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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“A key element of that is that we, I hope, come to this destination with one aim in mind, and that is to represent our community and where we come from with respect. We might travel different pathways to get here, but we must do that with respect. New Decade, New Approach was worked through and was overseen by both Governments to make sure that we would at least be stimulated to arrive at that point. That is why I support the motion. <BR /> <BR />I heard Mr Butler, who is gone, provide a quote earlier. There is a quote that I encountered, and it has stuck with me:”
“Those are New Decade, New Approach commitments, and all the parties here concurred with them. The motion calls for the implementation of one aspect of it that affects our daily business in the Chamber. I support that because I have been an advocate for the Irish language, as have others in the Chamber, for many years. We have done quite a bit of work through private Member's Bills etc to attain and achieve that official recognition in the Chamber. I know that others here are from different backgrounds and different walks of life, but I trust that, when we come into the Chamber, it is with one aim: the betterment of our community. <BR /> <BR />The betterment of our community has many facets: where we come from, who we are, what our environment is, what our education was and, indeed, our identity.”
“Those principles are to be reflected in legislation. As part of that, as referred to:”
“Ba mhaith liom a rá go n-aontaím leis an rún. Dearbhaíonn na páirtithe an díth le saoirse do gach aon duine i dTuaisceart Éireann lena n-ionannas, idir náisiúnta agus chultúrtha, a raoghnú, a dheimhniú, a chaomhnú, a choinneáil, a fhorbairt agus an fhéiniúlacht sin a cheiliúradh ar dhóigh a gcuireann san áireamh tuiscint agus íogaireacht orthu siúd as ionannas idir náisiúnta agus chultúrtha éagsúlacht eile, agus sin a dhéanamh le meas agus faoi stiúir an dlí. <BR /> <BR />Cruthaíonn siad an gá le hathmhuintearas, caoinfhulaingt agus comhrá fiúntach eathrú siúd as féiniúlachtaí éagsúla idir náisiúnta agus chultúrtha i dTuaisceart Éireann agus cothromaíocht measa, cóimheas, tuigbheáil agus comhoibriú. Cruth na bpriosabal sin le bheith i reachtaíocht. Sin é — Deich mBliana Úr, Cur Chuige Úr. <BR /> <BR />The parties affirm:”
“A lot of the issues are very important to our constituents, and we should try to work our way through them together. That is what the community wants. We can have a battle a day if we like, but we should come back to the same key, bread-and-butter issues of health, the economy, education and infrastructure that many Members referred to. I appreciate the comments from other Members. The same thematic issues were mentioned throughout the debate. I appreciate those Members' contributions and their support in the Committees on which I have served.”
“Thank you for that and for your tolerance of me, Mr Principal Deputy Speaker. I highlighted those points, but I am sure that you will accept that I feel very passionately about them. <BR /> <BR />On the point that my colleague made, many farmers here had best be aware that the policy of the GB Government is one of low food prices. It is not about support for agriculture, as we have it in this country, North and South. The agriculture and agri-foods sector is a key employer, which employs upwards of 100,000 people in the North. The big issue that is driving some of the trade deals is getting votes in key constituencies and providing cheap food. There is no concern for the farming community or agri-food sector. <BR /> <BR />Minister and Members, thank you for listening to my contribution.”
“The uncertainty caused by the failure to resolve problems arising from the Brexit protocol has, in some ways, hampered our attempts to recover from the economic impact of the COVID pandemic. At the same time, I speak to others in Invest NI who see growth in trade in certain sectors. That is not as a consequence of Brexit, but probably in spite of it. Rural communities in Mid Ulster and other constituencies want to see more evidence that the joint heads of the Government in the North have a plan for the future. We may be somewhat adrift in a sea of crises, and I am sure that the Minister feels that he is treading water at this stage —.”
“<BR /> <BR />As the Minister outlined, the key to addressing that is training and investment in skills, so that our young people and those who need to be reskilled are properly skilled to move into the sectors of the economy that need support and that see huge deficiencies. Those deficiencies also present an opportunity for our economy to grow, but employers tell me about the difficulties that they have getting employees when, this time last year, we would have thought that that would not be possible. Not only is it possible; it is very real. I emphasise to the Minister that he should be aware of the situation on the ground when dealing with the moneys that he expends on the Department for the Economy. <BR /> <BR />Brexit continues to disrupt our trade in agri-food products.”
