John O'Dowd
Upper Bann · Sinn Féin · Northern Ireland
“As I set out in response to the previous question, we have in place the vacant property rate relief scheme and the small business rate relief scheme, which are very successful. I set aside £10 million in the draft Budget for small business rate relief to be invested.”
“I am particularly keen to hear from those impacted by vacant commercial units and especially about how any phased increase can be implemented in a sustainable way that is fair, proportionate and sustainable within the tax system.”
“I outlined my intent to take that approach in my statement on 18 November, alongside the fact that reform of rating policy should support growth, make better use of property and ensure that the system is fair, proportionate and aligned with wider economic objectives.”
“The accelerator will operate alongside our highly successful Back in Business scheme, which has helped to bring over 100 vacant high street properties back into use since May 2024. Those issues have been the subject of considerable interest and comment in the Assembly, and it is right that we grasp the nettle now.”
“There are no circumstances in which a hard border would be good for the people of Ireland; it would not be good for anyone. Those who suggest that are being naive at best and dangerous at worst, in the sense of not understanding this society. <BR /> <BR />Rural communities along the border are one and the same.”
“This announcement represents the next step in that. That said, I also put on record my intention to strengthen support for small businesses. In that vein, £10 million has been set aside in the draft Budget to broaden the impact of the small business rate relief scheme in order to increase the number of businesses that can benefit from it.…”
The complete record
Every one of 6,140 lines we hold for John O'Dowd, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 69 of 123.
“The days of unionist parties practising discrimination and inequality are numbered and running out. There will be no return to the failures of the past. The DUP will not stop progress or forward momentum to a society based on equality and rights for all. <BR /> <BR />The disgraceful slurs that Colin Harvey has been subjected to in the media and online, prompted Amnesty International to issue a call for Professor Harvey to be protected in the face of a sustained campaign of hostility that has, in the words of Amnesty International:”
“We have an incomplete report, a Committee of the Assembly frustrated, MLAs determined to do their work but unable to do so and no progress made with regard to a bill of rights. All this is a direct result of the DUP's opposition to rights and equality. It is not only regrettable, indeed, it is outrageous that an Ad Hoc Committee, established under New Decade, New Approach was unable to complete its work because the DUP blocked the establishment of the panel of experts by refusing, by all accounts, to appoint Professor Colin Harvey, an eminent and internationally recognised human rights expert. <BR /> <BR />The refusal to appoint Professor Harvey is political discrimination, and it needs to be called out for what it is. The days of "No nationalist need apply" are gone for ever, never to return. Let me be absolutely clear.”
“Thank you, Minister. Another issue that you been working on recently is the Charities Bill. What will be the practical outworkings of the Charities Bill for that sector?”
“I suspect that a number of private Members' Bills will come through the Assembly in the next number of weeks. In fairness to the Bill sponsor, the Business Committee will schedule private Members' Bills when there is a free slot. We have been encouraging Members to bring them forward. The Bill sponsor got a slot, and we scheduled it. <BR /> <BR />When I withdrew my Bill, I said that the deliberations of the Committee would be useful in the next mandate, if it is necessary to bring that Bill back. I suspect that the deliberations on this Bill will be useful in the next mandate, when we will need a fracking Bill.”
“It appears to be more than a consultation, because you have said that you believe that the middle group is the most sustainable moving forward. The fact of the matter is that, if the proposal goes through, those 5,000 small farmers are more likely to be driven off the land as a result of your decision than those in the upper echelons. Will you not reconsider the proposal and ensure that small farmers can make a living off the land? Furthermore, would you not accept that many small farmers who have a second income have one in order to survive, not to live a life of luxury?”
“Minister, are you planning any mitigations for those farmers who farm in constrained areas?”
“<BR /> <BR />On behalf of my party, I wish all those who wish to celebrate the platinum jubilee a successful celebration and a joyous time. No doubt, Queen Elizabeth will continue to play a significant role in the lives of those who pay homage to her. I hope that she will also play a significant role in encouraging her Government and future Governments to be active and supportive in the peace and reconciliation processes.”
“I will make a few comments on the matter. <BR /> <BR />I am clearly not a royalist. I do not come from a tradition of royalism, and my party is republican both in the Irish and the international sense of the word. However, it is clear, understandably so, that Queen Elizabeth is a significant figure in the lives of many people in our society. Many people pay homage to her, and it is their right to do so. <BR /> <BR />I acknowledge, as I have done before in the Chamber, Queen Elizabeth's role in the Irish peace process and in building reconciliation on the island of Ireland. Both she and her late husband actively involved themselves in that, despite the fact that they had lost a loved one as a result of conflict. That is testament to the individual as well as to the institution.”
