party and the First Minister who consistently made the economy a key priority in the Programme for Government, recognising the importance of the economy in growing every sector in Northern Ireland. It is encouraging to see the many reports of local businesses winning contracts around the world. It is essential, therefore, to ensure that local businesses operate in a competitive environment and are well placed to take advantage of external opportunities that face global competition.”
“One of the key strengths of Northern Ireland's economic growth is the ability to export goods across the globe. While Northern Ireland might be small in stature, in comparison with the economic landscape around the world, it nevertheless punches well above its weight on the world stage. That is evident from the recorded growth rate of 9·5% in exports over the past year; indeed, the value of exports to the United States between June 2015 and 2016 reached almost £620 million, with evidence that the increase in the share of those exports stemmed from within Northern Ireland. We are the only part of the UK to have recorded growth in our export markets, and that is being done in a challenging and uncertain economic climate.”
“I thank the Minister for his response. Will he inform the House what plans he has for capital investment in disabled sport?”
“I ask the Minister to intervene and do what he possibly can to seek to stop and prohibit the closure of these branches.”
“That appears to be the issue. It does not seem to be people-focused any longer. Prior to the axe falling on any branch, the banks must conduct a much more rigorous impact assessment and consultation exercise with the customers and communities who are likely to be affected by any closure. For the benefit of rural areas and the small business sector in particular, most of which we find in rural areas, it is essential that the Minister, who we are glad is with us for the debate, in the limited role that he has in this matter, intervenes in some meaningful way to seek to safeguard the existing branches in our rural areas, to protect the rural areas from any further closures. Every branch closure in a rural community has a hugely detrimental impact on that area and is a huge loss.”
“Many individuals and small businesses are being forced to travel round trips of anything up to 50 miles to access their banking facilities, which also creates a security issue for the small business sector. Consultation between customers, the community, elected representatives and the banks prior to any closure is practically non-existent, with many customers and members of the community not being made aware of proposed closures until they read it in the local press.”
“<BR /> <BR />While we understand that, right across Northern Ireland, there is a focus on changing how banking should be done in the future — for example, Internet banking and other methods — that simply does not work in rural areas such as our small towns and villages. The lack of broadband availability puts paid to that. Many rural dwellers and small businesses do not have adequate access to broadband services and are, therefore, at a loss to even contemplate doing Internet banking. <BR /> <BR />Regardless of how advanced online banking may become, the people making the decisions must take into consideration the infrastructure difficulties that exist and the extreme pressures that branch closures are placing on rural communities.”
“I have been working with businesses that have found that, with their local branch gone, they have extreme difficulty in even securing a meeting with a senior member of the bank to sort out very simple financial pressures. That is a direct result of the loss of the branch in their local area. <BR /> <BR />As I look across my constituency of West Tyrone, which is a large rural constituency, the number of banks that have already closed and have been proposed for closure is alarming. In the past few years, the number of banks in Castlederg has been reduced from three to one. Our rural villages are losing not only their banks but, in some cases, their post offices as well. This is stripping rural areas of a facility that is so essential to them.”
“<BR /> <BR />The removal of the facility and that face-to-face encounter with a member of staff creates a huge gap for all those who prefer this method of banking. It has a huge knock-on effect on the footfall in a town or village and a negative impact on many of the local businesses in the area. A local branch manager understands the difficulties and challenges facing many businesses, from small to medium-sized enterprises right through to the agriculture industry, which depend so much on that knowledge and flexibility to allow growth. Unfortunately, that relationship with the managers is being lost, placing huge pressure on some of the businesses.”
“The closure of a bank in a rural area is a very emotive issue for any community. It instils a fear in the heart of that community because it is another loss in a rural area. Far too often within rural areas we are seeing the losses of businesses, banks, post offices and other facilities, which we must stand firmly against. A bank closure means the loss of a facility that has been in situ for many years and forms part of the very fabric of that society. It is fair to say that in many areas the bank is utilised from the cradle to the grave. Family members — fathers, grandfathers and siblings — will have used it. When a child is born, an account is opened for them, and it used throughout their lifetime. The closure of that bank creates a huge gap in that area and a huge concern for the people in that community.”
“I listened to what the Minister said, and she has set out what she plans or intends to do and so forth. How do you intend to communicate that with the families on the ground? Any of the families that we talk to do not know anything of what is happening or what is taking place. How do you as Minister intend to communicate that to the families, to let them know that you are interested and that you are planning to do something about this?”
“Will the controlled sector support body be involved in the working group to dispose of the assets?”
“— so that the trust is held to account for what has been done.”
“— for themselves or stand up for their rights, have been let down by the trust. As the proposer of the Adjournment topic said today, there must be a robust intervention —”
“<BR /> <BR />Many of those people, who will never be able to speak —”
“The realisation that those people and the services that they are entitled to have been shunted by the trust for all these years is an extremely bitter pill to swallow. <BR /> <BR />Let us stop for a moment today and weigh up the mental and physical cost to carers. Let us add up the cost of the actions by the trust. Struggling parents have been refused respite care to relieve them from their extremely difficult lives. Day centres have restricted schedules and facilities because of a so-called lack of funds; obviously, those funds were directed away somewhere else. Young people have been sidelined and marginalised. Crucial interventions, which could make a difference to the quality of life of those people, have been deemed unnecessary for funding purposes. The most vulnerable in our society have been discriminated against.”
