Chris Hazzard
South Down · Sinn Féin · Northern Ireland
“The order I am bringing forward extends the power for my Department to pay a grant to NI Water in lieu of domestic water charges. The current powers to pay a grant will expire on 31 March 2017, and the Water and Sewerage Services Act 2016, which was passed by the Assembly in January last year, provided the power to extend that date by an…”
“I thank those Members who have commented on the motion this evening. Some general issues and several specific points have been raised. <BR /> <BR />I will turn first to Mr Farry's question: why, for the period of time?”
“I am delighted that the Alliance argument around water charges does not chime with more of the electorate and that the particular reason does not hold sway, because this Executive certainly are not for turning on this issue. There will be no water charges for domestic customers, and we have ensured that.”
“<BR /> <BR />The second point that Mr Farry raised was around governance issues and the way forward. They are all issues that I have given thought to and that, I have no doubt, would have featured in the mandate in the time ahead, but we are not at that point today. The Assembly is about to be dissolved.”
“However, the imminent dissolution of the Assembly means I have decided to bring the draft order here today. <BR /> <BR />The grant provides NI Water with the funding to enable it to maintain drinking water supplies and deliver sewerage services.”
“I believe that this order will reinforce the Executive's commitment not to bring in water charging for households, and I thank the Members for their support.”
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“It is heartbreaking for the family, not simply because they have lost their daughter, a daughter whom they no doubt loved, but because they do not have the body and a grave and have not had the Christian burial that they very much want. <BR /> <BR />I apologise that I did not hear all of what Peter Weir had to say, but I caught the end and the talk of the extent that the PSNI has gone to. It is quite clear that the PSNI has gone to some considerable extent, with over 4,000 interviews and massive searches on land and at sea. The real crux of the problem is that the wall of silence remains. Despite the fact that somebody somewhere knows something, nobody is coming forward to give the evidence that is very much needed.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. I welcome the opportunity to speak in this Adjournment debate; if, indeed, "welcome" is the right term. I was just starting university when this occurred, and I remember the blue ribbon appeal. I did not know Lisa, and I do not know Lisa's family, but, when you read the local papers and stay in touch through the news, the heartbreak that this family has endured is evident. Indeed, there is heartbreak with all the disappeared. Reference has been made to other families who still suffer with the terrible heartbreak associated with such incidents. <BR /> <BR />Like many in our society, Lisa was a young person with her life ahead of her when such a crime was inflicted upon her. Coming out of the conflict, this is something that far too many families have had to deal with.”
“<BR /> <BR />It is important that we do not get bogged down today in each clause. I welcome the Bill, and I look forward at Committee Stage to digging down into it and, as other Members have said, to the further scrutiny of the secondary legislation to come.”
“It is that empowerment of children and of families that is very important. Even a cursory glance at clauses 6, 7, 8 and 9 suggests that there will be that empowerment of parents and families. The Chair talked about mediation and the right of appeal, which will be very important. I look forward to digging down into that at Committee Stage. <BR /> <BR />A big driver will be the Education Authority, not just in standardising services across the North to provide support for children but also in the training, support, advice and guidance from boards of governors and schools and around what we term the SENCO, namely the coordinating teacher. It will be very important, as the last Member to speak said, in addition to getting the building blocks in place, to make sure that the nuts and bolts are all in place and that the system will work.”
“I was speaking to a colleague before I came in here who described it as a "battle". Too often, parents have had to engage in a battle to get the services that their children deserve and are entitled to. Parents and children should never have to engage in a battle to receive the services that they need. I hope that that is what can be achieved with this legislation. <BR /> <BR />The Minister talked this morning of a whole-school acceptance, which I welcome. We need to build special educational needs into the fabric of schools; it should not be just an add-on. The inclusivity of the process is very important. In light of that, I welcome the fact that there has been over the past number of years a very intensive and engaging process with parents, children, stakeholders and schools.”