“Since my late, great mother was called Brigid, it is only appropriate that I wish you all beannachtaí na Féile Bríde — a happy St Brigid's Day. <BR /> <BR />Minister, I previously asked you questions about Lough Neagh and its potential for increasing tourism and benefiting the people around the lough. You committed to doing what you can in your Department to promote the lough. What has happened since then? Will you commit to meeting the Lough Neagh Partnership about advancing that goal?”
“Jemma has introduced legislation that answers many of the questions that have been posed about the issue. If the Bill passes Second Stage, the Economy Committee will do its job. It will scrutinise the Bill and collect evidence, and, at the end of the process, we can have legislation that protects workers and businesses and ensures that we as an Assembly and legislature catch up with the people. As I said earlier, it is shocking that, in 2022, we are only now debating this legislation.”
“As the conversation went on, he revealed to me that he is on a zero-hours contract. This week, he might do 60 hours, but he is not sure what he will do next week or the following week. This is a guy who has been at the coalface of the pandemic for the past three months, and he is on a zero-hours contract. He does not know from one day to the next, or, in fairness, from one week to the next, what hours he will be working. That is totally unacceptable. It does not matter whether someone is a paramedic, a shopworker, a waiter or, as I was back in the day, a chef. They need to know when they are working and what they are earning. As pointed out by Órlaithí, you need to know that for the good of your mental health and well-being, and to be able to plan with your family.”
“We all want to see a prospering economy and businesses doing well, but workers have to be treated properly to achieve that. While the majority of businesses do not use zero-hours contracts, for a variety of reasons — they might not suit their business model — some businesses do. We want to ensure that the people who work in those businesses feel valued and have certainty. That would benefit any business that works on the banded system that Jemma has set out in her legislation. <BR /> <BR />This morning, I was dealing with a constituent who is a paramedic. I asked him how work was going. Not surprisingly, he said that it was very, very busy. He is not a paramedic with the Ambulance Service. He works with a private company that subcontracts to the Ambulance Service.”
“Questions have been raised about how it will work in practical terms: "How will it work in this scenario?" or "How will it work in that scenario?". If the Bill passes Second Stage, the Economy Committee can examine that in greater detail. The Committee will look at the Bill and ask, "How do we improve on that? How will that work in reality?". Of course, the business sector will be vital to those deliberations. Some Members have said that the business sector has not been consulted. My email pings regularly with messages from representatives of the business sector. They could be from the CBI, the Institute of Directors or a small business etc. They have had huge opportunities to respond to the initial consultation on the Bill, and I have no doubt that the Committee will want to hear their views, because their views are crucial.”
“It also looks at a number of business sectors in which flexibility in employing people is important. Jemma has brought forward the principle of banding, which gives certainty to the employee and allows the employer to plan a work programme in a sustainable way. That is a good thing.”
“The Bill is solution-focused, because it looks at the reality of some people's lives and recognises that flexibility in work suits them.”
“It is shocking that we have people in work now who are on zero-hours contracts and do not know whether they will be working tomorrow. They might be working on Wednesday. They might be called into work on Thursday but sent home because the work that was expected is not there, and, by Friday, they may not be sure what money they have to pay the gas bill, feed or clothe the children or pay the mortgage or the rent. That is the situation for many people who work on zero-hours contracts. It is long past time that the Assembly brought forward this legislation, and I commend Jemma for doing so. <BR /> <BR />Mike pointed out that the Bill does not ban zero-hours contracts. It certainly bans them being imposed on anyone. That is the important principle.”
“I rise to speak in favour of the Bill at Second Stage. It is worth remembering that we are at Second Stage and therefore at the start of the scrutiny of the Bill in the Assembly. Questions have been asked across the Floor — rightly so — about what should be done at this stage of legislation. We are not at the end of the process. Our job now is to shape the Bill into working legislation that can, to the best of its ability, address the concerns of the various sectors out there, but those concerns have to be genuine and, in my opinion, must meet the principles of the Bill. <BR /> <BR />It is shocking that, in 2022, we are discussing legislation to improve the rights of workers who remain on zero-hours contracts.”
“As Mr Nesbitt said, other legislation is required on support for bereaved workers in times of need. I commend the amendments to the House. Hopefully, the Bill will pass Further Consideration Stage this evening.”
