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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“How can the Minister justify imposing in-year cuts on funding that has been committed to arts organisations and then siphon off the money to projects with no open application process and no transparency? Is that good practice?”
“Will the Minister describe the projects that are being taken forward in urban village areas across the Province?”
“The issue arises of the future intentions of the Minister because this is clearly in the context of the Líofa website having a sustained future. In view of the financial constraints at the moment, how does she envisage the future of the website, in view of all the competing costs and the fact that so many projects have had to be either completely abandoned or severely restricted in their funding?”
“It is true that we face austerity, but the reality is that the SDLP and Sinn Féin cuts will cause far more damage to Northern Ireland, our institutions, communities and the vulnerable in our communities than any damage that may be caused by the austerity that is right across the United Kingdom. <BR /> <BR />As I listened to the debate, it seemed, at times, unreal and surreal. It seems to me that there are folk here who have lost touch with reality, with financial realities, with fiscal responsibility and with fiscal reality. Some of the views that emanated from the nationalist and republican parties today beggar belief and are, quite frankly, beyond belief.”
“Members are concerned that, if these are not met, there could be an impact on the ability of those bodies to make their estate available for public use. That brings me back to my original plea to ensure that we fully understand the impact of budget reductions to our cultural fabric and our ability to expand participation in sport. We will continue our responsibility to scrutinise the management of the budget in a proper manner. <BR /> <BR />I want to say just a few words in a personal capacity. It seems to me that much of the blame in all of this is placed on the Conservative Party at Westminster. Much of the pressure on budgets is directed at being the result of austerity.”
“The Committee is extremely supportive of this. The Committee is a strong advocate of making better use of the funding that can be drawn down from the European Union. Members agree that greater efforts must be made to look at the opportunities presented by EU funding programmes and to learn from the excellent work already being done by some councils. The Executive, however, must be careful to ensure that we can provide the necessary match funding required. <BR /> <BR />The Committee was further briefed by departmental officials on 2 June regarding the current monitoring round. As with most Departments, DCAL is making bids worth millions of pounds. It is most concerning to the Committee that many of the bids are for inescapable capital pressures for the museums estate, the libraries estate and Armagh Observatory.”
“The Committee places considerable value on the work done by the observatory, and Members want to ensure that the continuous work that has been undertaken there for decades, which feeds into international scientific information gathering, will not be jeopardised. This is a significant and important institution. It is an institution of international standing and is the only one of that nature in Northern Ireland, so its future is important. <BR /> <BR />Budget reductions must be met with creative solutions, and the Committee has long been an advocate of interdepartmental working as well as cooperation with local government. The reform of public administration and the development of super-councils with enhanced powers provide an excellent opportunity for joint working and taking advantage of economies of scale.”
“The Committee remains hopeful that an upcoming Executive arts and culture strategy may see greater cross-departmental funding of the arts and culture, which could see an increase in overall funding for the sector. The reduction in Sport NI’s budget has forced decreases in grants and performance and coaching activities. The Committee is understandably concerned about the possible impact on increasing participation levels in sport, particularly participants from the most disadvantaged communities. <BR /> <BR />I referred to the budget reductions faced by Armagh Observatory. With such a small budget to start with, it is imperative that the impact of the reduction on the observatory’s budget is carefully monitored and does not have a disproportionate impact.”
“The Committee is a strong supporter of our libraries; they are at the heart of our communities and offer considerable potential to be developed further as the arts and cultural hubs that help to build community cohesion and offer opportunities for expression to our people. <BR /> <BR />The Arts Council deserves credit for seeking to take a creative approach to managing budget reductions while still looking forward and innovating. The Committee has heard the rationale behind its funding decisions going forward, and Members appreciate this candour. The council has worked to absorb previous in-year cuts, but budget reductions mean cuts to grants.”
“The Committee has previously welcomed the fact that the initial proposed budget reduction was lessened by the Executive funding a further almost £2 million for DCAL, taking the budget reduction from a potential 10% to 8·2%. The Committee has also supported the decision to limit the cut to the Libraries NI budget to 7·5% in the hope that no libraries will have to close. This will, however, mean that the Department and other arm's-length bodies carry a larger cut. With respect to libraries, temporary and relief staff have already gone, and, after a consultation exercise, Libraries NI is examining its options regarding opening hours. The reality is that libraries will be forced to open for fewer hours, and the budget for new stock will see a considerable fall.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Committee has always stressed the need to ensure that budget reductions are applied as part of a strategy that seeks to protect front-line services to our communities and support the Department's stated objective of promoting equality and tackling poverty and social exclusion. However, the issue is particularly complex and nuanced regarding some of the DCAL arm's-length bodies.”
