Arlene Foster
Fermanagh and South Tyrone · Ulster Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“Yet, like too many projects, it has been tied up in legal wrangles. Too many infrastructure projects are being swallowed up in the courts. We need to improve the expertise in infrastructure delivery. We need better infrastructure for the next generation, but key projects being delayed by 10-plus years is unsustainable.”
“Any agreement involves compromises but NDNA had two central pillars that, I believe, remain important: ambition for devolution and a new cultural deal. The breadth and depth of issues that NDNA set us all to deliver on would have been enough to fill an entire term or perhaps more, let alone two years of government.”
“That confidence-and-supply agreement will leave a legacy but also highlights our challenges. Some £150 million has been rolled out via Project Stratum to bring broadband to rural areas and leave Northern Ireland as the best-connected region in Europe. When it is completed, the project will be transformational to our economy.”
“However, such short-term advantage comes at the cost of long-term harm to relationships. It is not a real partnership. Imbalance and instability are built in that will fester and deteriorate. If Brussels continues to think that the protocol is enough, it is in denial.”
“Colleagues inside and outside the House know very well that all periods of leadership must come to an end. That is why, when we are privileged and, indeed, honoured to hold such a position, we must not waste a moment in frivolous brinkmanship but forge ahead on behalf of those whom we represent.”
“The recommendations of the Commission on Flags, Identity, Culture and Tradition (FICT) are to be taken forward as well. I encourage all of you to do all of it, to take it forward in its totality and to speak of and implement it as one complete, independent package: a new cultural deal for Northern Ireland's new century.”
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“Yes. We do that in a number of ways. As an Executive, we take advice from the Strategic Investment Board on our strategy going forward. Prior to 2019, one of the primary ways in which Buy Social achieved social benefit through public procurement was targeted recruitment and training clauses, requiring contractors to provide a portion of the total weeks of employment on the contract to new-entrant trainees: people who did not have any substantial work experience, such as those who had just left school or college, or the long-term unemployed. That is very important. Often, I meet young people who have not succeeded at school in terms of gaining academic qualifications, and they can find it very difficult to get work experience.”
“Subject to the agreement of the Executive, it is intended that the investment strategy will be brought forward during the 2021-22 year.”
“We all recognise the need to invest for the future in our infrastructure to ensure that individuals and businesses benefit from the best possible facilities and services. The investment strategy is the Executive's strategic description of how we will focus our available capital resources to address the social and economic values and outcomes set out in the Programme for Government. The current investment strategy covers the years 2011-2021. We expect that, by March 2021, over £14 billion will have been invested in infrastructure under that strategy. <BR /> <BR />The next investment strategy will be developed in parallel with the Programme for Government. It will be informed by the priorities and outcomes in the Programme for Government and by the overall expectation of public finance availability.”
“Yes. Minutes are kept of all meetings, as agreed in New Decade, New Approach. The minutes are kept by our officials.”
“Unfortunately, the deputy First Minister was unable to meet Mr Mulvaney; the two junior Ministers and I met the envoy on that occasion. I hear the Belfast Agreement — others refer to it as the Good Friday Agreement — referenced on many occasions. Sometimes, I wonder whether people have actually read the contents. The document, although not very long, is well worth rereading. I am sure that the Member is very much aware of the three strands that it contains: North/South, east-west and the totality of relationships, recognising, of course, that it is for the people of Northern Ireland to determine their future. As he well knows, the consent principle lies at the very heart of it.”
“In doing so, we will, of course, work across all of the strands of the Belfast Agreement — North/South and east-west — as well as making this place operational and working for the good of everyone.”
“I must say to the Member that I am confident that anything that has been discussed thus far with regard to our leaving the European Union, including the Internal Market Bill at Westminster, does not constitute any threat to the Belfast Agreement. That was acknowledged by Mick Mulvaney when he was here. He made those comments when he was asked about and pushed on the Internal Market Bill. Of course, he wants us to proceed here and work together for the benefit of all the people in Northern Ireland. I am certainly committed to doing that. I hope that when we transition out of the European Union, we will continue to do the work that is necessary here in Northern Ireland.”
