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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“It will be about flexibility from the banks. The Executive need to put together that total package that will be important to the economy.”
“I thank the Member for his question. That issue will be addressed by the Finance Minister, and the decision will be taken by the Executive. For my part, as the Minister responsible for the economy, for the promotion of small businesses and for the care of those businesses in the community, it is important that we see action that is as far-reaching as we can possibly go. I personally would like to see rates relief for those businesses for the full term, but I am not in receipt of all the figures and information on that. I will allow the Minister his place in dealing with it. <BR /> <BR />Simply pushing back the term that you pay the rates or a deferral for a short time will not be enough for some small businesses. We will need to look at this in the round. It will be about rates relief. It will be about loans.”
“<BR /> <BR />Today and tomorrow, more than ever, people need to think of the wider good and of the communities around them and understand that they are putting themselves, their families and their friends at risk. They need to have some social responsibility to the wider community, and I urge that. I commend businesses that have taken measures in relation to this. Those are not easy decisions. However, I urge responsibility from the community at this time.”
“I thank the Member for her question. I am, of course, aware of the cost of rents vis-à-vis statutory sick pay. I, too, live in the real world. <BR /> <BR />I know that the Member has worked consistently on this issue. I urge restraint and responsibility tomorrow as we celebrate St Patrick's Day, although in a more muted fashion than we would normally do. In my opening statement, I acknowledged that the St Patrick's Day parade and the ongoing events bring about £1·3 million to the wider Belfast economy. That is a very important contribution to the economy. However, there have been long-standing problems in the Holylands area, with some of the celebrations getting out of control.”
“I met a number of companies that are already investing and opening up job opportunities in Northern Ireland. I met other companies that, because of the quality and calibre of the workforce and the young people who are coming into the workforce in Northern Ireland, are on their journey of investing in Northern Ireland and creating jobs in Northern Ireland. I look forward to not just having a stimulus package to help us over the worst of the crisis but to helping Northern Ireland to get more and better jobs as we move into the future.”
“I think that, regrettably, that may be the situation for some businesses, but we will try to put together a package that mitigates against the worst of the economic impacts of the crisis that we are now facing. I have been giving some thought to the fact that the hospitality and tourism sector in particular, after a very quiet winter period, is facing a very uncertain period over the next number of weeks and months. Therefore, we have to be ready with a recovery package, including for tourism getting out there with new, better tourism messages and helping people to understand that Northern Ireland is open for business and wanting to welcome them to our shores. <BR /> <BR />As an aside and for information for the Chamber, I was in New York and Washington last week.”
“That is regrettable and is not to the benefit of Northern Ireland and the people who we seek to serve. I made that perfectly clear at the Executive this morning. I am not saying anything in this Chamber that I have not said in other forums that are available to me. I think that that is very important. <BR /> <BR />It is important that we try to avoid redundancies and that we try to keep staff for as long as possible. Those are individual businesses for individual companies, but I want us as an Executive to have a Northern Ireland package to address Northern Ireland issues so that people, families and communities do not suffer unnecessarily.”
“I absolutely agree with the Member. I think that our communities deserve clear, collective advice from the Executive, and I regret entirely that this has not been the case. For our party's part, we will continue to follow the advice of the Chief Medical Officer. We will put our faith in those who have spent a lifetime protecting the safety of the public in Northern Ireland and who know and understand how these situations escalate and the appropriate steps that are to be taken. So, you will not find a distancing on my part from the scientific advice and from the advice of the Chief Medical Officer and his heroic efforts to keep us safe in this emerging crisis. I regret very much that others took the opportunity to distance themselves from that advice over the weekend.”
“We had some discussion at the Executive this morning about how exactly we could do this, and we need to try to do it as quickly as possible.”
“The Chancellor is clear that we need a safety net for people. <BR /> <BR />I was talking to the tourism sector and Hospitality Ulster, and it is something that my Department will quickly look at. If firms and businesses have to close, we will need to relocate some of those people into other areas of the economy. Many of them will have skills in food preparation, or whatever the skills are, that we may need in our hospitals and so on as this thing reaches a peak. We will be looking at that and at how we can set up platforms to look at how we can relocate people so that, if one business closes, there are temporary opportunities in other areas of the economy. That is an important thing for us to get on with as quickly as possible.”
