Patsy McGlone
Mid Ulster · Social Democratic and Labour Party · Northern Ireland
“Limiting the power to dismiss charges involving the death of or serious physical harm to a vulnerable person will enhance the fairness and integrity of those criminal proceedings.”
“The SDLP welcomes the provisions for the long-overdue establishment of a statutory Commissioner for Victims and Witnesses of Crime. That is a significant step forward in the development of our justice system.”
“Putting the office on a statutory footing will ensure that the commissioner's role is legally recognised and accountable to the public and the justice system. The Minister outlined a number of the measures in the process of accountability.”
“OK. I thank my colleague — indeed, the Minister — for responding. It is, as the Minister said and my colleague highlighted, a sensitive area. People who are approached to give a reference should think long and hard about the implications of the references that they give: where they might wind up; the circumstances in which they give them;…”
“The SDLP welcomes the Victims and Witnesses of Crime Bill and the opportunity to debate it, alongside the Chairperson — or should I say, "Mr Amendment" — at its Second Stage.”
“I accept that the Minister's Department, as she has stated repeatedly, does not have the capacity or resources to develop those legislative provisions during this mandate.”
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“I welcome the motion and the focus on the need for tougher action against those who are convicted of animal cruelty. I suspect that most parties support the motion, at least in principle. After all, we are all animal lovers. <BR /> <BR />It should not be a surprise that the SDLP supports the motion. In particular, we support the call for the Minister to establish a register of banned animal welfare offenders. We and, I think, all parties present supported the DUP motion in 2016 that called on the then Justice Minister to establish an accessible central register of those convicted of animal welfare offences. It was made clear shortly afterwards that the responsibility for establishing a register would lie with the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs.”
“Has the Minister engaged with the Minister for Communities regarding the cost consequences of this proposal and its potential negative cost impact on the provision of social housing?”
“I thank the Member very much indeed for giving way. I was on the Enterprise Committee when the RHI scheme was brought through, and I sat across the way for a good part of the inquiry. Members have talked about documents being inaccurate and misleading, consultations not being available to them, evidence being hidden, full details not being presented to them, and, as you have just mentioned, major inadequacies in what was presented to the Committee. Is this déjà vu, or Groundhog Day? Seriously, what has been learned? Very little, it appears.”
“Has the Member, in all his deliberations and research, found anything advantageous to voting for the annulment today?”
“Minister, as you know, Mid Ulster is a well-established manufacturing hub. It is also particularly vulnerable to automation, so the digital skills are particularly important to develop there. What specific digital skills plans does your Department have for the industry, and, particularly, what plans does your Department have in a wider area to maximise and optimise the best use of AI?”
“Thank you, a Phríomh-Leas-Cheann Comhairle.”
“The funding must be inflation-proofed in real terms, as our amendment states, and guaranteed for at least 10 years, as the UFU has called for. That would restore the certainty that accompanied the EU funding. It must also include replacement funding for the pillar 2 payments. As I said earlier, many from rural areas know that they are crucial for rural development, small businesses, microbusinesses and community groups in general. The funding was lost after Brexit, and replacing the lost investment for rural development is essential if the Executive hope to deliver, in total, for our rural communities. <BR /> <BR />It is right that the argument is being led by our Minister of Agriculture, but it is also a message that the joint First Ministers must take to London. Sin é. Tá mé an-sásta an leasú a chur in bhur láthair.”
“Within that is around £300 million of direct payments to farmers. The Ulster Farmers' Union (UFU) has calculated that maintaining the real value of the funding — the "real terms" referred to in our amendment — will require the overall funding to be increased to £389 million by the end of 2024. Without that increase, there will be a shortfall of around £60 million this year, a real-terms cut in the available funding that has been experienced each year since 2020. <BR /> <BR />Meanwhile, while the financial support has been cut and is reducing, farmers are under increasing pressure. It is expected that the figures will show a drop in total farm income from £609 million in 2022 to £341 million in 2023. Therefore, it is not enough to maintain direct payments at the pre-Brexit levels.”
