Nelson McCausland
North Belfast · Democratic Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“Such an attack on a garage forecourt, where people are milling around — young people, elderly folk, people out and about their business, as well as the intended target — means that anyone could have been cut down and killed on the spot last night. It is reminiscent of the 1970s and 1980s in Belfast.”
“The event that took place on the Crumlin Road in north Belfast last night was an appalling attempt to murder a police officer or police officers. It is a chilling and terrible reminder of those dark days — some of the darkest days — when such attacks were a regular occurrence in Belfast.”
“I thank the Minister for his answer and also for his answer to the earlier question regarding uncertainties with youth funding issues. I thank him for his clarification. What is his assessment of the value and benefits that flow from the work of those whom we are speaking about?”
“Fortunately, on the previous occasion of an attack on the Crumlin Road not so long ago, the intended victims were not killed. It is a stark reminder of the responsibility of all of us to make sure that those who are responsible for such attacks are brought before the courts.”
“On a point of order, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. May I ask that the Speaker review Question Time today in Hansard? Some Members were permitted to preface and contextualise their question with a couple of sentences without interruption, some Members managed it with interruption and some of us were interrupted in the first sentence.”
“Some might argue that the Gaels were Planters as well. Would the Minister undertake to work with the relevant folk in the Department for Communities and the Minister there, who have responsibility for the Ulster-Scots Agency, to see if additional resources could be afforded to enable it to work up additional work in that context because o…”
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“<BR /> <BR />While there are complex sets of barriers to inclusion, the Committee believes that it is important that the issue is considered and that rural proofing takes place to provide greater opportunities for inclusion in arts and culture activities in rural areas. In the same vein, the Committee is conscious that those with special needs and/or disabilities face particular challenges in accessing and engaging with the arts, and that is another issue that needs to be taken forward. <BR /> <BR />The Committee is aware that there is a great deal of publicly owned art that is never accessible to view. The evidence received from the inquiry showed the Committee that there is a need for art to be brought to people and to be available in places that they access on a daily basis, such as schools, libraries or other public buildings.”
“There are also many barriers that can be eroded only with the active cooperation of the communities and individuals in question. While it is clear that there is a vibrant arts and culture scene in Northern Ireland, both in rural and urban areas, the Committee believes that arts and culture can and should be part of the work carried out by government on a daily basis centrally and locally. That is why the creation of an Executive arts and culture strategy is the key recommendation of the inquiry and why the majority of the other recommendations are based on the development of such a strategy.”
“Obviously, a key part of the inquiry was about hearing from arts and culture practitioners in disadvantaged communities, and the Committee is grateful to them for sharing their insight and experiences. <BR /> <BR />The Committee has identified a number of broad barriers to communities' being included in the arts. Those were economic and financial barriers; barriers linked to geography or location; educational barriers; barriers around the availability and structure of funding for the sector; barriers with respect to awareness and information; lack of value placed on the arts; and community, cultural or psychological barriers. That is not an exhaustive list, and it is clear that some barriers are beyond the control of the communities and, therefore, government intervention is required.”
“However, the inquiry has a greater focus on how working-class communities are engaged by arts and cultural venues. The inquiry examined the accessibility and outreach activity of arts venues and bodies and how those impact on inclusion in the arts of working-class communities. We sought to pinpoint and understand the barriers to inclusion in the arts faced by folk from those communities and to seek ways to overcome them. As I have indicated, the Committee heard from a wide range of bodies and organisations, including key arts venues across Northern Ireland. We also heard from our arts establishment, as well as Departments, on what they are doing to widen access to the arts and include the communities that we are referring to.”
“Research that the Committee commissioned strongly suggests that inclusion in the arts is lower for those in disadvantaged communities; however, the evidence provided to the inquiry suggests that the situation is much more complex. Research has tended to focus on ticketed events, where information can be more easily gathered, and does not deal with more informal, unticketed arts events. The Committee believes that working-class communities are often more likely to engage with informal, unticketed arts and culture events and that members of those communities would not necessarily regard those events as the arts but rather see them as part of their cultural identity. <BR /> <BR />Members are clear that there is a great deal of arts and cultural activity going on in those communities.”
