Alex Easton
North Down · Independent · Northern Ireland
“I, too, want to raise the issue of Bright Sparks Preschool, which is a feeder preschool for Crawfordsburn Primary School. Last Wednesday, the Education Minister visited Bright Sparks to hear about its excellent work and see all the pupils in the preschool.”
“<BR /> <BR />My annoyance is that I have met the Education Authority with Bright Sparks many times over the past several years, and there has been a lack of effort by the Education Authority to find a solution for a building that it owns.”
“The map shown in the consultation included the entire Newry, Mourne and Down District Council area, which has nothing to do with the South Eastern Trust area. <BR /> <BR />We therefore know that the consultation and the equality impact assessment were a farce and a foregone conclusion.”
“<BR /> <BR />The South Eastern Trust proceeded to say what its plans were. Closure, with the announcement of a new minor injury unit at the Ulster Hospital site, was the only option.”
“How accurate my prediction was: the Bangor minor injury unit never reopened its doors. It was stripped of its equipment even before the consultation was finished.”
“I quote two Alliance councillors, who said that the units had not been "of any use". If they were of no use, why did 22,000 people use the two minor injury units at their height? <BR /> <BR />Over 20,000 people signed a public petition opposed to the closure of the units.”
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“In closing, I understand that the Housing Executive has financial restraints and must prioritise its budget, but having a warm home, free from damp, is at the top of everybody's wish list. From my experience and that of my constituents, the plan is not apparent, and very little progress appears to have been made on the motion agreed in the Assembly over three years ago. That is why I believe that the Minister needs to ensure that this is remedied, progress monitored and the Housing Executive held to account. A plan has to be developed and not a quick fix; it may take a decade. We need a plan, and it needs to be delivered.”
“She then went on to say, once the Housing Executive had actually bothered to resolve the situation:”
“The usual excuses were lifestyle choices, condensation and not using heating properly and airing the house. The real reason was that there was no cavity wall insulation in the property. I will read out an excerpt from a letter written by a lady after the Housing Executive had fixed her problem. She told me:”
“I was told that the information was not available under that classification but was included under dampness and that over 200 claims have been dealt with. The Housing Executive often use the term "lifestyle issues" to explain damp on walls. In many cases, it is much more likely to be a lack of, or poor, cavity wall insulation. As such, in December 2006 I asked another question through the Minister. This time I asked how many cases of damp had been reported to the Housing Executive over the last four years. The answer horrified me: 25,000 cases. <BR /> <BR />In my constituency I see this repeated time and time again, but I am totally frustrated by the approach of the Housing Executive. I have been involved in trying to resolve a complaint for a tenant in the last few months, and it highlighted the approach adopted by the Housing Executive.”
“I totally agree with the Member: it should have included that. <BR /> <BR />So, it appears that they still have not started this yet. Likewise, the claim to deal with individual houses on a response basis seems hollow. The SERC report identified 135 houses across other constituencies that had serious deficiencies with their wall installation. In answer to questions from the Minister, the Housing Executive has stated that two houses have had remedial work carried out over the last three-and-a-half years. Not very responsive by any definition. <BR /> <BR />In 2005, I asked, via the Minister, how many claims have been made against the Housing Executive for substantial cavity wall insulation problems.”
“It is my understanding that the specifications for this work have already required inspections of walls, but I am glad to hear that the Housing Executive is now saying that it is committed to carrying out these inspections. <BR /> <BR />This answer is a reasonable approach, which has some merit, until you dig in further and ask what is actually happening. In October of last year, Roy Beggs asked how many cavity walls had been surveyed under the ECM programme. He was told that:”
“Not at the moment. <BR /> <BR />Amazingly, not one single cavity wall was inspected or borescoped. So a much bigger, more expensive study was completed. Yet, for some reason, the Housing Executive chose to ignore the findings of the SERC report and not to investigate further. <BR /> <BR />In reply to questions about cavity wall insulation over the last year or longer, the Housing Executive has now put forward a consistent response regarding the issue, namely, that it intends to investigate further through its external cyclical maintenance (ECM) schemes, to carry out samples with borescopes when deciding a programme of works and to deal with individual houses on a response basis. The ECM programme that the Housing Executive has referred to includes roofs, walls, fences etc.”