“The situation has not been fair, which is another reason why this legislation is very welcome. <BR /> <BR />The last Member spoke of the 67% rise in autism cases. Indeed, the rising need in special educational needs across the board is alarming. A multi-causal approach is needed to decipher what exactly is causing that rise. Again, that highlights the need to modernise our system when it comes to special educational needs. <BR /> <BR />A point that we have all touched upon today is the interface with health authorities, and I welcome the reference in the Bill to strengthening that. The interface is often sluggish, to the great frustration of parents, schools and those in the education sector who are trying to deal with the issue. We need to build an agreed inclusive pathway.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Bill, which presents a platform for change. We have talked at great length in the last number of months and years in this House about modernising our education system, be it through area planning or the establishment of the Education Authority, and it follows suit that we need to modernise our special educational needs facilities. <BR /> <BR />Every Member will have horror stories about processes of statementing and inconsistencies across the North. In my locality of the Mournes, where two boards meet, a young child with autism at one end of a road can be granted every service required to meet their needs, whereas the parents of a child with autism at the other end of the road may have to pay thousands of pounds to meet that very same need.”
“I thank the Member for his intervention. We could probably get a phone book out and go through lots of names of different people who did lots of things. When we talk about scientists, it is important that we realise that we have massive figures in our shared history, such as Francis Hutcheson, who did so much for the world of education, philosophy and everything else. We should look to use the example of those people to inspire our young people.”
“I thank the Member for his comment, and I agree: the Irish Scots were very important throughout the world. Francis Hutcheson went on to inspire many people who took part in the American Revolution. Indeed, he inspired many people around my part of the world — Ballynahinch and Saintfield — into the United Irishmen. He talked about democracy —”
“Modern languages need to come into the mix, and we should not forget the arts. As well as the likes of Hans Sloane, south Down is very proud to have Francis Hutcheson, so philosophy and culture are also very important. We need to make sure that, when we talk about STEM, we are creating far more rounded individuals as well. We should not forget other subjects.”
“We perhaps do not have as many small enterprises as we should, yet Hans Sloane and William Thomson, known to others as Lord Kelvin, came from this part of the world. They are huge figures in science. We could do more to inspire our young people to look up to scientists because, as I said, we have a very proud record. Some of the greatest scientific discoveries have been made by Irish people. I mentioned Hans Sloane, and it is important that we venerate such people and help young people to know what they did. Perhaps it is time that we looked at having a greater number of STEM-related scholarships so that our young people can really get the benefit. <BR /> <BR />It is important that we do not just see STEM as the golden nugget that will deliver a wonderful economy and a far better education service.”
“One child's mother was a scientist. We need to get beyond that. In the North, we certainly do better than many other areas. The imbalance between boys and girls is certainly not what it is elsewhere: young girls are taking up STEM subjects more and more. It is great to see that because there is far more to STEM subjects than some people envisage. At the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition 2015 last month, we saw huge numbers of young women from across the island engaging in science, technology and design. We met a young winner from a couple of years ago, who was hugely inspiring. It is important to get as many young women involved as possible. <BR /> <BR />Inspiration is a big thing. South Down supplies huge numbers to the Civil Service and the public sector.”
“Building in our young people a sense of enquiry — why does something happen and why is it important? — is very important if we are to see an increase in small and medium-sized enterprises locally. That requires the ability in our young people, which they get from science study and notions of enquiry, to take a risk. <BR /> <BR />We must also appreciate that there is more to STEM than science: it includes technologies, design, engineering and maths. It is important that we do not get bogged down in the old notion that there are just biology, chemistry and physics. STEM is a lot more than that. <BR /> <BR />STEM subjects are certainly not just for boys. Recently, according to an article in the 'Guardian', children were asked as homework to talk about a famous scientist. What did he look like? Was he married? Did he have a family?”
