Diane Dodds
West Belfast · Democratic Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“Minister, that is a brilliant segue into the question that I will ask. Just over 5% of women who are now seen within the 14-day target for a suspected breast cancer in Northern Ireland. That has happened since the list was regionalised. I get the fact that cancer cases are rising, but —”
“Minister, for Members and those who are listening to the debate, it is important that you tell us what "actively being considered" means on a day-to-day basis.”
“Thank you, Minister. The Muckamore inquiry report demonstrates a shameful period for our health service, and no one involved can, in any shape or form, come out of this with any kind of credibility.”
“Let me be clear: experimental treatment on children that can have lifelong implications is unconscionable. Children of 11 or 12 are in no position to give clear consent to the use of such drugs, especially when those administering the treatments had them banned because of the lack of evidence on their long-term impacts.”
“Once again, I will speak in the House about puberty blockers and the nationwide trial run by King's College. I now understand that the Government will issue new guidance that will allow such a trial to go ahead.”
“It is now anticipated that more than eight out of 10 couples in which the woman is under 40 will conceive naturally, but that leaves two out of 10 who will need additional interventions. Over a lifespan, that is a fairly substantial number of people.”
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“I also have grave concerns about how that scheme will work for sectors that are still trading at a very low level. Of course, the self-employment scheme, which is now at 20%, will have a real impact on those who are self-employed and face difficulties in earning a wage.”
“I also stress that we are in a rapidly evolving situation, as was demonstrated by the further restrictions that were announced last week for the Derry City and Strabane District Council area. I met businesses in the north-west last Friday and heard about the impacts that the new restrictions would have on them. Those businesses want and need to be open and trading. A support package was discussed at Thursday's Executive meeting and again yesterday, and we hope to have a mechanism in place within days to support businesses that are impacted on. We will continue to work with our national Government on further support mechanisms. The replacement for the valuable job retention scheme falls far short of what I have been calling for.”
“<BR /> <BR />The motion also proposes that the Assembly should express regret that I have not produced a COVID-19 recovery strategy. My, how we have got ourselves into an absolute twist over strategies today. The proposer of the motion makes a long list of strategies that he wants to see. John Stewart worked himself into a lather over more strategies that he could wave about in the air. Steve Aiken said that now is not the time for more strategies, and it is all management speak. It is absolutely the time for action, and that is what we have been doing. <BR /> <BR />I remind Members that significant support has been provided by my Department for workers and businesses across Northern Ireland.”
“We have established the tourism recovery steering group to develop plans and initiatives to help our tourism and hospitality sector back to its full potential. There have been national schemes that we have relied on extensively, particularly the job retention scheme and the self-employment support scheme. <BR /> <BR />As of 31 July, the combination of those two wage subsidy schemes had supported approximately 330,000 workers in Northern Ireland. Business support on that level is unprecedented, and we will continue to look for strategic and targeted interventions as we plot our way through a challenging time. I note with interest that, in today's debate, both Sinn Féin and the SDLP wanted to see a greater transfer of fiscal powers. Maybe they will be honest enough to say who will pay those extra taxes and where they will be levied.”
“The economic modelling of losing up to 100,000 jobs was, of course, predicated on no further lockdowns and only minimal restrictions. If we are now facing a cycle of localised or national lockdowns, that modelling will be at the more optimistic end of the spectrum. That is not a prospect to fill anyone in the House with any great joy. <BR /> <BR />At the beginning of the crisis, I moved quickly to support businesses across Northern Ireland through the grant schemes that were designed to protect jobs, prevent business closures and promote economic recovery. To date, we have issued over 31,000 payments to businesses through the three grant schemes, and that represents a total of £340 million of support for all sectors of our economy.”
“No, I have a lot to get through. <BR /> <BR />The last few months have seen the gradual reopening of the economy. However, for some areas, that is being reversed following health advice that has resulted in localised restrictions. The impact on confidence of speculation about "circuit breakers" or lockdowns cannot be underestimated. Whether it be business deferring investment, people cancelling hotel reservations, or the impact of the drop in footfall in our towns and cities, the cumulative effect is a severe blow to our economy. <BR /> <BR />I have consistently warned about the long-term impact that the first lockdown would have on our economy. Whilst we have witnessed some signs of recovery, I have been clear that this would be undone by any further lockdowns, localised or national.”
“These decisions have never been, and can never be, framed as a binary choice between health and the economy. We will not defeat COVID-19 by destroying the economy. The ability to go to work, earn a wage, run a business and meet friends and family is integral to a functioning society and a healthy people. Decisions that we make now will not only have an immediate impact on the economy but long-lasting impacts that some sectors may never recover from and equally long-lasting impacts on poor health and poor outcomes for our families and communities.”