“I have been looking into some of the issues around what will happen. Last week, the Chancellor announced £5 billion of support for smaller businesses that are threatened with possible collapse because of cash-flow problems or absent staff, including a government rebate for the first 14 days, which accounts for about £94 a week of statutory sick pay. There is some action on that. Statutory sick pay will also be made available to all those who are required to self-isolate, even if they are not displaying symptoms, without the requirement to obtain a sick note from the doctor. For those who are self-employed or employed in the gig economy, there is a £500 million boost to the benefits system, which will include a temporary halt to the minimum floor in universal credit and quicker payments for employment and support allowance claimants.”
“I thank the Member for her question. Over the weekend, I was talking not just to the tourism industry but to Hospitality Ulster and various members, and I commend them for the actions that they have taken so far. They have voluntarily introduced measures on social distancing. Many of them are very worried about the impact on their business. Many of those businesses are small businesses and, as the Member who spoke previously outlined, cash flow is a huge problem for them. I commend them for their work and for the actions that they have taken so far and urge them to follow the advice from the Public Health Agency. In all these things, we should follow the science and not what we think is possible. <BR /> <BR />The issue of our staff and our workers is, of course, not just about business and making money; it is about families.”
“It is an interesting question, because there is the issue of the extent to which employers are insured. That is a very big issue in Northern Ireland, without going into the statistics around it. On the issue of whether businesses should close or not, I think that in all of these things we should not be guided by what somebody has said. We should be guided by the science and what our Chief Medical Officer is recommending and follow the very basic things that we can all do personally, in our businesses and in our contact life to limit the impact of the virus on ourselves, our families, our communities and our businesses.”
“<BR /> <BR />We need to look at refunding statutory sick pay to SMEs and the small business grants scheme. Of course, the interest rate reduction in the base rate will have some impact. Although, interestingly, from talking to the banks today, many customers are on fixed-term interest rates. Therefore, the reduction will only apply to a small proportion or percentage of customers because most customers are on a fixed-term rate. There are significant interventions that we need to consider. My plea is that we consider them as quickly as possible. I have sent correspondence to the Committee, and I know that the Chair will progress this as quickly as she can. Working together, we need to tackle what is a very serious crisis for the economy in Northern Ireland and, in particular, our tourism and hospitality sectors.”
“Yes. One of the things that never fails to amaze me is the ingenuity and ability to adapt of our businesses in Northern Ireland. In fact, there has been some specific contact between my Department and firms in Northern Ireland who wish to contribute in this particular way. However, that is only one of the issues. There are other issues that we will need to deal with for firms. The measures that we will need to take will include looking at the coronavirus business interruption loan scheme, which has been announced by UK Government, and how we can make that business-friendly for Northern Ireland so that, whether you are a business in Bristol, Belfast, Birmingham, Glasgow or wherever, you can avail yourself of the programmes that are available at a UK level.”
“We should look at how we can help businesses with their rates in a very practical way.”
“Some are already undertaking a large programme of outreach to individual customers. <BR /> <BR />It is important that the message goes out from the Chamber that, if you have immediate cash flow issues, you should quickly get in touch with your bank to talk about that. However, cash flow, borrowing or even deferral will not offer us cover either for the immediate period or for a recovery period. That is why the Executive need to look at something more. We discussed the issue of rates earlier today. I understand that the Finance Minister will take forward some proposals around that. I urge that those proposals are as far-reaching as we can make them because rates are a substantial bill that businesses have to face, particularly at this time of year. It should not be just a deferral of the payment.”
“Thank you for your valuable question. Before I answer on the specifics of the question, I will say that, just before I came into the Chamber, I met representatives of the Northern Ireland banking sector. It is clear that cash flow will be a major problem for not just small but medium-sized businesses throughout Northern Ireland. Many in the hospitality and tourism sector rely on cash coming in immediately in order to meet the demands of investments that they have made or for staff purposes. They recognise that cash flow is an important issue. I have urged them to be flexible in their dealings with customers, particularly those that they have a long-term relationship with. Many of the banks were keen to stress that there is plenty of liquidity in the system and that, therefore, they are keen to offer flexibility to customers.”
“I have written to the Executive asking that we put together the fiscal firepower for an enhanced stimulus package to enable us to deliver what is available across the United Kingdom and to deal with the specific issues that will emerge locally. I look forward to your questions.”