“That is simply not the case: there is an increase in those taking and doing well in STEM subjects. We have an increasing number of STEM-facilitated local businesses every year, for which the revised curriculum and entitlement framework was largely responsible a number of years ago. <BR /> <BR />Indeed, it is for that reason that I am surprised at the criticism from the last Member to speak of the "obsession" with academic selection. It has always been about widening the scope for those at school and involving those who are interested in engineering and the sciences without having to go down the one route. That flexibility is very important. Young people studying the World Around Us get to apply what they learn in science not just in the classroom; when they go into the garden they can ask questions.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. I welcome the opportunity to speak on this and apologise to the Chair for missing the start. If I have missed anything that she has covered, I will pick it up afterwards. <BR /> <BR />We welcome the opportunity to talk about the importance of STEM subjects and their role in our education system today and into the future as we build an economy that works better for everybody. However, it is not all bad. STEM subjects are fairly well established in our schools. The recent report identified some areas as needing improvement, but we have a fairly good platform to start from. We see brilliant examples of good practice in our schools, at primary and post-primary level. It is important, therefore, that we do not get carried away and turn this into some sort of crisis.”
“I thank the Minister for giving way. Can he state whether his Department or officials have engaged with European colleagues to ascertain if any opportunities exist within Peace IV, given that education is one of the pillars, to create opportunities for border corridors and, indeed, areas of socio-economic inactivity? Go raibh maith agat.”
“We must move beyond bookkeeping to driving economic growth. That means working collectively to exploit every avenue that we have to build a progressive, strong local revenue base that does not harm but strengthens our people, our competitiveness, our economic security and our economic growth.”
“No, I have taken enough interventions for today, thanks. <BR /> <BR />The only way in which to end austerity is to take the powers to make our own economic future and to carve out an alternative economic path. The Tories are wedded to austerity. Left to its own devices, British Labour has made it crystal clear that it intends to carry on with the Tory cuts that are inflicting real pain on families across the North. In recent weeks, we have seen Labour and the Tories vote for £30 billion more in cuts. It is time to end the imposition of slash-and-burn economics in the North by the British Government. Collectively, we can seek the powers from Westminster to build a strong and sustainable economy. We can choose to leave austerity behind and actively work together to revive our economy here in Ireland.”
“The human cost of the Union is now too high for our citizens to bear. The only way in which to end austerity —”
“Additionally, despite the political rhetoric of the party to my left, not a single person in the North will have to pay the bedroom tax. Anti-poverty measures have been retained, and the success rate for new disability applicants will be no less between the new system and the previous system. <BR /> <BR />Our approach is based on what Sinn Féin believes is in the interests of the people in the North and what is required immediately to assist us to build a just, fair and equal economy for the North and the island. We will continue to seek economic power from Westminster to pursue a different course from that of austerity, inequality and poverty. Sinn Féin wants to build an economy that is based on prosperity, fairness and equality, not cuts. Westminster promises only austerity, pain and hardship for our people.”
“I thank the Member for his intervention. I will come to that in a second. <BR /> <BR />A major strategy is needed now to grow our private sector and reindustrialise the North, but that should not be done at the expense of maintaining public services or the welfare of its citizens, especially those who are the most disadvantaged. All the other parties, including the SDLP, were prepared to compromise on welfare protections. As a result of Sinn Féin's determined refusal to back down on the issue, we ensured a better negotiated outcome and welfare system for the North. At its core is a six-year package of £565 million to create, among other mitigation funds, a supplementary payment fund specifically to protect children with disabilities, adults with severe disabilities and people who are long-term sick.”
“Since 2011, Sinn Féin has opposed welfare cuts and insisted on welfare protection. Sinn Féin is for equality, social justice and enterprise. We believe in economic growth, and we believe in competitiveness. That will not happen without investment in our communities, investment in training, investment in infrastructure and investment in job creation. A major strategy is needed to grow our private sector and to reindustrialise the North —”
“Since the Conservatives took power in Britain in 2010, their austerity policies have reduced our Budget by £1·5 billion in real terms. The Westminster Government's austerity economics are morally unjustifiable and economically unsustainable. British economic policy has failed, even on its own terms. It has failed to reduce the deficit as planned, and it has failed even more comprehensively to rebalance the economy. The human cost of austerity is too high a price to pay. <BR /> <BR />Sinn Féin does not accept that there is a trade-off between balancing the books and having a balanced society. Fairness and prosperity go hand in hand. Sinn Féin's approach is part of a growing international consensus. It is basic common sense that, as a society, we will do better if we can benefit from the skill, talent and innovation of all of our people.”