“No, he did not discuss that with any of the Ministers. I have to take issue with the Member's characterisation of the special envoy. Mick Mulvaney is a friend of Northern Ireland. He has been appointed to do a job. We look forward to working with him. We had wide-ranging conversations, in particular about alternative energy and the Economy Minister's desire for a hydrogen hub in Northern Ireland. We discussed that with him. It was a very useful meeting. We will have further meetings with the special envoy in due course. We look forward to him being able to assist us to get into new businesses and, indeed, new sectors to the benefit of all the people of Northern Ireland.”
“It was an important meeting to develop further our links with the United States as our biggest international investor and a key supporter of Northern Ireland.”
“Junior Ministers Lyons and Kearney and I met the US special envoy, Mick Mulvaney, for a wide-ranging discussion on significant issues, including Executive priorities, current challenges and future opportunities. It included the challenges that are being faced globally and locally as we work to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. We also addressed the issues that are arising from the fast-approaching end of the Brexit transition period and the challenges that that presents. Economic recovery was also a key issue that was discussed. There was particular focus on some of our important industry sectors, such as aerospace, alternative energy and digital technologies, in which the special envoy has a keen interest.”
“We did so because we very much believe that there is a need for the Executive as a whole to discuss the issues that are in front of us. We do that every week at the Executive subcommittee. The place for scrutiny of all those matters is in the departmental Committees, whether that be the Agriculture Committee, the Economy Committee or, indeed, the Executive Office Committee. We felt, therefore, that setting up an additional level of bureaucracy was not the way in which to proceed, but instead to give scrutiny Committees their place so that they could take the matter forward.”
“The first meeting of the interdepartmental working group on operational readiness took place on 1 July 2020. Initially, it met only monthly, but now it meets fortnightly. While a non-negotiated outcome is very different from a no-deal Brexit, which Operation Yellowhammer was dealing with this time last year, similar themes and issues arise. Much of the preparatory work was undertaken for Yellowhammer. We are building on that in the event that there is a non-negotiated outcome. I very much hope that that is not the case, because I think that a non-negotiated outcome would be the worst outcome for everyone.”
“As I have said to the House already, the group came into being after our Executive meeting on 15 June. It was really to provide a focus across government, recognising that there are many Departments involved in operational readiness.”
“<BR /> <BR />Therefore, there already are some ways of dealing with the pressure that is undoubtedly there, and I welcome the fact that there is that acknowledgement because it gives some certainty to our companies. We will continue to work with our colleagues in the UK Government to try to get more clarity for our businesses because we recognise the need to provide clarity for our businesses and for our citizens.”
“I hope that the Member agrees with me that the best outcome would be for an agreement between the European Union and the United Kingdom so that we can move forward together. There have already been some ways of dealing with what the Member refers to. He will have noticed that, for qualifying goods going from Northern Ireland to Great Britain, the statutory instrument already accepts that whatever is freely available in Northern Ireland at the moment will be taken as qualifying goods. However, that will be revisited in July 2021. So, there is already an acknowledgement that some of these issues will not be ready in time. That is the same whether goods are coming from the Republic of Ireland through Northern Ireland into Great Britain or, indeed, from other places in the European Union into Great Britain.”
“Following Executive agreement, the EU future relations team in the Executive Office has been coordinating readiness planning across all Departments to include an option for a non-negotiated outcome. That work builds on preparations made in the lead up to a potential no-deal exit in 2019. The Executive Office has established an interdepartmental working group on operational readiness, which meets regularly to consider cross-cutting issues and challenges. While we are preparing for a non-negotiated outcome, it is important to remember that the protocol will still apply in that scenario.”
“I hear the Member's question, and I am sure that the Economy Minister will be looking carefully at the industry to see if interventions are needed to help. I accept what the Member says about such workers being in low-paid jobs and, sometimes, on zero-hours contracts. There is a need to be aware of all that, and I am sure that the Economy Minister, or, indeed, the Communities Minister, will bring forward any support proposals if that is deemed necessary.”
“<BR /> <BR />People can meet others outside in the open air, where it is well-ventilated and they are socially distancing. There is no science to this, Mr Allister. I know that you will want to interrogate the regulations and that is absolutely the right thing for the House to do. However, I ask the Member to bear with us in the enforcement of these regulations because we are trying to do something that we have never done, which is to stop the transmission of the virus, and we are asking people to work with us in that respect.”
