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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“While we express our sincere sympathies to all families in that situation, we must never forget that the officers of the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service who attend such scenes also have to live with that experience and that trauma on a daily basis while they do their job, not knowing what challenges they will have to face the next time they are called out to some of those incidents. I know that that can be very stressful for those officers. I do not think that anyone in the House this afternoon will argue that this is not a key front-line service, alongside our ambulance and policing services. I do not think that I have heard anyone say that today. As a party, we are no different in that. We believe that this is a key front-line service, alongside our Ambulance Service and our Police Service. As a party, we believe —”
“I am grateful for the opportunity to speak in the debate. I support the amendment that has been tabled in my name and those of my colleagues. I am glad to see a number of officers in the Public Gallery. At the outset, I commend the officers and management of the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service, who, over the years, have provided an excellent service for the people of Northern Ireland. These are men and women who continually put their own life at risk each time they are called to the scene of a road traffic accident, house fire, flooding incident or any other emergency. I know that there are many people right across Northern Ireland today who owe their life to the work of the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service. <BR /> <BR />Unfortunately, there are cases where there have been fatalities.”
“Is the funding available only for a specific type of group, or is it open to groups of all cultures, cross-community groups or whatever? How does a group apply for it?”
“I thank the Minister for her response. Given the success of these two programmes — I know that there has been a great uptake in my constituency of West Tyrone — does the Minister foresee the Department rolling out a third phase at some time in the future?”
“I have to say to the Minister that that is a real issue that has been raised and has come before the Committee. I know that a business case is being drawn up or put in place at the minute, but the funding of the LRA and being able to deliver the changes and the new provisions in the Bill are essential if we want to see this progressing and delivering in the way that is intended. <BR /> <BR />Other issues that were raised in Committee have already been addressed by the Department, and provision has been or is being made for them. I am not going into them; we went through them in Committee and found agreement. All in all, I support the Bill. I look forward to working with the officials and the Minister at Committee Stage as the Bill progresses through the system.”
“<BR /> <BR />Early conciliation was one of the other proposals that was brought forward by the Department to help to address disputes in businesses at an early stage. While that is welcomed, I think, by all, some issues and concerns have been raised around the matter. The Law Centre Northern Ireland is at pains to point out that any such system must not be burdensome to the claimants and that a balance, therefore, needs to be struck. The LRA has quite legitimately expressed its concern at the resourcing of the changes in the Bill that it is responsible for delivering. That concern has also been voiced by the Engineering Employers' Federation, which feels that the additional burden placed on the LRA has the potential to dilute the other services that it provides.”
“For example, the Confederation of British Industry, the Federation of Small Businesses and the Engineering Employers' Federation were among those that expressed disappointment and felt that the Bill was a missed opportunity to extend the qualifying period for unfair dismissal to two years and reduce collective redundancy consultation periods from 90 days to 45 days to bring us into line with Great Britain. That, they argue, would ensure Northern Ireland's competitiveness and encourage inward investment and indigenous growth. The Minister responded to that in his opening remarks. While he does not intend to bring it forward in the Bill, he is happy to put provision in so that it can be dealt with at a future stage.”
“<BR /> <BR />It is fair to say that the Department's objectives of identifying opportunities to reduce regulation and administrative burdens on businesses while protecting the rights of individual employees under the three key themes — the early resolution of workplace disputes, efficient and effective employment tribunals and better regulation measures — have, in general, received a broad welcome from all stakeholders. Everyone wants to see less bureaucracy and a more effective and efficient streamlined system. However, while broadly content with the substance of the Bill, all the respondents raised some issues of concern, disappointment or missed opportunity.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak at the Second Stage of the Employment Bill. The Bill, which deals with the review of employment law, has been under consideration for the best part of four years, having first been considered in Committee in April 2012. Given that the Chair of the Committee has outlined in detail all the work of the Committee and the stakeholders and departmental officials we met, I intend to keep my remarks fairly brief.”
“You went on to outline those four key objectives. Who is going oversee that change and make sure that that vision becomes a reality?”