“However, we need the Minister to get to grips with the financial department in the Department of Health. We need the better management of resources in the Department, and the use of in-year monitoring bids to create conditions around pressures in the Department of Health needs to stop. We need a reduction in negligence bills and fraud, and the eradication of frivolous court battles fought on a whim of the Health Minister. <BR /> <BR />Education, too, is a key tool in the battle against inequality. It is perhaps one of the most significant opportunities to overcome inequality provided in a person's lifetime. That is why we must continue to protect education budgets. <BR /> <BR />There is no doubt that, collectively, we have had to make some difficult decisions in order to live within our Budget.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. I welcome the opportunity to speak in the debate. I welcome the fact that the central pillars of the Budget for 2015-16 are the protection of key front-line health and education services; investment to support economic development; and putting in place the foundations of the reform and restructuring of our public sector agreed as part of the Stormont House Agreement. <BR /> <BR />Sinn Féin will continue to provide security to public-sector workers through its policy of no compulsory redundancies. We place delivery in health and education at the very heart of our economy. Let us be very clear: the health service is a vital service that all of us will rely on at some stage in life, and it is, therefore, vital to protect investment in it.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. I thank the Minister for his response. Of course, one reason why bathing status has not been granted is the unacceptable situation that raw sewage is still being pumped into some of the waters, especially around Ballyhornan. It is an indictment of the Department of the Environment that, in 2015, in a tourism-heavy area such as south Down, only one beach out of dozens on the Lecale coastline has that EU status. I would like to see a project of work from the Department of the Environment to bring this subject forward. Will the Minister be willing to do that?”
“The only way that we can reverse Westminster cuts is to take control of our economic future and to collectively carve out a progressive future for our local economy, one in which those who can pay do pay so that we can build a just, fair and equitable economy for all our people. For Cameron and Osborne, cuts work because they do not affect people who matter to them, but it is their decisions and their cuts that are blighting the lives of the people who matter to us.”
“Yet, as long as decisions regarding our economic future reside in Westminster, our local budgets will be slashed and burned. Westminster's relentless raiding of the block grant is stifling our capacity for economic growth. Collectively, we have had to make some difficult decisions to live within our Budget, which has been cut by well over £1 billion since 2011. <BR /> <BR />Austerity has become the price of the union with Britain. That price is borne out by the people who we represent here in the North of Ireland. For every £100 million cut by the Tories, we lose £3·45 million from our local Budget.”
“There are safeguards for those moving from disability living allowance (DLA) and for lone parents, and people will be comforted by the knowledge that the abhorrent bedroom tax will not be applicable here in the North. Those protections are unique to the North and are in sharp contrast to the cuts-driven onslaught in Britain, which has resulted in the most vulnerable and disadvantaged in Britain paying 80% of the cost of the crisis. <BR /> <BR />Whether delivered by neo-liberals in London, Dublin or Brussels, austerity is the wrong answer. Golden circles did not nationalise the wealth in the good times; they should not be allowed to nationalise the debt in the bad times. The key to economic growth is investment, not cuts. We need to stimulate equitable growth, not strangle hope and opportunity.”
“To ensure that all our citizens have the opportunity to achieve their potential, we in Sinn Féin have stood firm in our objectives to protect vulnerable and disabled people, in direct contrast to the ideological war on welfare being waged by the Westminster elite. <BR /> <BR />We have ensured that vulnerable people, disadvantaged people and people with disabilities will not pay the costs of the economic crisis. We have agreed to provide over six years a package of almost £565 million to address the potential loss of benefits to individuals and families. That is complemented by anti-poverty measures and a supplementary payment fund that protects families with children, people with disabilities and those who are long-term sick.”