“That funding, whatever problems some may have had with it, ensured a level playing field for farmers across the EU and between these islands. That funding was consistent and, importantly, it allowed farmers to plan ahead financially. That was all thrown into chaos by Brexit. Previous friends of the DUP in the British Conservative Party promised to match EU agricultural funding. They have not matched the inflationary pressures that have followed, which has led to cuts in real terms to the funding that is available. Those are cuts that the DUP, more than any other party here, bears some political responsibility for. <BR /> <BR />The annual funding allocation to replace the EU's common agricultural policy payments has been capped since 2020 at approximately £330 million.”
“As a result, we have lost access to nearly £100 million of funding that should have been invested in our rural communities. Our amendment seeks to acknowledge that loss. Let us be clear: this issue is up for debate today directly because of the Brexit that the DUP campaigned for, which the SDLP and others opposed. That is a simple fact. <BR /> <BR />We all know the importance of the agri-food sector to our rural and wider economy. It is one of our most vital industries, supporting tens of thousands of jobs and generating over £2·87 billion in output in 2023. The bedrock of that sector is farming, with many small farms, most of them family-owned and run, dotted across the rural landscape. For years, those farmers have been supported by EU funding that was made available through our membership of the European Union.”
“I welcome the debate and the recognition of the significant investment made by the single farm payment and the EU common agricultural policy in rural communities and businesses. While we agree with the intent of the motion, in our view, it is incomplete. That is why we believe that our amendment is necessary. There were two pillars to the EU common agricultural policy, and both of them, as we well know, played an important part in supporting rural communities and the rural economy. The motion mentions only the direct payments under pillar 1, but the pillar 2 payments for rural development were also crucial. However, after Brexit, the British Government did not properly replace the pillar 2 funding stream, as many of us know.”
“Mo bhuíochas leat, a Phríomh-Leas-Cheann Comhairle.”
“Minister, you said earlier that you could not answer all the questions here today. The difficulty that I have is that I do not know how many more questions there will be before the end of play today. Will the Minister consent to a full independent inquiry into the circumstances around the case of Michael McMonagle to ensure full transparency and accountability and to rebuild public trust in these institutions and this Government?”
“I thank the Minister for his efforts on this. Will he agree that, unless the crisis in infrastructural provision for sewage disposal is properly addressed, it has every potential to render his document and his efforts more or less an academic exercise?”
“I thank the deputy First Minister for her answer. Given that the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR) has agreed to investigate only eight out of 85 potential cases, will the deputy First Minister detail what steps her Department will take to ensure that every victim of the Troubles has an equal opportunity for justice?”
“I support the observation about drug tariffs and the pressures on pharmacies, particularly in rural areas. Is the Minister considering the expansion of the Pharmacy First service across the pharmacy network to help address access difficulties that many people are experiencing in the primary care sector this winter?”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. He will be aware that the 2020 report contained 25 recommendations, 18 of which applied specifically to DAERA and one to AFBI. Will he give us any flavour of actions that have been taken at either DAERA or AFBI in line with the report's recommendations, please?”
“Minister, I listened carefully to your response. You said that you hope to take actions that will ameliorate and improve the water quality. What actions have the Department or any of its agencies taken to identify the culprits responsible for the pollution? Have any criminal actions or prosecutions been taken against those culprits?”
“I was referring specifically to the motion that we are debating today, but I take the Member's point. <BR /> <BR />The Minister referred to the care system for older people, some of whom have life-threatening diseases or conditions, and the need for them to get the care that they require. We are debating today the loss of community and voluntary sector funding, and I have no problem supporting the amendment and making the case for it. I emphasise a really important thing that we all know in the Chamber, which is that the community and voluntary sector plays a vital role for people. It is actually life-saving. <BR /> <BR />On that note, we will support the Ulster Unionist amendment, and I ask that Members support our motion, please.”
“I represent a rural area where domiciliary care workers and care in the community are unavailable until some poor cratur dies and a slot becomes available for the next person on the list. All that I will say to you, Minister, is that it is perhaps not one to hang your hat on. <BR /> <BR />Incidentally, we are supporting the amendment. Given the consensus in the Chamber today, all parties represented on the Executive can hopefully make a case to the Minister of Finance to come up with the £1·8 million.”
