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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“Which Minister or junior Minister, or indeed special adviser, was involved in authorising or instructing the civil servants that they carry out the report?”
“Key stakeholders have contacted me about playing their role in that so that we can collaborate and work together positively in the interests of the entire island.”
“For that reason, it is a sector that could be disproportionately hit by leaving the European single market. <BR /> <BR />Mr Chambers and others are absolutely right: if we do not have that access to the European single market and cannot play a positive role in it, that would not a good place to be. We have heard the figures on its relevance to exports from Northern Ireland; indeed, when we look at the role that the Republic plays, we see that it remains the North's largest import partner, accounting for 27% of Northern Ireland's imports. There was a slight decrease of 1% from the previous year, but it is so important nevertheless. I welcome the Taoiseach's recent statement about setting up a forum on the issues associated with Brexit.”
“Those are the circumstances that you arrive at when you vote to pull out of something and take us into those uncharted waters. <BR /> <BR />There has been a welcome surge in chemical-related produce, with an increase of £541 million in the medicinal and pharmaceutical subsections. With other members of the previous ETI Committee, I have visited those very successful companies. That accounts for the vast majority of the overall 9·5% increase. It is high-end produce where the investments have to be in R&D. Horizon 2020 has played a pivotal role in that, collaborating and working with universities or companies in other nation states to help develop that produce and draw down the expertise in those other places. Those related industries involve complex supply chains.”
“I am sure that all of us who speak and listen to businesses know — it is reflected in report after report — that, pre Brexit, the key is stability. We need certainty about the place, but that cannot be given. We have heard "the letter" from FM and dFM to the Prime Minister referred to. It would be interesting to see if there has been any response to "the letter". One of the Members referred to how FM and dFM cannot reveal their negotiating hand because it is too early: I could understand that if they had just one hand for negotiating with or had even agreed the cards that are in their hand for negotiating with. One says, "This is the way to go", and the other says, "This is the way to go". Meantime, the certainty that is required for business is not there.”
“The largest customer is still the Republic of Ireland, which accounts for 32%, or, as referred to earlier, £2·1 billion of Northern Ireland's exports. That is where we get into the area of cooperation and the fact that 52% of our exports go to other EU countries, which is a higher proportion than is the case for England, Scotland or Wales. Indeed, food, beverages and agricultural produce make up 35% of Northern Ireland's exports to the EU, so they are an extremely important part of our economy.”
“As we discuss the report, I am sure that all of us in the Chamber have heard about firms that we have worked with, such as SDC Trailers. I am sure that all of us want the best, and do our best, for businesses, given the circumstances in which they find themselves. We want them to grow, and we want them to collaborate and cooperate. However, other aspects of the report are quite sobering for any business. While exports from the North are up, we are starting from a lower base, and the number of exporters has decreased by 4·5%, which is the largest decrease in the UK. The number of importers has increased by 2·4%, but there was a fall in import value in Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />Northern Ireland accounts for only 2% of UK exports.”
“— has more than doubled. I conclude with that. I thank the Member for securing the debate.”
“I know that the Minister has allocated funding for the repair of rural roads this year — Mr Milne mentioned the £10 million — but, from speaking to engineers, I know that it is estimated that £130 million would be required to bring the rural road network up to at least a reasonable standard. Over the past year, the number of claims made by drivers for damage caused by potholes on the roads —”
“They are also entitled to a decent road surface and network in their area, particularly in areas such as ours where there are pretty densely populated rural areas. <BR /> <BR />The problems created by not addressing the road maintenance budget deficit and by the absence of sufficient yearly funding simply to maintain the existing roads network adequately are most particularly experienced in rural constituencies like Mid Ulster. The rural road network has been starved of investment for a long, long time; I will not for one second lump that at the door of the Minister. There has been historical discrimination in some cases and a subsequent neglect of our rural areas.”
“<BR /> <BR />Finally, to return to the subject, the Assembly recently debated an SDLP motion on the road structural maintenance budget, which is often neglected but is, in many ways, more important than the headline-grabbing, high-profile schemes. Maintenance of the road network in a rural constituency like Mid Ulster is vital to rural communities and the rural economy. I will not repeat the arguments that the Chamber heard during that debate, but I am sure that all Members who represent and, indeed, live in those rural communities will realise that, on occasion, you simply cannot go anywhere. One pothole can trigger a series of emails from constituents who have to live on the affected road.”
