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.”
The complete record
Every one of 3,345 lines we hold for Arlene Foster, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 27 of 67.
“That consultation ends on 23 December, just before Christmas.”
“It has been received very well, apart from that response from the Ulster Unionist Party. Eight hundred and ten consultees have put forward their views. Most of them are a little bit longer than that. The deputy First Minister and I were at a conference organised recently in Belfast that was attended mostly by local government and the third sector. Attendees warmly welcomed the outcome-focused approach and the very collaborative way in which we are taking forward the Programme for Government. I think that most people recognise the need to work not just across government but outside of government if we are going to make a real impact with what we want to do for Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />It has been received very well. The second iteration is now out for consultation. I encourage everyone to look at it and bring forward their ideas.”
“And it gives us draft wording. That is it. That is it in terms of the Programme for Government. That is it in terms of what one of the Opposition parties has to say in relation to the Programme for Government. That is it.”
“Bear in mind that it has had months to put together its response to the Programme for Government. This is what we get:”
“I will read it out with your permission, Mr Speaker:”
“Yes, I can. This is the response to the Programme for Government from the Ulster Unionist Party. The first page is a commentary on the Programme for Government. Most of the second page is the same. The response has one — one — item that the party wanted to bring to the attention of the Executive.”
“That is a very creative way in which to get the renewable heat incentive scheme into First Minister's questions. We are engaging weekly with the Finance Minister on the Budget. That will become a lot clearer once we have had the autumn statement, which is at the end of this month. Then, we will be able to align the Budget with the Programme for Government and, indeed, deal with any other demands on the Budget.”
“We are taking a collaborative approach to developing the Programme for Government. There is regular engagement with Executive colleagues, including the Minister of Finance, on the draft Programme for Government that was agreed by the Executive on 27 October 2016. Those engagements will continue as we put in place plans to realise the programme's outcome of societal well-being. Clearly, there is a connection between work on the Programme for Government and work on the Budget. Once we have greater clarity regarding our funding envelope, which will be after the Westminster autumn statement, we will carefully align the Budget with the Programme for Government.”
“In that respect, we will be able to pull the programme together and take advantage of that money, which, as I say, has not been lost but has simply been rolled forward, so that we can deliver in a more positive way for the communities involved.”
“No. I do not feel embarrassed at all, because, as I have just told you, £498,000 has been drawn down under the Fresh Start Agreement to help people in communities right across Northern Ireland under three Housing Executive programmes. That is just one part of A Fresh Start. Why would I be embarrassed about that? I am not embarrassed about it at all. In fact, it is something that we should celebrate. <BR /> <BR />The money that he refers to is, of course, money that will be rolled forward into next year. Sometimes, people have this thing and think that we have lost money because a programme has not been pulled together. I would much rather that the programme be the correct one and that it really can deliver for communities.”
“Work is ongoing, with the Housing Executive in the lead, to deal with community tensions and community programmes. <BR /> <BR />Again, we all have to take leadership roles on the matter. It is what we need to do in the Assembly: give leadership; say that those activities that are going on, sometimes at a very low level, are completely unacceptable; and try to move people away from those activities to more progressive and positive matters. The programmes come into their own in and around re-imaging. I saw some of the very good work that went on in the past with those projects through the Department for Social Development, as it then was. Those projects are now being put forward through the Fresh Start Agreement.”
“Of course, his characterisation is wrong — the Government in Westminster have made that very clear — but I would expect him to characterise it in that fashion. Yes, I was rather alarmed to hear those figures last week. When I made enquiries into what the Housing Executive is doing on the matter, I was told that it has been able to, under Fresh Start allocations, draw down £498,000 — not an insubstantial amount of money — to deal with three programmes: one on community empowerment; one on re-imaging communities, which will try to deal with some of the issues that led to those people being rehoused; and one on bonfire management, which always becomes a very topical issue at a particular time of the year, not just in the House but in councils across the piece.”
“As I said, we are progressing well on the shared education piece. I am pleased with the number of projects for which funding has been made available, including one very close to my heart in Brookeborough. It is good to see them progressing well. Under Delivering Social Change, we have been able to give £25 million to incentivise shared education between 314 schools, which, as I think she will agree, is a very good march forward. Shared housing is also moving along very well. There has been good progress made on the sharing front. Of course, there is always more that we would like to do, but we will continue to push ahead on this agenda.”