“Minister, in your opening remarks, you talked about the further education sector's dual role. You said:”
“I know much has been said around the Chamber today about e-cigarettes, and I agree with it. When we consider the damage caused to the health of our people by nicotine, we see that anything we can do through the legislative process to help to change attitudes and improve people's lives can only be a positive move forward. I welcome the Minister's intention to bring forward an amendment to prohibit smoking in cars. That is something that I have been heavily lobbied about as chair of the all-party group on cancer, and I look forward to that being included in the Bill. <BR /> <BR />All in all, with the three Parts that make up the Bill, I believe that it will be welcomed by many within the public and private sectors. I add my support to it this afternoon.”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker. I have just a few brief comments on this today. <BR /> <BR />This is good legislation that is being brought before the House. The fact that it gives the Department power to prohibit the sale of nicotine to those under the age of 18 and from an automatic vending machine, as well as having a regulation-making power to create an offence in relation to proxy purchasing, is a welcome development.”
“I have to give credit again where it is due, and I ask the Minister to continue to press that matter with his Executive colleagues. <BR /> <BR />I am sure that everyone will agree that it has been a useful and positive debate on an important issue. Once again, I thank Members and the Minister for their contributions. I support the motion.”
“That is such an important issue if we want to continue to provide part-time education. He also said that we should make sure that we had adequate investment in HE and FE. That is another very important matter. <BR /> <BR />The Minister outlined the benefits of part-time study and why it has been included in his apprenticeship strategy. He outlined his aim of continuing to encourage uptake, and, of course, that is to be welcomed. We need to continue to encourage the uptake of part-time education. He also drew attention to the low cost of part-time study in comparison with full-time education. I know, from my work in Committee and from the times that he has appeared before the Committee, that the Minister is committed to this cause.”
“I missed the first part of Phil Flanagan's speech, but he talked about giving people a second chance at education and said that there should be options for everyone to improve their employability. There should be that opportunity; the opportunity should exist across the board so that options are open for everyone to improve their employability skills. He commended the South West College, at which one can now commence and complete undergraduate degrees. Of course, being from the south-west, I have to mention the South West College and the excellent work that it is doing. We look to the Minister to ensure that that continues. <BR /> <BR />Phil Flanagan also spoke about the problem of learning online. In rural areas many people do not have sufficient broadband speed.”
“She also said that we must do all that we can to enable fairer access to the higher education system and that part-time education will play an important role in the future of the workplace. Again, I think that we all agree with that.”
“<BR /> <BR />Anna Lo spoke of the undergraduate degree that she did part-time while holding down a job. She talked about how that gives people a second chance at education, because someone who perhaps wasted their time when they were young and should have done it is given the opportunity to learn and to upskill themselves. Those with caring responsibilities are able to avail themselves of courses to suit their circumstances. By studying part-time, students are also able to apply a lot of their learning to the workplace. That is an important point. When someone is studying part-time, they are able, on a hands-on basis, to apply that to their workplace. That is one of the important issues about part-time learning.”
“Of course, that is absolutely right. Whenever we can, on a part-time basis, reskill our people and give them that learning that they need, we have the potential to attract many more important and meaningful jobs into Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />She also spoke of the fears about the impact on fees and loans. As a former student of the Open University, she praised again the work of the university and mentioned that part-time education was for not only the young but all age groups. I think that is the importance of the part-time and higher education sector. It opens up the door for all age groups within the community and the working-age population to avail themselves of it and reskill in the economic climate that we are in so that they can be well enough prepared to get into and move on in the workplace.”
“I think it is very important that we take note of what has happened across the water and ensure that we have the right mechanism in place so that the same thing does not happen here, that we are ahead of the game and that we have a proper mechanism in place to stop that happening. <BR /> <BR />Bronwyn McGahan called on the Executive to invest more in higher education, given its importance to Northern Ireland. She said that there must be a renewed effort in reskilling and upskilling, and she shone the light, obviously, on social mobility in her constituency and on the benefit that there is for mothers and others to avail themselves of part-time reskilling and learning. <BR /> <BR />Claire Hanna, again, mentioned the lifelong learning journey and the importance of that and of attracting meaningful jobs into Northern Ireland.”