“To this end, the Committee welcomes the Minister for Culture, Arts and Leisure’s consultation on a culture and arts strategy, and the inquiry report's recommendations were written with such a strategy in mind.”
“The Committee does not believe that access to the arts and culture should be diluted for working-class communities. The arts should be part of the everyday lives of all of the people who live in Northern Ireland. However, the Committee also acknowledges that people cannot, and should not, be forced to engage with the arts and culture. The ideal is that people are exposed to arts and culture from an early age and can then see what aspects they are particularly drawn to. <BR /> <BR />The Committee is firmly of the belief that the best way to ensure that everyone has access to, and an understanding of, the arts is to develop a wide-ranging Executive strategy that cuts across a range of Departments and provides an access point to the arts and culture through an individual’s life and in a variety of contexts.”
“It has been suggested that a more technical term should have been used, however, the Committee agreed that the term "working class" still has great resonance and meaning. Therefore, Members felt that it was appropriate to use it when referring to disadvantaged, marginalised or deprived communities. It is also a phrase that people can identify with regarding their origins. They may no longer live in a working-class community, however, those origins shaped their attitudes towards the arts and culture. The Committee has also not used any specific index or matrix to measure deprivation, as Members wanted the inquiry to be more about people’s views and ideas than where they fitted in on an index. <BR /> <BR />The Committee believes that everyone in the community should have regular access to the arts and the benefits these provide.”
“<BR /> <BR />I am sure that all the Members here this afternoon will agree that it is vital that everyone in Northern Ireland has equal access to the arts, irrespective of their socio-economic status. The arts and culture can and do enrich all our lives. The Committee’s core motivation for undertaking this inquiry is the Members’ strong belief in the benefits that participation and inclusion in arts activity can bring to individuals and communities. Such benefits include health and wellbeing; the development of personal and community capacity and skills; and a range of other socio-economic benefits. <BR /> <BR />There has been much said about the Committee’s use of the phrase "working-class communities" in the title of the inquiry.”
“It is a great pleasure to rise today as the Chairperson to move this motion on the Culture, Arts and Leisure Committee’s inquiry into inclusion in the arts of working-class communities. I would like to thank the other members of the Committee and the Committee staff for the considerable work that they have put into an important inquiry report. Additionally, I want to thank the Minister for agreeing to respond today. I would also like to thank all the individuals and groups who contributed to the inquiry, through written submissions or by giving evidence before the Committee, and to those who attended the discussion events held by the Committee at the Flowerfield Arts Centre in Portstewart and the Lyric Theatre in Belfast.”
“I support the Bill and the amendments that were identified earlier.”
“<BR /> <BR />There seems to be, coming through in the discussion, a concern from some who have a particular affinity with the formally designated integrated sector that, in some way, the Bill is almost a threat to that sector. That should not be the case, and it is not intended to be the case. All we seek is that people give this a fair wind, see the opportunities that there are and acknowledge that not everyone sees the world or, indeed, the education system in exactly the same way. There is a genuine feeling across the Chamber that shared education can contribute much, educationally and socially, to society in Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />I also welcome the monitoring element in the Bill, because it is important that there is reviewing and reporting on this to see how it works in practice.”
“That was something that we, as a party, fought for very strongly, and we are glad it is there. It is important that it is facilitated in some way in the structures of shared education. Those in that sector should have access equal to others'. There should be no preferential treatment for any sector. Therefore, the way in which, hopefully, we will be able to facilitate a role for the controlled schools sectoral body is significant. <BR /> <BR />It is a very short Bill, yet there are an awful lot of amendments. That is significant, because it shows the interest that there has been in making sure that we get it right. It shows also the importance that Members place on the issue and the widespread desire reflected in the discussion thus far to ensure the widest possible participation in shared education.”