“However, it is these small budgets that are often the most vulnerable when it comes to funding reductions. There is little or no fat and there are few large programme budgets. Therefore, budget reductions hit core functions. <BR /> <BR />The Committee has already expressed concern to the Minister of the possible impact of budget reductions to Disability Sport NI and the Armagh Observatory, for example. Good work that has been done could be lost forever if funding is cut. The Committee is not naive: members understand that there are extreme budget pressures and that cuts must be made. However, the Committee stresses the need for a clear understanding of what those cuts might mean in the longer term.”
“The Committee was briefed by the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure as far back as October 2014 on potential budget reductions for 2015-16. Subsequently, the Committee has been briefed a number of times by departmental officials. The Committee has also received briefings from each of the DCAL arm's-length bodies on how the current scale of budget reductions will impact on them. <BR /> <BR />As Members will be aware, DCAL has an extremely complex structure, part of which is a large number of arm's-length bodies. In many cases, those bodies are the guardians of our collective cultural heritage and the very cultural fabric of Northern Ireland. As a Department, DCAL has a relatively small budget and, by virtue of that, the Department's arm's-length bodies have budgets that are very small in relation to the overall Executive Budget.”
“On a point of order, Mr Principal Deputy Speaker. In response to question 5 of the ordinary questions for oral answer, the Minister made what could be perceived to be some criticisms or attacks on my integrity as Chair of the Culture, Arts and Leisure Committee. I ask you, Principal Deputy Speaker, to look at the comments that were made and decide whether they were appropriate. I assure you, and the House, that the Committee will retain its role of thoroughly scrutinising the work of the Department and the Minister. I ask you to look at the comments that the Minister made.”
“I asked how the Minister would assess relative need, which is the core issue of the question. I remind her that, on a previous occasion, reference was made to viewing figures as one of the factors that would be taken into account in measuring relative need. What are the factors?”
“Some years ago, BBC Northern Ireland did a series of programmes on Silverbridge GAA club that presented the club in a very positive light and helped people outside that sector to understand better the work of the GAA club in a rural community. Does the Member agree that a band such as the one that he just mentioned would be an excellent subject for a similar series of BBC Northern Ireland programmes?”
“The point about it being inescapable was actually raised with officials. In fact, we were told that "inescapable" went beyond contractual commitments. Obviously, that includes health and safety issues, but we were told that it also included ministerial priorities, so it was beyond that.”
“Does the Member agree that the funding is for bands? The word "marching" is not in the title of the scheme. Secondly, even considering marching bands, there are bands from different traditions that have received funding through the scheme. For example, in north Belfast, quite a number of bands from what would be seen as a unionist background have received funding, but so has the O'Neill and Allsopp Memorial Flute Band from the New Lodge.”
“Will the Member join me, then, in highlighting the behaviour of a republican flute band outside St Anne's Cathedral?”
“It gives a very wide spread across male/female, rural/urban, younger/older and all these different areas. We hear members of the Culture, Arts and Leisure Committee applying pressure on the need to rural proof. One member in particular — he has just looked up — is very strong on rural proofing. Yet, the fact is that a large number of these bands are in rural areas. I encourage the Minister to think about this again, to give support to the bands and to reinstate the scheme. I believe that that would be very much appreciated and would do much to encourage the bands. It is sad to see bands sometimes having to rely on very old instruments. Given the change that it can make to the quality of the music and the experience for the young people, I think that it is very deserving.”
“<BR /> <BR />What particularly interested me was that, whilst the funding for the band scheme was there as one of the bids, there were far more new bids being brought in for other things, particularly things regarding the Irish language that I know the Minister has stated her particular interest in and affinity with. I think that that is disappointing, because at a time when money is going to be tight — if, indeed, there is any money at all or any Budget at all — all these things are up in the air. However, the fact that this scheme was simply one among so many said to me that it was well down the list of priorities. <BR /> <BR />I encourage the Minister and the Department to look at this again. It is a modest sum of money in the scheme of things.”
“We acknowledge that, because of a whole range of reasons, some external to Northern Ireland and some internal in the Assembly, cuts have been imposed. However, I could not find evidence of an entire sector being written out 100% in the way that this was. This was a 100% cut. <BR /> <BR />Our hope was that there would be some response and an opportunity to find a source of funding through the June monitoring round. The Minister was quoted in the papers and made some comments in answer to questions in the Assembly that were, I thought, encouraging. However, when I looked at the monitoring round and at what was being proposed, I found that I had to get a dictionary to check the meaning of the word "inescapable". Things get top priority where they are inescapable, but "inescapable" seems to have become a very elastic and flexible term.”
