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 thank the Member for facilitating the meeting of the group with Members last Thursday. It was a very important meeting. I always believe that it is much better to talk face to face than over social media. <BR /> <BR />I have written to HMRC requesting that we have access to the data that would help us to look at the necessary verifications for such a scheme. I understand that the Finance Minister has also written to HMRC to try to ensure that this agreement is made between us so that we can look at how we progress the issue.”
“Many of those bids are structural, looking at demand in the tourism and hospitality sector and trying to ensure that we help businesses to survive over what, I think, will be a difficult period in the autumn. <BR /> <BR />We have also made significant interventions in the economy in terms of skills. It is important that, when we get to the stage at which we are ripe for economy recovery, we have the right skills to support the economy. That is why I announced the apprenticeship schemes, with about £22 million of support.”
“That is a very good question. We are undoubtedly seeing one of the toughest times for the economy in a significant period. That downturn will be significant, and many of us fear, as we look towards October and the end of the furlough scheme, that there could be ramifications for the employment of many people throughout our constituencies. It is really important that we get to a stage at which we are continuing to announce and support schemes that will strategically support the economy and individual businesses to survive. <BR /> <BR />I have made around 32 bids to the Minister of Finance, each of them in line with my published document, 'Rebuilding a Stronger Economy', to help recovery.”
“The House will know that I have been extremely supportive of the opening of our tourism and hospitality sectors throughout Northern Ireland, driving much of that process, indeed, at Executive level. <BR /> <BR />I am on record as saying that it is regrettable that traditional pubs have not yet been able to open. However, I note that we now have an indicative date of 21 September for the opening of those businesses. We will work with Hospitality Ulster and the wider industry to ensure that the conditions are in place for those businesses to reopen. Again, I am on record as saying that it is particularly unfair that one small section of a sector is held back. We now need to get on with opening up our economy. The best way to help business is to have business open and ready for business.”
“Sorry, just one second. <BR /> <BR />However, I assure Members that my Executive colleagues and I remain committed to collectively agreeing further support measures as soon as possible, recognising that this is a very difficult time for many individuals and businesses but also recognising that some of those interventions would be best placed at a national level to be truly effective.”
“That included options for those who have not been able to avail themselves of support thus far. It will, therefore, be up to the Executive as a whole, guided by the Finance Minister, to determine on the further distribution of any available resource.”
“In West Tyrone, claims to the UK Government's job retention scheme and the self-employed income support scheme totalled over £50 million. More widely, businesses throughout Northern Ireland have also received substantial support from the UK Government schemes, with almost 250,000 workers furloughed and around 78,000 claims made to the self-employed income support scheme. <BR /> <BR />I acknowledge that not all businesses have received support, because they were ineligible for either the business support schemes or the UK-wide schemes. Over the past six months, I have met a wide range of business owners to hear their concerns for their business. I provided a paper to the Executive on the options to utilise available funds for our economic response and recovery.”
“The Executive have provided an unprecedented level of support to businesses since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The business support schemes introduced by my Department on behalf of the Executive have provided around £340 million of support to over 32,000 businesses in Northern Ireland. That is in addition to the business rates relief from the Department of Finance, which is valued at over £300 million, and a suite of other local support measures, including those introduced by local councils. Just the other week, I was delighted to be in mid Ulster — I know that it is not the Member's constituency — for the launch of its £1 million business support intervention scheme. There are many levels of support working together for businesses.”
“The Member will know that we are in extraordinary and unprecedented times. I apologise if those words are somewhat overworked in the current context, but we are in those extraordinary times. This year, young people did not have the opportunity to sit their exams and faced a period of great uncertainty. I am glad that my colleague moved to take away that uncertainty, that the grades issue was sorted out and that many of those young people will find placements in medical school in Northern Ireland. I look forward to those young people completing their courses and contributing to society here. The Member will also be aware that we have been supportive of the graduate-entry medical school at Magee. That work is ongoing and will be ongoing. I understand that we will be on course for an intake of students in September 2021.”