“<BR /> <BR />The economy has been hit severely by the COVID pandemic in some areas. However, other areas cannot get workers. I raised that with the Minister for the Economy. The Finance Minister is pretty astute on these things, so I am sure that he knows this. There are certain sectors that I speak to — as I am sure you do, Minister — that cannot get employees, be that engineering, building or other elements of construction services. Some employees have left to go back to their homes in mainland Europe, where the economy may have improved and flourished. Others have moved from posts that were furloughed.”
“<BR /> <BR />It is wrong that that there is not a method for dealing with people so that they are incentivised to work for the NHS on decent pay, rather than them walking the wards with someone is getting four or five times the amount that they are. That needs to be addressed. We see it year-on-year. When you look at the increasing amount of money that is spent year-on-year, it gets beyond being embarrassing. It is amoral. It is not immoral; it is amoral. That is but one aspect of the health service that needs to be addressed. Those waiting lists and the money, which could definitely be better managed, need to be dealt with. I will leave it to the professionals to do that. I sincerely hope that, with the impetus and thrust of the Executive, they will address that problem.”
“There has to be an injection, but just cash will not do it. I had a response to an Assembly Question about the levels of funding that have been ploughed into agency nursing. The amount of money that has been overspent on agency nursing is awful. Good luck to those who are doing the work and can avail themselves of that money, but we all get emails asking for our health service staff, particularly nurses, to be paid a proper wage. It is awful to have an NHS nurse walking the wards on the standard rate of pay of — I do not know what it works out as — 14 or 15 quid an hour, when someone who has been flown in from Scotland, and whose overnight stay is paid for, is getting paid 50 quid an hour for doing the exact same work on the exact same ward. Something is just wrong with a situation that allows that to happen.”
“Any of us who are at all active in our constituencies are bound to hear from people who are waiting for referrals, people who are waiting for domiciliary care packages, and people who are not able to get the treatment that they require. For all of us, it should be an honour-bound duty to see that through for our constituents, who are our neighbours, our friends and our families.”
“There is a lack of urgency in addressing that. I hope that the Minister will inform us how plans are developing with the British Government on our having the ability to roll over funds, carry things through and make sure that the building programmes, for instance, that, inevitably, were held up this year as a consequence of the pandemic can be continued in a strategic manner and with necessary haste. We have a growing problem with affordable housing and social housing, and that needs to be addressed. <BR /> <BR />All of this is a huge challenge for all parties. We have to accept that. Waiting lists for health treatment are at record levels. It would be remiss of me not to say that.”
“That will open the floodgates further for the likes of Argentina and Brazil. I say that because that too will have implications for the support for our farmers that is delivered from the Department by way of the supplement that there should be for the basic payments. At the same time, some complain about the Brexit protocol, which will, in fact, protect the markets on this part of the island from the worst effects of those trade deals. At least Canute was trying to make a point about the limit of his powers when he tried to stop the tide. <BR /> <BR />The Budget and its failure to meet the challenges that we have are crucial. I am sure that the Minister will agree that the one-year rollover presents us with a difficult situation. It does not allow Departments or agencies to plan strategically, as it should do.”
“Unless we have that transitional support for the sectors that may be affected by it, we will be in a difficult situation, as will many of our constituents, which is worse. Farmers will need support to make that transition. <BR /> <BR />By the way, we have still not had any sign of the benefits to the agriculture sector that were promised by the Brexit cheerleaders. Recently, the AERA Minister warned, as he is right to do, of the impact on farmers of the free trade deals that his party's former friends in the Tory Party want to negotiate with the rest of the world. We have seen that with Australia, where no tariffs will be imposed as a result of any trade deal, nor will there be any cap on the amount of beef or lamb that can be brought into GB. That will have consequences for our farmers; there is no doubt about that.”