“Again, it is something to which we should all subscribe. Therefore, in that context, the advocacy, promotion, facilitation and encouragement of shared education are bound to be contributors to that. The educational benefits have also been mentioned. They are right at the heart of the intention behind this as well. <BR /> <BR />I thank all those who contributed to the deliberations of the Committee. Obviously, we were very dependent on the staff who service the Committee. I thank those who provided evidence. Quite an extensive range of bodies contributed evidence to those discussions. I also thank the schools that we were able to visit over a period of time to see shared education at work on the ground. <BR /> <BR />I welcome the fact that the consideration of this has taken account of the role of the controlled schools sectoral body.”
“Like others, I support the Bill and welcome the opportunity to speak on the issue, which is very important. I support a number of the amendments. The position of our party has been set out clearly by the Chair of the Committee, Mr Weir. <BR /> <BR />As a party, we support the concept of shared education. We believe it has a positive benefit to bring to our society in the two ways that have been highlighted during all the discussions on the Bill. There is the issue of creating a shared and better future in Northern Ireland. That is something to which, I hope, we all subscribe. If we are to build that shared and better future in Northern Ireland, we need to have shared education right at the heart of the education system in Northern Ireland. It has educational and social advantages. Social cohesion is hugely important.”
“In his statement, the Minister welcomed the work being carried out by the Youth Council for Northern Ireland and the National Youth Council of Ireland in bringing forward a piece of work on ICT that has secured funding from the ERASMUS+ programme. Does the Minister agree that that is an example of the good work carried out by the Youth Council for Northern Ireland and of the expertise and experience that it brings to its work? Does he agree that that is one of the reasons why many of us feel that it is extremely unwise for him to seek to do away with and abolish the Youth Council?”
“One of the key elements in attracting people into libraries is the book stock and ensuring that the book stock is adequate and up to date. What is the Minister's target figure for spend on books per person going forward into the negotiations about budget?”
“Therefore, the Culture, Arts and Leisure Committee has asked the ARD Committee to include clauses 10 to 13 with those with which it has concerns. Members agreed with the ARD Committee's view that the deferral of most of the provisions in the Bill to the next mandate would allow for better legislation that is of benefit to all stakeholder groups.”
“<BR /> <BR />It is not that the Committee is unsupportive of the Bill. Members believe that the issues that it contains could and should be dealt with, possibly as part of a new and more focused consultation. However, the Committee does not believe that there is adequate time in this mandate to take forward all the clauses in the Bill in full confidence that they will make good legislation. As a result, the Committee has agreed that it will not undertake scrutiny of clauses 10 to 13. <BR /> <BR />It is the Committee's understanding that Minister O'Neill has indicated to the ARD Committee that, at Consideration Stage, she will take forward only those clauses on which it is content that there has been enough time for thorough scrutiny.”
“<BR /> <BR />Therefore, at its meeting on 7 January, the Committee reviewed the responses that it had received from stakeholders with respect to the joint consultation on the Bill with the ARD Committee. Those responses highlighted significant concerns about some of the proposals in the Bill. Members also received a briefing from Assembly researchers that echoed those concerns and raised further questions. Additionally, the Committee considered a research paper that examined the potential cost of implementing the Bill. Following discussion of those issues, the Committee agreed that there is neither sufficient time for members to bottom out those issues or to answer the questions that have been raised, nor is there time to develop and consider any potentially necessary amendments.”