“Medical places are a matter for the Department of Health, which has the policy remit on that and sets the numbers that are applicable for each course. I advise the Member to speak to the Health Minister and get an indication from him of how those numbers are progressing. In general, for courses in very high demand such as medicine, nursing and midwifery, there will potentially be a difficulty. I understand that the Health Minister has made a bid to the Finance Minister to satisfy those place numbers, and I am sure that he will update the Member on the outcome of that bid.”
“As the Member is aware, I took some fairly extensive steps to ensure that students were supported in their route through university, particularly because many young students will not have the opportunity to have additional part-time work etc. That is why we have an additional £5·6 million in the system to deal with student hardship. Of course, we will look at that throughout the year and monitor it to ensure that young people are able to stay on at our colleges and universities, because some of the money also went in that direction, and to ensure that they find career pathways and profitable, genuine employment.”
“I am immensely proud of our further education sector and look forward to working with it to ensure that no child is left behind.”
“I understand exactly the question and the problem identified by the Member. A few days ago, I was at the Northern Regional College's Newtownabbey campus, looking at how young people are finishing their vocational courses and getting on with their career paths, and I was really impressed by the standard of teaching and the interaction with those young people. There is no doubt that the additional places that will be created for universities and, on the other side of the coin, the additional places that will be created in sixth-form colleges as the result of GCSE grade uplifts will pose a challenge to our further education sector. I will work with the sector to deal with that. We are still a couple of weeks away from knowing the full extent of that challenge, but I will be happy to report to the House when we have the full figures.”
“While Queen's is not yet in a position to formally confirm its additional numbers, current indications are that they are not as substantial as previously indicated. <BR /> <BR />As a final point, I note the wealth of higher education opportunities available at our further education colleges, where courses offer outstanding education and opportunity for young people.”
“<BR /> <BR />Anticipating some of the difficulties that would happen this year, my Department had already looked at the potential impact of COVID for the year 2020-21 in creating additional demand for local places. Through the June monitoring round, an additional allocation of £1·5 million was secured, which would deliver an increase of 5% in funded places over three years. At the end of three years, the recurring commitment to maintain that 5% uplift will be £7·1 million. That will see an additional 1,232 places available in the local higher education sector, 410 of which are available for this academic year. <BR /> <BR />We are still working with the universities to complete the process. Ulster University has already stated that it will not require further additional places.”
“I thank the Member — I lost you there — for his question, which is, indeed, one that is very important and close to my heart. I have argued many times that young people should not be the casualty of economic downturn and that providing them with a place at university is of the utmost importance. <BR /> <BR />We have a responsibility to our young people. As I argued in August, if additional places and the associated funding are required in the higher education sector to honour pre-existing offers, it is incumbent on us, as an Executive, to ensure that they are provided. I have secured agreement from the Executive to do so, with £3·2 million being allocated for additional places. That is a significant investment in young people's lives.”
“Thank you for your indulgence, Mr Speaker. I apologise: I had forgotten about the intervention. <BR /> <BR />I acknowledge that there are difficulties. What we need and what I am absolutely insistent on is that the Government give us the clarity that, they say, they will give us around unfettered access for Northern Ireland goods in the UK market.”
“I encourage them to go to the Invest NI and InterTradeIreland web pages, utilise the online Brexit tool, enrol for the webinars and, if appropriate, apply for the support vouchers. <BR /> <BR />We have, today, talked about important interventions for businesses, but I believe that success for business will also depend on a holistic approach to a wide-ranging set of issues that the economy faces in Northern Ireland. We need to see the timetable for legislating for unfettered access to trade between Northern Ireland and GB. I hope that the internal market Bill will provide that. I hope —.”
“InterTradeIreland's Brexit advisory service provides financial support and professional support on customs, supply chains and rules of origin, with online learning supplemented by specialist webinars targeted at the cross-border market. InterTradeIreland is also exploring the development of a cross-border trade information centre and a new supply-chain programme. Both initiatives will help firms across the island to benefit from the growth that cross-border trade brings. <BR /> <BR />As we have seen during the debate and from my earlier comments, full clarity on the trading arrangements for 1 January is not here. However, businesses can take action to understand how the issues play and how they could impact on their trading model.”