“Indeed. Perhaps the Prime Minister from that time, who is on the very lucrative speaker circuit, could make up the shortfall out of his own pocket. I say that with tongue in cheek. <BR /> <BR />Minister, you referred to your role as a victims' commissioner, where you saw the issues at first hand. You recognised the valuable role that the core grant scheme played, the choices that the statutory services made and the funding provided to the community and voluntary sector. It is now a very difficult place to be in. <BR /> <BR />Minister, I will highlight your reference to the fact that potential exists through making a transition from care in hospitals to care in communities. In my experience, you have a long hard road ahead of you there.”
“Indeed, especially if £1·8 million is not a lot. One would presume that a Programme for Government by the Executive parties could come up with that, given the inordinate pressures, needs and requirements in society and how important the community and voluntary sector is in the community. Again, it goes back to the Executive. <BR /> <BR />Over to the Minister. The Minister referred to the decision to cut the grant and was very specific about the fact that the permanent secretary did that at the time because the DUP was not participating in devolution. He also referred to the loss of the European social fund. Minister, I will happily give way to you if you can provide us with some further information on the quantity of the European social fund that was lost through that perturbed period and stupid vote. Do you have that detail?”
“<BR /> <BR />Nuala McAllister spoke about support for the sector, the 50% cut and the fact that £1·8 million is not a lot to ask for. As a member of the Opposition, I will again say that £1·8 million is not a lot to ask for. I go back to the idea of, "Somebody would need to do something about that", and suggest that that be referred back to your Executive colleagues, given the need for someone to do something about it.”
“The information that she referred to — she asked how many referrals were made to the sector — and which was not available would perhaps be useful and, indeed, helpful to the Department in its quest for reinstatement of the core funding. <BR /> <BR />Danny Donnelly referred to, again, the importance of the legacy of the Troubles, suicide rates, the 50% cut in funding, the gap that was left by the absence of political leadership and the need for institutional reform. Alan Robinson commended the work of the community and voluntary sector and the lifeline that it provides in many of our communities, including, indeed, rural communities where there is isolation as well as financial stress. We are all well aware of the problems that are faced by the people who come to our offices and the inordinate pressures that they live under.”
“Multiple references were made to the year-on-year funding, which means that there is no certainty and that — indeed, the Minister referred to this — people's employment is not secure, despite the fact that they provide vital services. People therefore leave those jobs and move on to other jobs that, in many instances, are in the statutory sector. <BR /> <BR />Robbie Butler referred to the financial pressures and budgets. He referred to, again, the community and voluntary sector. Liz Kimmins referred to her constituency and South Down, the voluntary sector and its important role in working with the most vulnerable in society. Diane Forsythe referred to issues with the Department and was somewhat critical of the Minister and his Department. However, that criticism was later rebutted very well by the Minister.”
“There were numerous references in the debate to the legacy of the conflict and the Troubles in our society and to the fact that people are still living with PTSD. Many other services are required in the community. In an earlier debate, we mentioned suicide prevention and what can be done on that. The Minister mentioned many core services such as those for elderly people and to tackle isolation. The list of services is endless. The gap has been filled in many instances by community and voluntary services. There was reference to the fact that schemes have been discontinued, and it is important that those are reinstated.”
“You know what that means; it means "somebody", but not them. Listening to the debate, I have heard everybody laud and praise the community and voluntary sector, everyone has talked about the valuable role that it plays, and everyone has talked about how important it is in dealing with people's mental health and being there as a support. Of course, it is. The level of priority and commitment given to mental health and of funding for the community and voluntary sector in the Programme for Government tells me that it was a case of, "Somebody had better do something about that". <BR /> <BR />I will move my way through Members' comments. My colleague Mark Durkan, who proposed the motion, referred to the importance of the core grant.”
“As I listened to the debate, I was reminded of some of the meetings that many of us attend where somebody says, usually from the back of the room, "Somebody would need to do something about that".”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. My concern is for those who slip through the net. Last year, I dealt in person with three people who were suicidal. They either did not know where to go or could not get the services, and, fortunately, I was able to help them. However, for every person who gets help, other people slip through the net and, unfortunately, the outcome is not good. Will the Member accept that access to services and knowing where to get help is crucial?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. He will have seen a case study of a farm that was carried out by one of the providers here, which found that 5G-enabled sensors helped the farm to reduce its chemical usage by 30% and improve efficiency by 15%. I am sure that that does not apply to every farm, but those of us who are interested and who have followed DAERA in its pursuit of the Lough Neagh action plan could look at the likes of that and its potential to reduce the usage that contributes to some of the pollution problems in Lough Neagh.”