“The trust thought that adult disability services in the constituency should not be allocated their funding and removed the money from those vital services. Is it the case that the Western Trust got away with that scheme for so long that it thought that it would continue to go undetected? It is absolutely appalling that, for 20 years, up to £8 million a year has been directed away from adult disability services and used in other areas. That fact is so startling that it adds nothing but questions. No one from the Western Trust appears to be prepared to give answers to the questions being asked. Is it any wonder that parents, carers and people who work in special educational needs facilities are angry today?”
“First of all, I thank the Member for bringing this very important matter to the House today. It lies very close to my heart, as my elderly parents, one in their early eighties and one in their late seventies, are carers for a brother and an uncle. I know the care and devotion that are given day after day with very little respite care being given to them. <BR /> <BR />This is something that reads like a children's mystery book entitled 'The Western Trust and the case of the missing millions'. Unfortunately, this is not a work of fiction. For over 20 years, the Western Trust has been removing millions every year from its budget allocation for adult disability services in the western area.”
“The Minister will know that thousands of people, particularly young people, are involved in marching bands. Will he therefore explore what support can be provided to the sector?”
“Can the Minister update the House on when a capital grant scheme will open for the industry to help those who wish to grow their own business?”
“We need to look at some innovative ways to see how we can address the gaps that exist in rural areas and West Tyrone. <BR /> <BR />It is also important today that we in West Tyrone highlight the benefits of what we have. We can continue to grow that, attract businesses to West Tyrone and create a balance, rather than just presenting a negative image to the Assembly today about the difficulties that we have. We have huge difficulties, but we also have the ability, outside of Belfast, to provide companies with the highest speed of broadband that they can expect to have right across Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />I thank Members for being here for the debate today.”
“<BR /> <BR />One of the most frustrating things in West Tyrone is that we have constituents who are living on one side of the road and are not doing too badly with broadband cover and yet somebody living on the other side cannot access broadband at all. You also have instances where somebody is living fairly close to one of the fibre-optic boxes but cannot access it because it is in a different postcode area or whatever. The Minister will know that I have put through quite a number of issues to the Department regarding constituents, whether they be farmers, homeowners or in small businesses, who are struggling with their broadband cover. I fully appreciate today that this is a real, challenging issue for the Assembly and the Department.”
“They must collaborate to ensure that rural areas are no longer the poor relation of urban areas. Our constituents should not expect poor broadband coverage simply because of their location. That is simply unacceptable in the digital age that we live in. <BR /> <BR />Access to high-quality mobile and Internet services is vital to our increasingly online social and economic lives here in Northern Ireland. While much good work has been and continues to be done, much more needs to be done to close the gap between urban and rural areas, as householders and businesses in West Tyrone continue to be subject to the slowest broadband speeds anywhere in Northern Ireland.”
“It is one example of how, with our skills and the attitude of businesses, the manufacturing industry can adapt and be a world leader, despite the difficulties across that sector and with the broadband infrastructure in rural areas. <BR /> <BR />I am aware that the Department has alternatives, such as satellite broadband, but that is simply not suitable for some people in a lot of areas because of cost or other issues. Businesses in rural areas are affected, disrupted and hindered. Schoolchildren are at a disadvantage when they want to do homework or study online. Farm businesses are suffering and are hindered due to the poor quality of online access. Work between Departments such as the Department for the Economy and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs must be coordinated.”
“In addition, rural areas have the greatest number of lines currently incapable of supporting speeds above 10 megabits. In 2015, 2% of urban areas in Northern Ireland did not have access to superfast broadband and 42% of premises in rural constituencies had no chance of accessing superfast fibre-optic broadband. That is the disparity between urban and rural areas. <BR /> <BR />The blight of poor provision has a devastating impact on companies and is a debilitating factor for businesses trying to compete in a global market. I have to say that, even with such poor infrastructure in some areas, the manufacturing industry continues to do fairly well within West Tyrone. Precision engineering is a niche market in West Tyrone and is thriving and growing.”
“While successive Departments have invested in seeking to change that, broadband cover for rural areas in Northern Ireland remains consistently at 40% of premises having access to superfast broadband. That is the challenge we face and the challenge we have to seek to address. Most households and businesses in West Tyrone are immediately at a disadvantage simply due to their location. It is unfortunate that, despite significant investment in broadband infrastructure, this continues to be the case. <BR /> <BR />Other options need to be found to counteract these pockets of unavailability and slow or practically nil broadband cover. More needs to be done to encourage huge companies such as BT to invest in cabinets in rural areas to develop their coverage to put it straight into the homes of those who are too far from fibre-enabled cabinets.”
“<BR /> <BR />Despite the amazing opportunities in Omagh town itself in the enterprise centre, all we have to do is drive a few short miles into the country to find that there are many pockets of the constituency where households have extremely poor, if any, broadband cover. According to Ofcom, the Fermanagh and Omagh District Council area has the lowest broadband speeds anywhere in Northern Ireland. Added to that, the area is predominantly rural, and that is compounded by the patchy availability of broadband cover. There are huge gaps between rural and urban broadband accessibility. Ofcom noted that average download speeds are almost twice as fast in urban areas as in rural areas due to rural premises being that much further away from their nearest fibre cabinet. That disparity in broadband cover is frustrating.”
“This is a clear example of how the establishment of broadband infrastructure across Northern Ireland has presented opportunities for places like Omagh. The choice of Omagh as a backup hub for the Hibernia Atlantic broadband company has provided a unique opportunity for the constituency. Omagh Enterprise Company tapped into the unique opportunity that has moved its vision closer to reality, and it is now working hard to attract investment into the area in a digital capacity. Such vision is precisely what West Tyrone needs, and it ensures that the west of the Province has a chance to compete on a global scale. The opportunities at stake here are not to be underestimated, and we could see Omagh as a digital hub for huge global enterprises in the future.”