“I thank the Member for his intervention. I understand, of course, the COVID regulations, but I am also insistent that those who challenge the Minister should be here to actually listen to the Minister's response on those issues. <BR /> <BR />I had a wonderful experience in my office in Lisburn. I visited Coca Cola many times during that period. Of course, the protocol facilitates cross-border trade. I acknowledged, at the start, the complex supply and manufacturing chains in the Northern Ireland economy. <BR /> <BR />If I may continue on the initiatives to help business, I am also supportive of InterTradeIreland helping businesses to continue to trade across the border and to encourage businesses to take their first steps into export trade across that border.”
“If you just let me finish this point, I absolutely will. <BR /> <BR />I welcome the various online webinars scheduled for September and October on key aspects of the post-transition environment, including the EU settlement scheme and preparing for the post-immigration system, VAT implications and data-transfer issues. We should not underestimate the scale of that work, nor the issues still to be resolved, to enable businesses to understand their areas of biggest exposure and what to do next.”
“Invest NI offers a range of support services to companies, including a Brexit preparation grant, information workshops, an online assessment tool and online tutorials that provide access to specialist advisers in customs, tariff, taxation, strategic sourcing, people movement and immigration.”
“The Member has advocated that subject for some particular time, but that will be a matter for negotiation. For my part, Northern Ireland's place is within the United Kingdom. Northern Ireland needs to be able to benefit fully from UK trade deals and not just be a named participant in them. That is vitally important for Northern Ireland businesses, families, jobs and prosperity. However, the greatest help to business will be when the Government provide clarity. <BR /> <BR />There are an important range of interventions in the meantime, including services to local businesses that are being provided at local council level and by many of the business organisations themselves.”
“So far, the Minister for International Trade has been unable to provide the necessary legislative assurance that that will be the case, and there are still too many uncertainties around the implications for internal UK trade. Although there are important provisions in the Bill for the trade remedies authority and the rollover of existing EU deals, there remains uncertainty in those important areas. Of course, I will continue to engage with the Department for International Trade and the trade forum set up between all constituent parts of the United Kingdom on these vital issues.”
“Again, for the benefit of the Member for East Antrim, this is not following London; this is challenging London and making sure that it understands the needs of business and families in Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />As the Minister responsible for issues in relation to international trade, I will write to Executive colleagues this week to make them aware that, at this stage, I will not be seeking to bring forward a motion to seek legislative consent in the Northern Ireland Assembly for the Trade Bill, which is currently making its passage through Parliament. It is absolutely essential that Northern Ireland is able to be a full participant in future UK trade deals.”
“The responsibility for the protocol lies firmly with the Government and those who voted for and continue to advocate for its implementation. <BR /> <BR />Although I want to see the detail of the proposed clauses, I welcome this approach. The Government must continue to remove any disadvantages to Northern Ireland brought by their signing up to the protocol. Indeed, I will raise those issues directly with the Business Secretary, Alok Sharma, later today. It is about ensuring that the UK Government move to protect not only Northern Ireland's place within the Union but, in so doing, our trade with our largest market. They need to put those trading arrangements on a sustainable footing and cover the full spectrum of our economic interests.”
“<BR /> <BR />So far, if the information that is coming from the negotiations is correct, there has been a maximalist approach on everything in relation to the protocol, including exit summary declarations and goods at risk. The EU should recognise that that is risking the incomes of families right across Northern Ireland. However, I also note the recent press speculation that the Government will pursue fallback measures under the internal market Bill to protect Northern Ireland's interests should a deal not be agreed that mitigates the threat of the Northern Ireland protocol. I did not vote for the withdrawal agreement and the Northern Ireland protocol. I have been consistent and clear, in my former role as an MEP and in this House, in saying that the protocol is damaging to trade within the United Kingdom.”
“The sooner we have that clarity and the sooner businesses can understand the steps that they need to take, the sooner the Executive can see where government need to step in to add support for businesses to adapt. <BR /> <BR />It is also right that internal UK trade should not be subject to any unnecessary administrative or financial burdens. That is the demand of business and its representative organisations and I support trusted trader schemes and the binning of exit summary declarations on Northern Ireland to GB trade. Of course, there is a negotiation and there is an onus on Michel Barnier on behalf of the EU to, as he would say, be flexible and imaginative. I am almost nostalgic for those meetings in Brussels.”