“It will also help to protect anti-poverty measures that are vital in giving all of our children equal access to success. <BR /> <BR />Sinn Féin was also successful in negotiating £500 million over 10 years for the Education budget, to be spent on shared and integrated education capital projects as part of the Stormont House Agreement. As Mrs Cochrane touched on, that provides a unique opportunity to shape our schools estate going forward for the 21st century. Although the latest economic indicators are encouraging, we recognise that a strong economy is successful only if it is underpinned by a fair and equal society.”
“It is also important to recognise that, just a month ago, the House voted for a motion that called on the Minister to protect school classrooms alone, and that youth services and services such as Sure Start and free school meals were not as important as the classroom. <BR /> <BR />I am delighted that the Sinn Féin Minister was able to secure additional funds and that we will now see extra funds going into the Education budget. That sizeable additional allocation will permit much of the pressures facing classrooms across the North to be alleviated. The education of our children is the key to their future and to all of our futures, but too many of our young people have their life chances narrowed by circumstances that are out of their control.”
“<BR /> <BR />The key focus of our work in tackling inequality is to ensure that Ireland, North and South, is one of the best countries in the world for children to grow and learn. When our youngest children enter school, they should have access to the best possible education. As a result of the wealth of consultation responses to the Executive's draft Budget, the engagement with the trade unions, the school community and the Education Minister, John O'Dowd, education has received an additional £64·6 million. <BR /> <BR />It is important to recognise the role that the Minister played in securing those additional funds.”
“Indeed, given the rising health and education inequalities at the core of services in Britain at the minute, the fact that 65% of our resources are used for health and education is, indeed, the right choice. <BR /> <BR />It is essential that our overall investment in health must be used to build a health service that is fit for the 21st century. Lately, we have heard plenty of talk about Transforming Your Care and the Donaldson report, but we must bear in mind that this is the North of Ireland; it is not England. We need to see local leadership, and we need to see equality of access. It does not matter whether it is for young or old, for rural or urban or for men or women.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Supply resolution and the Estimates and the need to deliver a more prosperous and fair economy in the North of Ireland. <BR /> <BR />I want to pick up initially on a point raised by Mike Nesbitt regarding the Programme for Government commitment that was the Maze/Long Kesh. Indeed, it was a commitment, and it was voted through and endorsed by the parties before it was reneged on. I think that it is important to put that on the record, and that Sinn Féin stuck to its commitments and wants to see those types of projects going forward. <BR /> <BR />Sinn Féin is very proud that health and education will account for 65% of all resource expenditure in the North next year. The health of our population and the education of our young people are two of the most important responsibilities.”
“I thank the Minister. I am not surprised that a number of organisations are taking up the opportunity to challenge that. It has been brought to my attention that at least two organisations were contacted behind the scenes by your Department and it was requested that they resubmit their financial documents. In an effort to redress that particular wrong, and maybe avoid court cases that will do nothing to address the financial crisis that many of those organisations now find themselves in, what steps will you be taking to redress the situation?”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Phríomh-LeasCheann Comhairle. I thank the Minister for his answers thus far. What is the Minister's view of the educational disadvantage in those incidences where children are sent to the back of the classroom with colouring pencils while others are at the front being coached for an exam?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. I was not actually asking for you to give way. I was just saying that you are right that we should be breaking the link with Westminster because austerity is always going to be the dish of the day.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. I thank the Minister for his answer and for his work on putting in place plans to recover the funds. Of course, the funds were given to meet the demand for social housing in the south Down area, particularly around Crossgar and Loughinisland. Will he now pledge to use the money, once it is recovered, to ensure that the social housing need in Crossgar and Loughinisland is met?”
“The people of Down would love even a tenth of that investment for the Downe. I ask the Minister to come out publicly and say what his plans for the future are. Let us end the confusion and the drip, drip of bad news. Let us publish a comprehensive road map for the way forward.”
“It is incumbent upon the Minister to lay out what he will do now and in the future to make sure that the strategy is brought into place. In recent times, we have had the maternity expansion at the Ulster Hospital site and a £250 million phase B development of the wards.”