“<BR /> <BR />As we look at some of the comments from around the Floor today, we see that the Chair of the Committee, in opening the debate, talked about the Open University being the largest provider of part-time and higher education, and, of course, he talked about his personal experience. We had that from two or three Members, who spoke about their personal experience of the Open University. They talked about how they were able to hold down their job and study on a part-time basis and about how life-changing it can be for people — students and workers — who want to be skilled, reskilled and upskilled to do that on a part-time basis. <BR /> <BR />He talked, obviously, about the drop in England of 41% and said that we should take note to make sure that the same thing does not happen here.”
“<BR /> <BR />I think that one of the greatest building blocks in addressing the issue is prioritising the growth of our part-time and higher education. I think that, around the Chamber, we all agreed on that in the debate today, as most people agree that further and higher education part-time must be properly funded and resourced. Minister, I hope that you are getting the message and that you take it away and act upon it. That is why we are calling on you and your Executive colleagues today to give urgent consideration to the motion that is before the House to ensure that we have the proper resources in place to reskill and upskill those on a part-time basis who wish to partake.”
“In light of that, it is vital that we capitalise on its potential benefit by investing in flexible forms of higher education. There is no doubt that this is a game changer for the economy of Northern Ireland, and we can expect to see an increase in the number of companies and businesses looking to Northern Ireland as a potential place to invest. However, there is a cloud that needs to be removed, which is the danger that, without sufficient upskilling of our population, we will not benefit from the level of investment from corporation tax that is expected. Therefore, that is the importance of making sure that we have part-time higher and further education properly resourced. This is a very real concern for the people of Northern Ireland, but I believe that we have time now to address this particular problem.”
“<BR /> <BR />If we are to take seriously the growth of our economy in Northern Ireland, it is important — I go further and say that it is a must — that we promote the growth of part-time higher education. With the ever-changing skills requirements in the workplace, part-time higher education has been branded the powerhouse of skills in the upskilling of our workforce. In a study by the Open University, it was found that part-time opportunities are at the forefront of widening access and employability in Wales and that it removes many barriers from those willing to upskill while, at the same time, holding down employment. <BR /> <BR />As has been mentioned by some in the Chamber today, corporation tax is being reduced in 2018.”
“It gives me pleasure to make a winding-up speech on this very important motion. <BR /> <BR />It is extremely important that we fully recognise the sheer power that part-time higher education contributes to productivity and economic growth in Northern Ireland. That can continue only when opportunities are provided for those with caring responsibilities and those in the workplace to be able to upskill and reskill to meet the needs of their employers, on a part-time basis that is suitable to their circumstances. In a rural setting, part-time higher education is a lifeline to many who are seeking to reskill and upskill. Coming from a rural community, I will certainly press the need to ensure that part-time higher education is properly funded and resourced, especially for those in rural communities.”
“I thank the Minister for his response. I am interested in social media because, to catch the younger generation, it is important that we get into social media. Does the Department have any way of measuring the shock factor of the advertisements that are put out across our television screens?”
“How much does the health service provide for the care of individuals in these homes on a weekly basis?”
“I hear what the Minister says, but does she not accept that, with the closing date of 12 February and some six to eight weeks to consider the responses, there is the potential for it to run out of time? There will be no strategy in place, and that will be another failing by the Minister and her Department.”
“I thank the Minister for her answer, but I think that it is not much comfort for the farming community, especially those who have farms that have been closed for many months and are suffering great financial constraints. We are still wrestling with this issue and nothing positive has come to the fore to deal with the matter. Does the Minister agree that it is a serious failing under her watch and that of her predecessor that, to date, after many years, little has been done to tackle this particular issue?”
“The Minister acknowledged the administration problems in the process. In mitigation, he spoke of the tight timescales for the process; he also spoke about the competitive nature of the programme and said that it exists for the benefit not of the voluntary and community sector but of the individuals whom it works with. I welcome the Minister's continued engagement in the matter, his continued endeavours to minimise the concerns of Members and the Committee, and his intentions to have the outgoing programme closed by the end of this year. That is very welcome indeed. <BR /> <BR />I am sure that everyone will agree that this has been a successful and positive debate on a very important issue. Once again, I thank Members for their contributions and the Minister for his response and clarity during the process. I support the motion.”