“We can have all the money set to the one side for the school estate, factories and social housing, but, if we do not have that underpinned by infrastructure, it is a hypothetical situation. You can potentially have lots of money but be working on a hypothesis. <BR /> <BR />As I said, £34 million has been lost from the rural development programme, and there is a shortfall of £19·5 million for the next year alone. All of that is a result of Brexit. That funding has not been replaced, and there has still been no allocation for the New Decade, New Approach commitment to establish an independent environmental protection agency. Furthermore, we need funding earmarked to implement a climate change Act, from wherever it comes, be it a private Member or the Department.”
“That shows that a stimulus in one area has beneficial impacts — a domino effect, essentially — across the world: right to east Tyrone. That is proof of what can happen. <BR /> <BR />Perhaps the Minister has a deeper insight into this than humble me, but, last year, the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, announced that the British Government were also going to develop a new deal. Mr Beggs referred to it. That is what we need. Unless we have significant investment in sewerage and water infrastructure in our towns and villages, we will be crippled, because we will not be able to move to deliver the social housing, the additional factories and the schools that we need.”
“In fact, not only are they the backbone but, historically, they have been a key part of the development of business in the likes of Mid Ulster, where important businesses grew from small acorns, often in the backyard of a farm. Many of the big engineering works — I will refer to this later — that grew from that motivation now feed into the $2 trillion plan that President Biden has announced for infrastructure in the United States.”
“Initially, I want to set out the SDLP's position on the Budget allocation for the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs. Inevitably, I will touch on other issues, some of which Mr Beggs — this was very good of him — has referred to. <BR /> <BR />As a party, we remain concerned about the failure of the Budget to address the impact of Brexit on the available funding for agriculture and rural development. Some £15·3 million has been lost from the funding to support the bovine TB programme, and £34 million has been lost from the previously available funding for rural development. That rural development funding was crucial for the rural areas that many of us represent, where small businesses are the backbone.”
“I thank Mr Harvey for giving way. On one of the key elements of the amendment, which Mr Irwin commented on, and to which you have also referred, can you clarify for me how the balance between increased agri-food farming activity and reducing the environmental impact of agri-food and farming activity can be achieved? Can we get some clarity on the amendment?”
“We need policies to incentivise some farmers to deliver the public benefits that nature-friendly farming can deliver. <BR /> <BR />As a member of the AERA Committee, I have heard from the advocates of nature-friendly farming, and it was inspirational to listen to them and hear about their efforts. I have also heard from departmental officials. There is much on which they agree. The difference, however, is perhaps one of focus. Our role as Members of the legislative Assembly is to ensure that the focus of the Executive's agriculture policy is in the right place, and every indication is that it has been. It has been unerring up until now. We must ensure that we have the policies in place to support farmers who have already made the necessary transition and that we incentivise those who still have to follow their lead. I support the motion.”
“I do not know what the environmental consequences of a trade deal with Australia might be or whether it will cause a domino effect among some South American countries, but, rest assured, the environmental and financial cost of transportation from those countries is much greater than that for local produce. It is not rocket science, but it might require a change of mindset for some. <BR /> <BR />We have the opportunity to build a new farming system that is fit for the future and that supports profitable, productive farming, which directly tackles the climate crisis and enhances biodiversity. We need to take the lead in supporting a new model of farming and encourage those farmers who need encouragement to adopt its practices, because we know that many are deeply committed custodians of the land that they own and farm.”
“Nature-friendly farming systems can also deliver a more diverse farmed landscape, as well as premium products. Restoring healthy soils is key to maintaining a sustainable food production system that can protect the environment and boost the economy. Supporting pollinators and other beneficial insects can improve crop productivity. Natural pest management can be a more effective long-term solution than artificial pesticides, given the damage that some of them have done. Restoring functional natural processes in upland areas, watercourses, wetlands and floodplains can protect against flooding and provide drought resilience. Local food supply chains are more secure and reduce the environmental cost of transporting products.”
“The farming model that agriculture policy to date encourages has, in fact, contributed to the long-term decline in the health of our natural environment, with biodiversity loss, rising greenhouse gas emissions and declining water and air quality. I was out late last night for a walk when I ran into a neighbour, who remarked that, on one of the small roadways that he used to walk every evening — we live in a rural area — he used to hear various birds but that they are no longer there. That was a very acute observation by someone who would know. <BR /> <BR />There is an economic benefit to farm businesses adopting nature-friendly practices. Better business planning can reduce costs and improve their ability to withstand economic shocks.”