“Members probably received a circular from the Ulster-Scots Community Network at one stage setting out some of the facts and figures. It said that bands from Northern Ireland represent Northern Ireland at events in Great Britain, USA, Canada, Norway, France, Gibraltar and Belgium and are regular visitors at prestigious events such as the Lord Mayor's show in London. So, this is an important sector. <BR /> <BR />It was, therefore, very disappointing to find that, when the budget was brought forward, this particular scheme, which has been going very successfully for a number of years, has been cut completely on this occasion. Other sectors had a cut imposed on them. It might have been 10%, 5%, 15%, 20% or whatever — there were cuts.”
“It is about not only musical skills but social and personal skills. People learn to work in a group with others. They learn to develop those social skills working corporately. Young people gain personal self-confidence through becoming competent in a musical instrument. <BR /> <BR />There are personal, musical and social skills, but all that is dependent on having good instruments. The tragedy is that instruments today are extremely expensive. You could spend up to £10,000 on one instrument in some very extreme cases, but, for many bands, even the grant of a few thousand pounds that they were able to achieve through the fund has been extremely important for them in providing better quality instruments. <BR /> <BR />The contribution of bands to the economy through spend on instruments and transport is substantial.”
“Through competitions, those bands are able to demonstrate not only mass participation but a very high standard, even up to world championship level. <BR /> <BR />The Belfast Tattoo in the Odyssey was an example of bands being able to demonstrate their quality, across a whole range of types of band, to a wide public audience. I think that the Minister was at the tattoo up in Londonderry at the Ebrington site, and I understand that she was impressed by the quality of some of the bands that she saw on that occasion. I think that everyone would have to admit that the quality is certainly there. <BR /> <BR />The other thing that is important to mention is that band membership can span generations. You can have maybe two or three generations in the one band, with the passing of skills from older members to younger members.”
“When you look down grades 2, 3 and 4 — those are all very high standards; even grade 4 — at all the bands at all levels, whether it be in piping, drumming, the drum majors or any of the other different elements, you see that Northern Ireland is coming away with a whole raft of medals and trophies in competition after competition, not only in Irish or UK championships but world championships. <BR />There are very few arts sectors where we can say, "We have the very best in the world". We have good theatre, good orchestras and a whole range of arts sectors and activities, but this is the one that I can think of where we are the best in the world. Dunloy Accordion Band, for example, performs at a very high standard.”
“If you look at the pipe bands sector, you see that we have more pipe bands per head of population in Northern Ireland than Scotland. We also have a very good geographical spread of rural and urban bands. It is a very important sector that is deserving of strong support. <BR /> <BR />You can refer to the issue of not only participation but performance. People may say, "We are very good at what we do", "We're a very good sector" and so on, but you have to benchmark it; you have to be able to say, "Well, when you assess that, the evidence is there". In the case of bands, the evidence is there. <BR /> <BR />If we look at the pipe bands sector, we see that, for example, Field Marshal Montgomery has been world champions on numerous occasions. It is only one of the bands that are extremely successful at grade 1.”
“Those independent surveys and reports were carried out for the Departments by reputable and respected consultancy organisations. When you have 660 bands in Northern Ireland and more than 25,000 people learning and making music in them, that is clearly, I suggest, our largest community arts sector. <BR /> <BR />There are two priorities that stand out in regard to arts and sport: participation and performance. In terms of participation — ie the number of people taking part — there is clearly a very significant contribution, with 25,000 people spread across flute bands, accordion bands, silver bands, brass bands and pipe bands. Those people are learning and making music on a weekly basis throughout the year. They are attending one or possibly two, and, in some cases, three, practice sessions per week.”
“The bands sector in Northern Ireland is one of our largest arts sectors in the Province, and I think it is one of the most important and significant. I refer Members to three reports; one was carried out by the Arts Council itself some years ago, when it reviewed the scheme for musical instruments for bands: that was the PricewaterhouseCoopers report in February 2006. Subsequently, a report was commissioned by the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure. It was formerly on the DCAL website and may still be there, although I have not checked. More recently, in 2013, a report was commissioned by the Department for Social Development, which brought forward the figures that, in Northern Ireland, we have over 660 bands, with an active membership of over 25,000 people.”