“At its meeting on 7 January 2015, the Committee for Culture, Arts and Leisure considered correspondence from the Agriculture and Rural Development Committee, research papers and consultee submissions relating to clauses 10 to 13 of the Fisheries Bill. From the outset, the Committee shared the Agriculture and Rural Development Committee's concerns regarding the extremely short timescale for completing the Committee Stage of the Bill to allow sufficient time for the Bill to complete its other stages. The Committee also shared the Agriculture and Rural Development Committee's concern that rushed scrutiny of the Bill could result in poor legislation.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Second Stage of the Fisheries Bill on behalf of the Committee for Culture, Arts and Leisure. <BR /> <BR />As Members will be aware, although it is a Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Bill, clauses 10 to 13 refer to inland fisheries, which currently fall under the Culture, Arts and Leisure remit. Following the introduction of the Bill on 7 December 2015, the Committee for Agriculture and Rural Development sought to delegate scrutiny of those clauses to the Culture, Arts and Leisure Committee. The Committee provisionally agreed to that, subject to the outcome of a Bill consultation jointly sponsored by the two Committees.”
“Will the Minister explain what that means in practical terms?”
“Historically, if we go back to the early days of these two organisations, there were difficulties with annual reports and accounts. Are we getting much closer to the point at which they are entirely up to date and that those difficulties have been addressed? <BR /> <BR />The Minister's statement mentioned the Irish language community scheme. She referred to:”
“I thank the Minister for the report on the meeting. In length, at least, it is a modest report. Given the reference to the use of Waterways Ireland's headquarters by Row the Erne, a community-based organisation that was faciltated and supported there, and that there have been comments regarding the scale of the headquarters in Enniskillen, whether it is larger than actually needed and whether some of it could be sublet or used by others, has there been any progress on that, and is this an example of that sort of thinking?”
“Can she perhaps spell out for us what she means by "resources"? Is this a financial resource? Is it about having the right people to teach sign language? What would be required and what is her assessment of the need?”
“There will be some consultation between now and the end of the Assembly mandate, but, clearly, the bulk of the work will be done in the next mandate. In the statement, the Minister said that the Department does not have:”
“I thank the Minister for her statement, which is one that, I am sure, everybody in the Chamber will welcome. It is an important issue; people in the deaf community should be able to communicate freely with others and should have the resources necessary to ensure that they are understood. I also want to pick up on the question of the timeline.”
“Will the Minister explain why there has been a delay and how — if the consultation is to run from 30 November to 22 February, and you then give a further four weeks for consideration of any submissions that there are to that — it would be possible to come to any decision that can go through the Executive before the end of the mandate?”
“The commitment of £36 million for subregional stadium development for football in Northern Ireland will be welcomed. There has been a recognition that the investment in football that has already been made has improved people's experience of going to matches and has drawn larger numbers to the grounds for games. The original intention, as stated in response to a question for written answer from my colleague Gordon Dunne back in the summer, was that there would be a 20-week consultation that would begin in early August and run through to December. We are virtually at the start of December and the consultation process has been reduced from 20 weeks to 12 weeks, similar to that for the arts and culture strategy.”
“In Northern Ireland, lives were taken in the course of the democratic process and people were murdered by illegal paramilitary organisations. It is part of the story of this place and part of our history. Would it not be possible to include in the tour a reference to those who died in that way?”
“Even with the reduction in the consultation time to 12 weeks, if that ends in the middle of February, it will take more than four weeks for a consultation process to be properly considered by the Minister. That would take us through to around St Patrick's Day, which would mean that you are almost getting to that point with purdah and so on where any action or decisions around this are almost impossible, and that is disappointing. <BR /> <BR />In that context, when did the Minister or her Department receive the document from the two groups involved in the process — the ministerial advisory group and the cross-departmental group — and why has it been so late in coming forward? How does she propose to deal with the fact that a proper examination of the consultation responses will take us through almost to the election?”
“The other aspect of the development of the arts, which arts organisations feel strongly about, is the inherent value of the arts themselves in addition to the benefits that they bring generally to society. <BR /> <BR />It strikes me in looking at the document and comparing it with the original project initiation document from September 2014 that we are well behind in timescale. The document of 16 September 2014 said that the document would be going out to consultation in April 2015, and we are now at the end of November. It said that it would go out for 20 weeks' consultation, and I see that that has now been reduced to 12 weeks, because 20 weeks would have taken us through to the election.”