“So, the SERC report was condemned to the dustbin, but at least a bigger survey would be done. The larger survey is commonly known as the Savills report and, thanks to questions from other parties, we now know that it cost £4 million. <BR /> <BR />It was a holistic, detailed, formidable body of work. Over 22,000 houses were examined for thermal efficiency and other issues, and over 22,000 lofts were examined.”
“The letter refers to the report as "small", yet the 206 sample houses had all been included in the 2011 house condition survey (HCS) and were noted as being in good condition. The HCS provided robust data to inform on fuel poverty, energy efficiency, quality of housing stock and state of repair. It is quoted extensively throughout government, yet the sample that was used in it was only 0·18%. In comparison, the SERC sample was 0·31%, which is nearly double the size. It also appears that we were misinformed as to the purpose of the study, as it has now become a small-scale exploratory research study aimed at providing an initial indication. <BR /> <BR />The director of regional services added:”
“We were further told that the project would provide an evidence base to underpin a programme of remedial work if required. It all sounds good so far. <BR /> <BR />The study was commissioned and a report duly completed. Two hundred and six properties were thoroughly investigated, and the report was completed in March 2014. It found that 39% of cavity walls were in severe and critical need, 26% were unsatisfactory with grave needs, 11% were in significant need, 14% had specific needs, and only 9% were fit for purpose. <BR /> <BR />The report was then suppressed by the Housing Executive and published only after questions in the Assembly. It was finally released with two important provisos and its publication included a letter from the then director of regional services for the Housing Executive. It stated that:”
“The debate covered many of the issues around fuel poverty, the health issues from living in cold, damp homes, and the opportunity to create jobs and reduce consumer bills. Therefore, I wish to focus on what actions have occurred since the motion was passed and update Members on my views of progress to date. <BR /> <BR />Following the motion, several Members enquired about progress, including the current Minister. We were all referred to a study that had been commissioned by the Housing Executive: the South Eastern Regional College (SERC) report. We were told that the report would determine the condition of the insulation in cavities and that the Housing Executive would:”
“<BR /> <BR />It is acknowledged that there are UK-wide issues with regard to the deterioration of certain insulation materials, such as fibre, over time, exposure to water, and the quality of workmanship. That is a problem not only for the Housing Executive, but across the total housing stock. In the mid-1980s, the Housing Executive carried out an extensive programme of insulating cavity walls across a housing stock that was twice what it is today. In many ways, that programme was ahead of its time, but nearly 30 years have passed and many problems are now coming to light. <BR /> <BR />In November 2013, I tabled a similar motion in the Assembly on the topic. After a lively debate, the motion received all-party support.”
“I ask Members to indulge me for a few moments to explain why I have proposed the motion and the reason for its wording. Cavity wall insulation has been raised many times in the last few years by nearly all of us in the Chamber in some form or other, and it has been debated recently in the Assembly, lastly in November 2013. Sadly, little has changed since then. <BR /> <BR />Roy Beggs, Andy Allen, Pat Sheehan, Patsy McGlone and Steven Agnew have all expressed interest with Assembly questions, have met the industry and various residents, and have had the seriousness of the issue explained to them. I hope that I will have cross-community support for the motion.”
“Will the Minister give a guarantee that he will look at absolutely every option before coming to a final conclusion?”
“Unfortunately, tonight, we do not have a Minister here at what is a very important debate. He could not care less about trying to resolve these differences by working together with us.”