“<BR /> <BR />Nature-friendly farming practices provide a template for farm businesses to remain productive, profitable and sustainable while addressing the climate emergency and enhancing biodiversity. The AERA Committee has heard about that extensively from farm businesses.”
“The SDLP supports the motion and I hope, too, the amendment. It is important to say that the vast majority of farmers want to play their part in tackling the nature and climate emergencies. Indeed, many of them already do so. I am sure that Mr Irwin is one of those people. Many still need to be incentivised to make the necessary changes to transition to profitability, sustainability and nature-friendly farming to combat those emergencies. Seventy-five per cent of our land is managed as farmland, and agriculture remains the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the North at 27%. That share is expected to increase to 35% by 2030 as a combined result of the improved performances of other sectors and a reduction of only 3% in agricultural emissions. That is not sustainable.”
“Minister, many employers in a number of sectors, particularly hospitality but also construction, have vacancies and cannot find staff. Some of their staff returned home to the European mainland during the pandemic, while others have found alternative employment. What methods are being used by the Department, or what actions are being taken, to try to help those employers identify and recruit new staff?”
“The A6 is a brilliant roadway, but there is a footbridge from one part of the Broagh to the other. The Broagh is a townland that has been divided by the A6. There was previously street lighting where the existing roadway went, but now there is none. I want to highlight the fact that both sides of that footbridge are very dark, which is dangerous. A lot of people traverse it from one part of the Broagh to the other to get to St Malachy's Gaelic Athletic Club (GAC) pavilion, so, in the interests of pedestrian safety, it will be very important to get something moved along there. <BR /> <BR />On that note, I will conclude. I again thank the Minister for her intervention in a number of cases that I have raised.”
“You were down there recently, Minister, to open the A6 formally, on which great work has been done. It was great to see you back in the constituency again, and I know that your friends and family are from not that far away from the Castledawson roundabout. I know them well and am sure that they were delighted to see you as well.”
“<BR /> <BR />The debate has given us a lot of food for thought and, I hope, food for thought elsewhere where the money and investment are at the Executive. I know that they have constant draws on their time. We heard about those earlier when we debated unadopted estates and people were suggesting further investment. This issue, however, involves road safety, the safety of pedestrians, particularly youngsters and families travelling to and from places of work or school. <BR /> <BR />Finally, I will mention just one more place: the Broagh outside Castledawson.”
“The Straw, Draperstown, is one such area. I think also of Clady and Portglenone, where there is a short footpath in places. Those designated developments are in relatively close proximity. The footpaths are in place or, hopefully, about to be in place at the likes of The Loup following our representations. Maybe the Department could look at where there is a regular flow of people and where, in some places, the footpath might be a wee bit difficult or dangerous at its edge where a pedestrian does not have any light. If there is a defined short area of footpath that has been provided and/or adopted by the Department, it would be worthwhile looking at the criteria for the provision of street lighting at those locations: Glenone to Clady, Straw to Draperstown, and hopefully, at the likes of The Loup.”
“I am sure that other Members will join me in thanking the Minister for her work and in calling for the Executive to agree further investment in the modernisation of street lighting in our constituency. Such investment can save money by reducing power and the cost of power. <BR /> <BR />I mentioned a number of areas that residents have been speaking about in relation to street lighting, such as Annagher Road, Coalisland. I have been approached by people from the Straw area of Draperstown and the Clady/Glenone area. A Member also mentioned The Loup. Councillor Christine McFlynn and I met officials from the Department for Infrastructure there a fortnight ago to get a footpath in place. I refer to that because there are a number of areas where there are designated developments or villages in close proximity to one another.”
“<BR /> <BR />I welcome the Minister's restoration of the budget for that essential work, and we have seen that. I have seen it in my own area of Ballinderry where, within about 12 hours of reporting it to Martin Curran, the team was out at the bridge with their full gear to carry out and effect those repairs. It is a busy location and at times the traffic flow is a wee bit nippy. I place on record my thanks to the Department for Infrastructure, following representations, for the road surfacing work at Ballinderry bridge and on the Drumenny Road. I am sure that Conor will relay that to the contractors as well. <BR /> <BR />The Infrastructure Minister has made a good start on the schemes that have been delivered to date, but there is much more to do, as we are hearing.”