“Of course, he is right. Decisions that are taken by Administrations, whether, in Dublin, London or here in Belfast, need to consider the impact that they will have on the economy and people's lives. As I said in the House yesterday:”
“I thank Members for their contributions today. The House is right to be concerned by the impact of COVID-19 on the economy: the projected spike in unemployment and the danger to businesses and workers from restrictions. I want to start by saying how proud I am of the resilience and innovation displayed by the business community in Northern Ireland. There are many examples of businesses adapting to the new conditions and acting as exemplars of how to operate during difficult times. I pay tribute to the local heroes who have kept Northern Ireland operating during the most difficult circumstances: those in the agri-food supply chain; those working in retail; those in construction and manufacturing; and, of course, our health workers. <BR /> <BR />Today, I read with interest the comments that Leo Varadkar made last night.”
“I thank the Member for his question, which I will answer in two parts. First, the operation of the common travel area, which gives people the right to live and work in both jurisdictions right across the British Isles, is very important. Today, I briefed the Executive on how we could ensure that qualifications are recognised in all those areas so that working across borders becomes easier. We need to see the detail on that fairly quickly from the negotiations and from that perspective. <BR /> <BR />Secondly, I think that the Member's question refers to people who work in the Republic but, because they live in Northern Ireland, cannot claim the unemployment benefit that was awarded to people who were on furlough etc. This, I am afraid, is an EU regulation, and that is part of the problem of being controlled by the European Union.”
“Finally, I look forward to progressing Project Stratum, which will help to address regional imbalances in the economy since so much of it will cover rural areas of Northern Ireland, thereby improving connectivity and increasing the ability of firms and individuals to be competitive.”
“Just this morning, I announced 3,000 new online training places for those impacted by COVID or unemployment. I urge people to look at those training opportunities and take the opportunity now, while furlough still exists or while their hours are reduced, to upskill and improve their chances in the labour market. That is really important. Of course, I have also introduced the package on apprenticeships, and I will continue to look for opportunities, finances permitting, to improve the lot of young people in particular, who have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. Invest Northern Ireland, of course, works with councils and local development structures to try to address imbalances in skills and jobs.”
“The Member raises an important element of the economic strategy that I outlined, which the Executive have adopted as part of their recovery strategy for Northern Ireland as a whole. <BR /> <BR />We need to address economic imbalances, not only in the north-west. Many parts of Northern Ireland feel the pain of high unemployment and reduced opportunities for younger people. One of the biggest factors that would enable us to do that would be bringing in jobs and investing in areas such as skills and education.”
“We will weather the pandemic storm, but it will require us to work together to make sure that our focus is in the right place and that we can get help to those who really need it.”
“The Member reflects on what all Ministers feel as they make decisions. As I have said before and as one Executive Minister has said today, this should never be about hospitality or hospitals: they are interlinked. Long-term unemployment as a result of an economic downturn caused by the pandemic will have grave consequences in communities across Northern Ireland. I have already told the House that we could see levels of unemployment not seen in Northern Ireland since the 1990s. That is a terrifying prospect for families, communities and individuals. <BR /> <BR />These are difficult questions. However, let us not forget that we are a resilient and hopeful people. We have come through dreadful and violent circumstances.”
“I will, perhaps, correct one element of the question. Translink has already been given tens of millions of pounds in additional funding during this financial year to support a recovery position and for the losses that it has incurred during the pandemic. Perhaps Translink has already had a lot of the allocations that it will get or require. <BR /> <BR />There are a huge number of demands in the system. Many people are hurting and have felt the harshness of the pandemic not just on health and family life but on their finances. It will, of course, be for the Finance Minister and the Executive to decide how that money is distributed. We will keep to the fore the areas that have suffered from local restrictions. We may need to ensure that the Exchequer knows of the difficulties for Northern Ireland.”
“I already have a road map for those short- to medium-term interventions, and, of course, we are preparing an overall economic strategy, which will be not just for the Department for the Economy but for the Department for Infrastructure and the Department for Communities. Those are all aspects of building the Northern Ireland economy for the next century.”
“I recommend to the Member as an urgent and required piece of reading the document that we published in June of this year: 'Rebuilding a Stronger Economy'. In that document, we addressed short- and medium-term issues for the Northern Ireland economy: the need to support the traditional sectors that we rely on, that are part of our values and that many of us are so interlinked with but also the need to look at new opportunities for the Northern Ireland economy, particularly in the digital sector, health and life sciences, advanced manufacturing and, of course, the green economy.”