“We will absolutely need a Northern Ireland stimulus package. <BR /> <BR />For starters, a number of the key measures announced in the Budget are England-only measures. We need to take action for Northern Ireland. The first step is for the Executive to ring-fence the incoming Barnett consequential. Funds are allocated across the United Kingdom, and the consequential in relation to coronavirus must be ring-fenced and used to mitigate the impact of coronavirus on the economy, health and different sectors across Northern Ireland. I will not stand by and let Northern Ireland businesses be left behind. <BR /> <BR />Secondly, we need to move faster and further.”
“Reduced demand is affecting airports, and firms are curtailing business travel. The collapse of Flybe has impacted on about 200 local jobs and has had knock-on effects for workers at the City Airport. Retail is also beginning to feel the pinch, with footfall down by around 6% in Belfast city centre and by around 7% in Northern Ireland so far this year compared with the same period last year. <BR /> <BR />I have highlighted to you and to Executive colleagues the result of my Department's analysis. It is clear that the emerging issues are cross-cutting and require an urgent response. The Executive need to work collectively to help our businesses and people through this crisis and ensure that we safeguard employment. Everyone is seized of the need to act quickly, but this should not be about just the here and now.”
“I have no doubt that, over the last number of days, that percentage may well have increased further. The industry estimates that there are around 3,000 tourism businesses that might not survive in the long term without immediate help for the sector. One of our largest tourist attractions has indicated that it will be able to continue for only 10 weeks without revenue if it maintains core staff on full salary. Its wage bill is around 40% of its costs, and that is the same whether the business is large or small. Wages are therefore a significant element of the cost. <BR /> <BR />With the St Patrick's Day parades having been cancelled across Northern Ireland, perhaps it is worth reflecting on the fact that the Belfast parade alone is worth about £1·3 million to the local economy. Airline travel has been slashed.”
“The coronavirus outbreak comes at the end of the quietest period in the tourism calendar, on the back of the period of uncertainty relating to EU exit and the collapse of Flybe, which has significantly decreased regional air connectivity. Businesses rely on the spring/summer season to build reserves and are therefore facing this crisis without the level of reserves that are needed. <BR /> <BR />To help everyone to appreciate the extent of the crisis, I will give you an insight into what is occurring. Hotels and restaurants are seeing a sharp fall in occupancy levels. Booking.com's forward bookings are down 80%. Titanic Belfast is experiencing a 50% drop in visitor numbers compared with this time last year. The first nine days of March show a 40% drop from this time last year.”
“From what we have seen so far, it looks more and more likely that the modest growth that was projected for here for this year will be wiped out, if not worse. My Department has been working hard to understand the economic and business consequences of the crisis, and, just this morning, I shared the economic sectoral assessments with Executive colleagues and the Economy Committee. <BR /> <BR />What is crystal clear is that businesses in the travel, tourism and hospitality industries have been hit first and are being hit hard, with an alarming drop-off in all sorts of economic activity. The Northern Ireland tourism and hospitality sector employs 65,000 people and generates approximately £1 billion per annum for the Northern Ireland economy.”
“I thank the Member for raising this very important issue at a critical time for Northern Ireland. First, we should make no mistake about this at all: this is an economic crisis as well as a health crisis for all our communities. It is no coincidence that Governments across Europe are launching emergency fiscal stimulus packages, with the aim of limiting the economic damage that is accumulating. I am fighting to mitigate the worst effects of the crisis on the Northern Ireland economy, on our small businesses and, in particular, on our tourism sector. <BR /> <BR />Assessments by the OECD and the governor of the Bank of England suggest major disruption to the economy, with short-term growth projections slashed.”
“This is one area on which we can make representation to our Government, and I know that the First Minister and deputy First Minister have committed to doing that.”
“I understand the Member's question about the economically inactive, and it is an issue that I will have to grapple with in the Department. In Northern Ireland, we still have a relatively high economically inactive percentage in the population and therefore I want to see more people back in work and to see more flexible routes to get people back into work. However, that does not take away from his basic and valid point that many of those people who are described as economically inactive are people who perform incredibly important caring roles, are students or have a disability. There are fundamental challenges in relation to this. I have already set out concerns around the salary level for people coming to Northern Ireland.”
“We want to make sure that, as we go forward in this new era independent of the European Union, we maximise opportunity but also try to limit the difficulties that face us. Obviously, we are in a very fluid and new situation in relation to the immigration rules. I have listened carefully to business, the service sector, tourism and the healthcare sector, where there are many issues around the level of wage control that there will be. However, there is also an opportunity to ensure that we do not sink to the lowest common denominator in our wage economy. The situation is new and fluid. When we have conducted the impact assessments, we will make any advice available.”