“We have done so in the past and will do so again. That said, matters will inevitably become more complicated — I am sure that the Minister has done a scoping exercise in his Department — if the Executive allow Northern Ireland to be dragged out of the EU against the will of the overwhelming majority of the people of the North. Last month, I believe, the Minister quoted to the Assembly a loss of infrastructure funding of £300 million to £400 million in the event of a Brexit. It will not be enough for the Minister or his party to throw up their hands in outrage if that loss of funding is allowed to materialise. I have outlined that it will be a challenge, but it is the Executive's responsibility to prevent and, hopefully, argue the case for the North to the Exchequer in Westminster.”
“It has become standard, when Ministers are criticised for what are political decisions, that they complain of cuts to their budgets or to the block grant. It is the responsibility of the Executive to make the case to the Treasury for sufficient funding, and it is the responsibility of individual Ministers to make the case for sufficient funds to the Executive. It has been rumoured that some sort of infrastructural funding is likely to be announced via Westminster. I hope that, if it comes, the Minister will pitch hard for that to happen and for a good slice of the action to come to the North; I have every confidence in your ability to do so. That is what it is to be in government. <BR /> <BR />For our part, the SDLP has repeatedly proposed alternative sources of funding for necessary investment in infrastructure.”
“It makes the case for a decent bypass like the one in Magherafelt. After many years in gestation, it has been parked indefinitely. I welcome progress where it has been made, but we need to ask again for help with economic and social development in the constituency to make sure that we have a proper road network.”
“I am just flagging that up for the Minister's attention if he is not already aware of it. <BR /> <BR />The project in Cookstown has been around for almost as long as the Magherafelt bypass. I have an office in Cookstown and am in Cookstown frequently, and anybody who watches the traffic as it uses the unofficial bypass around Cookstown, the Westland Road, will know it can be really chock-a-block at most times of the day, particularly in the morning and at about 5.00 pm or 6.00 pm. It is incredible.”
“I was on Cookstown council from 1993 to 2006, and the bypass came up year after year after year after year. Perhaps the Minister could see fit to do something about that. <BR /> <BR />Mrs Overend rightly referred to something that will occur now. As a consequence of good and welcome progress on the Magherafelt bypass, the traffic will now move that much quicker to Moneymore and create a very substantial bottleneck in Moneymore, which is already quite pressurised with traffic at particular times of the day. That will inevitably continue. I do not know what sort of measures can be taken or whether the engineers within the Department have been projecting ahead to see how best they can make sure that, in alleviating one problem, another is not bunged into Moneymore. It is more work and is work we would like to see done.”
“It will provide a welcome respite for the town and its residents from the many heavy goods vehicles that have been forced to negotiate the Castledawson Road, up Broad Street and around the Diamond for many years. <BR /> <BR />As chair of the Assembly's all-party group on construction, as well as a representative of the people of Mid Ulster, I welcome these projects, the jobs they bring and the economic boost and support for economic development they provide within the constituency. However welcome those developments are, and they are to be welcomed, they represent choices made by the Minister and the Executive. The Executive prioritise high-profile schemes like the A6 and A5. Another major town in the constituency, Cookstown, was referred to.”
“That interim measure still awaits the completion of the A6 dualling from Castledawson to Randalstown to be fully effective. I welcome the recent movement on the A6 project. Securing funding has proven to be a major stumbling block for much-needed infrastructure projects, and we have had impending or threatening court actions around the place, but it is hoped that a satisfactory resolution can be found quickly to the objections to the Minister's preferred route. <BR /> <BR />I also welcome the progress on the Magherafelt bypass. That is a project that has been around for longer than some Members, I have to say, so I welcome that it is finally nearing completion and look forward to welcoming the Minister to the constituency on Thursday to do the dutiful and cut the ribbon on the road.”
“I take the opportunity to thank Mr Buchanan for bringing up this issue and making it the subject of his maiden speech. This is something that is very dear to those of us who have represented the area for quite a considerable time. Rural roads and rural infrastructure are crucially important to not only the social and educational development of our constituencies but their economic development. It provides us with the opportunity to debate roads infrastructure in Mid Ulster. <BR /> <BR />I begin my remarks by acknowledging the progress that has been made in what has long been a neglected area of the North through investment in infrastructure. Indeed, it is the same with investment in other things but especially in infrastructure. The last significant project to be completed in Mid Ulster was the Toome bypass, which was opened in 2004.”