“As the owner of the Bishop's Gate Hotel in the city said to me on Friday, "We need not only hope but to know that the Executive and the Assembly are with us in the long-term recovery of our sector and will stand by us". That is what most of those bids are designed to do, particularly the bids for tourism and hospitality.”
“As I have indicated during this session of questions, the current situation is that we are looking at how we can immediately support businesses that have been impacted by the restrictions in the north-west. I have no doubt that we may have to look at that on a further subregional basis on a number of occasions. However, many of the bids that I made were to help the economy to recover and are aimed at the structural recovery of the economy so that we have a tourism and hospitality sector in which people can work and earn their living and in which we can be proud of Northern Ireland. One of the great things that focuses everyone's mind is the fact that the tourism and hospitality sector provides 65,000 jobs and contributed over £1 billion to the local economy last year.”
“Before we talk any further on this, we should analyse the impact on the economy and analyse our ability to pay.”
“Again, that is an important and timely question, given the speculation in the media. If the UK were to have a circuit breaker that would impact across the whole of the United Kingdom in the way that previous lockdowns have, it would be for our national Government to provide the funding and the help to businesses and individuals who are unable to work in that situation. If we have regional or subregional issues around further restrictions, either we get some additional help from the Exchequer or the Northern Ireland Executive will have to finance some of that. <BR /> <BR />Be aware that, if we should continue to do this, the Department of Health has indicated that this will impact on the economy for some time to come. I hear speculation that we could require more than one of these so-called circuit breakers.”
“Of course, the Executive took a decision to support the medical school at Magee. I noticed that, on social media this morning, there were calls out for their first students to apply for 2021. That is very hopeful. Also, I have been working with my Department around some of the city deal bids for the city of Londonderry. I am hopeful that they will start to progress their business cases, that we will see movement with regard to that funding direction and, as you said, hope for the city.”
“Should I take the question? OK. There are two elements to this that I want to address. One is the issue of support for those who are self-isolating. The Minister of Finance has indicated that he will find out whether any kind of what we call Barnett consequential moneys would come to Northern Ireland specifically for that. I hope that we will be able to address, in the relatively near future, the financial issues for businesses that have been asked to close. I remind the House that the situation is likely to be repeated around Northern Ireland for some time, and therefore, we, as an Executive, have to be sure that there will be the finances to support that not just in the north-west but in other areas across Northern Ireland, should the need arise.”
“Thank you. <BR /> <BR />Nevertheless, like all of the hospitality sector, they are resilient and will trade through it, but they need to know, as a matter or urgency, how long those restrictions will last.”
“Therefore, they were completely taken unawares by the dreadful rise in the transmission of the virus and the fact that their industry was targeted for restrictions.”
“They were looking forward to a better September/October, and they were well aware of the work that the tourism steering group had done in formulating and articulating bids to the Finance Minister. Indeed, the Finance Minister responded positively to those bids.”
“There is no doubt that those folk are in very difficult positions. I continue to talk to the Secretary of State for Business and have written directly to the Chancellor to indicate that this is a national problem that requires a national solution, and one that the Chancellor should address. I have common cause with MPs right across the United Kingdom in relation to that particular issue. <BR /> <BR />With your forbearance, Mr Speaker, I will round up. I absolutely agree with the Member on the need to get some financial support to those businesses that have suffered restrictions. I spoke on Friday to a number of hoteliers from the city, and they all indicated that they were really pleased with the way that trading had gone in August.”
“First of all, I will correct the Member on a couple of issues that she has expressed. It is not up to me to compile a bid to the Exchequer on that. It would be for the Executive to make a financial ask and for the Finance Minister — her colleague — to translate that and talk to Her Majesty's Treasury about that. <BR /> <BR />In respect of those who are self-employed, about 78,000 self-employed people have been supported through the self-employed scheme that has been in place and continues to be in place right up until the end of October. That is possibly the highest proportion or percentage per head of population throughout the United Kingdom to be supported through the scheme. What the Member may be referring to is those people who were recently self-employed and, therefore, had not made a tax return.”
“That is not where I want Northern Ireland or its local communities to be, and I will try in every way possible to support the economy and those people who find themselves in difficult positions. <BR /> <BR />We are, of course, not playing catch-up in the Department for the Economy. We have already submitted our short- to medium-term recovery plan. Last week, I submitted documents to the Executive Office, which I hope will be discussed at the next Executive meeting, on the economic impact of restrictions and lockdown. These are very difficult, severe times for our economy, and working collectively together, not making political point-scoring, would be very helpful in seeing our people and our communities through hard times.”