“The Minister will be aware of the history of the situation. Back in the 1980s, at the height of the Troubles, several classrooms and toilet and storage facilities were separated from the rest of the building so that a nearby nursery school could be accommodated in the suite of buildings. The position now is that the school is able, just about, to bring children in but is not able to meet the requirements that would normally be expected for seven-class provision over seven years. Will he at least enquire as to what might be done by the Education Authority about the provision of one mobile classroom, which would ensure that the school was able to meet the full requirements of the seven classes and, therefore, there would be no need for composite classes?”
“If we are going to protect human rights, let us think about the human rights of innocent victims, rather than the supposed human rights of those who are perpetrators and want to avoid justice. <BR /> <BR />This is simply a way of evading or circumventing the political process. It is a very undemocratic position, with a lot of this human rights agenda and human rights sector. Therefore, I certainly welcome and support what the Conservative Party seeks to do, whether in part or in whole.”
“I will move on, because my time has virtually gone. <BR /> <BR />The unionist community is critical of the Human Rights Act, the way in which it has been interpreted by the European Court of Human Rights, and of the fact that it has been abused on a regular basis by criminals and terrorists who have used spurious challenges to avoid deportation.”
“Mr Speaker, if you do reflect on what was recorded in Hansard, you will see that I referred to the Member, because the Member had spoken, and I also, I think, referred to her indirectly. I did not refer directly to her or speak to her; I was referring to what she had previously said. <BR /> <BR />Bear in mind that one of CAJ's previous directors spent time as a director of a republican ex-prisoners' organisation. I think that to be the case. Furthermore, I think that the current director was, certainly at one time, a member of the Communist Party of Northern Ireland. That sort of pedigree says something about the organisation. It helps to explain why it finds it offensive that there would be such a thing as a British bill of rights. <BR /> <BR />We also had the comments on this matter from Amnesty International.”
“Sorry, Mr Speaker, we cannot have two Members on their feet at the one time.”
“The fact that Caitríona Ruane rushed to her feet to defend CAJ probably says more to reinforce what I have said, because it is an organisation that has frequently operated to a Sinn Féin agenda more than anything else.”
“So, the fact that it was a "British" bill of rights that was being proposed was an anathema to the Committee for the Administration of Justice, which perhaps tells us more about CAJ, its political stance, its political bias and its political position than it does about any proposed bill of rights.”
“<BR /> <BR />I was taken very much by the comments made by some of the "special interest groups", as they are described in Northern Ireland. We have, first, the Committee for the Administration of Justice (CAJ). Some years ago, Fiona Murphy, on behalf of the Committee for the Administration of Justice, said:”
“What they are unable to achieve at the ballot box, through the democratic process — things for which they cannot get support amongst the people of the United Kingdom — they seek to have implemented by use of a human rights agenda and the courts. <BR /> <BR />Reference was made earlier to the Magna Carta. That is not the only occasion on which the United Kingdom has had a proud record on human rights. We might also refer to the Glorious Revolution, the Williamite settlement and the Bill of Rights contained in it. Moving beyond our own shores, we might also think of the influence of such people as our own Francis Hutcheson and his teachings in respect of the Scottish Enlightenment on what happened in the American revolution.”
“The motion before us today has been somewhat overtaken by events. Prior to the election, the Conservative Party's position was, as I understand it, that it would move directly to a repeal of the Human Rights Act 1998. Since then, it seems to have moved to a position of consultation. However, I tend to support the initial position, which is that we should move to repeal the Human Rights Act because, quite frankly, it is a cause of concern to many people across the United Kingdom, given the way in which the human rights agenda is operated and the way in which that agenda has been hijacked, particularly by the political left in order to further its agenda of evading and circumventing the political process.”
“The linkage of area planning into new builds can have a damaging, divisive impact, particularly in the controlled sector, where you find one school being told, "You can have a new school if the other school agrees to close". That leads to friction and division in communities. <BR /> <BR />We need a system that is responsive to local needs. I encourage the Minister to give careful attention to the things that have been set out in the report. It is a good report, and I commend it to the Minister.”
“<BR /> <BR />When we spoke to officials from the Department, I was interested to find that, in terms of the linkage between the area plan and prioritisation for new build, there had been several occasions when the prioritisation system was altered and the role of the area plan enhanced within that prioritisation process, yet no equality impact assessment was carried out of that fact. You change criteria, but you do not look at the EQIA implications. Yet, when you have a highly sectoralised system, as we have, with large numbers of controlled schools and maintained schools, I would have thought that it was fairly obvious that you would carry out an EQIA. When the officials were asked, they looked at each other and the answer was, "No, we did not do that".”