“<BR /> <BR />Mr Flanagan welcomed the Minister's willingness to rectify the problems in the process but drew attention to the problems in rural communities and said that they were adversely affected by the process. He argued that the delivery of the programmes through a competitive tendering process, rather than directly by DEL, had resulted in a widening of the gap in delivery between urban and rural areas. <BR /> <BR />Ms Sugden spoke of her concerns about the amount of money owed to groups from the programme. She highlighted changes in the contract arrangements for funders and questioned the legality of that. She requested that the Minister look at the new programme and take responsibility for the shortfalls.”
“Why did the Department not look to other Departments for good practice and take a cue from them to try to get over the problem? <BR /> <BR />Mr Weir spoke of his experience of the community and voluntary sector and highlighted the women's sector for its excellent work. He reiterated the many problems in the application process and spoke of the lack of understanding of the sector in the Department. He drew further attention to the impact on groups and individuals of a failed process. Again, the same message is coming through, and I hope that the Minister and the Department are getting the message that there is a failed process that has caused huge problems across the community and voluntary sector.”
“<BR /> <BR />Mr Easton spoke of the range of projects funded under the ESF and reiterated the impact that there has been on communities where groups have failed to gain funding. He highlighted that that impacted on jobs and agreed with Mr Anderson that communication from the Department had failed. He called on the Minister to apologise for that and other failures in the process. He also said that those problems had damaged the Department. <BR /> <BR />Mr McCann highlighted the many hurdles that groups had to get over to receive the funding. He also highlighted the confusion that surrounded the application process and the failure of the Department to learn from good practice elsewhere. That is a very important point.”
“Almost every Member spoke about the difficulty with the slow process of delivering funds to the community groups. <BR /> <BR />Ms Lo spoke of the success stories and some of the good work that has been done. She also mentioned the pressures on the Department, noting the competitive nature of the programme, and spoke of her personal knowledge of GEMS NI and the difficulties that it has faced. She noted the Department's willingness to change, acknowledged that the process had seen a number of problems, creating cash-flow problems for organisations, and said that the Minister had acknowledged the frustrations. Acknowledging frustrations is one thing but doing something to address them is another. We need to see action to address the situation that groups find themselves in.”
“I thank the Minister for the clarity on that issue. <BR /> <BR />Ms McGahan spoke of the role of the women's centres and the important work that they carry out, highlighting their reliance on ESF and the impact that their work has on childcare places in rural areas. She also called on the Department to remove the qualifications gap for participants on the ESF programme. <BR /> <BR />Mr Maginness quite rightly focused on the difficulties in the application process but he also took time to reflect on the excellent work carried out under the ESF programme. He highlighted the Kickstart to Work programme in the north-west, which is delivered by both councils, and the good partnership approach that it demonstrates. He also drew attention to the slow payment of funds from the closing programme.”
“I thank the Minister for that. He missed the bit about the 50% funding up front and whether that was for the short term or the duration of the programme.”
“The Minister mentioned at the Committee that accredited training programmes would be delivered for staff but, again, we are none the wiser on whether that has happened yet.”
“However, he did acknowledge the additional resources being used by the Department to administer the fund and questioned whether accredited training programmes had been delivered for staff.”
“The Chair also spoke about the requirement for tutors under the programme to receive a qualification from the Ulster University (UU) and expressed some concern about that. He also talked about the two judicial reviews and asked where they were at at the moment. When the Minister responded, I noted that he did not give an answer to that. A number of contributors talked about the 50% of funding up front, but, again, there are questions around that: is it short-term funding or is it for the duration of the programme? I would like clarification from the Minister on that. <BR /> <BR />My colleague Sydney Anderson highlighted the dependence that the community and voluntary sector has on the funding and how it felt a sense of injustice at the Department's handling of the situation.”
“I know that he has got a bit of a bashing in the Chamber today, but, whenever things were difficult, the Minister always came to the Committee, gave us an update on the situation at that moment and took the hard questions. We have to acknowledge that and give credit where it is due. However, the Department still has to learn from the mistakes and put in place mechanisms that will deal with the situation so that it does not happen again. The community and voluntary sector delivers excellent work, and we cannot have it struggling for cash and for clarity on the way forward simply because of a fault in the Department. <BR /> <BR />In reflecting on what the Members who contributed to the debate said, I note that the Chair talked about the slow process of vouching for the current programme and urged the Minister to reflect on that.”