“I was going to ask the Minister today for the loading bay fines to be suspended from today, for the loading bays to be reviewed immediately, and for a review to be undertaken with local businesses and the council as a matter of urgency, and for those loading bays to be removed before it is too late for businesses in Bridge Street. I have here the petition that I was going to give to the Minister afterwards but, obviously, the Minister for Infrastructure could not care less about the parking problems in Bangor. He obviously does not care about the businesses that are being affected in Bangor and he obviously does not care about the people of north Down. I have repeatedly asked the Minister to visit north Down to discuss these issues and he has refused.”
“If the Minister were here, I would say that I hope that, for once, he would listen because businesses from Main Street and Bridge Street have come together to sign a petition to remove those loading bays. I also understand that the council is now deeply concerned at the impact of those loading bays and that the issue is being raised at council. In response to a recent Assembly question for written answer, the Minister said:”
“So far, £16,000 of fines have been issued — a nice little earner for the Minister's Department. One wonders whether this is the reason why these bays were put in place. Let us look at the facts. Even when these loading bays are empty, lorries and vans are still not using them and are double-parking to deliver their parcels. I have pictures to prove it and I have witnessed it on many occasions. These bays do not even make sense because there are loading bays behind the vast majority of shops and properties on Main Street and Bridge Street. If the Minister were here, I would say, "Minister, this is damaging businesses in Bangor. I can prove it." At an Infrastructure Committee meeting held in Belfast City Hall, I said to the Belfast Chamber of Trade and Commerce representative Mr McElroy:”
“It is unfortunate that the Minister could not be bothered to be in his place today to listen to these serious concerns.”
“<BR /> <BR />Since the loading bays have come into force, four things have happened: a further seven on-street car parking spaces have been lost, adding to the number lost because of the public realm design and resulting in a further loss of trade to the already struggling traders in Bridge Street and Main Street; it has led to mass confusion among shoppers and drivers, who do not understand why they cannot park in these areas; poor signage has led to further confusion; and the red coats have been queueing up with great zeal, ready to pounce on poor unsuspecting shoppers parking in the loading bays, where they always parked to shop. <BR /> <BR />In Bridge Street, all parking has been taken away because of the loading bays and the public realm work. All businesses are struggling, and one is considering closing because of the loading bay.”
“They have been operational only for a four-month period, so the Department needs to give the facts and not distort them in trying to cover up the mess created by the three loading bays and the number of parking tickets that they have generated. <BR /> <BR />The loading bays outside Menarys were never wanted. Last year, I held a meeting of the council, Transport NI and local businesses, which were complaining that the one-hour waiting times needed to be reinstated because the restrictions were affecting business. They had objected to the loading bays and were held to ransom by Transport NI because of their objection. They were forced to withdraw their complaints about the loading bays in order to get the one-hour waiting time back. That was very unfortunate.”
“This is one of the last Adjournment debates of the current Assembly. I thank the Business Committee and you, Mr Speaker, for agreeing to the debate this evening. <BR /> <BR />Bangor's three loading bays — one in Bridge Street and two in Main Street — were created as part of the public realm design. The project was delivered by the council in conjunction with the then Department for Social Development. The Department for Infrastructure, as custodian of the public highways, provided the necessary legislation to allow enforcement of the waiting and parking restrictions on the new streetscape, which, in truth, came into force only in October. An answer to an Assembly question claimed that 180 people had been fined over the last 12 months for parking in the loading bays, but the restrictions have not been in force for 12 months.”
“No. We need a new strategy between those two Departments that will give annual reports, actual actions and clear results. We owe that to our people to make their lives and society better for all.”
“That is why I am asking the House to back our motion which asks the House to recognise the link between crime and the overconsumption of alcohol, and calls on the Minister of Justice to work on a joint strategy with the Minister of Health that will aim to deliver a better targeted outcome of significantly reducing alcohol-related crimes. <BR /> <BR />We need a new strategy between the two Departments that —”
“<BR /> <BR />In conclusion, while there is cooperation between the Department of Health and the Department of Justice, with reports, strategies and documents and well-meaning sound bites, the fact remains that we are not getting on top of the problems related to alcohol consumption and its effects. The problem is costing Northern Ireland £900 million a year. It is affecting our health service, our justice system, our economy and the lives of our people. We need to find a better way to reduce these costs and to deal with the health effects. We also need to find a way to reduce the crime caused by alcohol.”