“I see that three of the four initiatives emanate from the European Union. Will the Minister advise what actions the Department has taken to source other measures that could be put in place to compensate for the loss of those three initiatives and how such measures would be funded?”
“I thank the Minister for her response to date. Regarding water quality, the statement says that the Council noted the continuing engagement between the respective Departments and their agencies on collaboration to access EU INTERREG funding. Can the Minister give any indication as to how fruitful that collaboration and cooperation has been to date by way of practical projects that have been funded?”
“I thank the First Minister for her comments. Will she consider the use of an Ad Hoc Assembly Committee to oversee and scrutinise the Brexit process as it evolves and develops? What is her opinion on that?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. Given that Hospitality Ulster has made a case for the modernisation of legislation to include one extra hour for the sale of alcohol on two nights per week, it might be useful, as we work through the Bill, for the Minister to explain why he proposes to allow an additional hour for the sale of alcohol on only 12 occasions a year. What is the rationale for that proposal?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. At least two premises in my constituency have been hit with this balk in the legislation, which actually creates more of a problem. I heard Mr Bell referring to taxis delivering drink. Where you have young people in a controlled, monitored and supervised environment, I feel that that is much better than them roaming the streets with drink, as they do on many occasions, that may have been bought by other adults for them.”
“Direct access for those businesses to overnight facilities, night safes or whatever it might be with banks is crucial, particularly where there is a rapid cash flow in those businesses. I have already mentioned access to broadband and, again, customers' needs. This is very important: the Federation of Small Businesses has done its work. It took a focus group, and members told it that the proportion of cash or cheque transactions in their businesses ranged from 50% to 95%. Therefore, the closure of nearby branches will have a significant impact on them. <BR /> <BR />Tá a fhios agam go bhfuil mo chuid ama ag teacht chun deiridh. I support the motion. Go raibh maith agat as ucht seans a labhairt.”
“If you are not bringing people into town or you have not got the footfall in the streets, business is not going to happen. Other businesses will be affected, be they in the retail or service sectors. Some people are being forced to travel up to 50 miles on a round trip, which is time away from their home, their business and other duties that some simply cannot afford. The in-branch relationship managers did not just provide advice, they understood the locality, the area and the needs of the actual customers. They are not going to be there. We cannot expect Post Office staff to advise on banking facilities such as overdrafts and other necessities that are required from a bank. Security has already been referred to, and many of us know businesses that have had their homes ransacked by criminals looking for money.”
“I can cite Draperstown and Maghera, and we can look at the number of self-starters, self-employed people and very productive businesses in that area, many of which are into manufacturing and exporting. I am sure the Minister can verify that from stats from his Department. The banks actually get this and say, "Yes, we know", but what are they doing about it? They are withdrawing their services from those areas. <BR /> <BR />I have dealt with the individual and community perspectives. Nobody could have put it better from the business perspective than the Federation of Small Businesses. It referred to footfall. When a bank branch closes, particularly in a rural area, there is a knock-on effect in reduced footfall in that town or village that impacts negatively on other local business. Of course, it does.”
“We hear time and time again that you can do banking online and that there are issues of footfall and increased numbers of people doing online banking. That is true and may well be the case, but many people do not have access to the Internet, as amply outlined earlier, or do not have it on their smartphones. There are people, mainly older people, who do not do the online stuff, do not get the online stuff and will not ever be able to do it. There are also others who have learning disabilities that prevent them from doing it. The support of the one-to-one interface and exchange is crucial. As I see it, the banks are beating a retreat from our rural areas, and these are not non-productive rural areas.”
“A lot of reference has been made to the Bank of Ireland and how it has impacted; indeed, it has beaten a retreat from two branches in my constituency, in Draperstown and Maghera. Recently, in Maghera, we have had Danske and Bank of Ireland announcing closures; indeed the Danske is long vacated. Both were in the town centre, virtually facing each other, so we have a void there. People might say, "OK, it is just a building", but it was about the service that was provided to those communities. I speak today about my constituency and Portglenone, which is on the periphery of it. Danske closed there too, and a lot of people from the lower end of south Derry did their business in the Portglenone branch. <BR /> <BR />There appears to be a gradual retreat by banks from, particularly, the rural communities that they serve.”