“I thank the Member for his question. I apologise if a draft statement was put out. The statement that I delivered is the statement, just to be clear. <BR /> <BR />In terms of enforcement, the regulations will be laid tomorrow, and they will come into force tomorrow evening at midnight. So, tomorrow is the last day, if you like, of the old regime, and the regulations will come into force on Thursday. <BR /> <BR />As for individuals in public houses, the responsibility lies with the individuals. I am not making any apologies for the fact that it will be difficult to enforce that. I accept that, but we are saying to people, "If you want to work with us and break the transmission of the virus, the best way to do that is to limit your social contact with other individuals from different households inside." That is why we are having that limit.”
“Hotels and bars will stop serving alcohol at 10.30 pm. So, last orders will be at 10.30 pm, just to be clear, and people will be off the premises by 11.00 pm. That is what the restrictions will say. <BR /> <BR />As for the assessment of redundancies and what have you, I think that we were very clear about the importance of allowing for a second sitting in restaurants and pubs that sell food. That was an effort to try to make sure that they are viable. Without that, it would have been challenging for some restaurants. As I said, this will not be welcome, but it will be better than closing at 10.00 pm and having some of the associated difficulties with that.”
“They were gaming the regulations, and we were aware of that. I think that it is important that the whole sector is now open, although we have put the whole sector under a curfew of 11.00 pm. I hope that that will give some clarity. <BR /> <BR />It will not be welcomed by the industry. I recognise that. However, we are doing it to try to ensure that we stop the spread of coronavirus and break the transmission levels as well.”
“I thank the Member for his question. I hope that my coming here today and setting out the rationale behind the decision to close hospitality premises at 11.00 pm explains what we are trying to do in that respect. I hope also that the fact that the whole hospitality industry will be closed by 11.00 pm gives clarity to the Police Service of Northern Ireland and makes enforcement easier for it. There are no exceptions, no late licences, and therefore the police will know that no hospitality premises should be open after 11.00 pm. <BR /> <BR />When we had the differentiation between wet bars and those selling food, it was difficult to enforce. I accept that. I know that there were some very good businesses that were faithful in keeping their doors closed, as wet bars only, but there were some that were not.”
“When you look at the numbers of people who are testing positive for COVID, it is an appropriate and necessary step that we are taking.”
“I thank the Member for her question. The junior Ministers do take on that role, not just engaging with the police but with Solace. They have very much been part of those conversations and with other agencies that may have a role in enforcement. <BR /> <BR />I could not be clearer: we do not want to have to enforce the rules. We would much prefer that people complied with them and worked with us. There needs to be, dare I say it, that backstop to deal with these issues, and the police have been very good in working with the Executive Office. If there is an issue, they come and talk to us and we try to sort the issue out. As Mr Beattie said earlier, none of this is perfect. We are trying deal with an emerging situation.”
“I hope that Members appreciate that this is not something that we arrive at very quickly. We take considerable time to deal with these issues and we will continue to work together. That is a critical point in an effort to do what is right for all the citizens of Northern Ireland.”
“I thank the Member for his question. I do not want to get into the details of Executive meetings. It would be invidious and wrong to do that. I think that it is a common cause. The Justice Minister has made comments relating to the enforcement group. It is my understanding that the reason why she felt that she did not want to chair that group was because the remit was wider than the Justice portfolio. <BR /> <BR />It is incredibly important that all five Executive parties work together at this critical time. Whilst we all may have different views on different things, it is important that we listen to the data. Today, I have tried to outline the data to the House as to why we are taking these decisions. I have tried to explain the rationale behind the 11.00 pm curfew as opposed to another time.”
“That is something that we always keep to the forefront of our mind. We do not want to bring forward restrictions on hospitality; we are only doing so because we believe that it is necessary, but we do believe that it is proportionate.”
“I thank the Member for her question. Indeed, we are considering a menu of interventions and it is important that we do. The positive thing to say to the Member is that, as we understand it from our Chief Scientific Adviser, the household restrictions that we put in place in Ballymena had the impact of reversing the trend in that area. In Belfast, the household restrictions slowed the transmission of the virus. <BR /> <BR />It is important that we continue to monitor the restrictions that we put in place to see what impact that they are having before we bring forward other restrictions. We are very conscious of the fact that the Act under which this is all happening, and on which we have received quite a lot of correspondence recently, says that we need to be proportionate and that it needs to be necessary.”