“I suppose I welcome the publication of the document insofar as we have been waiting for it for some time. <BR /> <BR />Two themes strike me on reading it, and it is only an initial reading. There is a strong focus, as it says on the cover, on:”
“However, it does recognise that, for many people in Northern Ireland, there is not a desire at this point to have a fully integrated system, but they would be comfortable with something of an incremental nature such as this facilitates. In many difficult issues, an incremental approach is best. It has to be one with which local communities are comfortable.”
“That may have some relevance to the future existence or otherwise of the Youth Council for Northern Ireland. I do not know the Minister's thinking in that regard, but it is certainly specified in the Bill as one of the contributors. That is important, because what happens outside the school in the youth context is just as important as what happens within the school setting. CCEA also has an important role here. That relates to the point that I have been making about the cultural education of the children. <BR /> <BR />I am sure that there is a lot more work to be done on the Bill. There is a lot more work to be done in developing a common understanding of shared education, where it leads and where it is going.”
“It is an issue that arises in the context of shared education. It is many years indeed since I went through teacher training, but we were told in those days about the Bullock report on education. The Bullock report said that one of the contributors to a successful education was bringing the culture and language of the community into the school. Educationally, it is right. It is right in the context of shared education, and it is also the right of the child. I raise it today in this context merely because I want to take every opportunity to raise it so that those who are not so aware of the issue at the moment will become more aware of it within the cultural establishment and seek to play their part. <BR /> <BR />I am delighted that the Bill includes a reference to the Youth Council for Northern Ireland.”
“I remember an article by renowned columnist Jude Collins in the now defunct — thankfully — 'Daily Ireland', in which he said that we needed to fight for the preservation of CCMS and Roman Catholic schools, even for those who were not practising or devout Catholics, because they affirmed an Irish identity, taught Irish culture and helped children to see the world through Irish eyes. That was his perception, and I thought that, as an educationalist, he probably did know something about the subject. Who was I to disagree on that matter and in that area with Mr Collins? <BR /> <BR />In the same way, children coming from the controlled sector need to go into any sharing, shared or inclusive situation on the basis that their school has validated, affirmed and embraced their culture. It is a rights issue.”
“<BR /> <BR />I have emphasised time and again that, educationally, in being right for the child and in terms of the rights of the child, every child should have the opportunity in school to embrace, and have a greater awareness and better understanding of, the culture of the community from which they come. It is part of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, and a hugely important right, that the identity of the home and community from which a child comes — a child's cultural identity — is embraced, validated and affirmed in their school. <BR /> <BR />That certainly happens in Irish-medium schools, which are fundamentally based around language, culture and identity. It also happens to a large extent in the maintained sector.”
“It always reminds me of Pierre Trudeau's comment on the relationship between Canada and America, when he said that living in Canada was a bit like being in bed "with an elephant." If people are coming together in anything, and it is to be genuinely shared, it is important that they come together on the basis of equity in the cultural confidence, awareness and competence of the children. When we questioned those who gave evidence to the Education Committee, some got it as an issue and some did not. That troubled me because, if there are folk in the education establishment who do not get it, that does not augur well.”
“Most children from the Roman Catholic community attend a Roman Catholic maintained school, and most children from the Protestant community attend a controlled school. The Bill defines the bringing together of children in terms of religious belief, but religious belief has some correlation with political belief and some with cultural identity. <BR /> <BR />If children are coming together from different backgrounds and sectors, it is important that they do so on the basis of equity and cultural confidence. That is a question that I put repeatedly over a number of Committee sessions to the academic experts who were giving evidence.”