“Interestingly, as we saw in the Committee's scrutiny of the Bill, moving from policy or proposal to legislation is not done in a straight line. It can be very difficult. I commend the work of departmental officials, who achieved that goal and worked over the Christmas and new year period to achieve it. It proves that we, as legislators, can legislate where there is the will to do it and the pathway is clear. <BR /> <BR />On the issue of workers being employed for 26 weeks before they are entitled to rights, there is a wide raft of legislation that needs to be changed in that regard, because workers deserve to have rights when they become employed. There are particular concerns about zero-hours contracts etc, but that is a debate for another day.”
“<BR /> <BR />It is the role of devolution to work for and assist the needs of the citizens whom we represent. Although, for the reasons that Caoimhe outlined, we have to be conscious of parity because of the possible financial consequences to the Executive Budget — we cannot simply ignore those — it is right that devolution, under the guise of the Good Friday Agreement, works for the citizens whom we represent. It is absolutely correct that we strive to achieve day-1 or first-week rights.”
“<BR /> <BR />When Minister Dodds introduced the Bill, I think that she was acting in an honourable way and was bringing forward a positive change and support for people, but the role of Committees and the Assembly is to scrutinise legislation and expand on it, within our remit, if we believe that we need to do so. The amendments that have been brought forward are correct and were needed to ensure that the Bill fulfils its purpose. I commend the Chair of the Committee for her role in steering the Committee through what has been a very complex discussion. I commend her as a member of the Committee and a Member of the Assembly, in bringing forward the amendments to the Bill to fulfil its purpose, which is to assist and support people.”
“I support the amendments that have been tabled by the Minister and Dr Archibald. As has been said by a number of Members, this legislation, if it passes Further Consideration Stage — I suspect that it will, given Members' comments — will make a real difference to people's lives. Those people will be in some of the darkest moments of their life. As I was listening to the debate, I recalled the Second Stage and some harrowing stories from Members who had lost children or loved ones as a result of stillbirth, miscarriage or childhood death. It brought home the reality of what we were trying to achieve: we are trying to help people who are in a very difficult place.”
“Minister, I preface my question by saying that I respect the right of those who wish to celebrate the jubilee later this year. In response to Joanne, I also respect the Queen. I think that she has played a positive role in the peace process and in reconciliation on the island of Ireland. However, you have just spent the start of Question Time outlining the problems and the crises faced by many families across our entire society. Minister, is it not a priority to ensure that those who have least are given protection at this time, rather than using funds in this way? I know that Craigavon council is spending £250,000 on jubilee celebrations. <BR /> <BR />I will come to my point. Minister, is it not the priority at this stage to support those families that are most in need?”
“With the indulgence of the Speaker, on the subject of prisons, I pay tribute to Father Michael Bingham from Portadown who passed away at the weekend. His funeral is occurring around now. He was a pastor not only to the people of Drumcree parish in Portadown but to many prisoners and their families. He will be a huge loss to the wider community and to prisoners. <BR /> <BR />I thank the Minister for her answer. Minister, what measures have been put in place to mitigate the inability, during the COVID crisis, for face-to-face visits for prisoners? What support has been put in place for prisoners and their families?”
“Minister, I welcome your commitment to partnership working on Lough Neagh. You will be aware that it supplies 40% of the North's drinking water. It has huge tourism and economic potential, neither of which has been properly developed because of a lack of partnership working across a number of Departments. Will you undertake to pursue that work and to consider including Lough Neagh as part of Waterways Ireland's project?”
“In this day and age, it is just not acceptable to charge healthcare workers those rates to park at the site of their work, particularly given the hours and unsociable hours that many of them work. <BR /> <BR />I commend the sponsor of the Bill. I hope that the Bill gets through to Committee Stage, and I look forward to the Committee examining it in greater detail.”
“As I said, Trevor, it is only right and proper that the issues are raised and that the Committee examines them. From some of the information that I have at hand, I know that Scotland and Wales, which have introduced free car parking, do not see the system being abused at their hospitals. If the Bill passes through all its stages, the Department will have to look at that to ensure that the system is not abused. I hope and trust that the general public will not abuse it. <BR /> <BR />I do not intend to speak for too long about the matter, other than to say that I support the principles of the Bill. It has a worthy purpose, particularly in supporting our healthcare workers. Carál mentioned some of the costs involved for parking, and they are just not acceptable.”