“Is the Minister aware of any issue with payments from Ofgem to businesses associated with the renewables sector? I have previously had to write to the Minister and thank him for his Department's intervention on that occasion because clearly that would have an impact on businesses and those who have expended quite a bit of money in formulating projects and putting them on the ground.”
“— the amounts of money and matching funds that were drawn down by the Government.”
“<BR /> <BR />We have had a serious lack of maintenance on our roads in the North, not just rural roads but those in our cities, towns and suburbs. Of around 25,000 kilometres of roads in the North, more than 18,000 kilometres are rural roads, which means that this issue is more likely to affect rural roads. They are vital to our economy. Without adequately maintained roads, it is highly unlikely that we will be able to attract and support the infrastructural investment that is necessary across the North. <BR /> <BR />I am conscious of the time constraints, but one other vital point is the implications of Brexit on the maintenance and building of roads, given the amounts of money that were available to draw down in complementary schemes. I would like to hear from the Minister about whether any assessment is being made of —”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Phríomh-LeasCheann Comhairle. Ní raibh a fhios agam faoi sin, ach cibé. Thank you, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker, for welcoming me to speak on the motion. <BR /> <BR />As mentioned by my SDLP colleagues, we brought the motion to the House because, as we approach the winter months, there are serious concerns around future deterioration of our roads. We have already had much publicity about the amounts of expenditure on compensation. I am sure that all of us have witnessed rims buckled and car tyres ruined as a result of serious potholes. Influence has to be brought to bear as regards the frequency of monitoring rural roads. Monitoring and checking those rural roads could save the Department an awful lot of money on compensation and indeed the admin that goes with it.”
“If it goes that little bit further, as our amendment suggests, we can have an all-island approach, and that would help greatly to regulate and monitor the disposal of used tyres.”
“In some instances, these activities are associated with low-level criminality and, in certain cases, behaviours that can be antisocial and create or increase tensions between communities. <BR /> <BR />I am glad to see the line that the Minister has taken and look forward to hearing about the actions that she will develop to manage the disposal of used tyres. I recognise that lead responsibility for bonfire management rests with the councils, but I ask the Minister to follow in the steps of the previous Environment Minister — my colleague Mark H — and work with and support the councils to reduce and, hopefully, ultimately eliminate the burning of tyres on bonfires. <BR /> <BR />As I said at the beginning, we support the motion tabled by Sinn Féin, but we believe that it can go further.”
“She went on to say that the impacts include potential damage to human health and the environment. Materials such as tyres and treated pallets are burnt, which produces a huge risk to human health and has a detrimental impact on the environment. <BR /> <BR />We have all seen the black smoke gushing up into the air. We are running around controlling emissions from cars and the like and then we see that. Many people, depending on what season it is, take advantage of all that smoke going up in the air to put their own commercial smoke up into the air. Round and round it goes with no solution. Of course, private property is affected, and the high associated costs of the clean-up are met by ratepayers and taxpayers.”
“While the motion makes no direct reference to bonfires, it would be very remiss of me to make no mention of the issue. The use of waste and used tyres on bonfires generates toxic fumes that are dangerous to human health, produce those unsightly burnt residues and, as I said, damage properties, roads and spaces. During the respective parading seasons, there were reports of hundreds of tyres appearing on bonfires under the cover of darkness, with the police even placed on high alert at ports to tackle shipments of tyres. Each Member will recognise the impact that burning tyres has on the community. In answer to a written question, the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs highlighted her concern about the impact of burning controlled waste in an uncontrolled manner, particularly in those built-up areas.”
“In 2013, the Department of the Environment (DOE) and the then Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (DECLG) in the Republic jointly commissioned an all-Ireland used tyre survey, which recommended that consideration should be given to placing additional obligations on producers and suppliers, either through voluntary best practice schemes, which rarely work, or a mandatory compliance scheme. <BR /> <BR />A further recommendation of that report stated:”
“They are dangerous to health, produce unsightly burnt residues, damage properties — as we saw in July in Belfast — roads and open spaces and impact on Northern Ireland's economy; indeed, we saw that in Derry, where the road was significantly affected by one of these bonfires. The leaching of chemicals from stockpiled tyres can have a devastating impact on farmlands. Leaching into local rivers kills the fish and potentially puts our drinking water at risk. The use of unsafe part-worn tyres can cause road traffic accidents that result in serious injury and loss of life. <BR /> <BR />Under the Waste Management Licensing Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003, it is the responsibility of anyone who produces, stores, collects, reuses or deposits that waste to do so in a way that minimises that risk.”
