Dolores Kelly
Upper Bann · Social Democratic and Labour Party · Northern Ireland
“The legislation is only as good as its enforcement. It will be enabled by the sentences that judges and others may hand down, by cultural shifts and by changes in behaviour because of the penalties in place as a consequence. <BR /> <BR />We need to do much more with cybercrime units. We need proper resources for them.”
“It also covers the background to the Good Friday Agreement and the creation of this Assembly, as well as subsequent political negotiations over the years. The major figures and events over the past 100 years have been reflected in a way that ensures that all political perspectives of the Assembly are reflected.”
“I thank the Member for his question. An update on the current COVID-19 health and safety measures was issued to all users of Parliament Buildings on 1 March 2022. The update set out the current arrangements for ensuring the continuing safety of everyone in the Building.”
“I thank the Member for his question. I am pleased to inform him that the review of the display of artefacts is at a very advanced stage. The Member may have seen the letter that the Speaker issued on behalf of the Assembly Commission earlier today.”
“<BR /> <BR />As a member of the Policing Board, I receive updates on a regular basis from the National Crime Agency (NCA), which has determined that between 16,000 and 23,000 children and young people are at risk from sexual offences and grooming online. Those are horrendous figures, and that must be a nightmare scenario for any family.”
“Thank you for your answer, Minister. You rightly outlined a lot of medical and therapeutic interventions, but many children are suffering post-traumatic stress-type symptoms or, indeed, social isolation as a consequence of COVID.”
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“Our infrastructure needs investment in order to withstand those pressures and to deal with the historical underinvestment but also to plan for the short, medium and long term. <BR /> <BR />I said in an intervention that I was here and saw how Minister Kennedy was treated. I saw how Sinn Féin and the DUP ganged up on other Ministers, in the same way that we saw in the earlier health debate. They want power, but they will take responsibility for nothing. Nothing is their fault — absolutely nothing.”
“No, I will not give way any further, for I have only a short time left and there are a few other points that I want to address. <BR /> <BR />Minister Mallon, like, I am sure, other Members — the proposer of the motion spoke about it — recognises the key climate change challenges and the need to allay people's anxieties around flooding and investment in water, particularly with regard to rainfall and the other causes of flash flooding that we have experienced and which have a devastating impact on citizens and businesses. Without more capacity in the system, however, there are real and genuine concerns that we could see increased flooding that will further damage our local communities and environment.”
“There was nowhere left for Sinn Féin and the DUP in particular, in charge of the Executive, to hide from the people who were waiting for a home and all the developers who were waiting for planning approval and the investment that is needed in waste water and sewerage to allow those developments to proceed. It is not just about housing, of course; it is about factories, as others have said, the manufacturing base and some of our public buildings.”
“Thank you very much, Mr Principal Deputy Speaker. <BR /> <BR />Minister Mallon is clearly on the record as saying that infrastructure is the way to build an economic recovery, particularly post COVID. It is clear that there is a disconnect in the Executive. It is unreal that, for the 14 years that Sinn Féin and the DUP have been in charge, we have seen chronic underinvestment year in, year out in waste water infrastructure. They recognise that infrastructure is a key economic driver, but, when it comes to putting their money where their mouth is to drive the economy forward and to meet the real and pressing demand for social and affordable housing in particular, that money is not forthcoming. Yes, Minister Mallon has recognised that there is additional funding this year, but that was after a lot of hard work on her part.”
“A lot of people seem to want to rewrite the last mandate. For three whole years —”
“Whilst the SDLP supports the motion, we are aware that the Executive's 'Sustainable Water: A Long-Term Water Strategy for Northern Ireland (2015-2040)' is already in place. We need not another document but funding for implementation. It would be helpful to hear from the Minister about what support she has been given with future funding, given that the wider Executive have responsibility for this, as water infrastructure cuts across virtually every aspect of life. <BR /> <BR />It is a bit rich for the party to my right to talk about delays, given that the House was stood down for three years, during which time no Ministers were in place and no decisions could be made. The community that we all seek to serve was bereft of democratic accountability, through us, for the civil servants, although the Ministers should have been in place.”