“It will also mean that they — by that, I mean "we" — will continue to be left behind by the Executive. <BR /> <BR />I look forward to hearing the proposals, I look forward to hearing about the work of the oversight group, and I look forward to hearing from the Executive on what is happening to address the deficiencies in what many in other areas regard as an everyday service.”
“<BR /> <BR />Rural communities are being left behind in digital connectivity, as was the case with the roll-out of high-speed broadband. Unless the task force starts to deliver on addressing the barriers to extending the 4G and 5G mobile networks in rural areas and some of the rural towns, the Shared Rural Network will continue to come up against those barriers. If the issue is planning, let us see the task force proposals to address that. If putting masts on publicly owned assets will improve mobile coverage in rural areas, let us see the task force proposals on that too. If there are other issues, let us see the task force proposals. A continued failure to deliver will mean that rural communities, rural villages and rural towns will continue to endure poor-quality mobile coverage.”
“Its communication subgroup has met 11 times, the planning subgroup has met just twice, as has been referred to, and the publicly owned assets subgroup has only met twice. <BR /> <BR />Earlier this month, in response to an Assembly question for written answer, the Economy Minister stated that he had asked his officials to discuss a delivery framework with all task force members at the next meeting. He also said that he would publish that when it was available. Perhaps a member of the Executive could provide an update on the progress of that delivery timetable — I do not know whether the Minister is in a position to do that today, but we will hear later on — because it is clear that it is an Executive issue. It is not an issue solely for the Infrastructure or Economy Ministers.”
“They want to know what is being done to improve the signal so they can get on with their daily lives and businesses. <BR /> <BR />The reality is that from the publication of the 'Mobile Action Plan for Northern Ireland (MAP NI)' on 23 June 2022 until February of this year, there was no Infrastructure Minister or Economy Minister. However, the barrier busting task force has apparently met during that time. Its oversight group, which includes members from DAERA, the Department for the Economy, the Department of Education, the Department of Finance, the Department for Infrastructure, the UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, the Full Fibre NI Consortium, Mobile UK, local government heads of planning and Ofcom, has met seven times.”
“I frequently get complaints, more so recently, from across the constituency about the poor quality of the mobile signal and areas where the signal drops out. There is another element that others and I have noticed, and my colleague Mr McGrath referred to it in his contribution: a previously reasonable or half-decent mobile signal that has deteriorated and dropped off. I do not know the technological reasons for that, but it is happening. I have had complaints from people in Magherafelt, the Coagh area and Cookstown about the deteriorating signal. I cannot understand why that should be the case, but it is clearly happening. <BR /> <BR />Whether the Assembly chooses to criticise the Infrastructure Minister, as in the motion, or opts to praise the Economy Minister, as in the amendment, people's experience will not change.”
“I welcome today's motion and the opportunity to highlight the need for better provision of high-quality mobile coverage in rural communities across the North, but this is not exclusively about rural communities, as I will come to in a moment or two. People need mobile coverage, whether it is to check on kids at school, make an appointment with the doctor, do everyday business or help to promote their businesses. In an area such as mine, many people are self-employed and are on the move quite a bit, and they need a decent mobile signal to help them to run their business. <BR /> <BR />I represent a mostly rural constituency, and, as other rural representatives clearly outlined today, we are kindred spirits when it comes to our constituents' experiences with the mobile signal.”
“Employees and workers in the agriculture sector face different sets of challenges in their work, not only cyclically through the seasons but daily. Has your Department engaged with workers from that sector on the special challenges that they face and how they, too, can be accommodated in the Bill?”
“Minister, I was glad to hear you refer to prosperity. Can you advise whether you have engaged with anti-poverty campaigners yet as part of your consultation? The lack of a mention of the anti-poverty strategy came as a blow to many in that sector but, more importantly, to many who suffer from poverty.”
“The SDLP wishes the Minister well in that regard.”
“A fair and just growth strategy needs careful governance and regulation. We argue that it requires the oversight of an independent environmental protection agency. It requires agreement by the Executive, and, as we have seen with the Lough Neagh action plan, that can take time and might not survive engagement with the Executive in the manner intended or required. That may be why the Minister's party colleagues are calling on his Executive colleagues to work with him to deliver green growth and maximise renewable energy.”