“This morning, I was reading about someone who is vegan being offered Mars bars in support, so a lot of support needs to be put into that. Obviously, we are in touch with Queen's University about those who have been diagnosed as COVID-positive and those who are self-isolating in order to ensure that the appropriate support is in place. Therefore, it is an ongoing issue. It is a developing issue, unfortunately. We will continue to work with the universities on it.”
“I will start with the latter end of that question. Yes: at present, students can go home at the weekends and at the end of term. That is something that we will look at continually. It goes back to the issue of families being able to come together. We know that, uniquely, young people go home at the weekends for various reasons, perhaps for a job or just to see their family. We ask them to exercise caution. Of course, if they have any symptoms, they should self-isolate and seek a test. <BR /> <BR />We are working with the universities. Officials are having a meeting with the universities today. That is important. I have to say that some of the scenes from other universities on the mainland have been quite distressing.”
“Of course, in Northern Ireland, family is very important. The voice of the family needs to be there as well. There is no doubt that that will become a louder voice as we move towards some of the very significant times when family would be together, such as Christmas. Therefore, we have a big job of work to do in relation to how we bring together all those different strands, because it is highly important that, whilst, of course, we have to deal with the COVID piece, there are so many other pieces that we must deal with as well.”
“I thank the Member for that very good question. In our recovery framework, we have been considering how we listen to, sometimes, contrary narratives. We have been looking at economic well-being and societal well-being, including mental health and how we can ensure that we take action around that. That is one of the reasons why it was important to have Professor Siobhan O'Neill put into office as the mental health champion. We have been looking at non-COVID health. The Member will know that Minister of Health has brought forward his cancer plan. There are many other conditions for which he needs to bring forward plans. I am sure that we are all getting correspondence in relation to that. <BR /> <BR />Importantly, we are looking at things from a family point of view. I know that there has been a lot of discussion about the family unit.”
“If the Health Minister comes to the Executive and says that he needs further resources for his testing programme, I think that he will have a very empathetic ear from the Executive. We will want to ensure that he has the resources available to him. If he does that, we will certainly listen to what he has to say.”
“I thank the Member for his question, and he is right. I looked at some of the headlines in the newspapers this morning. It is a sobering thought that 1 million people have lost their lives to this pandemic across the world. <BR /> <BR />We have been very pleased with the way in which the test-and-trace system has been working, particularly in our care homes. We have been able to identify the fact that there has been COVID-19 in some of our care homes solely through our testing regime. I think that 24 out of the 28 care homes that were confirmed to have COVID in them were identified by the testing programme. That is progress. Obviously, we wish that it was not in any care homes.”
“So I say to people, if you do not individually feel that you are at risk, think of your family, think of your friends and think of those around you who are vulnerable. Please do not be selfish. Please do the right thing and abide by the guidance and the regulations that are there.”
“If they do not want to believe me, they can look at the data. As the Chair of the Committee rightly pointed out, the data is very clear. We have 1,513 new cases in the last seven days. At the height of the pandemic, we did not have that number of cases. It is not a hoax; it is a reality. If you speak to anyone who has been unfortunate enough to contract COVID-19, they will tell you very clearly that it is not a hoax. It is something that does not just impact on them during the time when they are feeling unwell; it stays with them for a considerable length of time as well. It has an impact on all your organs and is a very painful experience to go through — a very scary experience as well — sometimes, sadly, leading to death.”
“Originally we were looking at some of the issues around the Holylands, but now that group is wider. As I say, any Minister can attend that meeting. We will ensure that the note is sent out from our office to any Minister who wants to attend, so that they can attend if desired.”
“As I have said, I cannot answer for the Minister of Justice, and I am sure that you will raise this with the Minister directly. My understanding is that she did not want to chair the meeting because she felt that the remit of the enforcement group was wider than her departmental responsibilities. I think that that is patently the case. However, I say to all Ministers in the Executive that that enforcement group is open to anyone who wishes to come along. I pay tribute to the junior Ministers for the work that they have been doing, along with the Health Minister, on that committee. It is not an easy subject. We certainly do not want to be in a position to have to enforce any of this. We would much prefer it if people complied and worked with us, but, unfortunately, we have to have enforcement.”
“I wanted to explain the thinking behind the regulations and to say that I believe that this is the best way forward. It is a reasoned way forward, and that is what we have put before the House.”