“Indeed, many groups found themselves in a dire financial position and uncertain of the way forward owing to the Department's delay in payment of invoices and the lack of clarity, the confusion and the inconsistencies around the incoming programme. That is why, in his opening remarks, the Chairman reflected on the issue's importance to the Committee, in that it met with departmental officials and the Minister on 14 separate occasions in the past two years, and, in turn, the Minister acknowledged the influence that the Committee had on his Department in seeking to address some of the concerns. <BR /> <BR />At this juncture, I want to thank the Minister.”
“In winding on the motion, I thank everyone for their contributions. <BR /> <BR />It is fair to say that no one in the Chamber is in any doubt about the importance and value of the European social fund (ESF) in providing assistance to communities and organisations as they have sought to provide programmes across all our constituencies aimed at increasing the skills levels in the workforce and reducing economic inactivity. However, as the Chairman of the Committee, Mr Swann, mentioned, the ending of the 2007-2013 programme and the commencement of the 2014-2020 programme has caused many difficulties for the community and voluntary sector.”
“I thank the Minister for her response. Can she advise how staff are selected to leave?”
“Again, it is important that we do not forget those areas but continue to ensure that proper services are provided for them. <BR /> <BR />Being from west Tyrone, I cannot close my remarks without saying to the Minister that I look forward to him soon making a decision on the second phase for the new acute mental health hospital in Omagh. That acute mental health hospital, to be provided as the second phase of the new building in Omagh, will be a great help to people in the rural west of Northern Ireland.”
“It must not only be for the citizens of Northern Ireland but include all those who served in the army or other services here. <BR /> <BR />The key message that we must get out from the House today is that mental illness can be overcome and defeated. There is a stigma out there around mental health and illness which has to be overcome, and that is the clear message that must be sent out from the House. Of course, there are challenges to the mental health sector in rural areas and communities. We can see, and fully understand why, a lot of services are based in urban areas, where the populations tend to be. However, let us look at the more isolated rural communities, such as farming communities, which have suffered over the past years. There has been a lot of pressure on them. We have seen a lot of farmers in despair and at breaking point.”
“and it goes right on to raising awareness and reducing stigma and discrimination in relation to mental health issues. However, one thing that it left out was the implementation of the world-class mental trauma service announced by the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety in September. That is the reason why we brought forward the amendment to the motion. The Minister has outlined his vision for Northern Ireland to become a world leader in treating psychological trauma and mental ill health. <BR /> <BR />As a Member who spoke previously said, there is no doubt that it is a legacy issue. As they grow older, problems and difficulties are created for those who were involved or were victims of the Troubles over the years. They get more and more depressed. Therefore, any service that is provided must be all-inclusive.”
“The motion speaks of all the important things that we fully agree with — for instance:”
“They always relax, if you like, when they get somewhere where they know that their child or an older member can go to be treated and well looked after and where they know that is being provided for them. In rural areas, that can sometimes create further difficulties of travelling times and distances. It is therefore vital that appropriate services are in place to provide proper care and support to patients, carers and families affected by mental illnesses, and that such services are readily available and consistent across all trust areas.”
“I support the motion and the amendment. While mental health issues have always been branded the Cinderella of the health service, through a lot of good work by charities, and since the Bamford review, things are slowly beginning to change. However, that said, much work is yet to be done. <BR /> <BR />It is alarming that we are still in a situation in which one in four of the population in Northern Ireland suffer from mental ill health each year. There is no doubt that that will increase, because, unfortunately, more and more young people require those services. I see this trend through my constituency office, as I help families on a regular basis to access services, perhaps for one of their younger family members. It is always a stressful time for the family.”
“I welcome the actions that the Minister has been taking but, to date, we have not really seen much on the ground for the supplier at the farm gate. Can the Minister advise what comfort we can give to the farming community that action is being taken that will see their price at the farm gate reach a proper level that makes it sustainable for them?”