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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“I will start with the Chairman, Mr Maskey, whose chairing of the Committee was very generously applauded by his party colleague Mr McCann. Mr Maskey said that it was about establishing facts. That is the problem: the Committee failed to establish facts and based its conclusions on supposition and innuendo.”
“I therefore acknowledged to the Committee on 12 December 2013 that I had "inadvertently unintentionally misinformed the Committee" but that that was not in any way deliberate. I said at the time that we are only human and are all fallible, and I acknowledged that I had made a mistake but said that it was not in any way deliberate. I therefore fail to see and understand how the Committee can come to the conclusion that, based on my genuine belief at the time that the meeting had been with representatives of the GGF, I deliberately misled the Committee in relation to my decision to seek a review of the specification for the supply and fitting of double glazing. <BR /> <BR />I want to pick up on points that were made by some Members. Some important points need to be made.”
“<BR /> <BR />Taking account of all that, how did the Committee come to its conclusion? I do not know, and the report does not enlighten me in that regard. It does not set out a logical set of arguments. It is hard, therefore, not to see it as anything other than a basis for political point scoring. That, of course, is not what an inquiry is meant to be about and is not what the public expects, and it is the sort of flawed process that brings the Assembly into disrepute. However, I readily accept that, on foot of this inquiry and the oral evidence provided to the Committee by the Turkington representatives in November 2013, I was wrong in my assumption that they were representing the Glass and Glazing Federation.”
“Those are the very words of the BBC reporter. <BR /> <BR />I had nothing to hide in relation to the meeting on 16 April, and that was demonstrated by the fact that I ensured that the Housing Executive's chief executive and its head of procurement also attended that meeting. I also point out that the review of the specification and the subsequent tendering process for new double-glazing contracts were handled by the Housing Executive, as the contracting authority, and not by me or my Department. I also never sought to hide or deny who was at that meeting, which is, in fact, a matter of public record, as I answered an Assembly question for written answer on 7 September 2012 that clearly stated that the managing director and general manager of Turkington Holdings were at the meeting on 16 April.”
“Indeed, in the BBC Northern Ireland 'Spotlight' programme that aired on 3 July 2013, the reporter actually stated:”
“Those are the very words that were used in the written evidence to the Committee but, of course, that was omitted from the Committee's report. <BR /> <BR />In addition, the report states, in relation to changes to the minutes of the meeting on 16 April:”
“Indeed, whilst the report refers to Mr Trevor Turkington's written evidence, it does not, in fact, quote that Mr Turkington's written evidence in relation to that meeting on 25 January 2012 with my special adviser actually stated:”
“I thank the Member for that point. I would also say to the Member who made the point that it is interesting that the Member to whom he has referred has such a sudden interest in housing because, when it came to the last election and you looked at the manifestos for all the political parties, you saw that all the parties around here said what they were going to do in relation to housing. They were concerned about their constituents, and they were concerned about practical issues and matters such as this. That was except for one person, one party and one manifesto. <BR /> <BR />After the meeting with my special adviser on 25 January 2012, I genuinely believed that the Turkington representatives were attending the meeting in April in their capacity as representatives of the Glass and Glazing Federation.”
“— that was then further confirmed to me by my professional and technical officials. The savings to the public purse were subsequently estimated to be around £15 million. That is what led to my decision to seek a review of the specification for supply and fitting, not who was at the meeting or who they were representing.”
“— to the public purse and indeed provide a better standard of service to tenants, a fact —”
“Those who raised the issue did not benefit from the changes, and the subsequent changes led to estimated savings to the public purse of £15 million. Indeed, instead of these significant points, the report focuses entirely on whether the people I met at one meeting on 16 April 2012 were representing themselves or the glazing industry. <BR /> <BR />I have said many times in relation to that meeting on 16 April 2012 that it was not important who I met but that what was important was the fact that I was being advised that, if the Glass and Glazing Federation guidelines were followed, this could lead to significant savings —”
“The Committee’s conclusion that I deliberately misled it is, in fact, totally and utterly unsubstantiated. The report does not set out in what way the Committee believes I misled it in relation to my decision to seek a review of the specification for the supply and fitting of double glazing. <BR /> <BR />The report claims to be an objective assessment of my decision to seek a review of the specification for supply and fitting. However, it is anything but that. The actual review of the double glazing specification is hardly even mentioned in the report, and, had it focused on this review, it would, in fact, have confirmed that I was not involved in that process. The process of review was carried out entirely by the Housing Executive’s own technical advisers. The resultant decision reflected the guidelines.”
“However, in his letter — writing of course from a legal perspective — he highlighted a number of issues about the manner in which this inquiry has been conducted. <BR /> <BR />I have also put on record my concerns that the actual content of the report falls short of the standards expected in relation to any inquiry and is fundamentally flawed in relation to its analysis of the evidence and its conclusions. This debate therefore provides us with an opportunity to note the work of the Committee and debate whether this is the way to proceed. <BR /> <BR />I do not believe that the evidence, both written and oral, provided to the Social Development Committee was given due regard, and I fail to understand how the Committee considered the evidence and the facts appropriately in line with its own terms of reference for phase 1 of the inquiry.”
“I am grateful for the opportunity to respond to this debate, and I want to thank those who have contributed to it. If my response fails to address any specific points, I will, of course, write to Members separately. <BR /> <BR />I have already put on record my concerns about the process for this inquiry. It is a process that, I believe, would not meet the requirements that would be applicable if the inquiry were a public inquiry conducted, for example, under the Inquiries Act 2005. Indeed, the departmental solicitor has written to the Committee Clerk in relation to this. His letter was sent to the Committee on 10 July. We are now well into the month of September, and there has been no reply.”
“He is a good example to others and is, in many ways, a role model for young people. We can be truly proud of him. The city can be proud of him and so can the country. <BR /> <BR />As has been said, there is a wealth of boxing talent in Northern Ireland, but it goes wider than that. As has been pointed out, we have had great success in golf and at the Commonwealth Games, and we also note the successes once again this year in the World Pipe Band Championships. So, at world level, Northern Ireland is, to borrow a phrase from boxing, certainly punching above its weight.”
“In congratulating Carl, we pay tribute to the role that his family have played. He was brought up in a very good family and had a good start in life, and that is hugely important. He has also been well managed and looked after by Barry McGuigan during his career. <BR /> <BR />I am glad that my colleague William Humphrey mentioned the start that Carl had all those years ago in Midland Boxing Club in Tigers Bay in the Duncairn area of north Belfast. In that context, I pay tribute to Billy McKee, who has given, I think, 40 years of voluntary service to that little boxing club where Carl started his boxing life. It was right and proper that Billy was acknowledged with the BEM earlier this year. <BR /> <BR />Carl has shown great talent in the ring and shown by his manner outside the ring that he is a responsible and good citizen.”
“Thank you, Mr Principal Deputy Speaker. May I join with others in giving my congratulations to Carl Frampton in the wake of his success, on Saturday night, in the centre of Belfast on bringing back to Belfast, and to Northern Ireland, the IBF super-bantamweight title? We have a rich history of boxing in Northern Ireland, particularly, I have to say, in north Belfast. As has been mentioned, a long line of boxers have come from that part of the city.”