“No; in a moment. I also suggest that he should read the short and medium-term plan for economic recovery that was published by my Department in June, setting out our plans for the Northern Ireland economy. I have been consistent since then in my work in the Executive and in the bids that I have made to the Finance Minister in relation to that published paper. <BR /> <BR />I share the concerns of business and, through my stakeholder engagement forum and regular meetings with all aspects of our economy, I frequently discuss those issues with business. There is no doubt that absolute clarity on how businesses will be trading on 1 January is necessary.”
“<BR /> <BR />I also want to reassure the Member for South Belfast — who, unfortunately, clearly did not want to hear the response to his own debate or his amendment, since he has left the Chamber — that I am direct and blunt with the Ministers in London and in my frequent quad calls with other devolved Administrations across the United Kingdom. For his information — perhaps he will read Hansard if he is not here to hear the debate.”
“I would like to make some progress and, then, I will give way. <BR /> <BR />I continue to engage with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) on the matter and, in common with the motion, seek to ensure that it is aware of the need for great urgency and clarity on the issues. I also note the Sinn Féin agriculture spokesperson's statement that he, too, wants unfettered trade. I am, therefore, at a loss to know why he and his party persist in supporting a withdrawal agreement and a protocol that would endanger that trade.”
“<BR /> <BR />In recent weeks, our Government have published a White Paper on their vision for the United Kingdom's internal market and have included unfettered access and a trader support service in that vision.”
“Indeed, the benefits of belonging to the United Kingdom have been starkly demonstrated during the COVID-19 crisis, when the support for the local economy from the national Government has been unprecedented. Nevertheless, it is a challenging time for business. <BR /> <BR />I will take this opportunity to commend the business community, which has shown such resilience over the last number of months. I have been working closely with business organisations since taking up office on the COVID response and through my Department's EU exit stakeholder forum. I have consistently said that my top priority is to seek to ensure that Northern Ireland firms have unfettered access to our own internal market in the United Kingdom and that we do not have any competitive disadvantage within that market.”
“First of all, I want to thank Members for their participation in this very important debate. There is much in the motion that we can agree on. We can all agree that the local economy has both unique and complex characteristics. We are the only part of the United Kingdom with a land border with another jurisdiction, and we all recognise the complex nature of our supply chains across that border. I hope that we can also all agree that the UK's internal market, the proper functioning of that market and our full participation in it are absolutely vital to our economic well-being. They sustain jobs and family income in Northern Ireland and, as the Member for East Antrim said, are my top priority.”
“I have done some reprioritising of my departmental budget in that respect. I have looked at providing funds to Invest NI and InterTradeIreland around e-commerce. We have looked at how businesses can get online and at the support that we can give to them in relation to those measures. We will, of course, look at a whole-Executive package and we will speak, as an Executive, about that later this week.”
“We have also looked at the businesses that are covered by the microbusiness fund. Of course, we will continue to look at other options that are available to the Northern Ireland economy as we go forward, not just at grants that mitigate the impact of COVID-19 but the recovery measures that will be important for the vulnerable but viable businesses that we will need to help and see through a difficult time.”
“My Department has made significant amounts of money available to businesses right across Northern Ireland, including almost 24,000 businesses, run by very entrepreneurial people, that are in receipt of £10,000 from the small business fund and those businesses in receipt of £25,000 from the scheme targeted at tourism, hospitality, leisure and retail.”
“Along with Executive colleagues, I will continue to examine those areas of the economy that have been unable to avail themselves of financial support to date, as well as businesses' investment needs, as we move forward with attempts to reopen and rebuild the local economy.”
“The Northern Ireland Executive's business support grant schemes and the microbusiness hardship fund have now closed, with over £300 million of support to businesses having been paid out to date. Outstanding applications and payments are being verified and processed as quickly as possible. <BR /> <BR />The Welsh Government's economic resilience fund is still operational, so we do not have the necessary information to carry out a meaningful comparative analysis at this time. I have asked my officials to consider the outworking of the three support measures that have been managed by my Department.”