“We see explained in the document the costs to the Northern Ireland economy and the impact on our society, from the crime in local neighbourhoods to the corruption and effects of organised crime, and the health risks to the individual, families, friends and communities and society as a whole — all are affected. This has led to the outworkings of this, with the aims of support for young people and families dealing with alcohol misuse; increased public confidence and the impact on local communities; supporting offenders with targeted services; and ensuring that effective powers are available. <BR /> <BR />These are all well and good, with good aims, but are they working in reality? In my opinion, they are, at best, keeping the situation at a similar level but not making huge differences.”
“We see from the figures from the new strategic direction for alcohol and drugs — phase 2 that there appears to be some limited success in tackling alcohol and drug abuse, but there are also worrying trends that have increased. For example, adult drinking patterns have stayed the same since 2005. Problem drinking has increased slightly since 2005. Lifetime use of illegal drugs has increased from 20% in 2002 to 28%. The number of people in treatment for alcohol misuse has risen from 3,074 in 2005 to 3,891 in 2014. This is really worrying. <BR /> <BR />On the Justice side, the previous Minister published the 'Building Safer, Shared and Confident Communities' document. We see in it a section on alcohol-related crime and the new strategic direction for alcohol and drugs.”
“It was to be a five-year plan, aimed at changing culture and behaviour. It was agreed that, rather than undertake a full, new strategy development process, the existing new strategic direction for alcohol and drugs plan would be revised and extended until 2016. <BR /> <BR />Under the NSD, four advisory groups provide advice and give policy guidance, including on children, young people and families; treatment and support; binge drinking; and law and criminal justice. The function of the groups is to feed back to the NSD. The health service has also established a liaison group, with input from the Public Health Agency, and that meets to monitor overall progress against the NSD's targets and outcomes.”
“<BR /> <BR />As reported by Graeme Hetherington, research carried out by a professor at Teeside University showed that three quarters of the people in the criminal justice system have a problem with alcohol. Figures are wide and varied on the issue of the link between crime and the overconsumption of alcohol. However, we know that it is a factor, and we need to look at what can be done to help deal with this huge problem in society. <BR /> <BR />Let us look at what strategies we currently have from the Department of Justice and the Department of Health. Since 2005, the Department of Health has led the development of a cross-sectoral strategy that has sought to reduce the harm related to both alcohol and drug misuse in Northern Ireland. That was launched in 2006 and was entitled the new strategic direction for alcohol and drugs (NSD).”
“In Northern Ireland, the figures that we have been able to research suggest that the cost of alcohol abuse to the criminal justice system is around £320 million to £340 million, although I would be happy to be corrected, if there are any up-to-date figures on that. Some £150 million is incurred by health treatments and the estimated cost to the Northern Ireland economy is around £900 million. <BR /> <BR />Startling facts and figures for Northern Ireland include that 44% of all the arrests made by the PSNI in a single year were as a result of the alcohol factor. Sadly, 300 deaths were caused by drink in 2012. Two thirds of violence between strangers involved alcohol, and one third of domestic violence occurred after drinking. Some 13% of threats to kill involved alcohol.”
“However, figures for England and Wales from the Institute of Economic Affairs indicate that alcohol-related crime costs government nearly £1 billion a year, while other such drinking offences adds another £627 million, making the total cost to the police and criminal justice system in England and Wales £1·6 billion. The Institute of Economic Affairs has also calculated that drink-related health problems cost the NHS in England and Wales another £1·9 billion. That includes £984 million in hospital admissions and £530 million in alcohol-related treatments, such as attendance at accident and emergency.”