“Under Delivering Social Change, we have a £25 million project to incentivise shared education partnerships between schools and to enhance opportunities for children and young people to learn together regardless of their religious or cultural background. Some 314 schools are engaged in 134 partnerships, and a further call for applications has been made. The shared neighbourhoods programme is also progressing well. Two schemes at Ballynafoy Close on the Ravenhill Road and Manse Court in Saintfield have been completed. A further two schemes are near completion and six others are under construction. The Executive will consider in due course how to build on this significant success.”
“The Executive action plan, which was published in July, sets out how we intend to take forward and implement all the recommendations in the three-person panel report, including arrangements for reporting progress. On good relations, we are committed to building on existing strategies and will give them ongoing consideration. Together: Building a United Community includes the establishment of 10 shared education campuses and the creation of 10 new shared housing schemes, and we are making good progress on them. Five shared education campuses are being progressed at the Moy, Limavady, Ballycastle, Brookeborough and Duneane/Moneynick. Following a third call for applications, we expect to announce the successful projects in May 2017.”
“No, I do not have any concerns. We took advice from the head of the Civil Service, who took legal advice. This use of the royal prerogative is under an enabling power set out in section 23(3) of the Northern Ireland Act. So, there is legislative cover, if he wants to go down the line of the court case in England. I have no difficulty in saying that we used the prerogative in the appropriate way.”
“I suppose that we could have asked the Attorney General for his opinion. At the time, we thought that we would ask the head of the Civil Service whether we could use the power. He checked with his legal advisers and came back with the answer that it was available for us to use. We could easily have asked the Attorney General; there is no mystery in any of this.”
“There is no mystery in the use of the power: it was given to us under the Northern Ireland Act, as I indicated, and is there for all to see.”
“Thus far, no one has taken me to court for the use of the royal prerogative. I suppose that there is always time. Of course, the Member is right to say that this is not the first time that the royal prerogative power has been used; it is the fourth time since devolution returned to Northern Ireland. The first time it was used was by the then First Minister, David Trimble, and deputy First Minister, Seamus Mallon. As I said, it was used by us for the first time since I became First Minister when we appointed the press secretary.”
“Last week's court ruling was that article 50 had to go back to Parliament, but, as the Prime Minister has made very clear, Brexit will still continue because that was the expressed will of the British people in the referendum on 23 June. Whilst the mechanisms may change, she is very clear that Brexit means Brexit. We are very focused on our engagement, and the deputy First Minister and I will be in London this Wednesday, along with our colleagues from Scotland and Wales, to meet David Davis. We have a Joint Ministerial Committee to deal with those European matters and very much look forward to that positive engagement.”
“He was appointed to create a more in-depth understanding among the general public of what the Executive are doing in their policies. The role of the press secretary is very clear. It has been set out in the many answers that we have given about his job title and job specification, and he will work to that specification and that job title.”
“Of course, we are looking at the Executive information service (EIS). Indeed, following the director's retirement, a structural review is ongoing. The role of the press secretary is to do what the Member outlined: to work right across government so that we have a cohesive approach to the media; and to ensure that, instead of the sometimes glib and trite understanding of what is going on up here, there is a more in-depth understanding of the challenges that face the Executive and how we intend to deal with them. Yes, the press secretary was very much involved in the launch of the Bengoa report and the action plan from the Minister of Health. He will be involved in many other initiatives as well. I am sure that there will be cost savings, but, of course, that was not the main reason why this gentleman was appointed.”
“We were advised by the head of the Civil Service that we could use the prerogative powers conferred on us by section 23(3) of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 to make an order that would enable us to make such an appointment. He took advice from his Civil Service legal advisers before informing us. The appointment was then made under the provisions of that order. Therefore, the prerogative was not used to directly appoint the Executive press secretary; he was appointed under an enabling provision lawfully made using the prerogative power.”
“I was alarmed to see the motion in relation to Israel that was put forward in that council as well, particularly at a time when Jews in Belfast — we are told this by the rabbi — are feeling very intimidated and under attack. The council should reflect on that. We have heard a lot from other parties in the Assembly about equality and non-discrimination and about making sure that everybody feels at home in Northern Ireland. What about the Jewish people? Do they not have a right to feel at home in Northern Ireland as well? They are very welcome and they are a very key part of the community here in Northern Ireland.”
“It is a very retrograde step when you try to boycott one paper or another. Many of us have been the subject of investigations and scrutiny by the press; that is what they do and that is their job. I condemn the threatening behaviour directed towards not only Father Gary Donegan but a journalist on Saturday morning when he was only doing his job in north Belfast. It is absolutely scandalous that anyone should be faced with that sort of threatening and intimidating behaviour, and I want to send out a very strong message that it is simply not acceptable.”