“All that that will require is agreement from the Finance Minister and his Executive colleagues for the necessary investment in new technology to upgrade street lighting in Mid Ulster and right across the North. <BR /> <BR />The existing network of street lighting needs to be maintained and repaired until it can be upgraded. Previous Ministers cut budgets for that work at times and left some areas of our towns completely in the dark. That is not that long ago — a couple of years. People were ringing constantly, especially pensioners, when it came into the winter months. They lived in isolated areas, small estates and quiet areas, but they were very fearful once the lights went out at night. Some towns, indeed, were left completely in the dark.”
“It is only the second place on the island of Ireland and the first in the North to be accredited as an international dark sky park. <BR /> <BR />The adoption of new technologies for street lighting must include new design features that minimise light pollution. If future generations are to be inspired to follow in the footsteps of Northern stars such as Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell, the renowned Northern Irish astronomer, who, as I am sure Members know, discovered radio pulsars in 1967 — I did not know that until someone pointed it out to me — we must ensure that we take light pollution as seriously as we do other environmental pollution.”
“<BR /> <BR />Modern LED technology, which Mr Buchanan referred to, can provide adequate street lighting with improved quality and better energy efficiency. Residents from Carnan in the upper part of Ardboe parish have registered their thanks for and acknowledgement of that new form of lighting, as have residents in Glenone at the lower end of the constituency, close to the River Bann in County Antrim. <BR />- <BR />Achieving a target of net zero by 2050 will need the adoption of new technology in the provision of vital infrastructure such as street lighting, and it is important that we figure that into our deliberations. I welcome the Minister's commitment to climate action in this and other areas. <BR /> <BR />Mid Ulster is the proud home of the OM Dark Sky Park and Observatory at Davagh forest park.”
“It can help otherwise isolated new build housing estates to feel part of an established community. Road safety is greatly improved by the provision of street lighting, enhancing the visibility for all those driving, cycling, wheeling and walking. We debated road safety issues at schools in Mid Ulster recently. Lighting around our rural schools was raised as an issue at that time, and it is worth highlighting again that one of the areas that I have been asked to raise is the area around Aughamullan Primary School outside Coalisland. That has been raised as an important issue by residents. In the winter months especially, it can be very difficult. Improving safety for children going to and from schools at all times of the year should be a priority for all of us as representatives of rural constituencies such as Mid Ulster.”
“<BR /> <BR />The SDLP has lobbied successive Ministers on the provision of street lighting and the need to maintain and repair existing lighting. That requires investment, and I thank the Minister especially for the recently completed street lighting on the flyover on the Tobermore Road in Maghera. That had been raised repeatedly by constituents, and the lighting has been widely welcomed in the area. <BR /> <BR />A party colleague in Mid Ulster, Councillor Christine McFlynn, has been lobbying recently for street lighting to be provided in Mountview, which is in Moneymore, to link a new build housing estate to the town. In Manor Park, the footpath has been extended, but, unfortunately, the contractor has not extended the lighting. <BR /> <BR />Such street lighting improves safety for residents.”
“I thank the Member for securing this important debate. It follows on from the earlier debate on undeveloped roads. Many instances occur where, through the neglect of a developer, street lights cannot be provided in estates or on extended footways, and that creates a further problem. <BR /> <BR />I place firmly on record my thanks to Martin Curran, who, during my time as councillor and, indeed, as an MLA, has been prompt and efficient in getting back to me, sometimes in difficult circumstances: for example, when lights being out in a housing estate has caused issues. I can think of one occasion when a young mother had died, and, in order to facilitate the wake, he moved promptly to get the lighting dealt with. That gave some relief to the family at that time. I thank Martin for that.”
“I am glad to hear that. Exports from the North to the Republic in 2017 amounted to £2·17 billion. Indeed, 600 million litres of milk traversed the border in 2015 for processing in creameries and other places. Does the Minister therefore accept that trade, business development and food safety promotion, which he mentioned could be at risk due to a race to the bottom in other trade deals, will be very important?”