“I thank the Member for giving way, but it is a bit outrageous to talk about six years ahead when we do not even have a three-year Budget and when it was the Member's party that tightened the screws when Danny Kennedy was the Minister. Now, the chickens are coming home to roost with the lack of investment in infrastructure per se.”
“I declare an interest as a member of the Policing Board. The Minister will be aware that the Police Service will recruit over 340 officers later this year and, I am sure, of a trend whereby we have seen an increased number of recruits from the LGBTQ community, as well as the black and minority ethnic communities and, indeed, the Protestant working class, but a worrying downward spiral in representation from the Catholic and nationalist communities. Is the Minister sure and reassured that all that needs to be done is being done and that whatever affirmative actions are available to the Chief Constable are being engaged?”
“I am aware of the Minister's commitment to delivering on the animal cruelty register. However, the petition had an all-Ireland dimension, and some of the animals sold come from obnoxious puppy farms in Scotland and elsewhere. Has the Minister had an opportunity to discuss the possibility of a shared register not only with the South of Ireland but with England, Scotland and Wales?”
“Yet, today and most days, our headlines are filled with cultural identity sham fights between some parties to divert attention from the real bread-and-butter issues and the sad reality of life for far too many in our society. We can and must do better.”
“Does tackling food and heat poverty mean more to them than identity politics? My colleague Colin McGrath quoted Gandhi. I quote no better man than John Hume. He said:”
“That is why I, like many people, am very frustrated that there does not appear to be the urgency in the Executive to meet. How often have we seen Executive meetings called in the last number of weeks? How often have we seen joint press conferences by the First Minister and deputy First Minister, be they on the COVID economic strategy or, indeed, welfare reform? The Minister for Communities has said very clearly that papers that she produced have been blocked by DUP members of the Executive. Mr Frew, quite rightly, pointed the finger of blame at the Executive. <BR /> <BR />The fact is that Sinn Féin and the DUP have been in power for more than 14 years. The time has long passed when the people we represent should have heard about the type of society that we want to build.”
“I am indeed. I saw recently that there is — believe it or not — an increasing number of millionaires in Belfast. Some Members referred to the increasingly unequal wealth distribution across society. Indeed, Mr Dunne talked about all the food banks and the volunteers who do such tremendous work. It is a sad reflection of what we value in society. It should never be about putting welfare up against health and education, because those are all linked and should form part of any poverty strategy as we work our way out of poverty. It should be about giving people access to good healthcare and good educational opportunities as well as giving them a decent standard of living. The point is well made. <BR /> <BR />There are things that the Executive can and must do.”
“We are not powerless, and we should not buy into the narrative that there is nothing that we can do about it.”
“She was also right to put on record her and our thanks to the staff in her Department, who stepped up to process those claims as best and as quickly as they could. Like, I am sure, many Members, I have seen many people in my constituency office who found themselves having to rely, for the first time, on welfare payments, because they had been put on furlough or lost their job and who did not know how to navigate the welfare system, which Mr Butler outlined in his contribution. <BR /> <BR />It is very easy to blame everybody else. Some Members said that we need to unite with the devolved Administrations in Scotland and Wales against the Tory cuts. That is an important, key message. However, the fact is that Sinn Féin and the DUP have been in power for over 14 years here.”
“It is also about the additional pressures that poverty puts on the health service, given that none of that is stand-alone. However, we cannot just blame the Tories, as much as I am up for that. The Minister talked about political stunts. I have been about here long enough to remember Sinn Féin members standing outside with posters and saying, "Stop the Tory cuts". That was a political stunt that did not age terribly well. As for our MPs, we take the fight to the Tories where it counts: in the Commons Chamber and the Lobbies. We not only stand against but vote against the Tories, rather than standing on the front lawn, as the current South Down MP, Chris Hazzard, did not so long ago. I therefore do not think that we will take much criticism about that. <BR /> <BR />The Minister was right to point out that there has been a 100% increase.”
“Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I thank Members for taking part in the debate and for their universal support in opposing the Tories' plan to end the £20 universal credit uplift. At the outset, it is right to recount, as many Members did, what that means for individuals and their families. I do not know how many people came from a family for whom money, or the lack thereof, was an issue; who, when bills in brown envelopes tumbled through the letter box, worried about what to do with them and how they were going to be paid; and who, as a result, had sleepless nights and anxiety, which impacted on family relationships. It is therefore not just about whether to eat or heat but about people's physical and mental well-being, to which many Members referred in their contributions.”
“Have the Executive given you a commitment to deal with the water pressures? Can you give us an update on the infrastructure commission?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. Is she aware that no Executive business has been tabled for this week or, indeed, next week, except for health regulations? A team of lawyers is sitting somewhere in the Building with nothing to do because of the hold-up in the Executive Office.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. He is quite right to commend all the volunteers who support food banks and those who donate, but is it not a very sad indictment on 21st-century society that that is the case in one of Western democracy's developed countries?”
“On a point of order, Mr Speaker. Is it right that a Member can accuse me and Mr McGrath of being protectors of people who were involved in collusion?”
“I have not heard much about remorse or about truth, justice and accountability from members of the republican movement. It grieves me to see that, as Mr Buchanan said, senior members of Sinn Féin continue, in a very public way, to glorify terrorists, many of whom were responsible for many murders right across both communities, if you like, in the North. Woe betide some of the Members from Sinn Féin lecturing everybody else in the House on human rights until they get their own house in order by acknowledging their role and what they are going to do about former members of the republican movement stepping up to the plate on truth, justice and accountability.”
“<BR /> <BR />In the brief time that I have left, I will turn my attention to the Members to my right, who have talked today about truth, justice and accountability.”
“We charge the Irish Government with the same principles that we put to the British Government in ensuring that the fullest account, the fullest truth and the fullest access to justice has to be the right of any bereaved family and victim in terms of how the past is dealt with. Those principles apply regardless of whether it is the Irish Government or the British Government, but, let us face it, in terms of collusion, the British Government would win the gold star, because it was state sponsored. With the murder of Pat Finucane, many people believe that it probably goes the whole way to Downing Street and that that is why there has been continued dismissal of any public inquiry into that murder.”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker. It is my understanding that the Irish Government are already in the process of drafting a legal framework to allow for the sharing of such information, but the Irish Government can answer for themselves. My concern is about victims and the reconciliation that we need so that the past is not rewritten in the way that some are doing.”
“For many of them, including the Ballymurphy families, their loved ones were deemed to be innocent by the coroner. <BR /> <BR />The Stormont House Agreement, as my colleague Colin said, was imperfect — indeed, Doug Beattie referred to it as being imperfect, for different reasons — and Eames/Bradley remains the premier answer to dealing with legacy, but the Stormont House Agreement is widely regarded by many across the victims sector as the last chance saloon in trying to find truth, justice and accountability. Imperfect though it is, it is an international agreement that the British Government have unilaterally reneged upon. If anybody from the NIO or the British Government is listening to this debate, they will again hear the message that the proposals contained in the Command Paper are universally objected to.”
“<BR /> <BR />The DUP motion quite rightly reiterates the Assembly's unanimous opposition to the Command Paper on legacy proposals, including the closing down of all avenues of justice. The SDLP is clear that every family that has been bereaved in the conflict should have access to an effective investigation and justice process, regardless of who the perpetrator was. <BR /> <BR />I have some difficulty with the motion's suggestion that legal processes should be reserved for innocent victims, given that the state has a duty, under article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights, to investigate loss of life. Indeed, as we have seen over the past year, many families had to fight to clear the names of their loved ones and had to fight for their reputations to be reinstated.”
“At the outset, I acknowledge, on behalf of the SDLP, the family of Ian Sproule and the suffering that they have endured for many years. Indeed, their grief has been compounded by the callous call that their father received on the evening of Ian's murder. Brutal beyond belief. Cruel beyond belief. <BR /> <BR />I also want to acknowledge that today is the twentieth anniversary of the death one of my constituents, the investigative journalist Martin O'Hagan, who was brutally murdered by the LVF when he and his wife were walking home from a pub in Lurgan one evening. His family, friends and colleagues continue to grieve his loss and have unanswered questions about his murder and the subsequent investigation. Both of the killers remain free. Allegations of collusion prevail.”