“The benefits of building a shared and better future are clear. There is also evidence of educational benefits in shared learning, which was put to the Committee. <BR /> <BR />Our education system reflects the divisions in our society. The Bill will go some way, I hope, to addressing that and ameliorating the disadvantages of such division. <BR /> <BR />Among the issues going forward is that we need to look at the financial aspect of the Bill. How that is handled will be crucial. There are also practical issues, in that there are differences between sectors that need to be recognised. The definition in the Bill of shared education is:”
“However, benefits flow from shared education, one of which is in community cohesion. The more that we can move forward in creating a shared and better future for Northern Ireland and for the people who live in Northern Ireland, so much the better. One element of that has to be community cohesion, and one element of building community cohesion is around the better understanding of others and their traditions, background and identity.”
“The document that we have before us today, the Shared Education Bill, in many ways provides definition, context and a framework, but there is clearly a lot of work still to be done on taking shared education forward. It is certainly the case, as was highlighted by others, that there is a growth of interest in shared education in many areas across the Province and in many schools. This is part of the picture for moving forward, but it is only part. <BR /> <BR />Benefits will flow from sharing in education. We are faced with a situation in which we are not starting to develop education in Northern Ireland with a clean sheet. There are strongly entrenched interests and rights, and it will take quite a long time to change that, because there is no clear evidence of any desire for change in many sectors.”
“As for the transfer test itself, it would be ideal if we had it regulated again. Sadly, I think that the Minister and his party are going to oppose that.”
“To get back to the core issue of the transfer test and process, the fact is that there is no consensus. That has been clear for a long time. I think there is little sign or, indeed, evidence that a consensus can be reached. Among schools, parents and all stakeholders, there is a range of views and opinions, and I am not sure that a consensus can be reached. The motion calls for striving toward an effort to reach a consensus. I am just not sure that it is necessarily there. What we should be doing is affirming the right of schools to academic selection. It is one that is now recognised and established. It is there, and it is something that very many parents want. Many parents value it and want their children to have a grammar school education. In that case, let us focus on the real problems, which are around the issue of underachievement.”
“There have been early years interventions in the Colin area of west Belfast and in integrated services in the greater Shankill area. If we are to achieve the outcome that we want, we should focus on those areas a great deal more. Nurture units in primary schools are another example of early intervention.”
“That is a somewhat disparaging term to apply to schools striving to do the best for the children who attend them. It was, I think, inappropriate. <BR /> <BR />The fact is that many factors lead to underachievement, and there has to be a multifaceted approach if we are to address it. That is why a member of my party proposed the establishment of an all-party group designed to advance educational excellence and address educational underachievement. <BR /> <BR />We have seen interventions to address underachievement. They need to be made at a very early stage, not at the later stage of transfer from primary to secondary education. The real problems emerge at a very early stage, which is why we have had early years interventions, and I know that the Minister supported a number of those initiatives.”
“<BR /> <BR />The fact remains that reports on educational underachievement are frequently misused and abused to justify a political stance against academic selection. That is a flawed analysis that does a disservice to children, schools and parents. It hones in on one issue that is not the real issue, thereby diverting attention from all of the real issues that contribute to educational underachievement and which need to be addressed if we are to achieve the academic excellence that we all desire. <BR /> <BR />I am afraid that, during today's questions for oral answer, the Minister reiterated that view. I was disappointed that his colleague Mr Hazzard, in the context of asking a question on the subject, referred to a "final rump" of schools.”
“Like the previous Member who spoke, I support the motion, but I concur with his view that it could have been better had it been more pointed and productive. <BR /> <BR />We are living with the legacy of the flawed decision of a previous Sinn Féin Minister to abolish the transfer test. The fact is that Sinn Féin set out to do something and found itself unable to do it. It wanted to abolish, to completely remove, any form of academic selection. That proved impossible. That was a case of Sinn Féin setting out to do something that it did not manage to do, and, in the process, it made the situation more problematic for everyone. It was an ill-thought-out, ill-conceived and ill-considered development.”