“There are areas where large numbers of vacant brownfield sites will be developed over the next number of years, many of them for social housing. That needs to be taken into account when calculating future need and therefore how you would plan. When social housing goes into those areas, then, because of the way in which it is allocated, a family with more children will be more likely to be at the top of the list and therefore get one of the new houses when they are built. On that basis, we need to look again at simply having an overall view that, if so many houses are built, so many children will come into the school population. There is a need to review that.”
“The schools they were offered as alternatives, since they could not get into the Girls' Model, were seven Roman Catholic maintained schools in various parts of Belfast, an Irish-medium secondary school in west Belfast and an integrated school at the far end of the city. Those were the schools in Belfast with vacancies. There were no vacancies in the controlled schools. The parents in Ashfield were experiencing a similar situation. It is clear that we have not been getting it quite right as yet and that there needs to be a lot more thought to ensure that, as we plan for the future, there is adequate provision in the various areas of the city. <BR /> <BR />One thing that has fed into that shortcoming in the past has been identifying future need and the way in which that is calculated.”
“The situation with the two Model schools very much came to our minds in the last few days, because you now have two controlled secondary schools in north Belfast — the Boys' Model and the Girls' Model — and the two Ashfield schools at the other end of the city. This year, it was encouraging to see that the number of children who applied to the Girls' Model was around 22 or 23 above the number that could be taken into the school. Eventually, some were accommodated elsewhere, but quite a number are still not settled. It is interesting that, when the letter went out to the parents about the situation, they were offered alternative schools.”
“As a member of the Committee, I want to thank the Clerk, the staff and all others who contributed to the preparation of the report. <BR /> <BR />As the Chair of the Committee said, it is good to plan, and that needs to be done on an area basis. It is more complex in Northern Ireland than in many other places because of the range of sectors we have and the fact that the Education Authority is only coming into place now. <BR /> <BR />The recommendations in the report speak for themselves. Therefore, I want to take the opportunity to highlight a couple of situations that I have had experience of with planning in my constituency of North Belfast.”
“It seems that the idea of broadening that out more widely is the more appropriate approach.”
“It is clear that the production of an effective guide to defibrillator locations would make a difference in saving lives. I am not in a position to express Committee support for the motion as the Committee has not actually discussed that particular point and has not yet come to a Committee view. However, I know that, like me, other members of the Committee will be listening with interest to hear the Minister's response and to see whether the idea can and should be taken forward by DCAL. Obviously, if that is the case, the Committee will undertake its statutory scrutiny role of any mapping scheme for defibrillators. <BR /> <BR />Speaking personally, it seems that, if we are focusing purely on one Department, we are missing the wider picture. There are so many other locations where defibrillators would be appropriate and beneficial.”
“The Committee discovered from the correspondence and inquiries that there are lots of defibrillators out there and lots of people trained in their use. However, it became apparent to the Committee that there was no coordinated approach towards defibrillators across Government, with no one Department taking the lead. There are lots of initiatives. Indeed, the Committee will receive a briefing this Thursday from Health officials about that Department's community resuscitation strategy. The Committee is interested to hear how defibrillators and other forms of resuscitation might be embedded in communities. <BR /> <BR />I am pleased that the members of the Committee who brought forward the motion were inspired by what the Committee has heard about defibrillators and have therefore called for the mapping exercise.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Committee agreed to gather evidence on the bodies that hold defibrillators and how many people are trained in their use. Members wrote to all the Executive Departments and their arm's-length bodies, the Ulster branch of the Irish Rugby Football Union, the Ulster branch of the GAA and the IFA. The Churches and the main uniformed organisations for young people were also approached. The aim was to ascertain whether they had defibrillators and, if they had, how many staff were trained to use them. <BR /> <BR />The Committee also attempted to pin down whether there was a Minister responsible for the regulation of defibrillators and whether there were any plans to put them on a mandatory footing similar to fire extinguishers.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Committee's interest in defibrillators stemmed from a briefing that members received some months ago from a group called Defibs4kids. This group has campaigned tirelessly for defibrillators to be placed in every school. As Members will be aware, the Education Minister put this out to tender, and schools can now access defibrillators at a much reduced cost. Members of the Committee also heard from Defibs4kids about its campaign to have defibrillators in public spaces as well as sports clubs and grounds. The Committee agreed that there was compelling evidence that defibrillators can be the difference between life and death in cardiac arrest situations. Members heard that every minute wasted reduces the chances of recovery by 10%.”