“No one will park at Craigavon Area Hospital to do their shopping. There are a few local shops round there and I commend those local shops, but nobody will travel to Craigavon Area Hospital, park up and leave the car there to go into Portadown, Lurgan or Rushmere to do their shopping. That is just not feasible or practical. It is difficult enough to get a parking space at Craigavon Area Hospital when you pay for it. I do not think that there will be a widespread rush to park at Craigavon Area Hospital if you do not have to pay. Those concerns need to be examined by the Committee, but I do not think —”
“Colm mentioned the Brantry: people travel from the Brantry not only to seek care in Craigavon Area Hospital but to work there, and public transport is not an option for them. For constituents in Upper Bann — from Banbridge, Derrymacash, Derrytrasna, Lawrencetown or Gilford — public transport is not an option at many hours of the day, so those workers and patients have to drive to the hospital. If I succeed in my campaign to get a rail halt built in the centre of Craigavon, maybe that will assist many people to travel to the area by train. At the moment, however, driving is the only option available to them. When they get there, should they be charged? They should not.”
“Members should seek to find any unintended consequences of this Bill, but I do not think that anybody can argue against the point that healthcare workers should not be paying for parking at their place of employment to go in and deliver healthcare. <BR /> <BR />When I look at Craigavon Area Hospital and the widespread catchment area, not only for patients but the staff who work at that hospital, I can see that public transport is not an option.”
“Apologies to the Bill sponsor and others who have contributed to the Bill that I have not been in the Chamber throughout the debate. I commend Aisling for stepping forward and taking this Bill forward. Anybody who deals with legislation knows what an onerous task it is. I had to mention Fra because if I had not, he would remind me of that. So, I have mentioned his name. Well done, Fra. <BR /> <BR />The principles of the Bill have to examined. I was listening to Trevor when I came into the Chamber, and it is quite right that Members will scrutinise and ask questions about the Bill as it goes through Committee and the various stages. That is what the scrutiny phase is for.”
“I note that you avoid the question again, Minister. The reality is that you are acting unlawfully. You cannot blame your diary secretary for not arranging meetings. If I was acting on a point of principle, I would say, "I'm standing up for what I believe in, and I am boycotting a, b or c". Instead, you are blaming a diary secretary for not arranging meetings. When will you act lawfully and send a message out to those people on the streets who are acting unlawfully in the hijacking and burning of buses and other activities, and ensure that you are living up to your legal obligations under the ministerial code?”
“Later, he joined Fine Gael and became the only person to hold ministerial office, North and South. <BR /> <BR />In later life, he continued to speak out against the disastrous impact of partition on our island and people. As is the nature of politics, I disagreed with Austin on many things. Today, however, I recognise his contribution to politics and public life. My thoughts and condolences, and those of my party, are with his family and colleagues at this sad and difficult time.”
“On behalf of Sinn Féin, following the death of Austin Currie, I express my condolences to his family, friends and colleagues, and, of course, to SDLP Members of the Assembly. <BR /> <BR />Austin will be remembered for his lifelong contribution to the civil rights movement and to politics across the island of Ireland over many years. As has been stated, he was a leading figure in the early civil rights protests, including the famous house squat at Caledon, alongside the family of my colleague Colm Gildernew. That protest brought international attention to state-sponsored discrimination and was a turning point. It became a touchstone in the civil rights movement, marking the beginning of the end of the then Orange state. <BR /> <BR />Austin Currie was, of course, a Nationalist Party MP and, as has been stated, a founder member of the SDLP.”
“In my time in the Department of Education, I tried to unearth the 14-19 strategy. It is elusive, and it is difficult to tie down. As you said, there are documents in place, and they will come before the Ministers before the end of this mandate and will go out and become policy, but that policy has to include support for young people, particularly those young people who benefit from organisations such as Include Youth, which supports young people who have left school and require further education and training. Will a future 14-19 strategy continue to include support from the community and voluntary sector?”
“Minister, if we are to have a rural and farming community in the future, as Mr McGuigan and I want, and as, I believe, you also want, the farming and rural community will require intensive support from you, as Agriculture Minister. Given your almost Damascus-style conversion to green politics, which must have happened somewhere on the road to Glasgow, how will you support a just transition for workers and families, whether they are on the land or somewhere else? In order to help that just transition and to protect rural communities and families, will you put in place a transition commission to oversee it and to ensure that everyone is treated fairly?”