“I did not say I did not think it was important. Of course it is important that businesses have access to their markets. That is why we raised it in the letter of 10 August. If the Member wants, I will do him up a specially gilded copy of the letter of 10 August, and send it to his office.”
“You see. I have said that we will continue to work with businesses and, unlike the Alliance Party, the deputy First Minister and I are speaking directly to members of the business community. Last week, we had a very good engagement with the Chamber of Commerce, when there were disparate voices from all around the Province and from all sorts of different sectors. It was a very good engagement. We will continue to listen to their concerns. <BR /> <BR />It is wrong for the Alliance Party to say that we have not raised this issue. It is one of the very key issues that we raised in our letter of 10 August to the Prime Minister. It is wrong to say that we are not representing the business community in Northern Ireland; very wrong indeed.”
“Alliance Party Members are very exercised today, and we can hear the noise from them up here, even at the opposite end of the Chamber. I have answered the question about the single market. I have said —”
“I hope we are moving to a resolution of the matter. The Secretary of State indicated he would like to consult with the wider community on the way forward, probably in the autumn time. We look forward to him doing that so we can have an open and transparent look at what he is suggesting. It is very important that, whatever comes out of this, there can be no rewriting of what happened in the past. The past stands on its own facts and people should not try to spin what happened in the past in a particular direction. Therefore, I hope we get to a situation where we have a holistic way of dealing with the past because, until we do, there will be various attempts to rewrite the past, and that is something I certainly will not stand for.”
“This is an issue that is still very much to the fore. I continue to have very useful engagement with victims groups across Northern Ireland. I recently met Decorum NI in Bangor. I met the Mid Ulster group, along with Keith Buchanan, just last week and, yesterday, I was with a group from the Ulster Special Constabulary Association. I will continue to engage with victims groups as we move towards trying to deal with the legacy of the past.”
“There have been many calls for a panel of redress, and I can understand why that is the case; not least the fact that the victims are not getting any younger, but we do not want to pre-judge what Mr Justice Hart will say in his judgement. He may well have decided — I do not know whether he has or not — which particular form the redress should take or what the process should be around it. He may, on the other hand, leave it up to us to decide what redress should happen. I do not want to pre-judge what Mr Justice Hart might say. I know that there are many victims who might want us to move ahead on this, but it is now October, and we expect the report in January or February of next year. I can assure people that, when we get the report, we will not sit on it; we will deal with the consequences of it as quickly as we can.”
“Indeed. As I understand it, Mr Justice Hart is writing his long-awaited judgement on the hearings that he listened to very empathetically in Banbridge courthouse. We look forward to receiving that judgement, we believe, early next year. We will, of course, give it due consideration.”
“Of course, we are not there yet. As you know, the Chancellor has indicated that anything signed off before the autumn statement will be honoured. That is a very good indicator, which has given some time, so that groups and, indeed, the SEUPB can have offers in place. For offers that are not in place after that date, I understand that the Finance Minister is continuing his negotiations with the Treasury, and we will, of course, support him in those efforts.”
“We will, of course, support the Finance Minister as he tries to push those organisations in the correct direction.”
“Yes, I understand that the Finance Minister mentioned this in his questions last week; the fact that, whilst we have letters of offer worth over €120 million for cross-border transformative job, environmental and health projects, some of those have become logjammed in the system. Let me be very clear: the Executive, the Finance Department, the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) and INTERREG panels have all stepped up to expedite those funding applications. In fact, they have put in an awful lot of work to ensure that the money is released to all those involved with peace work and creating jobs. Respectfully, however, I suggest that their efforts need to be matched by the Irish Government, by our own Government and by the European Union Commission as well.”
“Of course, I will be representing the best interests of the people of Northern Ireland when I go to Birmingham. I will be give a very good account of what is happening in Northern Ireland, including the fact that we are an open, regional economy and want to remain an open, regional economy in the United Kingdom to take all the benefits of our membership of the United Kingdom while benefiting from our good relationship with the Republic of Ireland's Government, which will continue post-Brexit.”
“That is true, and that is part of the problem: we are listening to jilted lovers and their reaction to the way in which they deal with the Conservative Party now. We all remember the Ulster Conservatives and Unionists - New Force (UCUNF) — sorry, those who were in the Ulster Unionist Party at the time remember UCUNF. There are many on the UUP Benches, of course, who were not in the party then.”