“The average time for a decision on local applications was 20·8 weeks, and major applications took an average of 46·5 weeks — both well over the target times — so reform of how things are done is definitely needed. <BR /> <BR />It is also worth noting that an important part of the previous draft green growth strategy was to publish our first climate action plan by the end of December 2023. We are now approaching a year on from that date, and there is still no sign of the climate action plan. <BR /> <BR />I welcome the Minister's efforts to bring forward a green growth strategy, and I look forward to those efforts bearing fruit in the just transition elements required by the Climate Change Act, because it is not enough simply to publish the growth strategy, nor to call it "green".”
“It is important that all the elements are in place before a fundamental reform of the planning system, because any reform must consider the need for the just transition and how it will impact on councils' policies and practices and the policies that the Department for Infrastructure hands down on accommodating the just transition in policies and practices. <BR /> <BR />There is no doubt that planning reform is needed. Our report and recommendations on the implementation of the Planning Act 2011 was waiting on the Infrastructure Minister's desk when he took office, with, I am sure, plenty of other things. Despite an 11% decrease in planning applications compared with the previous year, in 2023-24 there was a 10% decrease in the number of decisions made or issued.”
“Again, that just transition fund and the projects that it will need to help — hopefully they are innovative and creative as agriculture adapts to the changing environment — will require accommodation at least within policies developed by the Department. Indeed, local development plans may have to accommodate certain projects and capacity of zoning lands to accommodate that too. <BR /> <BR />The Executive's draft Programme for Government talks of supporting the cost of a just transition but provides no detail on how they plan to do that. The details will be vital. The detail on planning policy, planning processes and local development plans — all of it — will be vital. Both those provisions are key elements of a green growth strategy. The longer they take to be established, the further behind we fall on the schedule to achieve net zero.”
“<BR /> <BR />Decarbonising our economy and creating sustainable green jobs is a vital part of achieving the ambitious target of net zero. The SDLP is proud of its role in helping to secure the Climate Change Act 2022 that set those targets, but the elements required for fair and just transition are absent from today's motion. We tabled an amendment that, had it been selected, would have put those elements into the debate. <BR /> <BR />The Minister has said that he hopes to have the just transition commission in place next year. He has also stated that he has made the case to the British Government that there should be a separate and additional capital fund for Northern Ireland for a just transition fund for agriculture.”
“I understand that. That is one element of it. <BR /> <BR />I was about to make the point that, with any green growth strategy, there may need to be changes in actual policy. Before the Department can go ahead and say, "We look at process", which should be done at all stages, when the green growth strategy eventually emerges in whatever shape or form, there may well be, to my mind anyway, projects that do not nicely or neatly fit into any policy niche, and, in order to accommodate the development of that strategy, the Department may have to do that itself. The Executive's draft Programme for Government has already claimed the proposed strategy as its own, so hopefully the Minister will be pushing at an open door.”
“I welcome the motion and the amendment and their focus on fair and just growth in the green economy. I also welcome the work by the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to bring forward a green growth strategy; indeed, I look forward to seeing more meat on the bones of that strategy. <BR /> <BR />I listened carefully to the proposer of the motion's emphasis on the planning process. Yes, of course, all of us who have been involved in planning applications have seen delays after delays. That can be due to consultation with the NIEA, consultation with DFI Roads or consultation with NI Water, and it can be due to a lack of proper process by agents. All of those can contribute. That is the actual planning process. The green growth strategy goes further than that, insofar as it may well be required —.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as ucht an ráitis. An bhfuil aon dul chun cinn á dhéanamh i dtaobh reachtaíocht teanga, agus an bhfuil aon chomhoibriú á dhéanmh idir an dá Rialtas le sin a bhaint amach?”
“Does the Minister agree that it is crucial that a strong message come from her and the Executive that the Executive's commitment to the city deal projects, such as those in the Mid South West region, including my constituency, is rock solid? She mentioned that she had made a request to the Secretary of State. Will representatives of the Executive request an urgent meeting with the Chief Secretary to the Treasury? It is vital. The Cookstown bypass in my constituency is extremely important for the revitalisation and economic development of the area.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as a freagraí.”