“As ever, I welcome Mr Storey's interventions here and outside, so I thank him for that. <BR /> <BR />One could argue that, in theory, RHI was a good scheme, but its outworkings, the inability to detect where it was going wrong and the oversight of it led to the chaos that it turned out to be. Yes, we need subsidies. We cannot have people in rural areas like the ones that you and I live in not having access to transport. As the changes emerge and the introduction of electric vehicles improves the process of evolution towards reducing the emissions that affect the climate, we will need support for people. People simply cannot be put in the position where only the rich are mobile. We have had enough of that.”
“Not everyone can afford a vehicle at £30,000, £40,000 or £50,000 straight off. There are further issues of poverty and accessibility in our rural areas, where people will simply not be able to afford those vehicles. Mobility in rural areas will be affected unless there is a policy of subsidisation that will, in some way, make those vehicles more accessible.”
“We also need to involve his party colleague from the Department for the Economy.”
“However, when the Economy Minister announced her economic vision for a decade of innovation on 11 May in a press release — not in the Assembly — that commitment had been watered down to "supporting a greener economy". <BR /> <BR />It is often the case with headline-grabbing lines that the further detail of supposedly green policies are worth paying attention to. Mr Irwin correctly referred to the infrastructure that is required for new electric vehicles as we strive to meet the priorities and commitments that we have made to end the use of diesel and petrol vehicles by, I think, 2035. However, further aspects of that have to be dealt with. I should add that Mr Irwin's party colleague at DAERA has been in dialogue with my party colleague at the Department for Infrastructure to work on that.”
“We should use tariffs proactively, like the EU does, to prevent companies exploiting lower environmental standards, such as, for example, deforestation, and low labour costs — the way that they treat their labour forces — to produce cheaper foods. As well as that, there is the damage to the environment from the methods of transporting those goods long distances to GB or Northern Ireland. That undercuts the more responsible states that have more responsible approaches to the climate crisis. In effect, it is, in many ways, as I said, a race to the bottom. <BR /> <BR />The SDLP believes that there is support for an economic recovery plan that aligns with wider social, environmental and climate goals. The Executive parties have already committed to such a plan. It is in the 'New Decade, New Approach' commitment that:”
“<BR /> <BR />Those who oppose the Ireland/Northern Ireland protocol should realise that, in the free trade area that is being introduced by the Tories in a race to the bottom, it is protecting the Northern Ireland market from food products imported from countries with less responsible environmental and food safety standards. It is the 50% of our agri-food that we export to Britain that will face competition from the exports of those countries as a result of the Tory Government's free trade deal approach. Each one of those deals brings with it a risk of compounding the damage done to our economy and to the climate as a consequence.”
“<BR /> <BR />As well as recovery from the pandemic and the threats from the climate crisis, we face the additional problem of the impact of Brexit on our economy. As the DUP has realised, the free trade agreements that their former friends in the Tory Government are pursuing post Brexit will damage the Northern Ireland economy. Mr Irwin referred to his colleague's climate Bill, but we have yet to see the details of it in order to determine whether we can support it. I welcome that discourse happening and the Bill coming through the Committee.”
“I thank the proposer of the motion and his colleagues for bringing it to the Assembly. <BR /> <BR />The COVID pandemic has resulted in an economic shutdown that has lasted longer than any of us would have wished, and with it has come human loss in many homes. It occurred at a time when the Assembly and its Executive, along with Governments across the world, should have been focusing their attention on the demands of tackling the climate crisis. As we seek to recover from that shutdown, we have an opportunity to re-evaluate our approach, to reset the economy and to build a future society that delivers on social and economic justice and decarbonises our economy to meet a net zero target for greenhouse gas emissions.”
“As the Minister will be aware, I have worked with her in different roles in different Departments. We agreed on many things and, maybe, differed occasionally, but I take the opportunity to put it on the record that I wish her and her family well in the time ahead. <BR /> <BR />Given that a culture and language Bill was part of the bedrock of 'New Decade, New Approach', will the Minister give assurances that it is not being used as a political bargaining chip?”
“— was very welcome news. He also referred to planting woodlands. <BR /> <BR />In conclusion, I thank Members for their support for the motion.”