“We have seen at first hand that major fire incidents can occur at sites used for the large-scale storage of waste, as we saw fairly recently in Belfast, or used tyres. Everyone should be aware that burning tyres generate extremely toxic fumes and by-products that are very dangerous to human and animal health. Tyre fires can be extremely difficult to extinguish and have been known to burn for many weeks. In addition, when waste tyres are stockpiled, leaching of chemicals onto land and into rivers may also occur, posing a big risk to animal and human health and to our waterways. In particular, tyres pose a considerable risk to the environment and must be handled and disposed of properly. The potential risks are numerous and include the use of waste or used tyres on bonfires, generating toxic fumes.”
“The storage of used tyres can represent a huge risk to the environment, human health and animal welfare.”
“<BR /> <BR />In the context of used tyres, under the Waste Management Licensing Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003, it is the responsibility of anyone who produces, collects, stores, treats, reuses or deposits waste or used tyres to minimise the risk to the environment, human health and animal welfare.”
“It makes common sense to cooperate on the matter, and it is our hope that the Minister works with her counterpart to form a producer responsibility scheme, which would be counterproductive unless, as I outlined, it is introduced in both jurisdictions. <BR /> <BR />The system of the Irish Government is much the same as the process we have here, whereby wholesalers and retailers must use authorised waste collectors to take away waste tyres and provide details of tyres taken by and transferred to authorised collectors. We recognise that any considerations and change to the scheme or to a mandatory compliance scheme must be subject to review and consultation, but we believe that, if that is the case, the scheme should follow a similar approach to that in the South to help organisations that operate in both jurisdictions.”
“However, we believe the motion should go further, and we are calling on the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to work with her counterpart in the Irish Government to establish an island-wide tyre producer responsibility scheme to monitor the movement and disposal of tyres. <BR /> <BR />We are keen to approach the issue on an all-island basis as we believe it makes common sense to cooperate on the matter. I am sure many Members have heard on occasion that it is not unknown for the disposal of tyres to take place, cross border, at different times of the year, irrespective of which festive season it might be or which community might be involved. Orange or green — it does not really seem to make a whole lot of difference to those criminals who hope to dispose of tyres in that manner.”
“I thank the Member for proposing the motion, which has been accepted as a competent motion. On a slight technical issue, the Department we refer to embraces within it the Environmental Protection Agency, which has responsibility for, among other things, environmental enforcement. I am not going to quibble over it; that is just information. <BR /> <BR />Where our amendment is concerned, we are very supportive of the motion as we believe a used-tyre register should be established as soon as possible to help to regulate and monitor the disposal of used tyres. Data on tyres and used tyres could be collected from a number of sources, namely producers, suppliers, used-tyre collectors, authorised treatment facilities and licensed recycling facilities.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Chomhalta as an rún seo a chur os ár gcomhair. I beg to move the following amendment:”
“European social fund. There is also concern about Erasmus from schools.”
“I attended the opening of a mental health charity on Friday morning. One third of its project money comes from the —”
“I will move on to other elements. One young mum came to me on Friday morning in tears, thinking about the future of her kids and the stability of the society that she was looking at now. Was she one of the elite, a lefty liberal, or a member of the political establishment that has been referred to? No, I do not think so. I am talking about small farmers concerned about single farm payments; I am talking about people who saw opportunities under the local action group (LAG) programme to develop projects in our rural communities to offset the problems and difficulties that they are having with world trade prices for their beef and milk. The little man is deeply concerned about the instability that has been brought about by this. Students are concerned about the Horizon 2020 programme. What about Peace moneys for community groups?”
“<BR /> <BR />On the economy and stability, a key element of exports from the North and of cooperation here is the rest of the island. I will just quote a person who came up to me. Now, I would hardly go as far as to call him a left-wing radical. He is a lorry driver. He said to me, "Patsy, am I back to this stupidity of having to line up at the border for a couple of hours to get clearance on my delivery documents if I am travelling down to County Clare?". He often travels there. That is a question from someone who is hardly a member of the ruling political elite.”