“It took only until 2.35 pm to get that one in. I assure the Member that non-alcoholic drinks will also be available at the reception —”
“Some people might, but I do not want a wall built along the border with the Republic of Ireland. We want maximum movement between us and the Republic of Ireland. We want a sensible way forward. I am working for a sensible way forward, but there are plenty in the Assembly who keep talking up issues that are not even on the agenda.”
“There are times when I wished, over this past 40 years, that we had a hard border between us and the Republic of Ireland: times when people were being murdered at will along the border, but there was no hard border. I find it very difficult to understand why those who voted "Remain" still do not get that we, as a United Kingdom, voted to leave the European Union. Some are calling them "Remoaners" — of course, I would not use that sort of terminology — and they cannot get that the only people who are talking about a hard border are people who voted to remain. Nobody on this side of the House is talking about a hard border — nobody. I do not know whether some people have become fascinated with Donald Trump's wall, but we do not want a wall built.”
“I did not hear the interview and what the deputy First Minister had to say, but the document certainly did not come to me. I will let the deputy First Minister answer on whether the document came to him. I am not aware of it having gone to him, but it certainly did not come to me. It was written, as I understand it, by two civil servants in the Department's European policy branch. It was not initiated by a Minister; it was initiated inside the Civil Service. Everybody needs to calm down about this so-called Brexit paper.”
“It was initiated by the head of the Civil Service. I would have thought that Members opposite, despite the fact that they are in the Opposition, would know full well that civil servants, from time to time, commission and pass around papers between them, but it is not something that came to my desk.”
“I am very pleased that the Member has asked that question today, because I want to put a few things on the record. <BR /> <BR />First, the paper was not commissioned by me, and it was not commissioned by my predecessor. It came to my attention only when a freedom of information request came in earlier this year. The document was not seen by me. Just today, I spoke to the head of the Civil Service. He had been on leave for a time, and it was my first opportunity to speak to him in order to get the bottom of the issue. When I asked him why it had not been brought to my attention, he said, "Well, I wouldn't have brought it to your attention, as it was not completed". Yet, somehow, the document has become something that I stopped going out, for some reason. It never came to me; nor did it come to my predecessor.”
“No, and certainly not with China. As the Member will know, we have long been working with China to develop a relationship there. If anyone knows anything about doing business in China, they will know that you have to build up a relationship with the Government at central and local level. I am pleased to see that Belfast City Council now has full sister city status with Shenyang, one of the cities that the deputy First Minister and I will visit in December, and we look forward to doing very good business out there.”
“We plan to visit China in December to meet senior national and provincial government leaders. Those strategic meetings will help us to realise our objective for China of developing trade and investment connections, encouraging tourism, attracting students and developing research partnerships. <BR /> <BR />I have just returned from a visit to the United States, where I met potential investors, international lawyers and tourism industry representatives to promote Northern Ireland. The deputy First Minister is scheduled to visit the United States in early November.”
“Mr Speaker, with your permission, I will ask junior Minister Ross to answer this question.”
“As someone who has just come back from the United States, I want to tell the Member that it is not actually all about Brexit. It is not actually all about Brexit. It is about the fact that we continue to have — he should know this being the former skills Minister — the raw talent here that people are looking for. We have the value and the fact that our attrition rates are very low. Come April 2018, we will have corporation tax devolved to Northern Ireland. So we will have the talent, the value and the tax. None of that — none of that — is dependent on our position on the European Union.”
“As well as that is the fact that Northern Ireland is number one globally when it comes to financial technology investment. It is number one in the world. Now, that is not something that you will see in an Opposition press statement, but it is something that I will talk about all day long.”
“It is critical that we continue to go across the world to sell Northern Ireland as a good place not only to invest in but to visit. I am pleased to say that the Economy Minister is in the Middle East to continue to build on the links that have been developing over a period of time. Of course, Invest Northern Ireland has a range of offices right across the globe, as well as Tourism Ireland, which, as you know, sells Northern Ireland across the world as a tourist destination. What a story they have to tell now; a very positive story about Northern Ireland. The fact is that Titanic Belfast is now Europe's leading visitor attraction. How wonderful is it to be able to say that? The fact is that the multi-award-winning 'Game of Thrones' happens here in Northern Ireland. It has won more Emmys than any other programme in history.”
“We will use it to make further contacts in, and inroads into, the Chinese market. We are very much looking forward to doing that. We had a good opportunity to speak with our consul general, Madam Wang, last week. The Chinese are looking forward to hosting us, and we hope that it will be a very successful visit.”