“Even health officials will remind the Member that they were extremely surprised by not only the rise in the number of cases but the exponential rise and how quickly the numbers rose in the area. <BR /> <BR />The Member asks a very useful question, though, because it is important that Members in this House realise that we as a Department have been warning of the impact of lockdown or restrictions on the local economy. We think that that will place our local businesses, which are just starting to build and recover a little bit from the earlier shutdown of the economy, in a really difficult place. Not only that, but any further lockdowns in the local economy, and the end of the furlough scheme, will see a significant rise in unemployment. We could potentially experience unemployment levels such as we have not seen since the early 1990s.”
“If we can remove layers of bureaucracy by allowing the council to administer the scheme, I am relaxed about that, but the important thing is to get money out quickly to businesses in difficult circumstances.”
“I thank the Member for organising that meeting. People were confused and alarmed at the rising rate of transmission of the virus, but they were also significantly alarmed at the impact on the local economy, jobs and livelihoods. <BR /> <BR />The main focus will be on devising a scheme that is quick, clean and easy to administer. I was heartened to hear from the local council, which offered its help in any way that it could. When we eventually make a decision, the local council will have an important role to play in working with local businesses and in checking which are closed and which have been severely impacted on by the restrictions in the local area.”
“We have a number of possible options for providing support, but the priority is to devise a scheme that gets targeted financial help, in an efficient and streamlined way, to the businesses asked to close. My hope is that the Executive can agree the mechanics for how that support can be delivered within a matter of days. <BR /> <BR />I use this opportunity to remind people of the importance of following the Executive advice: wash your hands; socially distance; and wear your mask. We all carry the responsibility of playing our part in slowing the spread of COVID, and those are the best ways in which to protect the health of our people and the health of our economy.”
“Although it is mainly hospitality businesses that the Executive's decision will impact on, other businesses will feel the impact too. <BR /> <BR />I made it clear that it is not a choice between protecting our hospitals and protecting hospitality. I have been enormously proud of the responsible, resilient and determined fashion in which the hospitality sector in Northern Ireland has acted. Executive decisions have never been, and should never be, a binary choice between health and the economy. The economy is not a nebulous term. It represents every job, every pay cheque, every bill and every dinner on the table. <BR /> <BR />On Thursday, after the decision was made, I asked my officials to engage with Department of Finance officials.”
“I thank my colleague for his question on this very important topic. <BR /> <BR />The decision by the Executive to apply restrictions in the Derry City and Strabane District Council area simply reinforces the fact that we are still in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and that the transmission rate in that locality has risen dramatically over recent weeks. <BR /> <BR />On Friday, I met business representatives from the north-west to discuss the impact that localised restrictions will have and the kind of support that they will need. Although the greatest help would be to allow them to continue trading, I reassured them that the Executive will provide financial assistance to those businesses instructed to close.”
“I will draw to a conclusion. I am glad that the issue is being sorted out very quickly. <BR /> <BR />Quality education is vital for our young people, and quality facilities will help to improve their chances of receiving that education. I commend the Member for bringing the debate.”
“As the Lurgan campus of the senior high school is the only non-selective Key Stage 4 school in the Lurgan area, it is vital that an acceptable solution is found, and it is incumbent on the Education Authority to deliver an outcome for the senior high school that commands the support of the local community. The Dickson plan has proved successful in our local community for over 40 years and commands strong community support. I invite the Minister to reaffirm his support for that plan and for parental choice. <BR /> <BR />Secondly, St Ronan's College: much progress has been made by the school in preparation for its new build. Having spoken with the school principal last week about the issues around planning —.”
“I know that the Minister has funding constraints. However, I welcome the proposal for the third call of applications for the school enhancement programme. <BR /> <BR />I thank the schools and parents who have been in contact with me in recent days. First, Craigavon Senior High School: there can be no doubting the need for investment in Craigavon Senior High School. It is unacceptable for the children attending the senior high school to make do with lesser facilities. The previous proposal in the Education Authority's development plan for the future of the school received a widespread rejection from the local community.”
“Those schools provide an amazing education to the young people of the area and continue to provide a vital role in the community. The need for improvements to those schools cannot be overlooked, and I invite the Minister to visit them to see the work that they do.”
“I encourage the Minister to look carefully at the proposals put to his Department by Donard Special School and Abercorn Primary School in Banbridge, and also the needs of Portadown College.”