“I accept that completely. As soon as we have looked at and worked through the issues, I will talk to you. We can meet whatever groups it is necessary to meet. That is not a problem.”
“The Member's colleague spoke to me about the issue last week, and I have passed it to officials for a review. As soon as we have conclusions, I will commit to talking to both you and your colleague to see if we can identify a way forward and work with it. It seems scandalous that this has gone on for some time, but we are working on it. I got the information last week, and I will talk to you when it is available to me.”
“It is clear to anyone who has read my recent comments that I am committed to building an economy across Northern Ireland for all of its communities. That includes the north-west, the south-west and all parts of Northern Ireland. It is important that I state that again today. We will progress the issues that she raises in as timely a manner as we can.”
“Those issues are working their way through the system. When they come to me in the fullness of time, we will look at them in the round.”
“Since that can be directed only at people of my generation and era, I will answer it personally. I was the first in my family to go to university. University and education opened up a huge number of opportunities to me. Those opportunities should be extended to all young people. I am therefore committed to taking forward a fair review. I am not looking to price people out of education or to saddle youngsters with debt that will stay with them for a long time, but we must look at the issues in the round and arrive at a conclusion that we can all be satisfied with. <BR /> <BR />We also have to allow our universities to advance, grow and progress. There is a balance to be struck, but, if we keep the principles in mind, we can come to that very fair balance in the end.”
“It is important that I stick by the comment that I do not want to see anyone priced out of education.”
“Of course, if you had read the full text of what my party leader said, you would have seen that that is not what she said. Anyway, we will not let the truth get in the way of a good story. <BR /> <BR />I want to see us widening opportunity for all our communities. That is an important and fundamental aspect of the work that I will do. I do not want to see students priced out of education. When we talk about reviewing university funding, we should not pick on students as the one aspect that we can drive for higher prices and better margins. We will review the whole issue of higher and further education funding in the next year to 18 months. It is important that we look at it in the round. I want to see opportunity and education advanced to all communities.”
“As we think of Northern Ireland's centenary, it is important that we consider the future and allow people to celebrate in all our communities, both old and new to this part of the world, and that we build for the future. <BR /> <BR />The skills agenda is huge in my portfolio. I recently attended a wonderful showcase for our apprentices and higher-level apprentices. I want to see us develop more skills that are relevant to our economy, not just skills that help people into work but skills that will help them to develop along their journey of work. That is the way in which we can make our communities stronger and more prosperous and the way in which we can have a more inclusive and stable Northern Ireland.”
“I have also been reflecting that my constituency is due to have a new visitor attraction from a renowned and very famous production company situated in an old linen mill, where we have married the past and the present. I have been thinking along those lines, and I think that we have a great story to tell. <BR /> <BR />I want to see us produce tourism projects to use the opportunity to market Northern Ireland further on the world stage. When I go to America in March, I will do that to a number of new companies. It is an opportunity not just to look at tourism and the economy but to provide skills for our young people so that we can grow and provide the proper skills to match the future of Northern Ireland.”
“I thank the Member for her question. Next year is a significant year for Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland will be 100 years old, and, while we will celebrate a past century, we will look forward to a future century of progress in this part of the United Kingdom. <BR /> <BR />As Minister for the Economy, I have been reflecting on this important milestone in our community. At the turn of the last century, Northern Ireland led the way in shipbuilding, linen manufacturing and rope-works, and Belfast was a hub of manufacturing activity. Today, Northern Ireland leads the way in fintech, cybersecurity and new digital technologies.”
“I agree that we need to take care of those amongst us who work in difficult occupations with the vulnerable and that we should provide a proper work/life balance for people in those roles. I know what it is like to be a carer. It is a difficult position for people to be in, and often the demands are 24/7. I understand the issues from a personal perspective, and, while we will look at all aspects of employment law, it is important that we recognise the fundamental principles. At my previous Question Time, I said that we should aim to have not just a legally watertight system but a compassionate one.”
“Our access to the United Kingdom's internal market is fundamental. <BR /> <BR />As well as that, I will encourage our cross-border trade; I will encourage our trade with the rest of Europe; and, of course, I will encourage our trade with the rest of the world. Those are all fundamental opportunities. We must see the situation that we are now in as one where we guard against problems and look for opportunity.”