“As I said at the start of my contribution, I am conscious that the royal family is a very important institution to many in this society. I note that the changes being made today relate to sad events in the past and future events that will also be sad. I do not wish to become embroiled in a dispute about that, but the Secretary of State has to step up to the mark in providing parity of esteem.”
“Those are important milestones that the Secretary of State has to reach to ensure that parity of esteem, as outlined in the Good Friday Agreement, is reached.”
“— the Member's party and other unionist parties brought forward a proposal and said, "This is how we are going to mark the centenary". There was no engagement with the national or republican parties in the Chamber at any stage about how to mark that event. If you want to tell someone why this state failed, the stone is a classic example. You came forward with a proposal and said, "We are doing this. It is nothing to do with you". If you had come to us and said, "We want to have a discussion about this", we could have come up with something. That is a different debate. <BR /> <BR />My point is this: the legislation on languages and identity that the Secretary of State was supposed to bring through Westminster has not been brought forward either.”
“I do not wish to be diverted, because that might test the patience of the Ceann Comhairle. The mistake with the stone was that —”
“I will, but I do not wish to get into a wrangle about it.”
“<BR /> <BR />The proposals have come forward from the NIO and the British Government, who have failed to recognise the parity of esteem element of the Good Friday Agreement and to ensure that all in our society have a recognition and a buy-in and can see that their identity is honoured and protected in the symbolism that surrounds them. The NIO and the British Government have failed miserably at that. That has to be pointed out to Brandon Lewis. It is also worth noting that, in recent days, we have learned that the DUP is blocking a strategy for Irish language at the Executive. The British —”
“I rise to speak as a party representative, as opposed to a member of the Business Committee. I am conscious of the sensitive nature of the proposals outlined and their intentions and consequences. <BR /> <BR />I want to put a few notes on record. The flying of flags is clearly a sensitive issue in this society and can cause division. It can also be used to promote and honour someone, and we acknowledge that. There have been several attempts to bring in a process that all sections of our society can buy into. Unfortunately, those attempts have failed thus far. We have seen the latest version of that in the Commission on Flags, Identity, Culture and Tradition (FICT) process, though I accept that that might not have impacted on buildings such as this Building.”
“I commend the community groups, the youth workers, the Tir na nÓg GAA club, which is just around the corner from where the attack happened, and all who are involved in the improvement of our community in Portadown. <BR /> <BR />We have all tried to support that small group of people to divert them from what they are doing, but we can do no more, and it is over to the police to deal with them. I send this message of solidarity to Florentina and her family: we recognise that you are at home, we recognise you as a neighbour, and we want you to stay.”
“Ireland has a long history of people leaving these shores and establishing their home somewhere else, and we should recognise that. Those who were behind the attack obviously do not know the history of their community. That community has stood up to bigotry and sectarianism in the past, and it will not allow a group of individuals to terrorise or attack anyone in its midst. <BR /> <BR />I therefore appeal to anyone with information to bring it to the police. That same group of people has been involved in terrorising pensioners and other members of the community in the area. The fun is now over, and they have to be dealt with by the police.”
“First, I wish Mr Weir well, and I add my condolences on the passing of his mother. <BR /> <BR />I raise the issue of the disgraceful, racist attack on a family in Portadown last night. A group of youths gathered outside the home of Florentina Dimache, her children and her husband, and racially abused the family. They threw stones and other objects at their property and told them to "Go home". Let me tell those who were behind that attack that Florentina Dimache was home. Her home is in Ballyoran in Portadown. That is where she lives with her family. That is where her children go to school. That is where she and her husband go to work. <BR /> <BR />Home would have been a much better place for those who were attacking the property, rather than out on the streets attacking a family at night, or at any other time.”
“Will you undertake to ensure that you contact the Equality Commission to ensure that your Department is carrying out its equality duties in line with best practice?”
“Minister, in your statement, you took umbrage with the chief commissioner of the Equality Commission because of her comments about the strong possibility of sexual discrimination against married women. You said that you wish that the commissioner had contacted you. If the commissioner had contacted me, I would have told her that your Department is not carrying out its equality duties in line with best practice as published by the Equality Commission. Your Department carries out equality screening at the end of policy development, instead of carrying it out as part of the policy development. If your Department had done that, you may have identified the issue in relation to married women much earlier.”
“I just want to clarify my point. The Executive can do something. My point is that they cannot do enough. They need financial support.”
“While I will support the motion, it is not ambitious enough. The message from the Assembly should be, "Westminster, it's time to open up the purse strings".”