“I would be grateful if the Minister could provide an update on the work being carried out to ensure that pupils in Carrick Primary School and St Anthony's Primary School can benefit as soon as possible. <BR /> <BR />I also want to highlight the recent £40 million announced by the Minister as part of the second call to the school enhancement programme, which is aimed at delivering a modern, fit-for-purpose school estate. The Minister has my thanks for listening to the compelling cases made for Hart Memorial Primary School and Clounagh Junior High School. This will transform the school estate on both sites, bringing much-needed and long-overdue improvements. Since this announcement of funding, I have been working with other schools across Upper Bann to prepare for a possible third call for applications.”
“Before I do that, I want to put on record my thanks for the number of positive announcements for schools in Upper Bann that have been made in recent weeks, first in relation to nurture units. I am a long-time advocate for this model within our schools. Nurture is a key element of supporting our children and young people to make the best start in life and help to improve their educational outcomes. The Minister's investment of up to £4 million for the creation of new, and maintenance of existing, nurture groups is good news. I was delighted that Carrick Primary School and St Anthony's Primary School in Upper Bann were included among the 15 new nurture units to be created. I am in no doubt that this funding will have a transformative impact for the pupils who will benefit from the service.”
“The importance of ensuring young people's return to school cannot be underestimated. The benefits of classroom learning are well-documented, not just for education but for our young people's heath and broader life skills. Returning young people to the classroom was a significant piece of work, and I commend the Minister, teachers, principals and parents for the work that they did together to ensure this. Since taking my seat in the House, I have had the pleasure of engaging with many schools and pupils across Upper Bann, and the return to classroom learning has been very warmly welcomed. <BR /> <BR />I wish to take this opportunity to raise with the Minister a number of issues around the school estate.”
“I thank my constituency colleague Mrs Kelly for bringing the debate to the Chamber. It is very important, and I speak in it in my capacity as an MLA for Upper Bann. <BR /> <BR />Like other Members will probably do, I begin by paying tribute to the staff and leadership of schools across Upper Bann for their commitment to providing a first-class education to pupils during this extremely difficult time. Our schools adapted to provide home learning when circumstances dictated, and this has won the gratitude of parents and guardians across Upper Bann. <BR /> <BR />I would also like to take the opportunity to pay tribute to the Education Minister for the work that he has done in collaboration with schools to ensure a safe and timely return to classroom teaching.”
“Of course, I have been talking to some of those big events. I am not going to make any announcements today, but I think that we have an interesting and exciting pipeline of events that will come to Northern Ireland. In speaking as an MLA for Upper Bann, I cannot resist saying that I am also hugely excited by the new 'Game of Thrones' experience that will be opening in my constituency, which has the potential to create jobs and many more tourists and prosperity.”
“<BR /> <BR />On a serious note, it is really important that we sustain our tourism and hospitality industries right through these very difficult winter months and that, when we look at 2021, we will have new opportunities to invest and build on the tremendous work that tourism and hospitality does and the jobs that it provides in Northern Ireland.”
“I thank the Member for his question. From talking to members of the European Tour and to representatives of the Royal and Ancient who were in Ballymena for the Irish Open, I think that there is a really great future for that combination of tourism and sport to really excel in Northern Ireland. I look forward to Northern Ireland hosting more of these really big events. I think that it is a wonderful opportunity to showcase all that is good about Northern Ireland. My goodness, I am sure that we all saw that Billy O'Kane's cows became an internet sensation during the weekend.”
“Therefore, I want to see those restrictions lifted and lessened as much as we can. We all have it in our own power to do that. We need to exercise personal responsibility and obey the regulations. We also need to ensure that our economy and our businesses remain open and that the world knows that Northern Ireland is open for business. <BR /> <BR />With your permission to continue, Mr Speaker, I was really delighted to attend the Irish Open at the weekend and to see players from all over the world competing in Ballymena and to know that the message that Northern Ireland is open for business and can put on these events safely was going right across the world. That is an important message for us to get out to potential investors and those who would look to come to visit us.”
“Again, I thank the Member for his question. I am on record as saying that I think that, with the furlough scheme ending in October, there is potential for a further spike in redundancies. Over the last period, we have seen around 9,000 redundancies in Northern Ireland, 4,000 of which have already been confirmed. That situation could get worse. To keep our economy functioning, we must keep businesses open. To keep businesses open, we must obey the health advice and all of the regulations. <BR /> <BR />I am saddened that there are restrictions on the hospitality sector in Northern Ireland. I believe that the hospitality sector has acted responsibility and with good faith and has interacted with the Executive and particularly with me as the Minister for the Economy.”