“I hope that the House will today maybe put aside any differences and unite to address what is quite a serious issue that affects our society, our health service, our justice system, our economy and many people's lives. Nobody can say for sure how much money is spent by government, either at Westminster or in Northern Ireland, trying to tackle the health problems and, indeed, the problems we have in tackling crime due to the overconsumption of alcohol.”
“Everybody knows and accepts that there is a proven link between crime and the overconsumption of alcohol. I hope that the House will today maybe put aside any differences —”
“OK. I thank the Minister for her answer. I am sure that she will agree with me that any attacks on prison officers are totally unacceptable. What facility or support is on offer to prison officers who have been assaulted?”
“I thank the Minister for his answers so far. A lot of businesses have approached me. The loading bays are causing a lack of car-parking facilities in Bangor town centre and are affecting trade. Will the Minister maybe grant me a meeting to discuss this with some of the traders?”
“Minister, what I want to know tonight is this: who sets the budgets? Why are North Down and the Ards and North Down Borough Council area getting the lowest amount of funding? How long has this been going on with the lowest amount of funding for roads and footpath maintenance? There needs to be some accountability for why this is happening, and the buck stops with the Department for Infrastructure. I want fairness and equality, and I hope the Minister will listen to me fairly tonight and will, hopefully, address some of the deep concerns I have for my constituents.”
“I have been banging my head against a brick wall trying to resolve these issues, and I know that many of my colleagues have been banging their head against a brick wall also on the issue.”
“There is also a need for new footpaths to be resurfaced in Fairfield Park. They have not been maintained, but they were on the list to be resurfaced and were pulled due to a lack of funding. Wellington Drive, Towerview Crescent, Rockmount Park and Greenwich Park in Bangor all need to have their footpaths done because they have been short-changed by Transport NI and have not been maintained. <BR /> <BR />It is becoming clear why we cannot get things fixed in North Down, and this discovery through Assembly questions shows that we are the poor relations compared with other constituencies across Northern Ireland. This is a damning indictment of Transport NI, and it is no wonder I have been getting so many complaints over the last several years.”
“I will hold the Minister to that promise. Other streets that need resurfacing because they have not been maintained properly are Churchill Avenue and the Shore Road in Millisle, Tower Road in Conlig, and Shrewsbury Drive, Chester Park and Hazelbrook in the Clandeboye area.”
“<BR /> <BR />I have been fighting for years to get roads such as Beechfield Drive and Ashfield Drive in Donaghadee resurfaced. An answer to a question for written answer — they can be very useful — revealed that they have not been resurfaced in over 40 years despite over 50 letters from many residents to the previous Minister to try to get that resolved. No records have even been kept of the history of William Street in Donaghadee, other than it might have been resurfaced before 1973. When I asked you to visit so that I could show you the state of those streets — they are crumbling and in a bad state — you did not want to come down to my constituency to see them. Hopefully, you will change your mind.”
“After all, the Minister's party believes in equality. I want equality for my constituents. As things stand, they are being discriminated against, and I want to know why. I want to know who made the decisions to give my constituency the least funding. What are the reasons for that? Who agreed to it? Was it Transport NI or the Department for Infrastructure? <BR /> <BR />Last year, I had to practically beg Transport NI to spray the weeds — I think that my colleague will agree. I had to beg for the grass to be cut. I had to beg to get potholes repaired. I had to beg to get street lights fixed. I even had to walk round housing estates on my own because the street-light people would not go out and fix them. I had to go out to get the street-lamp numbers. I should not have had to do that.”
“We also get the least money for fixing street lights, footpath resurfacing and weed spraying. My North Down constituency finds itself in a truly appalling situation: it has the least funding of all the council areas across Northern Ireland despite its population being the third highest in Northern Ireland and it having a vast rural network. <BR /> <BR />Minister, the real nub of the Adjournment topic is to get a satisfactory answer to why my constituency gets the least funding. When I challenged you recently about that, you said that somebody has to get the least. I am sorry, but that answer is really not good enough. I need to know why we are not getting more. I hope that you understand. <BR /> <BR />My constituents deserve funding equal to that received by any other area in Northern Ireland.”