“I speak as a former day-care manager. It is not always about respite services; it is about rehabilitation and improving the quality of life and opportunities for those who attend. Minister, you said that different trusts have different standards in the restoration of services. Will you seek to ensure that there is no postcode lottery for clients and their families? I know that the Southern Trust had a review, and there was concern that that would lead to a reduction in service provision. However, post COVID, surely the demand will be much greater? How is that being taken account of in restoring services?”
“Joint First Minister, many families who have been bereaved are excluded from the scheme. Is any representation being made on their behalf? There is a lot of misinformation and expectation right across the community, particularly among families who have suffered bereavement.”
“We want that type of new society to emerge.”
“Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, but I did read an article. I will send it to you. <BR /> <BR />Anyway, I want to return to Mr Muir's point. We want to build an inclusive and reconciled future. I acknowledge the work that many have done on policing, none more so than former party colleagues, some of whom, sadly, are no longer with us. I think particularly of Seamus Mallon and Alex Attwood and what they did for the transformation of policing. <BR /> <BR />Challenges lie ahead. The police hope to recruit over 300 new officers from across the community later this year. Woe betide any elected representative who uses police officers as political scapegoats when political circumstances get tight. As a party, we put victims at the centre of our thinking, but we also want to build reconciliation and build a new society that is inclusive.”
“I thank the Member for his intervention — and his redirection.”
“Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, but I am only —.”
“Those inquests found that the people shot dead in Ballymurphy were completely innocent, as were many others thought to have had guns in their possession.”
“It is right that we talk about and remember victims here. They have been neglected for far too long. They have certainly been neglected when it comes to legacy, and not only have they been most adversely affected by what the British Government are seeking to do through the horrendous proposals in their Command Paper but they have been neglected by this House. Not so long ago, the DUP's former party leader, Arlene Foster, was brought to court over the provision of financial support for legacy inquests and coroners' inquests. <BR /> <BR />The point that I am trying to make is that Mrs Dodds referred to innocent victims. How many people have now been declared innocent as a consequence of former Lord Chief Justice Sir Declan Morgan setting money aside for inquests that were held over the past couple of years?”
“I am happy to answer that. I looked up Wikipedia and "Ulster Resistance" while I was sitting here, and it states that a young press officer by the name of Nigel Dodds handed out leaflets outside the Ulster Hall.”
“She failed to express any remorse at all to any of the family connections affected by the role that her husband, Nigel Dodds, a young press officer way back in the good old days when Ulster Resistance was formed, played in helping establish such an organisation: an organisation that, I believe, benefited from arms importation to the UDA and the UVF, which were responsible for the murder of many people right across the community but particularly so in my constituency. <BR /> <BR />I reiterate the point that Mr Muir made when some Members erroneously commented on and made comparisons between PCSP appointments and the Policing Board appointments. PCSP appointments of councillors are made by parties, and some of them may well fall foul of this legislation were it to be enacted. Let us not try to confuse the issue.”
“My remarks will be quite short. In making political appointments, there is a responsibility on parties not to display cronyism. That is a view that the Sinn Féin president shared in the Dáil recently when she criticised Simon Coveney. It is therefore something that Sinn Féin in the North needs to reflect on when making political appointments. <BR /> <BR />I listened carefully to the Member opposite, Mrs Dodds, who unfortunately is not in the Chamber at the moment.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. Does he agree that we find it difficult to take lectures from some of the Members opposite, whose party stood in the Ulster Hall with Ulster Resistance, threatening violence, at the time of the Anglo-Irish Agreement and whose own moral judgement has been compromised?”
“I thank the Member for giving way and for the clarity that he is not here to speak on behalf of any particular MLA, but is the Member not somewhat bemused by some of the Members who, at times, have a pick-and-mix attitude to who they get their photographs taken with, who they share stages with, what parades and protests they attend and who is involved in them? It gives mixed messages to the broader community.”