“I will commit today to working with our Government to ensure that the protocol — I am always struck by some Members who want to tie us up in EU legislation for ever and a day — is used to make sure that our economy is not hindered by any of the issues that I have talked about — access to trade and trade agreements — and that we do not put up barriers to our most important economy in the rest of the United Kingdom.”
“Those are just a few of the areas that I will keep a watching brief on. I will work with my officials to ensure that we have appropriate, sensitive and legally watertight employment laws.”
“I thank the Member for her question. As someone who has spent a lot of time in the European institutions, I think that we should reflect on this idea that we as a nation and as a country are not sympathetic enough, democratic enough or aware enough to ensure that we have our own appropriate and proper employment rights. The body of European law has now been transposed to the United Kingdom and, therefore, applies in Northern Ireland. My Department has responsibility for that area, and I will, of course, keep a close eye on it. <BR /> <BR />Since becoming Minister, I introduced the early conciliation service, which is a benefit to employees in resolving issues that have become protracted and difficult. As most people know, I wish to introduce rights for bereaved parents.”
“Many of our key industries, such as tourism, which is thriving in Northern Ireland, rely on people who come to live and work amongst us. Therefore, it is important that we are able to retain those people. Perhaps one of the issues that is not often talked about — you referred to the competitiveness of our economy, which is hugely important — is the fact that we share a land border with an EU member state where there will be much less immigration control. I do not want the competitiveness of our companies and our economy to be impacted by those issues. I understand that we as an Executive are writing to express our concerns to the Prime Minister, and we hope to meet him on those issues in the reasonably near future.”
“I thank the Member for his question. The provision of more and better jobs is a primary objective of my Department. Since becoming Minister, I have been delighted to announce 85 jobs in connection with Microsoft, as well announcing on Friday a further 155 jobs at a business in Coleraine. Investing in jobs is investing in people, in families and in communities. That is fundamental, and I hold it very dear. <BR /> <BR />On the immigration rules and the proposals that were set out last week, we can agree with business and business representatives that the salary threshold is a problem for Northern Ireland. Although I have absolutely no desire to make Northern Ireland a low-wage economy that appeals to the lowest common denominator of the market, on average, the salary threshold is an issue for Northern Ireland.”
“I thank the Member for his question, which gets to some very important points. It is the Prime Minister's promise to Northern Ireland that there will be unfettered access. It is up to us to ensure that he is held to that promise. Unlike the Member, I will not take the European Union view on this: I will work with my Government in London to ensure that that unfettered access is a reality. It is a fact and is absolutely undeniable: it is the most important thing that we can do to ensure that the fundamentals of our market access are secure to Great Britain. <BR /> <BR />As to the hyperbole of the Prime Minister, it is not for me, neither do I have the time nor energy, to engage in that kind of philosophical debate today.”
“I understand that the Prime Minister has also written to the First Minister and deputy First Minister and indicated that he will hold to his promise of unfettered access.”
“As I have said many times, in Committee and now in the House, our most important market, and fundamental to the growth of our economy, is our market with GB. We do more there than in any other part of our marketing areas. It is vital, therefore, that we protect that trade. The Prime Minister promised us unfettered access to the United Kingdom's internal market, and the Executive and Assembly need to ensure that the Prime Minister is held to account in order to achieve that unfettered access to our most important market. <BR /> <BR />The United Kingdom Government committed to including the Executive on the delegation for the joint committee that will look at those trading issues. We need to ensure that we maximise our influence in that forum.”
“<BR /> <BR />Last week, I took the time to meet and talk to Conor Burns, the International Trade Minister in the United Kingdom Government. I raised with him issues such as our participation in UK trade deals, which is very important to Northern Ireland and is part of the protocol and withdrawal agreement. Another important issue for trade here is our full participation in the trade remedies authority, which will be established by the trade Bill, which will soon come back to our national Parliament.”
“The withdrawal agreement Act gives us the Northern Ireland protocol, in which the issues that I outlined are real, live and fundamental to our economy. In the wider terms of the withdrawal agreement Act, what we have is the transportation of EU law into Northern Ireland's law. That means that, for the transition period, nothing will change, and, therefore, we remain the same. Under the protocol and its operation, we remain the same in terms of manufactured goods and agri-food. I am concerned, but I will work to ensure that we minimise frictions and that the operation of the protocol does not impact unduly on Northern Ireland's businesses in our trade from Northern Ireland to GB or from GB to Northern Ireland. I raised the issue with the Executive's Brexit committee, and it was agreed that that would be a priority for us.”