“<BR /> <BR />Another issue that we raised today with Valerie Watts is ambulance cover, and this ties in neatly to the debate. Again, it eats away at the very logic of the trust's centralisation policies and, indeed, is counter-strategic to whatever strategy is being employed. We are a constituency without one inch of dual carriageway or any sort of carriageway at all. Our public transport system simply is not what it should be. If somebody in, for example, Minerstown in the Lecale area had to go to the Ulster Hospital, it would take six buses before they were home. It is simply not feasible to make that person travel to the Ulster Hospital. <BR /> <BR />Look at some of the contingency measures brought into place in autumn last year. In November, the Minister suggested that some of the contingency measures were counter-strategic.”
“Indeed, I would argue that the ongoing attacks on the sustainability of the Downe Hospital have created an intolerable situation in which the rights of local residents in Downpatrick are seemingly worth less than residents in, for example, south Belfast, who have, in all reality, a plethora of hospitals and services to choose from. Last week, as my colleague pointed out, a baby at the Downe Hospital was forced to wait for 45 minutes before being transferred to hospital in Belfast. Why should a baby's life in Downpatrick be worth any less than a baby's life in Belfast? If one incident does not awaken the health chiefs to ongoing failure to oversee a fit-for-purpose Downe Hospital and the attached services, I fear what it will take to make them do so.”
“The most important question remains, and this is perhaps the third or fourth debate that we have had on this issue. Where does the Minister stand on the Downe? We need to hear what the Minister's vision is for the Downe Hospital. We cannot somehow get it out of the South Eastern Trust. There is too much confusion and too much smoke and mirrors. We need to hear what the Minister's plan is for the Downe going forward. The Minister is a South Down representative. There is an onus on him to be transparent, upfront and very public on this. Will you stand with the public and the community on this? Will you help us protect our local service? <BR /> <BR />The status quo is simply not an option.”
“Even the Minister's party colleagues in Down have stood side by side with all parties in the local area to say that this process has to stop and that services at the Downe Hospital must be restored to the level that was envisaged when the new hospital was opened by Bairbre de Brún. <BR /> <BR />Whilst the South Eastern Trust may be running down available services at the Downe in conjunction with successive Ministers, every single political party, every local sporting organisation, every local school and the entire South Down community is opposed to the reductions. Political and community representatives continue to meet the trust and the Minister. Today, my party colleagues met the chief executive of the health board, and we will continue to champion the virtues of an enhanced local hospital at the Downe.”
“It is why more than 20,000 people gave their signatures in the wake of the decisions on the A&E closures last year.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. I thank my South Down colleagues for bringing forward the Adjournment debate this evening, and I share others' sentiments in welcoming you as Speaker of the House. <BR /> <BR />Mrs McKevitt used the word "angry" to describe the feelings of people in and around Downpatrick. I will focus solely on the Downe Hospital, as my colleague talked about Daisy Hill. "Angry" is definitely the right word. It is the reason why people have come onto the streets in Downpatrick, Ballynahinch, Newcastle and elsewhere to protest at the ongoing cuts and attacks to the Downe Hospital. It is why, as has been pointed out, there will be a rally in Downpatrick on Valentine's Day, 14 February, to show that the community love our local hospital and want to see it enhanced.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. I welcome the Minister's statement, like Members before. Given the need for the Department to continue its work with the industry and to work more closely, can I ask the Minister to give an update on the fisheries task force, please?”
“Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. I thank the Minister for her statement. I welcome the closer correlation between the organisations that has been outlined. Indeed, I echo the sentiment regarding the headquarters in Newry, but I want to touch on the allusion to the BRIC economies and to Invest NI and tourism working more closely. I think that is a good idea, but, very often, a lot of our local tourist providers do not have the infrastructure in place to meet that market, especially the Chinese market, which wants particular banking facilities that are not available to a large part of our local tourism providers. Will the Minister bring forward any schemes or ideas on how we can equip our local tourism providers to meet the demands of those emerging markets?”
“Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. I thank the Minister for his answers thus far. On the importance of appointing a commissioner, I want to push the Minister on a time frame in which he thinks that the appointment can be made.”