“I recognise the Member's expertise in the area, but we believe that, if last orders are at 10.30 pm, you have drinking-up time until 11.00 pm. The off-licences close at 11.00 pm. If people decide to leave the bars at 10.00 pm and go to the off-licences, there is little that we can do about that. We are trying to have uniformity across the piece, and we think that having off-licences, supermarkets and all of the hospitality industry close at the same time gives uniformity and provides clarity. We have heard from people that, when there are different times, they are confused. We took time over this, and we took criticism for not announcing it last Thursday, but we were determined to get the regulations right and to make sure that we had clarity. That is why I wanted to come to the House today.”
“I know that some in the hospitality industry will be disappointed by the announcement — we have heard from some this morning — but we are doing this to keep them open generally and to allow people to continue, albeit in a more limited way; I accept that. However, we hope that, if we take action now, we can stop the spread and the transmission and then, hopefully, deal with the issues in a progressive way so that we can return to normality more quickly. If we do not intervene now, things will get worse and we will have to take more punitive measures, and none of us wants to do that. We want to stop the transmission of the virus. That is the focus.”
“We were conscious of the 11.30 pm curfew in the Republic of Ireland and of what was happening on the UK mainland, but we have always said that we will take the decisions that are appropriate to Northern Ireland. That is what we have done in this regard. We have recognised that it might be a slightly later time in the Republic of Ireland, but, frankly, the time for travel is so short that we do not think that there is an incentive to go across the border to continue to seek alcohol. We have taken into consideration the different jurisdictions and the different experiences, while listening to our hospitality industry.”
“Part of it is enforcement, but, again, I stress that it is important that everybody has responsibility for their own actions. Compliance is important as we run through what will be a difficult time for us all over the next couple of weeks and months.”
“Obviously, it would be inappropriate for me to answer on behalf of the Justice Minister, but I think that she took the view that the enforcement issues were wider than her ministerial portfolio, so she did not feel that it was appropriate to chair the group. <BR /> <BR />It is important that we have the group in place; we cannot allow things to be held back. The junior Ministers chair the enforcement group. It is highly important that that work continues. As the Member knows, I said yesterday that the Executive Office is meeting the universities today, and the enforcement group will continue to meet local government, our colleagues in the Police Service of Northern Ireland and all the other agencies that have a role in enforcement.”
“It is important that they can continue that work, but, at the same time, we must be able to track where the virus is and try to break transmission. That is the most important thing.”
“I heard the GP from, I think, Lifford make that very point about the tracking and tracing. I was a little surprised at that, because I had understood that our StopCOVID NI app was interoperable with the app in the Republic of Ireland. We will certainly look at that. I know that the Chief Medical Officer here and his counterpart in Dublin have been working closely on those issues. The deputy First Minister and I took calls from the Taoiseach last Thursday during which he alerted us to the issue in Donegal, and, after those calls, we immediately spoke to the Chief Medical Officer to make sure that there was that ongoing contact. We, of course, realise that a lot of people work in either jurisdiction.”
“The Executive information service is engaging on new digital messaging and using radio stations such as Cool FM that the younger generation listens to — although I am partial to a bit of Cool FM myself, Mr Speaker. It is important that we use the appropriate platforms to reach our younger people, and we are certainly looking at that.”
“I have responded to why we decided on 11.00 pm: it was because we considered all the different issues, such as ensuring that hospitality could have a second sitting if people were having food and making sure that we closed at the same time as off-licences and supermarkets for the sale of alcohol. We also took it into account that there was a small differential between us and the Republic of Ireland, which means that people should not travel across the border because of that differential, and, of course, we considered the experience of the 10.00 pm curfew on the mainland. <BR /> <BR />The Member is right to point out the need for us to have good messaging for young people. I addressed that yesterday at Question Time, and I believe that we need to reach them effectively.”
“Beer bikes are a particular problem. We are considering how to deal with that problem, and officials will engage with the operators of those bikes. The Member is right to point out that beer bikes still need to be dealt with, and I hope that we can deal with them sooner rather than later. They are an anomaly that needs to be dealt with.”
“<BR /> <BR />That is why we chose the 11 o'clock curfew. There was a reasoned discussion amongst colleagues. The decision has the support of the Chief Medical Officer and the Chief Scientific Adviser. We took a holistic approach and considered behaviour patterns: what will happen when people leave public houses, hotels, restaurants and what have you? That is why we arrived at the decision of 11 o'clock.”