“Of course I recommend that there be full consultation with trade unions on any or all redundancies, where that is applicable to the particular sector of the economy.”
“It is crucial that we move as quickly and safely as possible from the devastation wrought on our economy by the pandemic and that the Executive work collaboratively to that end. The provision of childcare for those returning to work is one of the key supporting measures for restarting the economy, and I am working closely with Executive colleagues, and in particular the lead Departments of Health and Education, to align work and childcare.”
“We need to make sure that the provision is there for it to do that, in a way that is safe, of course, with all the reasonable mitigation measures being in place.”
“I notice that, in our national Parliament, the Prime Minister has indicated that, in England, he would like the social-distancing measurement to go down to 1 metre-plus, with 1 metre being the minimum distance. I have made no secret of the fact that I am advocating 1 metre on behalf of the industry. At 1 metre, our restaurants, our hotels and our coffee shops are more viable than they are at the 2-metre social distance. Just after our Prime Minister's announcement this morning, I wrote to my Executive colleagues and indicated that we, too, should formally review the social-distancing advice, because we want our hospitality and tourism industry to be sustained and to be sustainable into the future.”
“I thank the Member for his question. As I indicated in response to an earlier question, I am bringing a paper to the Executive and it will be for them to decide what is done with the underspend that is a result of the grant funding that we have had. We will know the outcome of that process in the reasonably near future. <BR /> <BR />These are important conversations and the Executive will make a balanced judgement on all the competing issues. I will say in general, however, that the greatest and biggest help that we can give to our tourism and hospitality sector is to allow it to reopen safely and in a way that makes it financially viable.”
“<BR /> <BR />The steering group and working group are also progressing work in key areas, such as the development of overarching guidance to the visitor economy on how businesses can operate as safely as possible once lockdown is eased, research on consumer sentiment to inform the industry and marketing plans including plans for marketing in our domestic market, Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland.”
“<BR /> <BR />This partnership approach has been crucial in informing the Executive’s decision to begin the reopening of key sectors of the tourism and hospitality industry. I am delighted that, depending on the rate of infection, caravan parks, camping sites and self-catering tourist accommodation will be able to reopen on 26 June 2020, with hotels and other tourist accommodation being able to reopen from 3 July 2020. <BR /> <BR />The Executive’s decision, to allow visitor attractions, restaurants, cafes and coffee shops to reopen from 3 July, is also an important step forward, as is enabling the reopening of pubs and bars for the provision of food, and the conditional opening of beer gardens.”
“I am not terribly sure about that. <BR /> <BR />I thank the Member for his question. It is a really important issue and one that, given the statements made today in our national Parliament, is incredibly important to Northern Ireland and to the recovery of this particular sector. <BR /> <BR />The work of the tourism recovery steering group and its supporting working group is ongoing, and a number of key issues are being progressed by my Department, in partnership with the industry and other stakeholders. A key focus in recent weeks has been our work with the tourism and hospitality industry to identify a clear road map and timescales for the safe reopening of the industry.”
“Maybe they will also clap when I give the answer.”
“I thank the Member for her question. It is important that we respond to our national Government in relation to the free ports issue. We need to understand the economic benefit for Northern Ireland and how that will benefit all the people and regions of Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />I am committed to exploring any and all options to ensure that we have the policy tools to drive the Northern Ireland economy forward. That is hugely important, at a time when we are recovering from the pandemic emergency, and in a difficult space in trying to reopen and revitalise our economy, and ensure that, for the future, we are able to grab every opportunity to have a more inclusive economy.”
“I thank the Member for her question. The fourth round of negotiations concluded at the beginning of this month. Whilst it is clear that the UK and EU share similar objectives in many areas, progress will need to be made on governance and on issues relating to open and fair competition. As negotiations proceed, the Executive continue to press the UK Government to do all that is possible to facilitate our trade within the United Kingdom and with the European Union, including the Republic of Ireland. A positive outcome to the negotiations will be particularly important for cementing our trade within the UK on goods, our trade on services with the EU and for electricity trading. I believe that a deal is achievable, but we clearly have some way to go in those negotiations, which will no doubt intensify in the coming months.”