“I have been left appalled and deeply concerned by the level of funding from Transport NI for footpath and road maintenance, weed spraying, potholes, resurfacing and general maintenance for the north Down area. I had suspected for some time that the north Down area had been discriminated against by Transport NI through having the least funding for the general maintenance and resurfacing of roads and footpaths. That was confirmed in answers to numerous questions for written answer that I submitted. For instance, an answer to one of those recent questions revealed that the eastern division gets £2·5 million whereas the northern, southern and western divisions get a great deal more. <BR /> <BR />We see from other answers that, for grass-cutting maintenance right across the Ards and North Down Borough Council area, we get the least funding.”
“I feel that more can be done to make the A2, in general, safer for drivers. A central reservation barrier should be erected at the Devil's Elbow in particular. The bend is severe, and there have been many accidents at that point. <BR /> <BR />There are also maintenance issues, such as getting the grass cut, which is causing a hindrance for drivers. As my colleague mentioned, hedges are blocking signs, and that needs to be looked at. <BR /> <BR />One death on our roads is too many. If anything can be done on the A2 to increase safety and save a life, I urge the Minister to take what steps he can to do that.”
“If he does not know, perhaps he will come back to us.”
“Some of the junctions have been mentioned, and if, as Dr Farry mentioned, the go-ahead is given for new houses as Kinnegar, there will have to be a major overhaul of the A2 to ensure that it can cope with the huge number of houses that will be built on such a big site. We have also mentioned Ballyrobert, where a car business is planning to extend. We need to ensure that the proper facilities are in place at that junction to cope with that. <BR /> <BR />Roads Service has also identified a potential improvement on the Carney Hill junction to provide a right-turn pocket from the Belfast direction to reduce the risk of rear-end shunts. However, this scheme seems unlikely to proceed in the foreseeable future due to the limited availability of funding. Maybe the Minister will give us an update on that.”
“Those include the death of a 75-year-old woman following a two-vehicle crash, which was mentioned, and the death of a cyclist aged in his sixties who died after being hit by a car. <BR /> <BR />The A2 Belfast to Bangor road carries approximately 45,000 vehicles a day and has many junctions. I am aware that Roads Service has longer-term plans, including proposals to widen the busiest section of that route, the Sydenham bypass, to three lanes in each direction to improve capacity and reduce delays at peak times. I also understand that it has long-term plans to improve a number of junctions between the Holywood to Ballyrobert section of the A2 to improve road safety.”
“I congratulate my colleague for securing the Adjournment debate. I recognise that the A2 is the busiest road that we have in North Down, and it is perhaps one of the busiest in Northern Ireland. It has a bad history of accidents, and that has been the case in recent times as well. <BR /> <BR />The introduction of the speed enforcement camera system — a series of cameras on the A2 dual carriageway between Bangor and Belfast — has been an important weapon in fighting against speeding drivers and in helping to reduce some accidents. Rather than flashing drivers who are speeding at a fixed point, the system monitors the rate of every car over a certain distance, and that has helped to reduce the incidences of speeding on the A2. However, we are only too aware that there have been several fatalities in recent times.”
“Sorry, I am coming to the end. <BR /> <BR />In conclusion, urgent action is required to reduce the burden of fines and increase flexibility in order to encourage shoppers into our town centres. Transport NI should start to listen for a change. The Minister needs to move quickly and look at this as a matter of urgency for our local businesses and shoppers.”
“A Northern Ireland Independent Retail Trade Association (NIIRTA) report recommended 80 policy priorities for local economic development and that DRD devolve on-street car parking to councils to give them more responsibility for developing the potential of their towns. Councils should give discount on their off-street car parks at key times, such as Christmas and other festivals. Free one-hour on-street car parking in 30 towns should continue. Indeed, it should be extended to all towns, including Belfast, Lisburn and Newry, but lowered to 30 minutes.”