“My plea is that the First and deputy First Ministers and, indeed, the whole Executive, along with the Health Minister, quickly set out a recovery plan for the health and social care system to deal with the challenge not only of COVID but the waiting lists, which are a shame and disgrace across these islands.”
“That person has worked all their life and has been told, through me, that they have to wait over 52 weeks for an initial appointment in order to access painkillers. They then tried to access it in a private way. They were told that it would cost £150 for a phone call with a consultant that they would not get until November. <BR /> <BR />My concern also extends to the parents whose children have had to be assessed for autism and for all sorts of other mental health challenges over Zoom. I do not think that that is good enough. I do not think that we have any COVID recovery in place to deal with elective surgery across the North.”
“I will endeavour to be generous with time. <BR /> <BR />A number of constituents have contacted my office in dire straits and with deep anxiety not only on their own behalf but on behalf of a family member about accessing health and social care. We have rightly heard a lot of talk about the challenging figures on COVID infection, which continue to rise, and the impact of the pandemic, but not enough is being said about the impact of people being unable to access the vital healthcare that they need, should their condition be red-flagged. For example, one constituent is still waiting for their breast cancer review. That is an anxious time for any person. I have another constituent who is in severe, crippling pain.”
“Curlew populations in Northern Ireland have declined by 82% since 1987. Some 97% of our wildflower meadows are gone, and just one out of 21 lakes is in good quality. <BR /> <BR />Some farmers are changing some of their practices to set aside some land for wildflower meadows, but there is much work to be done. It is my hope that the Assembly does not collapse, that this legislative consent motion passes and that other Bills get the time and space over the next few months of the mandate to continue their passage through the legislative process.”
“We have to think of better ways of doing things differently. <BR /> <BR />The Minister knows well, in his capacity as a farmer and someone very much in touch with nature, that the research shows that our nature situation is not good and that our current standards for its protection are not high. He will be very aware, as many of us are, of the nurturing impact that the environment has had on the health and well-being of us all, particularly during the COVID crisis. <BR /> <BR />Recent research by the Natural History Museum and the RSPB shows that Northern Ireland ranks twelfth worst, out of 240 countries, based on the amount of nature that we have left. That is not a position of which any of us will be proud. Some 11% of the species found in Northern Ireland are currently at risk of extinction.”
“The Office for Environmental Protection that will be established by the Environment Bill will be distinct but complementary to any future independent environment protection agency. It is our belief that Northern Ireland needs both bodies. I think that Mr Blair said that it needs an awful lot more than is currently before us. Mrs Barton rightly acknowledged the need not only to protect nature and the environment here but to protect other countries from which we import many of the commodities for business use here.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak in favour of the legislative consent motion and call on DAERA to work with peers to strengthen the provisions in the Bill. I hope that the Minister has got the message that his belief that concerns have been exaggerated is not a view that is shared by many of the Members who have spoken thus far in the debate. <BR /> <BR />Some Members have rightly remarked that we need the environment to be a priority. I think that we are all agreed about that. That is certainly the mood of the public, if it is not too late already in terms of climate change and the protection of the environment. That is one of the reasons why, as a private Member, I have tabled a motion on nature restoration and the Environment Bill that seeks to complement and build on the Environment Bill's framework.”
“Thank you for that intervention, Mr Weir. Much comfort has been brought to those who are still very much grieving the loss of such a young person from knowing that others are able to live a much fuller and higher-quality life. That does not take away the pain, but it helps them to cope better. They have pride in their loved one and in the courageous decision that they made when faced with tragedy because of accident or injury. I pay tribute to all of them. <BR /> <BR />Minister, I hope the Bill goes through. It is certainly needed. It has the full-hearted support of the SDLP.”
“Her family, who are grieving tremendously, are comforted in the knowledge that her decision, which she had made known to the family, was that she wanted to be a donor. Through the donation of her liver and kidneys, she has given new life and new hope to three others: a man in his forties, a woman in her forties and a young boy have all benefited. There is no doubt that their lives have changed and been enhanced by the bravery of the Molloy family. I pay tribute to her parents, Paul and Jacqueline, for having the courage to fulfil Rachael's wishes.”