Leslie Cree
North Down · Ulster Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“I also thank the Minister for her very full paper this afternoon. I was going to ask about cost, but that has been covered. Obviously, from the point of view of using signing and having available an Irish version and a British version, there could be complications.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Budget also anticipates 30 projects being taken forward that will involve cross-cutting reform and provide overarching governance. Can the Minister elaborate on that work and advise what savings are expected in the Budget year against the cost of £4·5 million?”
“<BR /> <BR />I will illustrate some more points about the current Budget. We know that, under the Budget exchange scheme, there are limits to what can be carried forward from the current year. Is it still 0·6% for resource DEL and 1·5% for capital DEL?”
“Again, I ask the Minister whether he can confirm that that is correct. <BR /> <BR />Finally, we need to be more definite about which projects we fund in the Budget. They need to be clear and time-bound. Some of the strategies that the Executive decided upon in 2007 have not yet been finalised.”
“The fact that spend is usually lower than anticipated has meant that overcommitment has been a feature until this current year. That is not good enough and would not be countenanced by the private sector.”
“We often hear Members complaining that those who query a Budget should suggest where any additional moneys should come from to fund other activities. That approach is greatly flawed and is an oversimplification of the matter. The issue is much more basic: a different approach is required.”
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“I will resist the temptation to rehearse the arguments again about the history of the school, because that has been done adequately. I was wondering about Columbanus and I thought that Mr Rogers was going to cover that as well, but the only thing that I am left to say there is that Columbanus was probably Comgall's greatest student. There is a story that there were 2,000 monks in Bangor Abbey at that time and they grew a lot of their own produce. However, because of the size of the group, they had to buy some from a local farmer. It is recorded in the annals, quite amusingly really, that Comgall put a mild curse on the farmer because they could not agree on the price. I see Gordon Dunne laughing; he knows about this one. Ironically, the farmer's name was Cree in old Irish, whatever that is.”
“Will the Minister detail her Department's mainstream projects that have an Ulster-Scots, Irish language or other cultural activity that remain unspent at this time and are unlikely to be spent in 2014-15?”
“Yes. I was just trying to set the scene, Mr Deputy Speaker. <BR /> <BR />There is £115·6 million in the Budget, but it needs refinement. That is 11·7% of capital. When will we have a proper process that will utilise all the available resource for us so that, in fact, we will not have money going back? I know that this is something near to your own heart. In particular, how will it work with the Northern Ireland investment fund?”
“I see that we had some £35 million of FTC that, in fact, has not been accounted for and is likely to be surplus this year. I understand that we can keep only about 10% of that, so over £30 million will go back to Treasury, and that is money that is not part of our block grant. I see that in the Budget, Minister —”
“I also thank the Minister for his report. There is a lot of detail in there, and a lot of it is not too pleasant. I want to return to financial transactions capital, which will come as no surprise to the Minister or, indeed, his predecessor.”
“I thank the Minister for that information. It is very helpful. Minister, can you tell us approximately how many serious adverse incidents (SAIs), as they are referred to, there have been in the Ulster Hospital over the last number of years? Can you give us a commitment that, when you get questions for written answer on the matter, we will get a prompt reply, rather than the Department stalling and thinking up reasons to prevent it answering those questions quickly?”
“I thank the Minister for his statement, which makes for interesting reading. Minister, on the current year — 2013-14 — I was wondering whether you had taken into account or were aware of any accrued or estimated Barnett consequentials that might help the situation. You are talking about hopefully getting the 2015-16 Budget agreed by the end of October: what input will the House have to that Budget and, closely linked to that, to the Programme for Government, which will be different?”
“I would welcome the 2023 Rugby World Cup coming to Ireland, North and South. Does the Minister recognise that, with Northern Ireland now having a voice on the working group, there is an opportunity to emphasise that the Irish rugby team represents both jurisdictions and is not the Republic of Ireland's rugby team. That should be reflected in the Irish Rugby Football Union's attention to things such as anthems and flags.”
“Minister, what consultations is your Department having with schools, principals, governors and the like regarding the future of GCSEs and A levels? Do you recognise the importance of keeping our standards in line with those of the rest of the UK so that equal status is afforded to pupils?”
“<BR /> <BR />In all, the Committee made 11 recommendations for the support and enhancement of future engagement in European affairs. As a member of the Committee, I support and commend the recommendations to all and trust that the House will support the report and that the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister will implement its recommendations.”
“<BR /> <BR />Mr Mike Nesbitt, Chairperson of the Committee for the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister, has already referred to the focus and momentum provided by the defined targets as a clear theme emerging from the evidence provided. The Executive's engagement in European affairs must be clear, and success or otherwise must be measurable. Monitoring and evaluating success are key to capitalising on the opportunities offered by EU engagement. There is an issue with clarity on the rules and responsibilities, and that has been recognised by the Committee. Communication, as always, is vital, and the Committee recommends that a plan be developed for the task force and working groups as a matter of urgency.”
“Northern Ireland was bottom of the league, and that takes into account the figures for all other regions in the United Kingdom. We need to move on and improve the situation. We also need to ensure that our businesses can access European funding with the minimum of red tape and bureaucracy. <BR /> <BR />I return to the report on the inquiry into the Barroso task force. We have seen a marked increase in engagement in European affairs by Departments. The task force has directly or indirectly created positive outcomes for Northern Ireland. We appreciate that fact and are keen to continue to improve the situation.”
“I believe that the relative ease with which the Executive are able to meet that target indicates that the bar has been set too low and that a much more ambitious target is required. <BR /> <BR />It is the Executive's duty to maximise their efforts to ensure that Northern Ireland begins to punch well above its weight in Brussels. Working with the Barroso task force has helped in that regard, but there are significant challenges still in front of us. The four cross-departmental subgroups are engaged in the European priorities implementation plan, and it is crucial that Northern Ireland be engaged fully in Brussels at all levels to ensure that we can access the various funding streams available. <BR /> <BR />Members will remember the framework programme 7 statistics for 2007-2013, which others referred to earlier.”
“We were dismayed when we were told by Northern Ireland and Westminster officials that their procedure was to await the publication of a paper before trying to amend it to suit our needs. Hopefully, that situation has changed as a result of Barroso and other developments. <BR /> <BR />The Programme for Government has a commitment to increase the competitive drawdown of European funds by 20% during the current Budget period. The Departments have made good progress towards meeting that target, and, at the halfway point in the year, some £41·3 million has been drawn down. That represents 64% of the target, so, clearly, Departments are well on track to realise the total figure of £64·4 million by the end of March 2015.”
“I support the motion. The Committee for the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister has done considerable work to prepare the report, and I take this opportunity to thank the staff for their excellent work. <BR /> <BR />Northern Ireland has gained much from European funds over the years, but it certainly has not maximised its drawdown. I have been in Brussels on several occasions and learned a little about how the system works. On a recent visit with the Assembly and Business Trust, we were told how important it was to get involved when ideas are first floated, because it is usually too late to amend proposals once they have been published in a paper.”
“Thank you. That would be very welcome. <BR /> <BR />The Minister will remember that the House encouraged the development of a bee health strategy a couple of years ago. What work has her Department done on the development of that strategy? Perhaps if the Minister does not have that information to hand, she could let me know.”
“What is the Minister's assessment of the organic management scheme in the previous countryside management scheme? Why was that uptake so poor?”
“Will the Minister explain why he does not bring the Bill that he introduced two years ago back to the Floor of the House for discussion and, at Consideration Stage, table his package of proposals and allow other parties to do the same?”